CS War Hammer

W

Wolf_1989

Joined
Mar 30, 2007
Messages
3,654
I've been thinking about buying one of these.

Thing is I recall from the late 1990s/early 2000s CS's tomahawks really became shoddy in the QC department. I don't mean having a bit that was just a wee bit off center; I'm talking about some really bad QC, eyes completely off center and warped to the point that attaching one firmly to a haft was not gonna happen, seriously warped bits... more often than not the things looked like trained monkeys made them.

It turned me off Cold Steel's tomahawks, axes, etc for a long time, which is sad because my circa 1993 CS Rifleman's Hawk is one of my favorite tomahawks.


Looking around here on this forum I see the CS Trail Hawk is very popular and I haven't seen any of them which are noticeably bad.

To those of you who have handled a lot of them in the last few years (like Vector)... has CS's QC improved?

Because if CS has rectified the QC problem, I will definitely buy one of those War Hammers.
 
I would say it's better, though vec could likely be THE best one to comment on this, he hand picks his, which means he sends the crappy ones back.
 
tinman44 said:
I would say it's better, though vec could likely be THE best one to comment on this, he hand picks his, which means he sends the crappy ones back.
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Yeah I figure so too. Vector is the only guy I could think of who sees a lot of Cold Steel hawks.

But if he's having to buy them in batches to pick through them though... :grumpy:
 
I've owned a CS warhammer for several years, and I love that thing! I didn't use the langets it comes with, though. Instead, I covered the entire handle with multiple coats of black PlastiDip. I used extra to reinforce the haft for about 5 inches below the head and also put several coats over the eye. I've devastated many useless things with this hammer (old file cabinets, picnic tables, a dresser, and even used it to break up driveway ice-which it excels at), and it is still going strong! I wouldn't hesitate buying another just for sh*ts and giggles! :thumbup:
 
My CS War Hammer is perfect.
I've seen them really really cheap on fleE-bay.
For 30 bucks and shipping you can't go wrong IMO.
It's a big hammer.

A CS War Hammer cane would be cool.You could leave it rustic or Silver plate the head and use some curly maple for the cane.
I collect things like that.
Blackthorns,Gadget Canes,Fokos.My Advatar is my Fokos.
I'm just waiting for old age so I can brain some young whipper-snappers picking on an old man and his funny looking cane.
 
OK I'll take a chance on one.

I've been considering it for about a year because it came to me I don't have any smashing devices like that except for my hand made war clubs.

I know they're plenty tough. I bought my Riflemans Hawk in early 1994 and put it through over a decade of extreme use. The original black finish is long gone, replaced by a handsome brown patina. The head has outlasted three handles.

The warhammer looks like an ideal weapon for me. I'm 6'5" 245 lbs, I've worked on farms, factories, warehouses practically all my life, and I was a power lifter in high school. This weapon would allow me to take advantage of my strength in a way a sword or tomahawk couldn't. I bet it would also be great for busting ice on our driveway in winter.
 
my friend bought one two years ago and i didn't notice any defects like on some of the hawks.
 
Ok guys... we just got home about an hour ago from the army/navy store, which also happens to be a CS dealer... and I bought a warhammer.

I'll have to say it's impressive. They had already assembled it and didn't bother to tap the head all the way up. I fixed that easy enough with my trusty ball peen hammer. The eye, hammer and spike all look dead on perfect. I'll need to remove the langets and reposition them higher now though, and the handle is begging to be stained and decorated with viking runes.:cool:

I took it out down the road were someone had tossed out a 55 gallon steel drum and the war hammer easily tore it to pieces. The spike penetrated all the way in on merely a moderately powered swing, and with a full force power blow arc, it ripped a nasty gash through the side.

I would not want to be hit by this thing! :eek: It is possibly the ideal self defense weapon to have during a riot. It's a big hammer... but it's relatively light and quick. IMO the 30" handle is exactly right.

I'm also pleased to see for myself CS's QC does seem to have improved. I looked through their tomahawks and they looked pretty good.

:thumbup: :thumbup:
 
Thank's for the Cold Steel War Hammer review, At least you bought one locally that you could Inspect befor you bought It, That's way better than getting one online, I've been wanting to get one for awhile, And now after your writeup I'm really ready ! We got a Cold Steel Dealer In my Neck of the Wood's I'll have to check out there price's, Thank's for the Info. and Enjoy your New War Hammer !
 
:thumbup:Congrats on your purchase! I knew you'd like the war hammer. It is one 'tool' I will never part with. The black paint seems to be fairly easily removed with...wait for it...paint thinner (although it's much easier if you soak the head before assembly...too late for that, I guess)! If that doesn't work, royal jelly will take anything off of anything, but it does tend to discolor steel (which can be fixed with some fine grained sand paper or even a buffing wheel). On my hammer, I removed the paint on the spike and sguare of the hammer head through a combination of paint thinner and sand paper. Be forewarned that the steel will, without doubt, have pits and blemishes that will hold the black. The steel is definitely not highly finished under all that paint! Personally, I think it looks kinda' cool that way; a sort of 'antique' look.
 
Yeah I know how they look under that coating because by around 1998 or so, I'd worn off virtually all the finish on my old Rifleman's Hawk. There's still a couple tiny spots of it left under the hammer poll and under the eye. It has been replaced with a nice brown patina. I like that look. It looks like it was made in 1893 instead of 1993.

On the war hammer I think that sort of finish will help it look more medieval.:cool:

On the other hand though it will be fake, where my Rifleman's Hawk earned it's patina by going above and beyond probably even what Lynn himself intended. It's been all over the hills of S.E. Ohio, through the Smokey and Blue Ridge Mountains, the Everglades, the swamps of Louisiana and Eastern Texas, and it even got dropped in the famous Boggy Creek of Arkansas. It's helped butcher a number of deer and hogs. It's been to powwows. It was by my side on New Year's Eve 1999, "just in case".

I've had the war hammer less than 24 hours and I can't stop looking at it. This one is different from any other item I have in my arsenal. It's a pure, straight destroyer. It might just be the most lethal weapon Cold Steel has produced. I really, really like it.
 
i'm glad you like the war hammer and can't wait to see what you come up with for it. As i've said before your mods are my favorite on here:)

on a side note i wonder why the CS battle ax never caught on?:confused: it came out the same time as the war hammer but you hardly ever hear about it anymore. poor sales caused it to be discontinued which makes me wish i had pulled the trigger instead of always waiting. it looked fearsome in its own right.
 
crossada said:
i'm glad you like the war hammer and can't wait to see what you come up with for it. As i've said before your mods are my favorite on here:)

on a side note i wonder why the CS battle ax never caught on?:confused: it came out the same time as the war hammer but you hardly ever hear about it anymore. poor sales caused it to be discontinued which makes me wish i had pulled the trigger instead of always waiting. it looked fearsome in its own right.
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The CS battle axe is THE cold steel piece in particular which turned me off from buying any more CS tomahawks or similar models for so long. I bought one and it was just terrible. The bit was warped big time and the internal dimensions of the eye were so bad you'd need to let a tree grow into it if you'd ever to have a chance of it fitting to the haft firmly.

Which is ironic considering I recall at the time Cold Steel was criticizing other battle axes as being "hammered out on a rock in India".

:mad:

So far I've used a palm sander to remove most of the black coating on the hammer head, giving it almost a damascus look. I sanded down the handle to remove the clear lacquer and I've put down my first treatment of minwax walnut stain. It's looking really medieval now.

It has a very German feel and look. I am debating whether to burn some runes on the handle or write something menacing on it auf Deutsche in classic german script.
 
We need to see some picture's when you get done with your Mod.'s the Viking Runes would look great, Spell out "War Hammer" ! Do you think the 30" Handle's are the same eye fit as the Hawk's ? I'd like to find a 30" Handle for my Cold Steel Rifleman's Hawk, Doe's anyone know the Best place to get Cold Steel replacement Handle's ?
 
I think it probably would fit. If anything it might be a little oversized so you might need to take it down a little bit with a rasp.

I just make my own by carving sledgehammer handles.
 
I'll have to give the Modified Sledge Hammer Handle's a try, But I like taking the Easy Way, If I can find some Cold Steel 30" Handle's I'm gonna grab some up, I think a 30" Handle on the Rifleman's Hawk would make It a Great Chopper,
 
Snake Dr. said:
I'll have to give the Modified Sledge Hammer Handle's a try, But I like taking the Easy Way, If I can find some Cold Steel 30" Handle's I'm gonna grab some up, I think a 30" Handle on the Rifleman's Hawk would make It a Great Chopper,
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I start out with overly long handles and trim them down till they feel right. My Rifleman's Hawk balanced out at about 24" of handle.
 
Wolf_1989 said:
I start out with overly long handles and trim them down till they feel right. My Rifleman's Hawk balanced out at about 24" of handle.
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That would be a perfect size Handle also, I aint never weighed my Rifleman's Hawk but It's not balanced with a 19" Handle, Deffinatly Top Heavy, I'm gonna be getting some of them Modified Trail Hawk's The Bug Head Shark's Tooth from Vec, I think there gonna be perfect on the 19" Hickory Handle's, His Machinest did a Great Job on them,
 
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