SOG FastHawk

I've never owned any sort of tomahawk or hatchet before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. When the SOG Fasthawk arrived in the mail, it was exactly the size I expected it to be (I purposely ordered it over the larger model). A burning question among buyers, including myself before buying, was "why buy the polished model?" Simply put, tomahawks are for throwing, and for most people who would throw a tool like this, an all-black model would be hard to find given you miss your target and you didn't quite catch where the hawk bounced off to. The extra few dollars are well worth the extra visibility of finding your hawk if you lose it in the bush. Not to mention it looks absolutely awesome in the air! I bought the Fasthawk (keep in mind, it's 12 inches long from the head to the base of the handle) because I'm a smaller person (5'5", 120 lbs) with little hands, and also for the ease of concealment. They both have plastic sheaths manufactured for them, but they cost about the same as the hawk itself and for most people the nylon sheath is enough. The reduction in size and weight means that any action you perform with the Fasthawk will be weaker than if you did the same with the Tomahawk (15 inches overall, same measurement points). The tomahawk has the edge as an all-around tool, but the fasthawk, I think, has the edge as a weapon. Swings and throws are faster, and it can be stowed away in even a simple drawstring backpack. For me, the smaller model was the ideal buy. Throwing these hawks is a matter of distance judgement and consistent throwing technique. If you can master both of those, you'll be able to hit targets at some pretty wild distances within a few weeks of normal use. Regarding quality and neatness of the product, I'd say SOG did a very good job in the manufacturing process, and they know how to make a hawk for sure. I once threw mine and thought I'd have to reprofile the entire edge because I missed my target and my hawk slammed edge-first into a rock. By some miracle, the edge was fine and only needed a 1 minute file session to get rid of the burr that formed on the point of impact. For stainless steel, the head is extremely tough and will last a long time. Reading through my own review, I've realized Tomahawks are one of those things were there's just so many uses that it's hard to choose which of the basic few models would be the most worth it. To be honest, if you're not nit-picky and your habits are flexible, buy whichever one you want; it's more about size for you. If you're a stickler when it comes to your gear, then you might have to think a little bit. Polished or unpolished? Tomahawk or fasthawk? Should I even buy a SOG or buy a more expensive, higher quality model? How about that new voodoo hawk? The choices are seemingly endless, but rest assured that SOG makes a mean line of tomahawks regardless of which one you buy. Can't go wrong with these hawks.