Pathfinder Hawk

S

spikebot587

Joined
Feb 8, 2013
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Ive been thinking about getting one of the pathfinder scout hawks by two hawks, but can't find any recent threads on it. Those of you that have used them, how have they held up, are there any better hawks for the money? Just what is you're overall opinion of them
 
My wife has a two hawks and it has been a really good blade. It is a cast head. I personally prefer one of the H&B Forge hawks that are forged. Just my preference for forged versus cast.
 
Cast anything has the potential to have a void in the material creating a weak point. Never heard of it from 2 Hawks, but that doesn't mean it couldn't or hasn't happened. There is also the possibility that the forging process increases the density of the material, though I don't know how significant that is in terms of difference. Besides that, it's mostly romanticism. Which isn't to say I don't love a nicely forged tool.
 
The forging process does not increase the density of the material. It moves it around. And technically, all non PM steel has been cast at some point and anything that has been rolled into a smaller shape has technically been forged down.
scouter27 said:
Cast anything has the potential to have a void in the material creating a weak point. Never heard of it from 2 Hawks, but that doesn't mean it couldn't or hasn't happened. There is also the possibility that the forging process increases the density of the material, though I don't know how significant that is in terms of difference. Besides that, it's mostly romanticism. Which isn't to say I don't love a nicely forged tool.
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H&B, like many other forged tomahawks, are not only forged, but of laminated steel construction, which is very tough when done right.

You won't have laminated steel with a cast head.

I'm not saying a cast head is necessarily junk, but I seriously doubt it would be as tough as a well executed forged & laminated head.
 
Laminated heads were invented when iron was cheap and steel expensive and rare. Today, they are done more for reasons of tradition than superior properties. Very few of the older axes that many on here restore are made like that.
Wolf_1989 said:
H&B, like many other forged tomahawks, are not only forged, but of laminated steel construction, which is very tough when done right.

You won't have laminated steel with a cast head.

I'm not saying a cast head is necessarily junk, but I seriously doubt it would be as tough as a well executed forged & laminated head.
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I have been carrying a 2hawks Longhunter as main component of my woods kit for a few years. I have thrown it, it works, but its main job is has been processing wood for fire, hammering stakes and cutting strangler vines off the walnut trees.

This it what it looks like after a bit of real world use and it's first real sharpening. It should last as long at the old True Temper.

IMG_2036v01.jpg



I believe it is the absolute best fit for me and my terrain.

IMG_1961v01.jpg


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spikebot587 said:
So is one better than the other, or is it just personal preference?
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It's your classic 9mm vs .45acp argument.
 
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The more I look at this, the more I want one, but it's hard for me to justify thee price when it seems like everyone loves te CS hawks as well, so my question is what is the advantage of a custom hawk? Other than quality
 
start with the CS and see what it is capable of. if it chops and throws like you want it to then wait for a used 2 hawks to come up… i really like the h&b forge hawks better and i have had 2 or 3 of each. the one i kept was an h&b med camp. good luck, you will end up with more than one for sure. what i liked about the h&b is that i didn't need to sharpen it after i received it. Both the 2hawks and the cold steel need there edges worked on in my opinion. they are a lot more fun when they are sharp.
 
spikebot587 said:
The more I look at this, the more I want one, but it's hard for me to justify thee price when it seems like everyone loves te CS hawks as well, so my question is what is the advantage of a custom hawk? Other than quality
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Other than quality? I am not sure why you want to overlook quality. But to answer your question how about its made in the USA by an artist taking pride in each hawk instead of made in Taiwan by a factory worker pushing out hawks in bulk. The CS hawks are like the rat 1 folders, good economical users but by no means the quality of a USA made custom/ small production.
 
stevep said:
start with the CS and see what it is capable of. if it chops and throws like you want it to then wait for a used 2 hawks to come up… i really like the h&b forge hawks better and i have had 2 or 3 of each. the one i kept was an h&b med camp. good luck, you will end up with more than one for sure. what i liked about the h&b is that i didn't need to sharpen it after i received it. Both the 2hawks and the cold steel need there edges worked on in my opinion. they are a lot more fun when they are sharp.
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That's a good ideas, I will definitely look into h&b forge as well. What are your preferred models?


tueller said:
Other than quality? I am not sure why you want to overlook quality. But to answer your question how about its made in the USA by an artist taking pride in each hawk instead of made in Taiwan by a factory worker pushing out hawks in bulk. The CS hawks are like the rat 1 folders, good economical users but by no means the quality of a USA made custom/ small production.
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I might not have been clear, I'm not overlooking the quality, I just didn't want every response to be about how much better quality the custom is, because I already knew that
 
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