The Estwing Tomahawk - Quick Look (No Pics)
Mar 2, 2016 22:08:45 GMT
Post by legacyofthesword on Mar 2, 2016 22:08:45 GMT
Just got my Estwing Tomahawk in, and thought I'd post a quick overview of my first impressions and thoughts. Here it goes:
Full disclosure: I am in no way affiliated with Estwing. I payed full price ($50, including shipping) for this tomahawk from BladeHQ.
Constuction:
This is an area that this tomahawk excels in. It's one solid piece of steel, and the rubber handle is fitted perfectly to the shaft. I believe the hawk is "full tang" - the shaft goes all the way though the handle to the end; in other words, the handle is "wrapped" around the shaft. Very sturdy, very well built. I'd have no qualms about trying to cut a car door in half with this.
The tank-like construction follows through to the edge, unfortunately. The bevel is fat, and the edge is almost as dull as a butter knife. I say almost, because when I pushed my thumb onto the edge and vigorously slid it up and down, I ended up with the surface skin on my thumb getting cut. It wasn't even deep enough to draw blood - just made a slice mark; and I couldn't feel a thing when it happened. I only noticed it because I inspected my thumb afterward. The edge, being dull and wide, doesn't stick into things as well as it could. This could be a good thing in a combat situation though.
The spike on the back is, well, pointy. The very tip of the spike is not a perfect, sharp pyramid, but more of just a flatten point. Sticks into wood pretty well - better then the edge does.
Finish:
The head and the shaft of the hawk are cover in a sort of plastic-like black paint. This paint job, to cut to the point, is complete crap. It came with some bits already flaked off, and small rust spots showing in the flaked off areas. Curse you BladeHQ! I mean, come on, couldn't you have at least looked at the thing before you dropped it into the shipping envelope? The rest of the paint job is sloppy looking, with lumps and bumps here and there. Everywhere I scrape the paint off, I find rust underneath. Apparently they let the darn thing rust, then painted it? Anyway, it's not too big of a deal - I plan on scraping the paint off, sanding off the rust, and using vinegar or gun bluing to give it a new patina. Still, I'm disappointed, and there are two spots with fair sized pitting under the paint. Aside from those, it seems to be just surface rust.
Most of the edges and bevels seem even and straight. No complaints there.
Handling:
This thing handles like a dream. It's a perfect balance between weight and speed. The rubber handle fits into my hand like nothing else does, and is grippy without being too sticky. Amazing.
Throwing:
Throwing this hawk is hit or miss for me (no pun intended). Unlike my home-made tomahawk, I can't stick this one into the tree with every try. It could be my bad (I have very little practice), or it could be the fact that the whole thing is metal, thus making it balanced rather then head heavy. The spike on the back does help it stick more often.
Sheath:
The sheath is sturdy and very well made. It's some kind of tough synthetic material (think really thick polyester canvas) and is riveted together. The two snaps that secure the two straps are tight, strong, and well built. There are also four hole in the sheath that look like they could be used for attaching the sheath to a web belt or something like that. Very nice sheath overall.
Final word:
Was it worth $50? Well... I'd say yes, except for the crappy paint and rust issue. As it is, I wouldn't have payed more then $30. But maybe I just got unlucky, and other models have better finish.
Anyway, that's my two cents. Hope that helps someone out.
Full disclosure: I am in no way affiliated with Estwing. I payed full price ($50, including shipping) for this tomahawk from BladeHQ.
Constuction:
This is an area that this tomahawk excels in. It's one solid piece of steel, and the rubber handle is fitted perfectly to the shaft. I believe the hawk is "full tang" - the shaft goes all the way though the handle to the end; in other words, the handle is "wrapped" around the shaft. Very sturdy, very well built. I'd have no qualms about trying to cut a car door in half with this.
The tank-like construction follows through to the edge, unfortunately. The bevel is fat, and the edge is almost as dull as a butter knife. I say almost, because when I pushed my thumb onto the edge and vigorously slid it up and down, I ended up with the surface skin on my thumb getting cut. It wasn't even deep enough to draw blood - just made a slice mark; and I couldn't feel a thing when it happened. I only noticed it because I inspected my thumb afterward. The edge, being dull and wide, doesn't stick into things as well as it could. This could be a good thing in a combat situation though.
The spike on the back is, well, pointy. The very tip of the spike is not a perfect, sharp pyramid, but more of just a flatten point. Sticks into wood pretty well - better then the edge does.
Finish:
The head and the shaft of the hawk are cover in a sort of plastic-like black paint. This paint job, to cut to the point, is complete crap. It came with some bits already flaked off, and small rust spots showing in the flaked off areas. Curse you BladeHQ! I mean, come on, couldn't you have at least looked at the thing before you dropped it into the shipping envelope? The rest of the paint job is sloppy looking, with lumps and bumps here and there. Everywhere I scrape the paint off, I find rust underneath. Apparently they let the darn thing rust, then painted it? Anyway, it's not too big of a deal - I plan on scraping the paint off, sanding off the rust, and using vinegar or gun bluing to give it a new patina. Still, I'm disappointed, and there are two spots with fair sized pitting under the paint. Aside from those, it seems to be just surface rust.
Most of the edges and bevels seem even and straight. No complaints there.
Handling:
This thing handles like a dream. It's a perfect balance between weight and speed. The rubber handle fits into my hand like nothing else does, and is grippy without being too sticky. Amazing.
Throwing:
Throwing this hawk is hit or miss for me (no pun intended). Unlike my home-made tomahawk, I can't stick this one into the tree with every try. It could be my bad (I have very little practice), or it could be the fact that the whole thing is metal, thus making it balanced rather then head heavy. The spike on the back does help it stick more often.
Sheath:
The sheath is sturdy and very well made. It's some kind of tough synthetic material (think really thick polyester canvas) and is riveted together. The two snaps that secure the two straps are tight, strong, and well built. There are also four hole in the sheath that look like they could be used for attaching the sheath to a web belt or something like that. Very nice sheath overall.
Final word:
Was it worth $50? Well... I'd say yes, except for the crappy paint and rust issue. As it is, I wouldn't have payed more then $30. But maybe I just got unlucky, and other models have better finish.
Anyway, that's my two cents. Hope that helps someone out.