Tactical Tomahawk novice... What's the point?

O

olybears57

Joined
Aug 25, 2013
Messages
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Hey guys.. Just curious as to what the point of a "tactical" axe or tomahawk is.. Thanks. Not sure if I'm just curious... or trying to find a reason to buy one ;)
 
I think it is to demolish and break things. Think about hacking open a car to save someone, or an infantryman knocking a loophole in a wall. I got one out of curiosity. They are not properly balanced for chopping wood; at least mine is not. It is also heavy as the dickens with the full tang handle.

It does look cool.
 
I have several because:

1. Fun to collect
2. Easy to pack
3. Huge amount to choose from

I don't need to process huge amounts of wood at camp so what I have works well but packs more punch than a normal sized camp knife.
 
hmm... Interesting that there is such a large demand for them if that's their end use. You would think that more precise and less dangerous tools would be available for rescue personnel? I can't imagine hacking open a car with a hatchet to save a life would be a very controlled action... I'd be afraid to accidentally hurt the victim more.
 
Although most full tang hawks are capable of destroying a car, they were designed for people in combat that don't have access to other tools. When deployed I used mine to bust locks, break chains, put holes in mud hut walls, puncture tires etc... Yes, a paramedic could use a hawk to extract someone, however, they have much better an safer tools to get someone out. A cop buddy of mine who I used to train FMA with said he had a guy in his dept that used an RMJ shrike to break and rake a car window to pull someone out of a flipped or burning(i cant exactly remember which) car since he was the first on scene and couldn't get the door open. But I'm sure that is a rare occurrence. But back to your original question about what can you use them for? Well, I use my StormCrow(James at Helm Forge) wrecker hawk for all types of things. It is the first full tang hawk that actually can process wood well, so I take it camping when I'm hiking but in camp I use an axe. I have used the spike to break inches of ice that we got this winter and I even chopped down 2 trees in my backyard with it. So it is a versatile tool that I don't have to worry about it breaking. I have plenty of traditional hawks too, which I love. But my go to hawk is my 18 in wrecker
 
As far as I am concern the "point" is I just like owning a Tact hawk and using it to smash, hack, cut and demolish stuff. I find it relaxing and enjoyable.
 
Well I think it's more of a want thing than a need for most. Yes a those in a combat zone or on SWAT or special teams may use and find these tools beneficial but to the normal everyday guy they're more something to have or collect, and each maker is gonna make different models so you can find good all around tactical hawks that also work well in the woods. But in the end I think it's more the cool factor than anything else.
 
Dirtbiker said:
I have several because:

1. Fun to collect
2. Easy to pack
3. Huge amount to choose from

I don't need to process huge amounts of wood at camp so what I have works well but packs more punch than a normal sized camp knife.
Click to expand...

Process. Heh. I think it's funny how that word replaced 'cutting' or 'chopping'. Guess it 'sounds' more tactical. Note to OP - I think it was mentioned but I can promise you a "tactical hawk" if it is truly a tactical hawk will not cut wood nearly as well as the right thing. I speak from experience on that. Just a tip. Good luck. :-)

Pro
 
I use the word process to cover all the bases of wood chopping, splitting, debarking, fuzz stik making, etc, etc...
 
Who was that guy in charge of the tactical response unit at his local mall? The one who had extracted several BG's without the shoppers even noticing? I'm pretty sure his group all had tactical 'hawks.
 
modern version of a medieval weapon of war requiring very little skill to produce maximum damage....
 
First and foremost tactical/spike hawks are very effective close combat weapons patterned after the British boarding axes of 18th century. Yes they can sort of chop wood and sort of smash doors and cars but they are best at crushing skulls.
 
Tactical tomahawks are really useful for military men .They use them in situations like breaching doors,windows,popping tires.Of course it can also be used in close combat situations.It definitely has the power to crush skulls as @Smith357 mentioned.They can also be used to ocassionally cut wood.The thing is when you compare this to an axe or hatchet it is more versatile and of course this is because it serves a different function.It basically is what it is a tomahawk to be used in "tactical" situations.
 
Why? Because we can......... :rolleyes:

There's always an excuse someplace to have "stuff". I have three RMJ hawks, each is different from the other and they can be handy. One stays in the truck (Jenny Wren), one just delivered and is going to be my camping/woods carry/utility tool (Loggerhead) and the other is for no real set occasion but has seen enough use/abuse to need a refinish (Kestrel Feather).

But as mentioned by another member above, it's a "want" more than a need for most of us. I tend to weigh the dreaded "need/want" dilemma with budget constraints at the time and the buy once cry once option as there's typically something to fit all budgets if you do the research balancing cost & quality.
 
cant never have enough tomahawks,heck my wife even claimed one with a kukri for her yardwork. she is fun too watch.. cute lil redheaded chopper..
 
Just choose one, there's never really a reason lol.

RMJHawks_06222014_1a_zps78f712e3.jpg
 
If you want 1 that's really enough of a reason. All hawks are fun. I myself grabbed a blackjack lite hawk thinking what am I gonna do with this and I ended up really liking it, it's handy on a short day hike and nice for self defense. I feel like in my previous post I was harsh and the truth is you don't gotta be military or swat or whatever as long as you enjoy it then it's worth it.
 
My opinion: There are a lot of "tactical" blades, tomahawks included, out there that are a form of fantasy blade. The fantasy is just modern military instead of wizard-slaying barbarian.

Then there are the ones that are actually built to serve military and law enforcement needs and might be specialized in a direction that doesn't necessarily make them the best woods tool. They may be great in the woods, but that's not their primary intended usage. Even fighting is not the primary intended use for many of them (although some, particularly the ones based on Filipino headhunter axes with the forward spike, are primarily weapons), though that is usually at least part of the design considerations.

As to why someone who is non-military or LEO might want one, why not? There are a lot of people who like to have a little bit of the trappings of warriors even if they themselves are not. Look at all the MOLLE gear and ARs at the next gun show you attend. Heck, I make no pretenses to badassery, but I have a mil-surp canteen that I take water out to my shop in, and I have a fondness for olive drab. Might be a little silly, but what harm does it do?

Separating out the fantasy from the tools carried into harm's way, a tactical 'hawk is a compact multitool that should increase the tasks a soldier can tackle. Shaw11b has given good examples of the tasks a good 'hawk might be called on to perform in a warzone. All of those are tasks that would be hard to perform with a rifle or bayonet. In the small chance that a solider is forced into using sharp steel to actually fight with (which does happen upon occasion, even in the age of drone airstrikes), a 'hawk affords advantages of reach, power, and hooking/trapping/smashing/blocking/redirecting abilities that a knife generally does not.

A lot of folks buying tactical 'hawks are civilians who may never press them into service the way a warfighter might. Does it matter? Any difference between that and carrying a MOLLE pack and a Kabar out into the woods? Plinking with an AR? They help support the tactical 'hawk market, meaning that there are a growing number of 'hawks out on the market that might serve a warfighter in a tight jam. It's just up to the warfighter to sort through what's available and pick out what will serve his needs, just like any other piece of non-issued equipment he carries.
 
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