I admire a man who stands behind his product.  I think I would also be more than nervous facing a man standing behind this product, as before the business end of a tomahawk is no place I want to be.  When I contacted Victor Hays of Hays Knives, he was more than happy to send out one of his Warrior Xtreme models for evaluation at the offices of The Martialist.

The Hays Warrior Xtreme tomahawk and its leather blade cover.

My tomahawk arrived with a packing slip from Ambassador Manufacturing, LLC.  The weapon is a tull-tang model with a tapered striking butt, aggressively checkered handle slabs of Acetal (Delrin), and a gracefully curved head with a small blade and a piercing hook.  The black parkerized blade and body of the 'hawk are made from a single piece of 1095 steel that is just under a quarter-inch thick by my measurement.  The shaft is 15 inches long and the head is about 8.5 inches across.  The 'hawk ships with a simple black leather blade cover.

Wielding the Warrior Xtreme tomahawk by Victor Hays.

The Warrior Xtreme feels hefty but not unwieldy in my large hands, cleaving the air with authority and striking with brutal force.  The point of balance is about 6" below the head, making it just right chopping.

The Warrior Xtreme is excellent for chopping.

The tomahawk is an extremely effective close-quarters weapon.  The point penetrates deeply and the blade chops like a small axe.  The point on the Warrior Xtreme is unsharpened but tapered.  The edge on my 'hawk shipped sharp enough to slice paper cleanly.  The curve of the tomahawk's head makes it great for hooking and goring with either end.

The piercing point of the Warrior Xtreme penetrates well.

I put the Warrior Xtreme through its paces in a trash-laden back alley through which I've run madly on more than one occasion.  There is always plenty of refuse for testing tools there, much of it large plastic barrels that I prefer for their sidewall thickness.  On this occasion there were no barrels – but there was a discarded shelf unit of incredibly heavy fiberboard so ancient it was almost petrified.

No discarded shelving unit was safe that fateful afternoon.

The point of the Warrior Xtreme did vicious damage to the shelf, hitting hard and lodging deeply.  I had to pry it free each time and this took some effort.  The blade likewise cut deeply, leaving V-shaped notches in the rock-hard old unit.  I also used the striking butt of the 'hawk to make impressive gashes in the shelving, though these were not as deep.  It is harder to hit deeply with the butt because the weight favors the head of the tool.

The tomahawk had to be pried free each time.

The thick handles provide very good traction.  The Warrior Xtreme is heavy enough that I have a hard time not following through with each strike, but it is not so heavy that I found it awkward.  I liked how it moved and I felt extremely well-armed while testing it.

Damage done by the unsharpened piercing point of the 'hawk.

The leather blade cover is too light for field carry, so I would recommend having a Kydex or Concealex sheath made for extended or heavy use.  For storage and for carry in a vehicle, however, the cover works just fine.  Inside my cover was a small circle of material covering the rivet of the closure snap.  This came free at some point and I found it inside the sheath, but it was easily repaired with a little Super Glue.

The point, edge, and butt picked up debris and paint but cleaned up fine.

The Warrior Xtreme is a strong, well-made tool that holds up well in use.  My tomahawk cleaned up nicely after testing.  Its edge was dulled slightly but not damaged.  The paint and other residue pressed into the point and butt scraped free with little effort.  The full-tang construction eliminates worry about losing one's 'hawk head in the field, while the simple design makes the tool easy to maintain as well as aesthetically pleasing.  Given all of this, I find the Warrior Xtreme extremely impressive.