What have you done with a Sog Tomahawk? Worth it?

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knifecollector73

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Jan 15, 2013
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Hey, I'm thinking about getting a Sog tactical tomahawk (the longer one). I have read some reviews, but i also wanna ask you guys. What I'm really looking for are reasons to get it, reasons not you get it, a list of tough jobs you've done with it, or pretty much anything that persuade or dissuade me from getting this. Has anyone ever broken one? Smashed glass? Brick? Padlocks? Broken the head? A list of chopped or smashed materials would be awesome too!
Anything is very much appreciated! Thanks!
 
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These SOG tomahawk questions come up pretty regularly...in fact someone just posted the same basic question earlier. At any rate........what have I done with a SOG tomahawk? Well.....I've returned a few of them after they broke. I still own several of them, and granted, they can be fun.....but these are cheaply made tomahawks and should be treated as such. They have a patterned history of failing.

Personally....despite the stupid holes in the head......I love the design. They have decent balance and look great.....but are not designed for hard use. Someone usually chimes in with their story of how well theirs has held up......in fact the two I have left have been through hell and back and still work. HOWEVER........like I said before......these have a history of failing and when a tomahawk fails, it can be deadly.

You want to try one out to throw around a little.....great. Go striking dense materials and you may be looking at trouble.

At the end of the day........I would avoid them all together.
 
Dirtbiker said:
You're talking like a $40 investment. Go buy one and see how it holds up for you.
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I'm 14 and don't have a job.

What tasks do these tomahawks usually fail when attempted, or are they randomly braking? Are there any other fairly inexpensive tomahawks that can take heavy use?
 
I picked up one of the smaller ones on sale for 20 bucks about 4 months go at the mart.
Maybe look into one of those there great at that price. Mine hasn't broke in anyway but I haven't abused it either.
 
I have 2 and I have beat the everloving CRAP out of them. They haven't shown the slightest indication of failing
 
BePrepared said:
I have 2 and I have beat the everloving CRAP out of them. They haven't shown the slightest indication of failing
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Have you thrown them at all? And are they designed for throwing, or will that void the warranty? I've heard both great and terrible stories about and i'm a little hesitant to get one.
 
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I have played around with the SOG trowing and such. Buddy put a big ding in it when it deflected off a tree and hit a t-post... Honestly if you are looking for a good budget hawk that would be stronger look at the Estwing Black Eagle... its one solid piece of carbon steel and costs the same as the SOG. I think you might have some trouble breaking the Estwing... but hey.. anything is possible... Its definitely on my list as just a beater tool. If you want even more of a budget piece get just one of the Cold Steel Tomahawks. I got the trenchhawk a couple years ago for next to nothing. CS's 1055 is really good stuff and I have done all sorts of crazy stuff with mine with no major damage. Its cut down a lot of trees, built a shelter or two, split, been thrown, broken apart center blocks, cut fencing wire, dug out roots, etc etc. I figured I would have broke the handle by now, but its still going strong. There have been people who have broken their trenchhawks by throwing, but I havent. For the price though I think its hand over fist better than the SOG... SO I'd go trenchhawk... or Estwing Black Eagle. Or just get the SOG, its all up to you... Here is a pic of my trechhawk after I went office space on a printer.



Just wanted to add that all of the aforementioned hawks are budget hawks... they are nothing special or magical. You cannot really expect the type of performance you would get out of a higher end hawk. If you pay 40 bucks or less then that is where your expectation level should be... And be safe.
 
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knifecollector73 said:
Have you thrown them at all? And are they designed for throwing, or will that void the warranty? I've heard both great and terrible stories about and i'm a little hesitant to get one.
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I have thrown them both literally hundreds of times. That's what i've done most with them actually, although i've also done basic camp stuff with them.

They are excellent throwers, and have no problem whatsoever if they hit incorrectly.
 
The cs t-hawks are actually pretty good for what you pay. I would say medium to slightly heavy use are what u get. If you use the correctly ie..wood choping, than your not gonna have a problem. But once you start puting it threw man made items the performance goes down..there not made for tearing car doors apart..I haven't seen any cars where I go...if you house is on fire, use it to break threw a wall. The sog is 420stainless. Super hard to put a good edge on it without having a bench grinder.there not balanced. I went to split a piece of wood, and it bounced off and hit my shin really hard...thank god I had my ankle brace on, it took most of the force...bottom line I would stay away from sog's t hawks.....
 
I'm in effectively the same financial boat having a family to support on a bullshit paycheck but still needing tools like this. I'd go for something a bit more durable. CS trench hawk was going to be my next tac hawk purchase since I've heard good things. I was also looking and the Smith & Wesson hawk which is a bit heavier and intended more for breaching, but from your comments it sounds like you want something that's great for throwing. For that, I'd go with a hand forged thrower from H&B (I have one of their hammer poll ones and it throws incredibly), beaver bill, or coal creek. H&B standard throwers are $50, Beaver Bill premium throwers are $60. I'd personally save up the extra 10-20 and get one of those.

Plus, since they're wood handled you can easily order a replacement if you break it.

Personally I generally favor the tactical look, especially when it comes to spike hawks, but for anything without a spike I really like the traditional wood handled style, both aesthetically and for the reason stated above.
 
had a trench hawk. Did not like it at all. The handle bent too much under lateral stress. Eventually it broke.

the S&W hawk is a BRUTAL tool, but it's so heavy that i wouldn't want to carry it in the woods.

I have a CS spike hawk that i stripped and sharpened to a very impressive edge. The handle was too long so i shortened it 6 inches. It's very durable.

my personal favorite budget spoke hawk is the united cutlery version. I love the shape. I do find the SOG to be a much better thrower, and probably better for general utility
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
they are for light use only, see recent thread where one broke.
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Ive only seen one example of this hawk failing. You can find examples of almost any high end tool or blade failing. There is no track record of failure or indication this hawk is for light use only. SK5 is a proven steel that stands up to abuse very well. Until further evidence reveals itself, I would chalk this up to an isolated incident and continue to use this particular hawk as its design features intend.
 
Snakebreaker said:
Ive only seen one example of this hawk failing. You can find examples of almost any high end tool or blade failing. There is no track record of failure or indication this hawk is for light use only. SK5 is a proven steel that stands up to abuse very well. Until further evidence reveals itself, I would chalk this up to an isolated incident and continue to use this particular hawk as its design features intend.
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It is overly skeletonized, and CRKT said it was not for throwing. That is light use.
 
I have the SOG hawk in question and like it. Just posted about it in a thread on another forum. I have used it to:

Fell small trees
Delimb trees
Process firewood
Shave feathersticks
Whittle wooden tent stakes
Drive wooden tent stakes
Dig cat holes in rocky terrain
Fill cat holes in rocky terrain
Strike a firesteel
Remove bark from a pine tree

It is my only t hawk so I don't have a lot to compare it to, but it's a great multitool. I especially like the blade control I get when choked all the way up on the handle.

Eta: no I don't throw it. It's a tool to me, not a toy. I don't throw my bush knives either.
 
Not a SOG fan but got my two teens the fasthawks ($20). They chopped with them, punctured a 55 gallon drum and threw them into trees. I was surprised how well they held up. Not too bad unless your life or someone else's is at stake. If they are all you can afford go for it.
Not for me however. . . .
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