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TOPS Expands Ax Lineup with Ucon Hawk

August 5, 2020

Less than a week after dropping the Mini Tanimboca Puukko, TOPS is rolling out another release. This time it’s the Ucon Hawk, a hatchet that brings pertinent changes over its closest stablemates in the TOPS catalog.

The Ucon Hawk’s cutting edge measures 4.87 inches – not an enormous tool by any stretch of the imagination. Like most hatchets, it fills a heavier chopping role than most fixed blades with its particular emphasis on ergonomics and impact resistance, while still being able to perform lots of knife-like duties. Like the TOPS Hammer Hawk, the Ucon has a hammer on the reverse side of its blade, which adds even more functionality to the package.

And without a doubt, the Hammer Hawk is the closest point of comparison in TOPS’s lineup. The Ucon’s cutting edge is a bit longer, but the real differences are harder to immediately spot. One is the blade steel: whereas the Hammer Hawk was made from 1075, the Ucon is fashioned from 1095. 1075 is generally reputed to be tougher than 1095 at the expense of some edge retention; TOPS notes that their differential heat treatment will give the Ucon all the impact resistance it needs while giving it the edge when it comes to, well, holding an edge.

Despite the longer cutting edge, the Ucon is also 5 ounces lighter than the Hammer Hawk, and also features a unique material for its scales. Called SureTouch G-10, it is a mix of G-10 and rubber that provides an extra grippy surface to keeps your hands in place no matter what your up to. The Ucon Hawk comes with a two-part leather sheath that facilitates different methods of carry to suit the users’ needs.

TOPS seems to have shifted back into a particularly aggressive release mode. They had been keeping up a stately pace of more or less monthly releases before ramping things up significantly in the last few weeks, with the 3 Pointer, Mini Tanimboca, and now the Ucon Hawk all arriving in quick succession.

Featured Image: TOPS Ucon Hawk

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