(
Pros: Construction, Handle Material
Cons: None
Good but not great
OK, so I wanted a Tomahawk. The whys and rationale are kind of beyond the scope of this discussion, so let's just leave it at that. I wanted something that could actually be used and would withstand some abuse. I immediately ruled out the Sog offerings, they just look fragile to me. I also ruled out some of the more high end ones such as the Benchmade. While that one is certainly nice, the cheapest I could find it is $250, and the MSRP on it is over $300! I actually planned on using anything I bought, and therefore didn't want to beat up something that expensive. I settled on the Boker Plus Vox T-Hawk. One, the designer's products have always interested me, and I like his designs. His Tomahawk rendition spoke to me in similar fashion. It is a solid piece of carbon steel with a powder coat to resist corrosion. It has slabs of G10 on the handle for traction. All that for a price under $90 seemed to be just the thing. I envisioned my uses for this as field work/chopping up some wood, as well as using it in emergencies for everything from vehicle extrication to breaking stuff up. I did not plan on using this in any sort of combat role, zombie apocalypse notwithstanding. It isn't that I don't think this could be used for killin', that just isn't what I am going to use it for. As soon as I got it, I removed it from the packaging and went out into the back yard, where I immediately started hacking up roots that had grown under the patio tiles. (And caused me issues. Hate those things.) The T-Hawk went through them like butter, and made short work of the roots. I've since used it twice more for the same or similar work. The edge did get beat up from this, but some work with an industrial coarse grit stone brought it right back. A little oil on the edge to keep rust at bay, and the whole package gets stowed in my trunk with the nylon sheath. The only issue I have with it is the handle slabs, which have hard edges. If you're going to use this for a protracted period of time, gloves are definitely warranted. I am tempted to remove the handle slabs and chamfer those edges with a belt grinder. That said, the handles are my only critique. For the money I think this is an excellent tool, and it is obviously a durable tool. If the handle slabs were done a bit better I would've given this product 5 stars.
