SOG Tactical Tomahawk- Throwing Hatchet, Versatile Survival Tactical Axe and Emergency Breaching Tool with Sheath (F01TN-CP)

Wanted a tommyhawk as a kid, so at 72 I have bought one. Looks formidable for a fighting hawk and I'm sure it will stick into a tree if properly thrown. My marriage so far has gone well and I've needed no weapons for hand-to-hand combat. I do use a few garden stakes so suppose I can cut and sharpen them with this, though it lacks the handy hammer feature of a hatchet. I will keep it to please my inner child and maybe tie a feather or two on it to mark a flight of fancy. Got a life but might not have grown up.

This first one I received I sent back due to damage. The outer box was fine, the product box however was crushed, the Tomahawk itself appeared fine initially. But when viewed head on, there was a bend to it. The head of it was slightly bent along it's mounting surface to the handle.. Amazon should have noticed/not shipped it that way. But enough about that. The second one delivered was/is fine. It's sharp, came with a nice edge. The protective coating on the blade edge is a bit hard to remove. I suspect it's there to protect the blade from corrosion en route from China, where made. Not a big fan of items like this that are made there. Often times with inferior material & workmanship I have personally found/experienced. However, considering the price, what you get, it's sharp, seems to hold an edge. I think for the money, it's a keeper!I had mine delivered in late Summer, and just had to rush out to the woods to try. I found that after a 20 minutes or so hacking away on an old downed limb; that my hands were pretty sweaty. I would switch hands to get the feel for this new tool. It seemed a bit slippery. The handle that is, despite the serrations in the handle, it was still slippery. I did not have gloves on. I would think they may help IF the proper type. Some gloves may make matters worse. The handle is a somewhat smooth hard plastic.This is what I thought of, here's my tip/suggestion: This only took a trip to the local Home Depot in the plumbing aisle, I had my 12 year old son with me who was curious as to what my idea was. I had the Tomahawk IN A BAG with just the handle exposed. (Didn't want to appear as a Mad Man! I advise you taking the same or similar precaution. However, no need to take it, I will tell you what you need!) I grabbed a set of Rubber O-Rings, Dango Brand #96732 1" O.D. x 3/4" I.D. x 1/8". I placed a side of the O-Ring into a groove to check fit for width, and protrusion. I wanted something that wouldn't move, and that would protrude for a decent hand hold grip. This size seemed perfect. With a little bit of playing with, stretching with my index finger as I went around the handle. I got these to fit onto the handle & into the (13) grooves. When applying, go all the way to the last slot. This way you don't have to try and go over them applying the remaining ones. It took all of about 5 min. max to do, and I now have an awesome non slip grip handle! Gloves or no gloves, sweat, doesn't matter... Just thought I would share! I hope you enjoy this tip! (the O-Rings came 10 in a box, so I purchased (2) boxes $2.27 each x 2, so under $5 for a worthy improvement) I tried to post pics but could not.* Want the matching belt sheath/holster look for your tomahawk: SOG Specialty Knives & Tools HDN-F01 Tactical Tomahawk Molded Hard Nylon Sheath, Black Finish

This is a very well made tomahawk and well balanced and ergonomically designed. I choose this tomahawk after reading several reviews on SOG tomahawks and other brand tomahawks. I wanted to purchase one for my 16 year old son who is interested in tactical weapons and self defense. This item is light enough for him to manage and well balanced. What I like about the tomahawk based on the comments from the reviewers on this site was its durability, design, quality and value. Many stated that their tomahawk held up to various forms of throwing and use. It is not meant or designed to be used as an axe, but as a self defense weapon or tool. My son loves it because it not only looks "cool" but is well built and has the safety sheath for it. He loves the look, design, and feel. His hands are smaller than mine and the handle on this tomahawk is narrow enough for a comfortable and stable grip for him. He has limited use of it since he just got it, but we have thrown it several times at 3/4 inch plywood and a few trees and it held up. He likes the non-axe end which is spear like because it enables him to punch holes into metal containers with ease. I did show him how to throw it and how to handle it from a safety perspective so he would not hurt himself or others. I also made sure he understood that this was not a toy, but a tool and he was to respect its potential to harm or hurt someone by accident. So, no monkey business with it when he handles it and he can not allow his friends to use it or handle it without me there initially. Basically, I am making him follow what I call our gun safety rules. It is also important to know how to position you arms and how to place the tomahawk in your hand to throw it. Most of this is common sense and through practice you can refine the hand and arm placements based on personal comfort. If the tomahawk fails in use I will up date this review to reflect that, but for the value this tomahawk is a steal (no pun intended).For those interested in learning more about tomahawks and their use, there are many books available at the library and some videos on you-tube. We did research for our information on tomahawks under keywords like, tomahawk, tactical self defense weapons, hand to hand combat weapons, military self defense weapons, etc. There is a lot out there for adults and youths to read and learn about these tomahawks. I may even purchase one for myself and carry it as a tool in my vehicle since it can have many useful applications in times of an emergency. The sheath that comes with it not only protects the tomahawk, but is an excellent safety cover so no one would get cut by the sharp axe end of the tomahawk. This makes it easier for me to store it in the vehicle without concern for an exposed axe end.