In this video I put a Cold Steel Trail Hawk to the test to determine whether it is a serious tool or just a novelty. I make a handle in the woods and do basic fire making tasks to see how it performs.
Following a recent comment, it seems that a point of clarification is required: The use of the word "Toy" in the title was a turn of phrase and the discussion is about whether this tomahawk is a useful item for use in a woodland context or whether it should be relegated to the props department of a re-enactment group. In no way do I wish to suggest that it should be considered a suitable Christmas present for your grandchildren!!
Portable and once sharpened effective and capable. It still exists due to its usefulness being proven over Centuries. for protection, food ,fire, and building. it ticks all boxes and proves itself again and again. Its a true pioneer tool.
Great video! It is always fun to watch videos like this, seeing other opinions of tomahawks. In modern times I think the multi purpose aspect of the hawk is a bit lost. Most people these days are part time outdoor adventurers and make it a hobby to learn new tools for fun rather than need. We also have easier access to specialized tools along with storage and transportation. In the past when people (in reference to hawks) were more "full timers" and carried everything they owned on their back or a pack animal, multipurpose had more value. Things like a hammer poll for setting tent stakes, staking traps, mending horseshoes, a small utility blade for camp chores and being able to replace the handle in the field meant more self sufficiency on the trail with less stuff to carry. Quite an attractive package for the time. Today I think the things we do outdoors is quite different. We also tend to make simple things complex for the sake of enjoyment.
Thanks for your comment, I have watched a number of your videos on various tomahawks and enjoyed seeing your take on them. That’s what made me sub to your channel in the first place.
As a Black Belt, I see the hawk as an effective weapon, lethal and non. As a camper and hiker, I see the multiple uses around camp and light weight to carry. As you mentioned, probably not driving too many nails with it in the field, but maybe a few tent stakes, or even wooden dowels. I haven't done it, but it would probably split a deer ribcage open effectively. I have stuck a rod on it and sparked a fire. I carry one in my get home bag. Also have the Norse hawk inside the home as a self defense option.
I used to own one but I sold it after I replaced it with a rinaldi sicilian pattern 350 gram head. its a better version with a slightly bigger edge and more of a wedge profile, also made in italy rather than taiwan, not that i have a problem with the quality or the Taiwanese just like to support European makers first if i can. I think super light axes have a place and historically you see quite a lot of 'belt axes' used by outdoorsmen. its not a replacement for a proper axe but far closer to being a one tool option than anything else really and imho makes a mockery of big knives in effectiveness
The slip fit on the Rinaldi axes is such a good option in terms of versatility. I agree about the one tool option, tomahawks are probably the closest for the northern forests.
Well presented video. I liked the way you highlighted the ease of carry by making a handle in the field. I don't own one but have always admired the American Tomahawk.
It’s pocket portable and better than a shard of flint. It can make its own handle and it’s, definitely, better than nothing. I can see a place for it. It’s its own thing. Seems like it may be a good froe. Once your into something you may be able to pry it apart. If a large animal got it in its head to make a meal of you, a hard swat with that could change its mind. I think I’ll get one. Thanks for the review.
For a cheap project tool I like it. I've carried one for a few years, mainly for processing kindling. But also managed to use it as my main tool on a bowyer course. Gets the thumbs up from me.
I've got one of the cold steel pipe hawks, I've had it over 10 years and still rockin the original handle. It's a great little piece of kit in the woods, you have to remember though... these arnt axes, they're tomahawks. Not made for the same chores as axes but can work in a pinch and much lighter if you're only goin out for a few hours or a day. It's a great multi tool in my opinion if you really wanna cut wieght on kit. I've used it for blazing trails, splitting firewood in camp, making kindling and alot of other wood chores. But I've also skinned out game such as squirrel and deer with mine and scaled fish, along with dozens of other things. Years ago I used to always like to test myself and see how something would work for other rolls. Wether taking just a pocket knife to the woods or just a hawk or axe. Pretty cool to see what you can do.
It’s definitely a light weight and portable alternative to an axe. Good fun to see how much you can actually accomplish with a simple tool. Thanks for your comment!
Really enjoyed watching your take on the trail hawk Trev. Thanks again for a speedy completion of my order buddy. Like I said before, excellent service, fantastic quality and craftsmanship second to none. I'd be extremely happy to reccomend you to anyone. Atb, J 👍.
Just bought the trail hawk here in Alaska but it's an off brand twin of the cold steel called American tomahawk company (made in Taiwan). Haven't used it yet but have many choppers for many chores and this one I picked as a lightweight versatile packout tool for Bushcraft adventures or tinkering around a campsite. Great job showing how easy it is to make a new handle.
The best word to describe trail hawk purpose would be "one tool option". It is jack of all trades and master of non, it can do most things a knife can (if sharpened the same way of course) and most the axe can.
I have one, I think it's great as long as you consider the limitations. It chops better than a knife, weighs less than a hatchet or axe, so if it fills the need for a particular outing then it's perfect. Weighs very little, chops well, hammers well, and in the USA they're super cheap.
Great perspective. Canada, here. Specifically West coast Vancouver Island. Although the continent is as old as all the rest (or most) we are a reletively knew player in the industrial arena. So steel was imported. The tomahawk, so history has hinted at, (which may prove an apochryphal tale) was brought to the 'new world' by fur traders. (Side note: one should never let the truth in the way of a good story 😃) The Hudson Bay axe is an example of the style. As all multi-taskers, it does nothing particularly well. It does, however, multi-task. Hatchet, hammer, adze, talking stick: the user decides. I keep one in the truck/backpack out of sheer habit. Toy? Nah. Tool? Meh. Cheers from B.C...keep up the interesting content.
Agreed, as is often said the best blade is the one you have with you when you need it. You can purpose most blades to be useful if they can take and hold an edge. Thanks for your comment!
Love belt axes and tomahawks, great utility bushies tool I reckon. Awesome fun just to throw around a campsite, use for small tasks and just generally feel like a bad ass! Well filmed and presented vid too, good stuff mate
I love hawks and have the Trail Hawk along with others. I agree that there isnt enough cutting edge. Cold Steel's Viking Hawk or Frontier Hawk have better cutting edges. All that said, I agree with you that a hawk will not compare to even a small axe when it comes to getting work done. 💯
I thought it was primarily a weapon, and for that purpose, it seems like it would be excellent.. 🤔🤔 But it would also make a great toy for a young boy,, 🤔
Much people justify carrying a huge knife because is good at chopping. The small tomahawk will outchop any knife for a little fraction of the weight and will do detail work a huge knife or hatchet can't do. I believe the mistake of many of tomahawk users actually is thinking they will have more benefits from a bigger tool. You don't need any bigger than the TH because the narrower blade helps in digging and the fine profile is advantageous for knife tasks. As any tool is a compromise, and as somebody mentioned is a great one tool option, and is not only since the fur trade or frontier times, this tool is old as mankind. You can carry a more powerful chopper, but then you loose some functionallity for small tasks and portability. If I have this tomahawk you reviewed, first thing I do is to cut off the hammer. Thanks for the video.
Great questions you pose and outlook that you have on how may the axe be useful in other ways. It looks like it would move through the air quite quickly which is why it's probably used as a weapon. You have a lot of axes I see😎😎. the fact that it's detachable is good and the makeshift handle you made worked really well. Feathersticks were pretty good I thought, great video, I think the axe gets a thumbs up, cheers.
Without the handel ouce for ounce it has amazing potential. It could fit in pocket. After making the handel, a bow, a fish trap, hut or raft are doable.
I love peanuts, but they give me heartburn. I have been using a trail hawk for years now, great general purpose tool! I used my trail hawk just the other day to hammer my gutter back in place after a storm. Why didn’t I use a hammer? I didn’t want to. I like to make tiny sandwiches using a slice of sausage and a slice of cheese between two crackers. Poached are the best eggs. Cheers!
Good video. Gotta love a tool that can make its own repairs in the field. 😎 I’ve been carrying a tomahawk since 1987 when I got my first one. Still have it, and still use it, although I have dozens more. Mostly all steel tactical tomahawks, which I enjoy using. I just bought the CS Trail Hawk this morning. It for a kit I’ve been putting together. I think it’ll do just fine. 👍🏼👍🏼
Thanks! For portability they are hard to beat and the slip fit handle is very useful for field repairs. I want to find one with a larger bit, any recommendations from your experience?
@@bundufundi The Cold Steel Tomahawks are pretty good for the price. The Frontier Hawk or the Norse Hawk have bigger heads. The Norse Hawk is better for throwing, especially if you’re just learning to throw. I like the SOG tomahawks. I have had several of each that they make. Very rugged. The Voodoo Hawk makes a great hatchet. And the SOG Tactical Tomahawk is very well balanced, and comes razor sharp. I took the head off of a SOG Mini Voodoo Tomahawk and put it on the longer handle of the Tactical, and it’s my most favorite tomahawk.
@@bundufundi I got a CRKT Kangee tactical tomahawk and loved it. So naturally, I bought the CRKT Woods Kangee. But the Woods Kangee is much too heavy (imho). Not just to carry, but too heavy to wield. I like the spike tomahawks because the spike is great for digging holes, or a trench next to your fire to put coals in for cooking over.
@@arctodussimus6198 Thanks for the information, very useful! I like the look of the frontier hawk and will take a look at the SOG hawks. I have not thought of them before but they sound good. Appreciate your time, thanks!
I love mine, it weighs absolutely nothing. Mostly use it for processing fatwood and harvesting chaga. The thing I don't like is the big step up from the bit to the eye. It gets very thick all of a sudden, makes splitting difficult sometimes.
@@bundufundi I took down a pine with a 1 foot diameter once with mine. It was bloody hard work😂. For what I do on a regular camping trip it's not worth carrying a proper axe. For real work though you should have a real axe.
@@forgedeath Well...it is a skull-splitting tool....😎 Actually, the TH can be a decent splitter but you have to be picky about the wood you're splitting and split it from the sides as opposed to traditional hatchet/axe splitting down the length. And if you're trying to split large rounds all day, then, yeah, you need an axe. Also, add in a light folding saw and that cuts down on a lot of the Hawk work. My favorite "compact" carry (though obviously not the lightest), is an ESEE Junglas, CS Trail Hawk head, and Silky BigBoy2000. That's a lot of tool action there for not taking up too much space in a backpack.
I agree with you, I think it would have been better with a little bit long cutting edge and scale down the hammer pole. I personally like tomahawks but I have to go with an axe. The tomahawk has some advantages but those advantages do not out weigh the overall use of say a small forest axe since they're similar size.
Интересное видио, спасибо. Томагавк чем и удобен, в рюкзаке мало место занимает, весит мало, из подручных палок можно соорудить топорище, понятно что полноценный топор не заменит , но как лагерник просто супер, скрадок сделать , шалаш, веток нарубить . Мой набор в походе или на охоте , небольшой финский пууко и томагавк колд Стил не помню как называется побольше этого с молоточком на обухе.
Smaller hammer poll, bigger blade ?? • CS Pipe Hawk. Hammer poll is smaller and round shaped. Blade has the classic Frontier hawk shape and size. Try the CS Pipe Hawk out. That said. The CS Norse Hawk is great too. No hammer or spike. Still works great.
First, you need to remove the set screw and sand down the handle so the head fits closer to the top. There should only be about 3/4, to 1/2 of handle above the head. I have one and its very useful There are Cold Steel Tomahawks with bigger blades. The Hudson Bay Hawk, and the Rifleman's Hawk. If you want a bigger blade on your hawk. P.S. I've had the Trail hawk for a few years.
The reason its a smaller head and longer handle is because youre supposed to hold the handle at the end, and swing hard and it will produce the same inertal force as a larger head axe with a shorter handle, and wont drive itself into the piece and get stuck.
Definitely a tool, but a very fun tool. I have two (2) and have thrown them thousands of times, but also carry them into the woods to split out fatwood. For the price, weight, and portability, I am rarely without one. Thanks for your perspective on this, and yeah it ain't no axe.
I much prefer the pipe hawk. I still use and love the trail hawk, but if I need to do any actual work, there is no hesitation. I will always grab the pipe hawk. I had a rifleman’s hawk, but that thing was a boat anchor. On a side note, please review/compare a 2hawks or H&B Forge hawk. These are my real go-tos.
My CS hawk collection has expanded to include a frontier hawk and a Rifleman’s hawk so a review of those is on its way! I will take a look at the 2hawks and H&B if I can get them here. Thanks
The trail hawk is definitely not a toy ❗️I've used mine for over 6 years now. Wood preparation, battening, making tent pegs etc etc. It does everything my camp axe will do, and then some. If you want a bigger blade there are many choices made by Cold steel. Rifleman's hawk, Frontier hawk, Hudson Bay Hawk, just three examples.
Hi, I´m not American but European. To me it replaces a heavy belt knife. I go camping with the trailhawk and a Victorinox Forester. I´ve yet to encounter a project that I can not finish with these tools. Off course a camp axe + a belt knife + a saw + whitling knife + a hammer (you can´t hammer with a regular axe, you´ld destroy it I´ve been told) gets the project done faster but how many bags do you take out with you? With these 2 tools, I have plenty of room left in 1 single bag 😉. Kind regards Alain
Firstly. I appreciate your transition there. Nice one. Now I'm still not sure about this. I kinda feel like a bigger hatchet would be more useful. Like a 600g type. This kinda sits between axe and knife in my mind. Can't say without trying it though. I do like that you could just carry the head... But then I wonder if a Rinaldi style head would be better. Good video.
Yes Ben mentioned the Rinaldi option, the Rinaldi I have is much larger so without seeing the small version its difficult to determine but they certainly make good axes so I suspect it would be just as good, possibly better.
for most camping and bushcraft, I would think that the combination of a folding saw and a good knife that works for splitting with a baton, would do everything that this tool could do--and better
Not a toy. Just an outdated concept. Sure you can use them. But would a half hatchet or hatchet serve you better? In my opinion ill take the hatchet or half hatchet for that work.
Well it has way more uses then a typical axe...handle is far easier to replace....so good that Vikings and Native Americans even Frontiermen caried them...
Edge is too short and the hammer poll is dead weight. The frontier and Norse hawks are much better. The new model frontier hawk head is actually lighter than the trail hawk, the site description saying the trailhawk is the lightest is no longer correct.
2:08 "just make a handle" OK, sounds fine, except, what will you use to make a handle with? The answer will raise more questions. "I'll use my knife, obviously!" Well, what knife? If it happens to be a large one (eg ESEE Junglas, BK9, or CD Trail Master), then what on earth do you need a tomahawk for? Any of these knives could do far more work, better than any tomahawk, so why bother. If the knife is smaller (eg ESEE 4, CS SRK, etc) it is still doubtful that a tomahawk would be better. If the answer is "my SAK" then the tomahawk starts to come into the picture. On the other hand, the head itself can be used, as in the video! Looks like a lot of difficult work just to get a tool to do the actual work, which could have been done with a good knife very easily. I'm not convinced at all.
How the f is a tomahawk a toy.....hang on a minute I'm just doing a bit of Christmas shopping for my grandkids seen some really sharp tomahawks for my 2 year old grandkid I know he will have ours of fun in the garden throwing it at targets yeah
