On my outdated man’s facet, I come from a protracted line of trappers and hunters who made a residing within the Hudson Valley, and up and down the Connecticut River. Explaining my affinity for the outside — properly, it’s all proper there: Handed down by way of the generations.
A part of all of that’s my ardour for a good-edged device. There’s nothing like a very good axe or hatchet to get that spirit all flared up within me. I might sit across the fireplace and admire the intricacies of both.
Within the time I’ve been writing for GearJunkie, I’ve had the nice honor of writing about a number of axes and hatchets. In reality, my first-ever article was in regards to the Hults Bruk 325-12 months Anniversary Axe. I adopted that up with an introspective look on the relevance of hatchets. Then, with a couple of extra critiques below my belt, I tuned up our Finest Tenting Hatchets information.
All of the whereas, I’ve been craving to get my palms on the TOPS Hammer Hawk. Handmade in Idaho, it’s one among a handful of bucket listing instruments that I wanted to make use of and abuse. The Hammer Hawk is a 2.25-pound beast hewn from a single piece of ⅜”-thick 1075 carbon metal. And, with each conventional and trendy elements, it’s an all-around resolution for searching, tenting, and out of doors residing. It’s additionally actually enjoyable to stare at whenever you’re not sending it by way of wooden to stoke your fireplace.
Briefly: Comprised of 1075 carbon metal that has been Cerakote ceramic-coated, the TOPS Hammer Hawk is poised to face the check of time and shrug off corrosion. Couple that with a contemporary grippy-when-wet Micarta deal with, a number of grip positions, and an outsized blade, and also you’ve obtained a device that’s destined to be the one chopping and chopping implement you depend on at camp, and for years to return.
To match the swing on the Hammer Hawk to the remainder of the hatchet universe, take a look at GearJunkie’s Finest Tenting Hatchets information.
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Weight
2 lbs., 3 oz. -
Total size
14.5″ -
Head size
4.5″ -
Metal kind
⅜” 1075 carbon metal with tungsten Cerakote end -
Deal with materials
Canvas Micarta
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Single piece building -
Large 4.5” blade -
Superior ergonomics -
Properly balanced
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The hammer may very well be thicker -
All the knives I personal are too large for the slot within the belt frog
TOPS Hammer Hawk: Evaluation
Options
The Hammer Hawk is constructed from tungsten Cerakoted 1075 carbon metal and machined down for ergonomics, performance, and aesthetics. The butt comes hardened and formed to be a practical hammer. Reliefs within the cheeks of the top preserve weight down, preserve device steadiness, and harken again to a time when tomahawks have been on a regular basis carry instruments.
1075 carbon metal is usually lauded for being straightforward to work with. Uncoated, it’s inclined to corrosion, however the Cerakoting right here eliminates that. It’s additionally straightforward to sharpen and restore if broken. Nevertheless, resulting from its composition, 1075 has unimaginable toughness which makes it an excellent alternative for hanging and chopping.
The deal with on the Hammer Hawk curves like a contemporary climbing axe and you may grip it in several positions, making it good for no matter process is at hand. Its exaggerated finish knob ensures that your hand gained’t fall off the deal with, and there’s a lanyard gap in case you need to set up some cordage.
Rounding out the options of the Hammer Hawk are its inexperienced canvas Micarta deal with scales. They’re lengthy sufficient for 2 palms to carry the deal with facet by facet. Additionally they provide unimaginable grip in each moist and dry situations.
The Hammer Hawk comes with a full-grain leather-based blade cowl and belt frog. The mix of those items permits you to safely transport the axe in your belt and permits for straightforward retrieval. By design, the belt frog retains the Hammer Hawk from swinging round whereas training parkour within the woods, and a small pocket permits you to carry a small skeletonized knife just like the TOPS Backup knife.
First Impressions
Invented by the Algonquin tribe, tomahawks have been a light-weight different to the hatchet, and sport a smaller head than most hatchets as properly. Tomahawks aren’t precision instruments at coronary heart, however they can be utilized for some detailed duties like skinning an animal and processing meat, in addition to shaping wooden.
Whereas I wouldn’t name the Hammer Hawk a conventional tomahawk, the 4.5” blade is just too large to be a hatchet. And whereas the 14.5″ size is ideal as a hatchet, TOPS calls it an axe in its copy. So, let’s simply persist with it being a tomahawk, designed to be a strong camp and survival device.
Deal with that phrase — “highly effective” — whereas we undergo this evaluate, too. As a result of if there’s anyone key factor that the Hammer Hawk is, it’s highly effective. Sure, it may be used for precision duties, however this device can be used to cut, hammer, and smash.
It’s additionally an actual stunner in the event you’ve obtained it hanging in your cabin wall. As an enormous fan of Micarta, I really like the truth that TOPS added in two large, hand-shaped scales for elevated grip. You need as a lot management over this device as attainable. I additionally love the eye to element with the addition of the arrows carved into the cheeks of the blade.
As acknowledged earlier, the entire thing flows and swings like a contemporary ice axe. I’ve little question that’s intentional and can play a task in how properly the Hammer Hawk performs.
Within the Area
I used to be so stoked when the Hammer Hawk arrived I took off working into the woods like one among Peter Pan’s Misplaced Boys, swinging at sticks and particles. My daughter later advised me she had by no means seen me transfer so quick. She was fortunate I stored my shirt on and I didn’t have sufficient time to color my face.
It’s stick season right here in New England, and there’s numerous deadfall blocking the path. I had no situation utilizing the Hammer Hawk to energy my means by way of downed branches as much as 4 inches thick. Moreover, the beavers did a heck of a job round right here final fall, however left a few of their work unfinished. Utilizing the Hammer Hawk, I used to be in a position to break by way of what they left behind.
I attempted to combine up my carry strategies, so generally I’d carry the Hammer Hawk on my pack and generally I’d carry it on my belt. In each instances, I had zero points transporting the device, however discovered that for ease of entry carrying it on my belt was the best way to go. I preinstalled the leather-based belt frog earlier than heading out, and slipped the Hawk into it after I obtained the place I used to be going.
The Hammer Hawk is impervious to corrosion, because of the Cerakote end. This permits it to be an excellent ice-breaking device. There’s nothing like ice-cold water from a pond or lake — and there’s no stopping this tomahawk from getting at it.
If there have been one factor I’d change in regards to the Hammer Hawk it’s the thickness of the hammer. I notice that might require the removing of numerous bar inventory of 1075 and is much from economical, but when it have been even ¼-inch wider, it might have extra hanging energy. That mentioned, I used to be ready to make use of it to hammer tent stakes into the frozen floor with out situation.
TOPS Hammer Hawk: In Conclusion
At $530, there aren’t lots of people who’re going to run proper out and purchase a Hammer Hawk. I’ve seen it on-line for round $300, which is likely to be extra interesting to extra of us.
Nevertheless, I’ll say that in the event you’re somebody who spends numerous time outside, lives off-grid, or loves a well-crafted chopping and chopping device, the Hammer Hawk is properly value its full retail worth.
By default, individuals routinely relegate axes, hatchets, and tomahawks to chopping wooden. However with a number of hand positions, superior ergonomics, and a 4.5-inch blade, a device just like the Hammer Hawk can be utilized to do something you may assume up.
Are you a hunter? Properly right here’s the device that’s going to assist your course of large sport. Builder? The Hammer Hawk might help with chopping, slicing, scoring, and shaping. Really feel like making a dugout canoe from a downed pine? Cool. Right here’s the Hammer Hawk.
Total, the Hammer Hawk impressed me with what it may do. The supplies TOPS selected and the eye to element baked into it make the Hammer Hawk the viable device that it’s. Appreciation is one a part of the illness that pulls me to the knives, instruments, and kit that I check. I respect the trouble that was put into this rattling dandy of a device.
I look ahead to many extra adventures with the Hammer Hawk. It’s the type of device that ties me again to my roots. But in addition has an unimaginable impression throughout these occasions after I step off the path and make my option to my subsequent favourite distant tenting spot.
