(Boker Vox T-Hawk provided by manufacturer for review.)
In recent years, notably with the conflict in the Middle East and the ensuing spillover to civilian gear, we have seen a surge in the popularity of the tomahawk, not only as a survival/bushcraft tool, but also very much as a breaching/extrication tool.
I have always personally appreciated the value of a good axe, and have owned several, including one of my all-time favorites, a Gransfors Bruks Hunter's Axe, but I had never before used a tomahawk.
So, what is the difference, you might ask. They are essentially a type of hatchet with a straight haft, but the overall envelope is relatively unique to North America. Of course, modern 'hawks have come a long way from the traditional Native American designs, but just like in the old days, they are seeing use on the battlefield.
Thus we get to the matter at hand. We are going to look at two very different tomahawks.
One is the recently released Boker Vox T-Hawk, what I believe is Boker's first tomahawk offering.
The other will be from a company that has made numerous different tomahawks in recent years, the SOG VoodooHawk. They are each in their own pricing category and are of significantly different design.
We will - as per the usual approach - start with the specs for each piece.
SOG VoodooHawk
Features:
Blade Length 3.5" x .26"
Overall Length 12.56"
Weight 28.5 oz.
Edge Straight
Steel 3Cr13
HRC 51-53
Handle GRN
Finish Black
Sheath Nylon
Country of Origin: China
MSRP: 75.00
Boker Vox T-Hawk
Features:
Blade Length: 3.5"
Blade Steel: SK-5 Carbon Steel, 57-60 HRC
Thickness: 6 mm
Head Width: 7.7"
Overall Length: 13.75"
Handle Material: SK-5 Carbon Steel with G10 Scales
Finish: Black Powder Coating
Sheath Material: Nylon
Weight: 27.8 oz.
Imported
MSRP: 128.95
As you can see from the specifications, the Boker is slightly longer overall. Another difference is that the Boker is an integral design with G10 handle scales and the SOG uses a fiber-reinforced nylon composite handle, with a more traditional way of attaching the head to the haft. However, neither tomahawk uses the traditional eye-and-shoulder method of mounting the head to the haft.
Below you will find a lengthy video-review that I collaborated on with Morgan Atwood of BFE Labs.
In the video we expend significant effort in a futile attempt to push these hawks past their limits.
And before you even ask, we are jocked up largely because the site we used for the testing used to belong to a group of marijuana growers. We were not going to take any chances there.
Boker in the foreground, SOG in the back. Note the difference in the spikes and the more traditional axe-like profile of the Boker head.
The SOG VoodooHawk. Note the relatively smooth haft. This is made from fiber-reinforced nylon composite. Very durable, insulating and weather resistant.
Back of the sheath. Tomahawk comes out through the bottom, which snaps together. The nylon has a plastic stiffening insert.
Front of the sheath. I would classify the sheath as a barely adequate storage cover.
Note the heavy contouring of the head and the ensuing tapering towards the edge.
The notches machined into the underside is meant to enhance the raking ability of the VoodooHawk. Also note here the method of attaching the head to the haft. It is a very durable method of construction. The exposed steel on the neck also serves to protect the nylon haft. The beard is not sharpened, but that could readily be done.
The steel pommel serves as a counterweight and balances the VoodooHawk nicely. It also serves as a handstop so that even with vigorous use, the 'hawk will not slip out of your hand.
Close-up of the neck. The two bolts holding it together never budged during our testing.
This steel collar appears to be press-fit in place. Overall, we were pretty impressed with how durable the SOG VoodooHawk handle construction is.
A better look at the raking notches. I believe the head on the VoodooHawk is cast, which is not normally a method of construction I am fond of.
The spike on the VoodooHawk is a bit longer than Mr. Atwood prefers, but I found it to be of a good length. Extremely good penetration and seems very durable.
The T-Hawk uses an all integral construction and is forged from SK5 carbon steel unlike the VoodooHawk. It is also slightly hollow-ground where the VoodooHawk is flat-ground.
The front of the T-Hawk sheath. The T-Hawk is removed through the top of the sheath.
The back of the T-Hawk sheath. Again, like the SOG, the T-Hawk sheath is a barely adequate storage cover. Also, like the sheath on the SOG, it is reinforced with a plastic insert.
The pommel of the Boker offers an additional striking point, and also serves as a hand-stop.
The Boker has raking notches only on the back of the neck , underneath the base of the spike.
The handle scales are coarse-textured G10 composite, held in place by three bolts. These bolts are not recessed, which I would have preferred, but in use they proved to be of no consequence.
Close-up of the raking notches and the spike.
The spike uses an unusual grind, but it works quite well. Nowhere near the penetrating capability of the SOG spike, but it works quite well on things like glass and sheet metal, despite a tendency to get hung up in the sheet metal.
You can clearly see the difference in profile between the SOG and the Boker. Note the slight hollow-grind.
A minor forging goof here. Overall though, fit and finish was excellent. The powder coating was well-applied all around.
The Boker T-Hawk offers a striking design, with solid construction. The designer is Danish knifemaker Jesper Voxnæs.
Post-testing. As you can see, both 'hawks acquired a substantial patina from the abuse we put them through.
Despite being made from the Chinese equivalent of cast 420J2 steel - a steel that I would generally not recommend for knife use - the VoodooHawk fared rather well. Some damage and minor chipping, but realistically, with what we did to them, we both expected far worse damage.
Same goes for the Boker. Slightly less damage than the SOG, but it still took a decent beating. Both companies obviously have excellent heat treatment and know how to get the most out of their materials.
What a tool should look like. The Boker is a rough-and-tumble ready tomahawk. The powder coat here suffered none of the issues that you see with the resin coating of something like Cold Steel has been known to experience.
The damage that you see here on the neck comes from raking glass. Glass, be it automotive or window glass, is some of the worst materials you will most likely encounter other than concrete.
Some scuffing and gouging damage to the G10 as well. Really, minor damage all things considered. All of it essentially cosmetic in nature.
I do n0t know if this is Bondo or some sort of ridiculous paint that Subaru used back in the 80s.
The spike on the Boker took a little damage but again, nothing that impeded function.
The spike on the VoodooHawk blunted some with the glass, but once it deformed as you see in the picture, the damage seemed to stop progressing. It did not impede functionality.
Cosmetic damage to the neck and handle of the VoodooHawk. As on the Boker, this is largely from contact with glass.
The coating on the SOG also held up quite well. Both 'hawks saw significant accretion of paint from the car and other materials.
Another shot of the damage to the SOG handle. Minor, really.
Conclusions
Overall, we were both rather impressed with the results of our testing. We did our level best to break these tomahawks and essentially got nowhere. Their toughness is indisputable.
We did uncover a few design features that we would like to see improved on.
Notably, on the Boker, we discovered that with the vigorous use we put it through, the handle screws started backing out. A simple application of blue Loc-tite from the factory would eliminate this issue.
We also had some issues with the spike sticking. While the round notch at the base of the spike is meant to help raking, when using it for vehicle extrication/breaching it has an annoying tendency to get stuck, which requires you to spend some time freeing it.
I would also prefer to see the edges of the G10 scales being rounded off just a little more. They are kind of sharp. Some of that could be because Boker is expecting you to wrap the handle with the included paracord. Personally, however, I am not a fan of paracord handles, as they tend to not hold up very well with heavy use.
That being said, the rounded bit on the Boker is a very versatile shape and is very well-designed for a number of woodscraft tasks where the straight edge of the SOG would not fare as well.
Morgan Atwood will soon be posting a review of the woodscraft aspect of the Boker, stay tuned for the link when he publishes it.
As for the VoodooHawk, Atwood expressed a desire for the spike to be slightly shorter, as it would lessen the risk of an injury if the 'hawk were to rebound. We would also both like to see the heel of the blade be dropped back just a little bit with a slight curve to the edge. That would open up the versatility of the blade design.
And on both of them, we would really prefer to see a good convex edge instead of the respectively hollow-ground and flat-ground edges we have now.
Also... Mein gott, the sheaths! Please do something about the sheaths! Injection molded polymer would be VASTLY preferable to the flimsy, annoying nylon sheaths these come with from the factory. Need something to keep the edge covered when you throw the 'hawk into the back of your truck? Sure, they are fine. But for any kind of actual carry, neither sheath is at all suitable.
Those quibbles aside, we feel that both tomahawks are excellent buys, especially compared to the somewhat inflated prices that other companies charge for comparable products.
As the Boker can be found for well under a 100 dollars street and the SOG for under 50 dollars, they are both a fantastic value and come highly recommended.
We are still waiting on doing a Kevlar helmet penetration test. Once that video has been filmed, I will add it to the review, so stay tuned and check back!
Thank you to Boker for providing us with the review sample.
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