CRKT T-Hawk Tomahawk
Major Pandemic 01.07.14
Lately it would seem that all the old hand-to-hand combat and survival tools are coming back in vogue again, due to troops starting to understand that sometimes a knife, sword, or axe comes in more handy than a gun. Ryan Johnson is the primary designer and president of RMJ Tactical and has been honing his tactical axe/tomahawk designs for over 30-years. His designs have developed a fan base in the military special forces community do to their size, utility, and toughness. One of his more popular designs was used as a base to develop the CRKT Chogan and Kangee T-Hawks tomahawks. These two designs are nearly identical, with the exception that the Kangee has a pointed spike on the non-chopped edge and the Chogan has a blunt hammer type edge. The result of the collaboration was a very effective Ryan Johnson styled tomahawk that retails on the street for around $100. It’s an affordable option for the custom made $450 Ryan Johnson handmade custom originals.
Fit, Finish, Feel, Features, and Function
Like all CRKT knives, their overseas production is of very high tolerances and quality, and for $100, the Chogan is own of the best deals in tactical tomahawks. Chogan features a full tang construction made of SK5 Carbon steel for high durability and edge holding, and it’s finished with black powder coat to provide rust and corrosion resistance. The glass filled nylon handles are bolted on for security and feature a textured finish that provided me plenty of grip, even when my hands were wet.
At only 14” long and nearly .25” thick, the steel T-Hawk is easy to pack, however CRKT went a step further and included a MOLLE compatible belt sheath that protects the user and his equipment from accidental cuts. The Chogan snaps into the sheath, however CRKT has included a snap clasp closure for added security. Also included is a long sling that can be attached to the sheath to carry the Chogan T-Hawk over the shoulder.
The handle is a versatile design that can be comfortably retained in a number of grips from very high (for precision bushcraft detail tasks with the cutting edge) to a low reverse grip (to use the hammer head). I broke down a paper pallet to feed my Roundboy pizza oven, and the chore was surprisingly quick with the T-hawk.
One of the features I have to address is the shaving sharp edge that the Chogan T-Hawk is capable of obtaining. Out of the box, the T-Hawk was paper slicing sharp, which is incredible when compared to any factory axe, however after a few passes with my fine ceramic steel I was able to shave a nice clean strip down my arm. That’s pretty impressive for a tomahawk with an edge designed from a durability perspective. This keen knife edge sharpness elevates the usefulness of the CRKT Chogan T-Hawk beyond the normal capabilities of a blunt, wedge shaped axe we are normally familiar with to a small camp axe that can do work normally requiring a knife. Paired with the handle’s design, which allows you to really choke up on the axe head, and you have a precision cutting tool that could deliver game cleaning abilities.
Final Thoughts
As a farm boy raised in the country, I have always appreciated a great hand tool. Among the handiest of those tools was a small, high quality, carbon steel camp axe. This is in essence exactly what the CRKT Chogan T-Hawk is with some very nice and useful refinements that make this is a handy lightweight tool that delivers a huge capabilities set for not a lot of money.
Specs
- CRKT Chogan
- Open Overall Length: 14 inches
- Weight: 1 lb. 8.6 ounces
- Blade Length: 2.93 inches
- Thickness: 0.23 inches
- Material: SK5 Carbon Steel
- Blade: HRC 54-55
- Finish: Black Powder Coat
- Grind: Flat
- Style: Axe Edge Front with Hammer
- Edge: Plain
- Handle Material: Glass Filled Nylon; EDM Finish
- Carry System: Black KYDEX Sheath with MOLLE Clip Platform
- Weight: 3.6 ounce
- MSRP: $185
- STREET: $140
