For tomahawks, no one tool can do everything, but there are a few general types on the market today that are better at some applications than others. You will know which kind will suit you best for your intended application.
1. Breaching: A number of tomahawks are designed to preform light breaching tasks (ex: prying open padlocks, etc). These are full tang tomahawks, and the big names I hear good things about are RMJ Tactical, Toor Knives, and Winkler Knives, but there are many others. Full tang tomahawks are durable and heavy, and for breaching tasks weight is a great thing to have.
2. Bushcraft/survival: these usually wind up being just as heavy as the full tang tomahawks, but may have a synthetic or wooden handle instead of full tang. More weight is concentrated in the head, so they get better momentum for chopping wood to build fire and shelter. American Tomahawk Company and Wenger Blades make tomahawks that I hear good things about. SOG makes a much more affordable one that may do alright for bushcraft needs.
Both the breaching and bushcraft designs are harder to carry and too sluggish for combatives. You have to count on your opponent being slower than you because the tomahawk chop requires a greater wind up over the shoulder, is slower, and recovery from the chop is very slow. These designs are usually so difficult to carry, that they are often left in a vehicle. Some folks will dangle them off their torso with a sling—and that works until the day you fall to the ground or get slammed against a wall—-then the tomahawk handle gets rammed into your body. Painful and injurious.
3. Combatives: that’s what we design ours for. We based our designs on the historic tomahawks favored by eastern woodland warriors who had to move on foot or by canoe, back when firearm technology was so poor that these tomahawks were often the primary weapon. We tweaked our designs to be ergonomically carried, whether you’re in a car seat all day long or in the office or hiking through the forest. These tomahawks are way, way lighter and faster than those designed for breaching and bushcraft. Nimble and accessible back up weapons. But these are no good for breaching. They do have effective bushcraft capabilities but require unconventional approaches. The 2 models are ...
Backripper Tomahawk is sold out and customer list runs through July:
www.wingardwearables.com
Empress Tomahawk is presently in stock. It is more of a weapon than a tool:
www.wingardwearables.com
Best of Fortune with your search and BE EDGY.
Zac with Wingard Wearables Co
