CRKT Woods Chogan

Day 2 of Bivouac and testing finished.

     I have not done a product review in some time. However, I felt this one was worth doing. This particular Hawk was designed by a fellow Tennessean Ryan M. Johnson of RMJ Forge and made by CRKT.

     I have purchased this CRKT Woods Chogan back in Spring 2015 online at a fairly decent price. As far as hawks go this sits pretty much in the price range of my wish list. It sat with my boxes as I moved between my new place and my old. When I had a chance to handle it I notice that the bit was not too sharp. This was probably done to keep from any one losing fingers during shipping (just a theory.)  The head is made out of 1055 Carbon steel and the beard was beveled for ease of sharpening if you wanted to use it for the purposes of trapping limbs. The handle that was made from Tennessee Hickory which was lacquered rather thickly and looked just plain. The tool as a whole weighs around 2 pounds and the handle is roughly 19 inches in length. Compared to some of my Cold Steel Hawks it it heavier except for my Rifleman's Hawk.

     The first thing I did to it was file a decent edge on the bit. I try not to give them a razor's edge for outdoor work seeing that too sharp of an edge tends to vanish quickly on certain woods. Next I sanded off the lacquer and pulled out my wood burning kit. This gave the Hawk a lot of character once I was done with the design. A light coat of cherry wood stain set if off. Each of my wood handled hawks have a different layout. I am getting better at it. However, I still need a lot of practice.

Packed for the Young Marine Bivouac

     I believed that the best test of this tool was to give it to a bunch of teenagers on a bivouac to see if they could break it for me. I am an outdoor and marksmanship instructor for the South East Tennessee Young Marines. With these Bivouacs I teach fire building and blade safety. Between the Chogan, Cold Steel Kukri Machete, and the CRKT First Strike I carry on my belt we were able to process enough wood for two separate fires and make piles of the graduated stages to build those fires. I handed the Tomahawk to several of the senior Young Marines to see how well they used it doing various tasks I have given them. Each time it was returned to me with no wear or breakage. I did use the hammer side for tent stakes when setting up camp. It was wide enough for hitting the large plastic ones. I did bend (my fault) more than one metal one.

     I have one Young Marine who has super duper endless energy. Near him was a fallen tree that needed processing. I turned him loose with the Woods Chogan for about an hour. He came back with blisters on his hands and part of the tree processed. I don't know how but he managed to put two good dings in the bit and dulled it ever so slightly in the time he took chopping. I came to find out that he had hit the ground a few times. (don't ask me I don't know how it happened.) A few passes with a file solved the issue and made it ready to use again.

     All in all I really enjoy owning this tool. Until I find something better this will accompany me on long excursions and outdoor activities including hiking jaunts. I don't foresee using it in combat. However, weirder things have happened to me. The only thing I am going to add is some type of sheath either made of leather or kydex when it is carried or stored. Try it out for yourself if you run across a deal.

That is all............Carry on.