With all the different best survival axe designs available, what qualities does the tomahawk, often shortened to hawk, possess that would make me buy it? Only an in depth look at the hawk's attributes can give you a clear answer as to whether it is right for you.
The tomahawk was developed by the American Natives, Indians, long before the white man set foot on American soil. The Indians were hunters/gatherers that traveled long distances to find their food. They needed light weight equipment capable of handling more than one task.
The original tomahawks were made of larger rock chips that were sharp on one side and secured to a wooden handle. The handle was always straight without an increase in size at the end to aid a secure grip as most European hand axes. Later, the Indians learned to knap rock which made the head much sharper and more useful. These hawks were usually less than two feet in length and weighed one to two pounds which was ideal for easy packing.
Shortly after arrival, the European immigrants realized the tomahawk was better suited to life in the wilderness than anything they had used or brought with them from home. Immediately they adopted the hawk and improved it with their technology. This resulted in tomahawks with either brass or iron heads. These heads could be forged with the tops rounded, squared, hammer faced or as a pipe. The improvements allowed for even greater diversity of uses and increased the chopping efficiency. These tomahawks became one of the top trade items with the various tribes.
The tomahawk from origin till now has always had a cutting edge of four inches or less. This is significant since the battle axes of the Mediterranean and Europe were made with much bigger and more curved cutting edge. The battle axe was designed for the sole purpose of cutting flesh. The hawk was designed with more versatility in mind. The smaller cutting edge may have decreased the awe factor but did not seem to decrease its effectiveness as a weapon. One should remember that the battle axe was generally used alone whereas the tomahawk was used with knives, bow and arrow, spears, gun or some combination of these.
The tomahawk was virtually unchanged until the 1960s and the Vietnam War. The new hawk was designed to be used primarily as a close combat weapon with some capability as a chopper. The heads of these hawks were designed with a spike on the side opposite the cutting edge to increase its effectiveness as a weapon. Slight variations from the original have been introduced by different manufacturers. All tomahawks are fearsome weapons as evidenced by our forefathers, but the Vietnam Tomahawk and its offspring raised the bar. These hawks are still used by some of our military units.
Today, your can buy tomahawks of vastly differing quality and prices ranging from a few dollars to several hundred dollars. Some of the low end hawks are for display only or made to sell to the unsuspecting that do not want to spend a lot of money. Cheap prices and being manufactured in countries such as Pakistan that are known for producing poor quality steel items should be avoided unless you want it for display only. Generally, very fancy looking units fall into this category as well.
Many reputable companies such as Cold Steel, Condor, SOG and others produce excellent quality tomahawks at reasonable prices. Most of these are drop forged and have outstanding metallurgy. They have a very hard and sharp cutting edge for chopping or sticking when thrown at targets. Often the head above the edge is softer to absorb the shock from the strike.
Hand forged hawks are generally made by custom knife and axe makers. These hawks are top quality but carry a much higher price tag due to the man hours involved. If you do not know much about the companies or products, get advice for someone that does and you can trust. Remember, buyer beware!
Consider carefully your planned end use and the qualities necessary to meet that use when you get ready to buy. Remember, the tomahawk is easy to pack and functions well as a chopper, stake driver, hammer, and is a fearsome close combat weapon that can be thrown. If the qualities mentioned above match your list, you should definitely buy the tomahawk designed with you in mind.
