"Tactical" Tomahawk??

steve-in-kville

steve-in-kville

Joined
Dec 25, 2001
Messages
1,139
For something usable, commercially available (not custom) what should I be looking at? Looked at CRKT as well as a few others.

Suggestions, please.
 
I just ordered a CRKT Kangee T hawk the one with the spike on it. I've seen a few good reviews online about these tomahawks. They were designed by Rmj and seem to be pretty tough. I ordered mine with the extra mask/sheath as well made from leather. They don't seem too be to costly either. Well good luck on your hunt.
 
Depends on your budget, and whether you want a traditional thru-handle hawk or a full tang. The low end is Cold Steel, Condor, CRKT, etc. They're all good solid working tools at a working-man's price. HB Forge and Boker are a couple of other options.

I like semi-custom. You might look at 2Hawks tomahawks. Good prices for what you get. And a 25 year warranty.
 
If "kville" is Knoxville, TN, then call RMJ a few miles down the road in Chattanooga. In the pre-pandemic world, they let me fondle everything they had in stock and I walked out with the light, fast, and tough Kestrel Feather. It is surprisingly good in the woods. While I have not attempted any splitting with it, it runs neck and neck with my Gransfors outdoor axe in chopping and it's not far behind the Wildlife hatchet. Of course it cost more than both -- but it is worth it to me.

I have a first generation ATC Laganna tactical that is a bit of a disappointment. It required extensive reprofiling and still can't come close to the RMJ in the woods.

If you can save for the RMJ of your choice, you will not be disappointed.
 
I've been looking at the Kestrel for quite some time. Have you handled the regular Kestrel versus the Feather like you purchased. I was leaning toward the regular Kestrel for toughness being thicker stock but maybe the Feather for throwing?
 
I had the opportunity to compare the kestrel, the kestrel feather, and the shrike. For me, the kestrel feather seemed to come alive in my hand. Both the shrike and the full-size kestrel were really good, but the feather was better for me. If quick padlock-picking is not on the agenda, the Jenny Wren sure felt nice.

Unfortunately, I could only leave with one, so the kestrel feather was the clear choice. Before I got to fondle most of their models, the kestrel feather wasn't even on my radar.
 
There are 'hawks and there are "tactical 'hawks".... just like there are spark plugs and there are "marine spark plugs".

Somewhere around 20 years ago, I won a ATC Vietnam Tomahawk in a raffle here after we did a passaround with it.

I ended up giving it away to another forum member as a wedding present. I'll bet his new wife was thrilled when it showed up in the mail.

I don't figure I'll buy another tactical piece.... but that RMJ Shrike is pretty friggin' cool, so you never know.
 
RMJ does as well. I love the new American Tomahawk Model 1. They are made by RMJ and they have great edge geometry for woods work and obvious “tactical“ uses. Theres an entire thread on them here
 
I think these words mean different things to different people. Here's what it means to me. A hatchet is a one handed axe designed for utility chopping chores. A tomahawk is a light one handed axe designed to be carried as a weapon--many tomahawks also have utility and ceremonial purposes, and historically, throwing in combat wasn't a primary purpose but was practiced among many in the First Nations. Today more and more heavy duty chopping tools are marketed as "tactical tomahawks." In my opinion, these may be fine tools, but are more difficult to carry and are compromised as weapons--too sluggish in the hand.

For us, we focused on a tomahawk's true roots, designed for ease of carry and combative capability. So a $60+ tomahawk that's heavy and doesn't come with a good carry system will not be carried and won't be on your person for daily use. Is that a good investment? That's up to you. We chose to focus on tomahawks designed for ergonomic, everyday carry. Hand forged, hand crafted, so the price is higher, but you can comfortably carry our tomahawks every day, 365 days a year. So price is higher, but you get way more value because the tomahawk is readily accessible whenever needed. Maybe this makes sense to some. Feel free to disagree.

Link to stuff: https://www.wingardwearables.com/
 
I believe the current RMJ Model-1 with the hickory handle is THE best modern representation of a proper classically styled tomahawk.
 
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