You make some excellent points. However there is no weapon that can be relied upon to be effective without any skill from the user. I doubt anyone here would choose a 'hawk as a weapon unless they were prohibited by circumstances or law from having a better weapon. An axe or knife is probably better viewed as a tool that can be pressed into service as a weapon if the situation warrants it.

It would be possible for someone to grapple and grab a tomakawk by the handle but I think most people will try to avoid a weapon, not close with it. Distance is key for striking weapons as a rule; getting in close is an effective way to negate them but it's often counter-intuitive for most people.

Personally I wouldn't have a lot of use for a tomahawk. It wouldn't be a very good tool for my uses and I prefer to carry a firearm for defense. And no, I don't really know how to fight with a 'hawk aside from the strategy that is obvious to all (ie to simply whack someone with it!).