I have been wanting to get out for a while now and give these throwing tomahawks a good test. Now i can finally give my complete SOG throwing tomahawk review. We tested them against pumpkins, logs, and even made sparks fly when we tested them against the rocks.
SOG Throwing Tomahawk Overview.
Overall, i have to say that i was really impressed with these little throwing hawks. They were sharp right out of the package. They were very strong and held up to some pretty good abuse.
It took a few throws to get the hang of them. These tomahawks are pretty small and light so they flew pretty fast and it took a bit to figure out how to control the rotation.
Halloween has just passed and we went out to the bush with a bunch of pumpkins to put these to the test. I have to say, for how light they are they really carved into those pumpkins better than i thought they would.
We did find some things we didn't like about them, like the velcro straps on the carry case, but overall they issues we had were pretty minor, especially compared with how fun they were to throw.
My Tomahawk set came in a pack of 5 with 5 SOG throwing knives as well. The entire set is called the SOG Target Practice Throwing Hawk And Knife Set and can be found at Bass Pro Shops Here.
You can also get just the SOG Throwing Tomahawks in a pack of 3. While it is nice to have 5 for more throwing it makes the overall case and set larger and a little more cumbersome for carrying.
These would be great to take out camping with you. There can be hours of fun for everyone and a great opportunity to teach kids knife and axe safety. If you want to read a bit about how to choose the best knife for camping then check out our new post here.
SOG Throwing Tomahawk Handles.
The handles of these SOG tomahawks are full tang metal and wrapped in black paracord. The paracord wrap makes the handles feel good in your hand and provide a nice grip when throwing.
Being that these tomahawk handles are full tang and made of one solid piece of metal they are very strong. There are no pieces attached to them that could be broken off when you hit a hard object.
We threw these tomahawks against some rocks as part of our durability testing and even after repeated hard smashing we couldn't get one to break.
The wrapped handles do make them susceptible to being cut when they hit each other though. We threw these quite a bit while we were out and we did notice a few nicks on the paracord on the tomahawk handles.
I am sure after a bunch of throwing the handles would end up getting cut up and need to be re-wrapped. This isn't much of a detriment to me though, as the overall benefits of the paracord handles outweigh the downfalls of having to re-wrap them after time.
Tomahawk Carry Case For The Whole Set.
These SOG Throwing Tomahawks come in a hard plastic case with velcro straps. The plastic tomahawk case has a hinged portion that locks the blades in place and then pivots out of the way to get them in and out.
The case holds all 5 throwing hawks securely, however, the velcro straps that hold the handles together can become tangles and be slightly frustrating to deal with.
Three are 5 individual straps to held each tomahawk separately. while this is nice in theory, it isn't really necessary and doesn't function very well.
Edit: Since whiting this i have cut the 4 smaller velcro straps off the case and it works much better with just the one long strap. It still holds all the tomahawks securely but now it doesn't have the extra pieces to get in the way and stick together.
SOG Throwing Tomahawk Blade And Handle Details.
Each SOG throwing hawk as well balanced and very aerodynamic. This allows them to be thrown very fast and hard for their light weight.
Each tomahawk is just under 11 inches long and the cutting edge is a little under 2 inches long. Each throwing hawk weighs about 8 ounces, and even though they are so light weight they are deceptively powerful when thrown hard.
The blade and handle are made with 3Cr13 steel. This steel is relatively soft with a Rockwell hardness usually between 52 to 55. This softness also contributes to its comparative toughness.
This softer steel helps lend itself to the good durability we observed when we tested these against the rocks. While they did chip a little and we beat up the edge a lot i smashed it many, many times very hard against some large rocks and couldn't get it to break.
Strength And Durability Testing.
As part of our normal testing we usually do things to our knives and blades that most people wouldn't We like to do things to them to push them to their limits and make sure they will hold up under extreme use.
While we were throwing them at the pumpkins they hit the ground many, many times. (It took a while to get the hang of these little throwing hawks) We had set the pumpkins on a punky log and also hit it quite a few times.
Now, all of those targets are something very easy for a tomahawk of any quality to hold up to. But, of course, we don't stop there. We had some very large boulders at our throwing range and i decided to see how well these SOG throwing Tomahawks would hold up against the rocks.
After throwing one against the rocks a few times there were just a couple small nicks in the blade. I then proceeded to smash one, hard, .... Very hard! against one of the boulders over and over. I probably hit the rock over a hundred times.
Even hitting the handle sideways i couldn't bend or break it. I hit the blade and the point so hard it was chipping away at the granite. I had quite a few good rock chips and sparks flying but the little tomahawk took all the abuse i gave it.
After all of that abuse the worst damage was a slightly chipped corner and edge. Once i get them home i took a file to it and was able to bring it right back to a good edge in just a few minutes and was ready to throw again.
Overall, other than the slight issue with the paracord handles getting cut, in normal use, and even extreme abuse, these throwing tomahawks from SOG will hold up to a lifetime of use.
What Makes A Good Throwing Tomahawk And How Do You Throw It?
A good throwing tomahawk needs to be well balanced with a sharp blade and a strong handle. Much like throwing an axe or hatchet, the rotation when you throw it determines how well you can stick it.
The basics of throwing a tomahawk and throwing a hatchet are very similar. Grip the handle in your dominant hand in a relaxed and comfortable grip.
If the tomahawk is very light like these SOG throwing hawks then it is just a matter of throwing it from a standing position, much like tossing a paper airplane.
If you are throwing a slightly heavier tomahawk of throwing hatchet you would usually take a step forward while you throw. This single step helps get your whole body into the throw and is a much more fluid motion. This also help impart extra power and speed when throwing your tomahawk and hatchet.
By having a well balanced throwing axe it makes the rotation predictable. once you have a consistent throw and your rotation is predictable it is just a matter of stepping forward or back slightly to perfect your stick.
Once you are better at throwing tomahawks and hatchets you can modify your throw to the distance. For newer throwers though, it is usually easier to try to master a repeated and predictable throw and then just move your positioning slightly to get consistent target hits.
SOG Throwing Tomahawk Review Conclusion.
Overall i think these little throwing tomahawks are a great value for the cost. They are light, sharp, and very tough. We tried hard to break one and it took a beating and came back for more.
They are made of a good quality steel that is suitable for their use. They are fairly easy to learn and very fun to throw. The case they come with makes it easy to carry them and store them safely.
For a good throwing tomahawk to toss around the backyard or take out camping with the friends and family these SOG throwing Tomahawks get our nod of approval.
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