M48 Ranger Tomahawk Axe with Built-in Lensatic Compass and Protective Sheath

G. M.: Mine has been attached to my hunting pack for several years now. It goes with me every hunt/camp trip. Take care of it and it will last forever.

United States on Aug 23, 2023

devian morte: also a perfect tool i use this at work for landscaping and its one of the best tools i have

Canada on Feb 01, 2018

warhawkrog: The axe is well made and out of the box the spike and the blade edges were very sharp. It worked well for light chopping when I chopped up a few tree limbs and branches for firewood on my last camping trip. I'm not an axe throwing expert, so it took me a few tries to get the right throwing technique down, but after a while I was able to stick it into a tree.

CONS: The paracord wrap came apart immediately after first use. The sheath is ok and the belt loops aren't that great, but I'll probably get a kydex sheath made for it. The compass is plastic and feels cheap, but points North like all compasses should. The axe in the item picture looks FDE to me which was a small reason I bought it, but the actual color is a lot greener (than OD) than as depicted.

Overall, it's a nice axe for the price and I'm happy with it. Bring on the zombies!

United States on Dec 31, 2014

ryan: This tomahawk will go through anything, it keeps it's edge well and can be made razor sharp with a bit of effort. its well balanced and feels sturdy, to keep the paracord from slipping off the handle simply give the dangling end a good tug every so often to keep it tight. it lost a star due to the crap sheath the came with it, the pointing edges on the axe side poke through it.

Canada on Jun 03, 2014

Claudio Eh: Got it for part of my truck emergency kit. Quality is good, edges are sharp and have held their edge. I tried it around the house for some small chores and it worked great. It's weight is carried forward near the head, this makes chopping easier, but you should practice a bit with it, balance is different than a traditional wood axe. Compass that fits in head cover is serviceable and a nice item to have in an emergency. Whole package works great for me, and it looks cool as well.

Canada on Dec 09, 2013

Adam: I bought this axe ans I have owned it for a year now.
the other day I build a stool in the woods out of wood I chopped with this axe and twine (no nicks or dulling in the edge btw). the spike on the end is sharper than other tomahawks which makes it good for killing things and saving yourself from falling
off a cliff (which I know from experience) however don't expect the spike to be as durable when hitting harder things like rock.
the paracord wrap is nice but it came undone quickly for me and I never got it on right again, the paracord adds great grip and
helps keep my hands from freezing in the winter. the axe part is all you could expect from an axe it will chop branches, small trees, and medium trees with effort. I noticed that it is not full tang however it is connected via three bolts that do the job well, I have noticed that the plastic around the middle bolt turned white after a while so that is probs the part that is under the most strain. this axe will last you many years if you take proper care of it however if you want it to look like the picture mount it on the wall becasue it will not be pretty forever, especially with the black coating...

Canada on Nov 18, 2013

Michael DiAmico: UPDATE MAY 2022: I've had this tomahawk for almost ten years. I've taken it camping, Ive thrown it countless times at countless logs, I've chopped a lot of small deadfall with it. It has withstood the test of time and rigorous use. I've used it in self defense training (only) but mostly use it for the aforementioned tasks. Reviewers who complain about sharpness or whatever else are obviously entitled to their opinion, but apparently aren't aware of how to take care of their things. How does that saying go? "Take care of your tools and your tools will take care of you." Regular cleaning, sharpening and basic maintenance of this hawk will have it lasting a long time.

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I got this tomahawk as part of a desire to learn weapon self-defense (I'm studying with various weapons), and partly based on its design. The 'hawk just looks cool, and is, visually speaking, a very nice part of my growing collection.

The weapon doesn't come very sharp, but that's easily remedied with a sharpener. The point on the opposite end is wicked, however, so just be careful when you're swinging it around. The construction is sound with the axe head being...

United States on Sep 17, 2013

Trebmal: Delivery was a touch slow but don't let that deter you...this is a great item. I bought two, had to have one for myself and a bday gift for my brother. He was equally impressed.

Solid construction but have not tested it in the woods yet...the wrapped handle is a little bit loose and causes grip to shift. It was simple to re-tie this, i also put a little candle wax under the cordage and it does not slip at all now.

Buy this!

Canada on Sep 17, 2013

Dark HelmetDark Helmet: I attached the M48 Hawk to the back side of my "Zombie Survival Pack" using the molle attachments on the back of the sheath and also the beaner on the handle. The beaner is nice to hold the handle close to the bottom of the pack without it flopping around. I rewrapped the whole of the handle with 550 cord which gives the tomahawk a very nice grip. I haven't thrown it yet, but I've beat this thing pretty good and it's clearly meant to be abused. The compass is an inexpensive plastic replica of my brass lensatic compass. It is "cub scout" grade, so I gave it to my 9-year-old son to use and replaced it with my own. The sheath is functional: it holds the tomahawk and covers the blade, nothing else... most definitely not mil-spec. Overall, for the price the M48 Hawk is a very fun and useful thing to have.

There has been much speculation of the M48 Hawk's effectiveness in a zombie attack. In the event of a real zombie attack, contamination from flying zombie blood, flesh and entrails would render this weapon ineffective. Even if you wore a HAZMAT suit while chopping zombie heads off, the risk of puncturing your protective suit with the sharp, pointed...

United States on Apr 05, 2013