(
Pros: Construction, Balance, Head Material
Cons: None
Small, useful hand hatchet.
I have progressed from lengthy wilderness backpacking excursions to shorter walks through the woods. I have always carried a hatchet because of the versatility of the tool. The Boker Escape Hawk is small enough (9.1 inches long, mine weighs 14.28 oz without sheath) to carry in a pocket or in, or on, a pack or bag. The sheath is Kydex, fits very well and is not objectionable in any way. The straps on the sheath could double as belt loops, but this is not a hatchet you need to carry on a belt. The cutting edge profile is excellent for a small hatchet. The handle is nylon, shaped and finished well, providing a comfortable, secure grip on the full length of the handle. It may easily be gripped near the head for fine work, anywhere along the handle to facilitate any cutting needs, and at the knob if hard striking is necessary. The small size of the hatchet precludes chopping large items and it would be difficult to swing split firewood. The design of the full length steel construction makes the poll of the hatchet too small for most work. SK5 steel is an excellent choice for a hatchet and may be sharpened to a very fine edge. The Escape Hawk is advertised at 57 to 60 HRC, but when I sharpened it I felt it was a little softer; however, SK5 steel is known for ease of sharpening as much as it is for toughness and edge holding. There is no reason to doubt Boker’s heat treatment, so I am confident the Steel will perform as expected. The Escape Hawk is a direct challenge to the Gransfors Bruks Mini Hatchet and the cutting edges are almost identical. The two are similarly priced. The Boker steel, even If it pushes 60HRC, should not be brittle even if finely sharpened. The Hawk comes sharp out of the box, but you should put an axe/hatchet convex edge on it to reach fullest potential. Overall, it is a very nice hatchet, useful for many necessary jobs and handy enough for pretty much anything you need a knife or hatchet to do. The construction makes it near indestructible. It is small, so don’t plan on this being your only tool for gathering firewood. It is a great tool to have so you don't misuse a well sharpened knife.