OK, Here I go.
For the information requested I will give my impressions or comparison on the FG (Field Grade) and VT Tac (Vietnam Tactical Tomahawk) by ATC
First let me say that I by no means an expert, and Im sure someone here can throw around some lingo and a few scientific words to the contrary but what am posting is MY impressions or OPINION. With that out of the way, Let me say I have been a ATC Hawk owner since 2002. I have bought just about every version of the Vietnam Tomahawk ATC has made, sometimes more than one of each. I personally feel that the Vietnam Tomahawk is one of the best designs for a Tomahawk and its merits are well noted by many.
As for the FG version it is the lightest Vietnam hawk in the ATC line up. The wood handle keeps the weight down and with that, the hawk feels very alive in the hand. I can choke up on it, spin to the spike side and adjust during a swing very fast. My wrist doesnt get punished by these sudden stops or adjustments. This makes it a lot easier to make last minute corrections. Ex. Target shifting, or puts up arm to block
etc. You can move the Hawk and adjust to your New target spot without feeling the torque on the wrist. It also never feels like Ive over committed to a strike, due to it being able to adjusted so quickly.
The biggest draw back to the FG Hawk is its greatest asset - The wood handle. I never broke a handle on a hawk, but the guy I purchased my Second FG hawk broke quite a few. I have three or four extra handles he sold me with the hawk. I believe that he broke them while throwing the hawk, something I dont do. The wood also has unfortunate ability to suck up moisture, swell in the heat and the reverse in the cold. This has not stopped wood from being an excellent material for Hammers and Axes two very similar tools, but its potential breakage that I feel cast a shadow on an great hawk. I feel that ATC going to Acetal on the VT Tac was a result of this.
The Acetal version did have an almost unbreakable handle, a steel rod inserted into the top and texturing. All features missing on the FG hawk, which are great but the Hawk picked up a good deal of weight and some added length. The trade off to many was fine a little more weight, to carry a tank? No Brainer right? The only problem is those mid-swing adjustments became a little more taxing on the wrist. It became a lot harder to stop the hawk in Mid-flight and adjust to a new target area. and those little moves I practiced on switching to the spike now required more effort to do. Still more then worth it in my mind. The other draw back to the Acetal handle was the round grip. It was textured but many were miffed that the hawk didnt have an oval handle. How can I tell which end is which How do I know how Im holding it? . I felt it was a non-issue. It seemed simple to me . A horizontal notch equals spike side a vertical notch means edge. 30 seconds and a file that all it takes.
The current version is the perfect evolution of the two. The size is almost identical to the FG, and the weight is closer to the FG also. Which are two major improvements over the previous VT design. The handle is oval again and does have some indentations to help index the hawk. I can move this S.O.B in mid-flight with the flick of a wrist, and the transition to spike is fast and smooth. The current handle doesnt have the checkering, and does feel slick by comparison in a the bare hand. Try the hawk however while wearing flight gloves and youll be shocked (at least I was) how good it retains in the hand compared to bare skin. All those guys wearing flight gloves for a living will love this handle. As for us bare-hand folks the are a lot of ways to make this grip better, which has been discussed in other posts Otherwise this version of the VT Tac is the perfect blend of lightweight performance in an indestructible package.
