hawk weight

D

dogrunner

Joined
Dec 26, 2003
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hi,
I've been browsing the web for a tomahawk (primarily as a tool, not throwing or combat) . I know very little about them but I was hoping somebody could tell me a little about weight. The reason I ask is that some seem fairly light (1 lb range), but some are a lot heavier (over 3 lbs). Specifically I have looked at ATC, Bear Mtn, Fort Turner, and others. There are handle differences - wood vs metal vs synthetic, spiked vs poled vs unpoled (? not sure the terminology), but I'm specifically curious about the weight differences. What is a good weight range for what application ? What is too light, too heavy ?
thanks for your help.
 
what are your intentions tool wise are you refering too? for instance, are you planning on using it specifically for camping? my CS Trailhawk is ok for camping. the hammerhead is great for setting tent stakes and cracking nuts, the blade is a little too small and light for chopping firewood. works great for kindling stuff.

a larger Hawk with a poll (the back side used for pounding) is good. an edged face from 3 1/2 to 4 inches is usually adequate and a head weight around a pound to a pound and a half is good. get a handle with at least 19" length to reduce hand/arm fatigue. check out www.crazycrow.com and look at the Trappers tomahawk for style. i have a Hudson Bay Hawk from them and are not exited about their Hawk handles, not very good quality. the Hawks are made in India and are o.k.

better yet check out www.fortturner.com they make their own hawks and have heard good things about them. hoping Santa leaves one under my tree :rolleyes:
check out their Camp and Trapper Hawks, both are polled.

for a few dollars more Google up Gransfor Bruks axes. for under a hundred dollars you can have one of the finest hand forged axes on the planet.
Note: generally stay away from "mini axes" or "sounding axes" ( www.forestrysupply.com ) they are generally under 12" long, and too light to actually chop anything but small tinder. good for teaching young children axe/hatchet safety, my son loves his. good luck, keep us posted...

dhawk
 
My intended use is as a backpackable chopper. For whatever needs choppin - firewood, trail clearing, etc. I prefer the lightest tool that will get the job done. I just ordered a GB wildlife hatchet which has a 1 lb head. I like to have a backup too. I don't want to spend a lot of money and the GBs are pretty reasonably priced, so I could just get 2, but I also just wanted a TH :D I like the traditional looks and the price of the Fort Turners and they get good reviews here.

But my question was also more general. I was just curious if/how different uses/designs relate to weight in hawks - e.g. throwing, combat, entry tool, camp tool, etc.
 
i hope someone adds to this, or please correct any info i may post that is not correct or clearly stated, but here's a little bit of my opinions... :D

i have found for instance the CS line of hawks generally light in the head, for instance the trail and frontier hawks. the blades are generally thin and too small for serious cutting and the poll of the Trail Hawk pretty small for use in pounding. great for light duty and self defense. they also have some very good handles on their hawks.

other hawks for instance such as Ft. Turners and Crazy Crows (i have found CC hawk handles to be of general poor quality) have heavier and thicker heads (1+ lbs) that are better for penetration (i.e. entry tools or target penetration) or chopping, have great weight forward for easy throwing with high degree of successful sticks. with the heavier heads they would be more slower and tiresome to weild over an extended time in a self defense situation.

however the heavier head would pack a wallop on the victim. these brands of hawks also have models that come with a full length poll which gives more surface striking area-coupled with head weight do the job of pounding quite well.

so in essence, the throwing and entry hawks tend to have larger, heavier heads and polls, camp hawks can be heavy or light - small or large headed, tactical/fighting hawks tend to have smaller thinner heads for fast movement with spikes or polls or none at all . there are exceptions to these uses depending on the wielder. hope this helps answer some of your questions.

the cool things about hawks are that they are generally inexpensive so you can get several different styles and brands and compare to see what you like.
welcome to TAS... (Tomahawk Acquisition Syndrome):D

dhawk
 
Based only on my very limited experience, I found the Cold Steel Trail Hawk to be balanced towards the handle rather than the head. It has also quite thick handles (as compared to the Fort Turners for example), which makes it more difficult for me to control both the strike and throw considering its long, thin and relatively light head.
The Fort Turners feel much better balanced for me.

The CS Trail Hawk will bite/penetrate deeper, due to its thinner blade, but this also decrease recovery speed due to binding.
The FT's rustic, forged finish is much more prone to rust than the smooth surface of the CS.
The CS TH's poll is adequate IMHO for trail purposes.
If I had to choose from the two, I would go with the Fort Turners.
 
One more thing to consider, is how much of a hawk can you comfortably swing for long periods of time? If you tire your arm, your aim will get worse, or your grip may loosen, either could cause the hawk to miss, catch the work by the handle, or glance off and hit you.

if you want a heavier hawk to get done quicker, you may want to get a lighter one as well, just to get your chopping arm in shape.
 
I think the GB Wildlife you ordered is outstanding. I have several different GB tools. All excellent, but that's my choice for hiking, hunting or backpacking. It's hard to beat.
 
Depending on what you wanna spend I higly reccomend Bear Mountain. Cold Steel Hawks are fitted like garbage and you can't chop long with them without having to pound the head back on. H&B Forge makes some nice hawks too but Bear Mountain feel alot better to me and are sharper outta the box, heads are fitted better as well. Gransfors Bruks are definitly great axes but you said you were looking for a tomahawk not a hatchet.
 
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