Tactical Tomahawks

[El Cid]

Carried the American Tomahawk Lagana version for a couple years on my raid/duty belt (we wear plainclothes 99% of the time). While I still see some usefulness as a lightweight breaching tool, it was a PITA getting in/out of vehicles. It now rides in the trunk. I also have the Emerson CQC-T hawk which is made by AT as well. Nicer balance and quality, but it sits in my safe at home. If I get deployed again it would likely go with me, but that depends on the gig.

[Safetyhit]

This is the one I have also. Like the poster above said, mine just sits around as well. Too nice, for emergencies only.


http://www.americantomahawk.com/products/cqc-t.htm

[bkb0000]

i've never had, nor desire, a "tactical" tommyhawk, but i have been carrying this hatchet, which i've been calling my "tommyhawk," for well over a decade. it's just a cheap-o coleman hatchet i picked up for camping when i was 16 or 17. it rusts horrible, so i just blast it with krylon after each sharpening, and it keeps ticking. chopped a LOT of firewood on hunting/backpacking trips, as well as a billion other tasks with it. i've got a modified axe sheath MALICEd to my ruck for it, so it's not exactly easily accessable, but i can get it out with the ruck on.



i'll probably upgrade when this one breaks, someday.. but 12 or 13 years later, it's still sound.

[woody d]

http://www.americantomahawk.com/products/cqc-t.htm

i have a couple purchases planned in the near future, and im definitely gonna have to add one of their tomahawks to the list.

[Bimmer]

Tomahawks are cool. I recently bought the SOG. Not sure what I'm going to do with it?????????????

+1

I'm asking Santa for a SOG. I can't see spending more than $40 on something that I'm not sure how I'll use (if at all), no matter how cool it is...

[DemonRat]

Here's an axe you might consider if your looking to be more compact with your gear.
http://uncrate.com/stuff/gerber-kick-axe/
Seems like it might just fit in a cargo pocket. Looks like it will get the job done. But, Its a little pricey at $90 bucks. I for one plan on getting a simple Estwing axe.
http://www.estwing.com/product.php?product_id=1600

[mkmckinley]

I'm not trying to yuck your yum but personally I wouldn't even consider carrying one on my kit for any kind of defensive use. For one thing it's a couple extra pounds that I would rarely use and for another I wouldn't want to put up with the endless ribbing from my buddies. The idea of a "tactical tomahawk", to be used for any kind of fighting, is pretty mall ninja/tacticool geek in my eyes. I don't do a lot of breaching but the guys that do prefer actual purpose built breaching tools. A manual breach is no joke and it's not the time to be ****ing around with toys. Furthermore I don't see a huge advantage a hawk would have over better weapons that weight the same, like a pistol, and I don't see how it could be easily carried or deployed faster than a fixed blade knife. I also don't see it being as useful as a knife for every day tasks and emergency uses like cutting straps, clothing etc.
However I often carry a small hatchet in my ruck when I'm in the woods. It's just for camp chores. I'm using a Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet these days mainly because it's light and because I like it. It made my Swamp Rat chopper obsolete and I can use the back to hammer in tent stakes and stuff. The Fiskars hatchet also looks like a great buy and won't break the bank. Wetterlings is also supposed to make a great hatchet but I've not used one. I like my GB enough that I'm considering picking up one of those fancy custom hatchets you see on bladeforums.com
I've never seen a real life meateater that carried a tomahawk on his kit. The closest was one guy that used to carry something akin to the Lee Valley Box Tool for conducting searches.

[Bad Medicine]

I'm not trying to yuck your yum but personally I wouldn't even consider carrying one on my kit for any kind of defensive use. For one thing it's a couple extra pounds that I would rarely use and for another I wouldn't want to put up with the endless ribbing from my buddies. The idea of a "tactical tomahawk", to be used for any kind of fighting, is pretty mall ninja/tacticool geek in my eyes. I don't do a lot of breaching but the guys that do prefer actual purpose built breaching tools. A manual breach is no joke and it's not the time to be ****ing around with toys. Furthermore I don't see a huge advantage a hawk would have over better weapons that weight the same, like a pistol, and I don't see how it could be easily carried or deployed faster than a fixed blade knife. I also don't see it being as useful as a knife for every day tasks and emergency uses like cutting straps, clothing etc. However I often carry a small hatchet in my ruck when I'm in the woods. It's just for camp chores. I'm using a Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet these days mainly because it's light and because I like it. It made my Swamp Rat chopper obsolete and I can use the back to hammer in tent stakes and stuff. The Fiskars hatchet also looks like a great buy and won't break the bank. Wetterlings is also supposed to make a great hatchet but I've not used one. I like my GB enough that I'm considering picking up one of those fancy custom hatchets you see on bladeforums.com
I've never seen a real life meateater that carried a tomahawk on his kit. The closest was one guy that used to carry something akin to the Lee Valley Box Tool for conducting searches.

I can pretty much agree with that, not to mention what kind of sick SOB gets off to hacking people up into little pieces? I can't imagine it being much of a fast draw, maybe it would be good if that is all you have left though. IDK? I did hear a rumor about MARSOC using them but never seen it as well.

[The_Count]

I'm not trying to yuck your yum but personally I wouldn't even consider carrying one on my kit for any kind of defensive use. For one thing it's a couple extra pounds that I would rarely use and for another I wouldn't want to put up with the endless ribbing from my buddies. The idea of a "tactical tomahawk", to be used for any kind of fighting, is pretty mall ninja/tacticool geek in my eyes. I don't do a lot of breaching but the guys that do prefer actual purpose built breaching tools. A manual breach is no joke and it's not the time to be ****ing around with toys. Furthermore I don't see a huge advantage a hawk would have over better weapons that weight the same, like a pistol, and I don't see how it could be easily carried or deployed faster than a fixed blade knife. I also don't see it being as useful as a knife for every day tasks and emergency uses like cutting straps, clothing etc.
However I often carry a small hatchet in my ruck when I'm in the woods. It's just for camp chores. I'm using a Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet these days mainly because it's light and because I like it. It made my Swamp Rat chopper obsolete and I can use the back to hammer in tent stakes and stuff. The Fiskars hatchet also looks like a great buy and won't break the bank. Wetterlings is also supposed to make a great hatchet but I've not used one. I like my GB enough that I'm considering picking up one of those fancy custom hatchets you see on bladeforums.com
I've never seen a real life meateater that carried a tomahawk on his kit. The closest was one guy that used to carry something akin to the Lee Valley Box Tool for conducting searches.

Well said. I would like to know the statistics on actual defensive uses of tomahawks in the last century. I'm sure it would be less than 1%. For breaching you would be better off spending your money on a crowbar. In fact for the price of these custom hawks you could supply a platoon.

I'm big on practical gear, and a hawk is about the least practical you can get. It doesn't chop as well as a hatchet, it doesn't pry as well as a crowbar, and it doesn't kill as well as an m4.

Most of these new hawk deigns sacrifice usefulness for toughness. For example steel poll hawks are incredibly fatiguing to the hand. So much so I would suggest they would compromise a shooters ability to effectively pull the trigger after use. Anyone who has used an eastwing axe knows this.

[Rob Haught]

You also might check out the ones made by custom bladesmith Daniel Winkler. He is doing some interesting things for some of the tier one units in this regard. Ive been using one of his rescue tools for the past year and it has seen service as a first responder on auto accidents. He also makes some very good models in the combat hawk line. Very good guy to deal with as well.

Rob