modern 'hawks

An article in the Army Times last October sparked my interest in these updated Tomahawks. The axe in my truck is a poorly made imported one from a local surplus store and I wanted something made of better steel and superior ergonomics.

The lefthand one was only $37 delivered from Amazon, and the price rapidly escalates from there. The center one will probably be strapped onto my Maxpedition pack. The righthand one is issued by the US Army as standard on the Stryker combat vehicles to assist with knocking down doors.

Paladin

Nice. Porn as usual. What are the models left to right (That's a Sog on left right?) What's your favorite one?

The SOG Fusion is on the left. Slightly heavier head than the others, but holding the handle a few inches closer to the head makes it "feel" right. Very sharp edge and a narrower angle than the ATC "Lagana", in fact a Spyderco "Sharpmaker" hones it to hair-popping scary razor's edge. Also likely to be more prone to damage when striking hard materials. The SOG can be had from Amazon for under $37 delivered.

The RMJ Shrike in the center. More weapon than tool. A work of forged steel art. Expensive enough that it is an indulgence like the higher end Surefire lights, but compared to a Kroma Milspec it's a relative bargain.

The American Tomahawk Company "Lagana" tomahawk on the right. The main edge is convex ground ("the opposite of hollow ground"), so the edge is sturdier than the SOG. If bashing doorknobs or chopping steel it will suffer less damage than the SOG. The US Army made it standard for the Stryker combat vehicles. Common sense would imply if the less expensive SOG offering was adequate the .mil would have bought them. The ATC 'hawk is a great balance between price, utility, durability and weapon useage. About $100 delivered.

Paladin

Great review. The SOG sounds good for general purpose stuff...if that purpose is on wood...hmm, was thinking about getting one too. Now I'm interested in the Lagana, I like that angle, very resilient looking. That rug doesn't happen to come with it though, eh?