Exctraction and Evasion Tomahawk (SW671)

[sabre66]

Anyone own one of these? If so can you comment on it.

I just ordered one for a decent price (about $25 more than competition - SOG, M48 or Cold Steel). Was going to get a cheaper one but after researching them and seeing the specs on this solid carbon steel monster I was sold. It should last a lifetime.

Specs: 1/2" thick solid tang 1070 high carbon steel, 15.9" length, craton grip panels, 4" cutting edge w/4" spike, and weighs 2-3/4 lbs.

 

[kennyb]

i have a sog...your S&W looks great...is it on the S&W website?

 

[sabre66]

It's sold by Taylor Brands LLC for S&W. They are licensed to make the S&W and Schrade knives. It's in their 2012 catalog listed as model# SW671, found on pg 3 of the catalog, UPC code: 028634703432.

I wanted a hawk, but couldn't see spending hundreds for one that will only see woods/camping use. I was going back and forth with buying the SOG Fasthawk or Fusion or UC M48 or Cold Steel Trench hawk. They can all be bought for under $40. The catch was they are 420 stainless steel, all all have partial tangs and plastic handles. After some more researching I decided I wanted something with a tougher steel and a solid handle/full tang for strength and longevity. The S&W SW671 EE fit all my criteria. It was about $20 more, but should last a lifetime with proper care.

If you do an internet search you'll find it for sale at a bunch of internet retailers. Most are selling it for around $65 + s/h, but after hours of searching I found Dark Horse selling it for $58 + free s/h. Hope to have it in my hands next week.

 

[Torakan]

I have been watching the market on these and see that you can find a made in USA American Tomahawk Company (ATC) V-Tac hawk in the $90-$100 range if you look hard. That puts it about $30 more than a Taylor brands made in china product.

 

[sabre66]

I saw those (couldn't find one under $100) and definitely liked them especially being US made, but they were just more than I wanted to spend...just spent a bunch on a new SA revolver . Heck the $58 was hard to let go of honestly, but it seems like it will be a solid product for the money.

 

[mc5aw]

I picked one up a while back for a good online price ($70). It's a solid piece of metal, best suited for breaching and breaking stuff. There's no finesse to it ... The only problem with mine was the scales were slightly misaligned due to poor hole drilling. An easy fix to this fit and finish flaw was to dump the scales (cheap plastic, anyway) and replace them with paracord wrapped top to bottom. It makes for a good tool to keep in a vehicle or a bug out bag. I'm not particular as to quality of steel or manufacturing origin as this axe is not an expensive high tech device. I'm confident it can destroy car windows, bricks, door frames, etc. with ease and as needed. The spike is pretty nasty, although I have not tested it yet on sheet metal or cinder blocks.

The length of the handle makes it a bit longer than something like an Ontario Tomahawk (which I also own), so it's worth considering what your intended use will be. Breaching? Yes. Combat training? Not so much. Self defense? As they say in Noo Yawk, fuhgeddaboudit. It would smash a skull or limb like balsa wood. I researched and compared quite a bit before purchasing this axe, and I really didn't like the SOG or Cold Steel offerings as much. It's fairly priced, fairly well made, and should survive most reasonable challenges thrown its way. Nothing more, nothing less.