Allen Patrol Bowie vs. CS Trailmaster...

F

FLY GUY

Joined
Oct 8, 2000
Messages
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For wilderness survival, small chores to tree chopping, which is better. A 9 1/2 inch trailmaster or a 9 1/2 inch Allen Patrol Bowie? Does the type of blade make the difference, I really like the Allen Blade
on his Bowies. All info is great!
Thanks,
mason
 
never handled Allen Blade's bowies, but everyone says they are very well made and a steal for the price he charges. You will have to wait about 4 months to get one if you order from him. But I think it will be worth it.

I'm interested in the toughness of the handles on his bowies. I don't really understand how they are made even after reading the information on his site. It sounds like he peens the tang and holds the aluminum butt cap on with a bolt. How are the micarta handles attached? Are they epoxied on to the tang in two pieces, or is it a sleeve that slips over the tang and is held by the butt cap?
 
Mason,
Go with the Allen Blade Bowie in 5160 steel and you'll have no regrets.
smile.gif


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Semper Fi

-Bill
 
Hello,

Thanks for the kind words guys.

The combat patrol bowie Handle is made of a
solid piece of Black canvas micarta that has been Milled out internally to accept the 1 inch wide hidden tang enclosed within, no Pencil tangs on my Bowies!!!

Also the whole Handle is COmpression bonded in place with Brownells Accraglas and secured
permanently with a Pegged and peened Nut on the Pommel which is screwed over a piece of Grade 8 Allthread. TO put it in Laymans terms this handle is there forever!!

Hope this helps some.

Regards, Allen Blade
abladecutlery@aol.com

------------------
Allen Blade
Spokane,WA USA

" You can make great knives and sell a few, Or make Great AFFORDABLE knives and sell many"
WEB SITE : http://www.geocities.com/bladecutlery/blade_cutlery_site001.htm
 
Allen,

Hey once i save up a little more cash, you will be recieving an email from me! That knife sounds great!
Thanks for everything,
mason
 
I received my first knives from Allen and, the work is first rate. Very good value in the "Bang for Buck" class.

Stay Sharp,
Sid
 
The handle on the Trailmaster is a weak point, especially for fairly heavy chopping. I find the Kraton pretty uncomfortable and quite a few others have had problems with the durability too. Also, Carbon V rusts like crazy. The sheath is also lousy. I had one made for me by John Freeman, and there are lots of possibilities, but it does add to the cost of the knife. All in all, though, The Trailmaster is a great knife. But IMHO, the Busse SH II is better.
As far as a full custom is concerned, I haven't used one of Allen's blades [sorry for the pun], but from all reports he does great work. I would tend to favour a custom over a CS production, especially if I wanted to personalize some aspect of it. I might want a different steel, though.
 
I have never handled a Trailmaster.

I do however have 4 Allen Blade knives. An older neck knife, a tad pole, a meuk and a 8.5 inch combat bowie. I have to be honest, I have not had the nads yet to whack the knife around. I have handled it every way possible and though Allen has repeatedly told me he will refinish the knife when needed I want to enjoy it a bit for a while. The knife is a joy to hold. The handle isn't going anywhere. It is one of the most balanced, perfectly grinded knives I have ever held. Period. To me the answer would be simple. Blade over Cold Steel.

Yes, I do plan on using this knife....soon. I promised. It's gorgeous.

Regards,

------------------
~Greg Mete~
Kodiak Alaska
JKM-Chai
 
My baby!
abcb.jpg


Photo courtesy of G2 Leatherworks.

------------------
~Greg Mete~
Kodiak Alaska
JKM-Chai
 
Not really much of a decision in my book.

Differentially treated 5160 (with a cool temper line
biggrin.gif
) vs. Carbon V?

Micarta handle vs. Kraton?

Kickass Kydex sheath vs. budget offering?

A variety of options are also available from Allen to customize your knife to your desires. Price is not really an issue as there is not nearly as much of a premium on Allen's knife as there should be. Resale also does not come into play. When was the last time you saw one for sale?

Needless to say, I have a 10" CPB on order. If I am lucky, I will be able to get one good picture of it before I just have to go out and whack something!
biggrin.gif


 
Allen Blade's knife, for every reason I can think of.

Custom vs Production
Steel
Construction
Design
Quality
Visual Appeal
Relative value vs price
etc.

I know you will not be dissapointed with Allen's work.

Paracelsus
 
Good Day,

Allen Blade Combat Patrol Bowie.

I have inspected the handle construction up close, it would be near impossible to find it failing in some way. And there are reports that the Trailmaster handle does come off.

I don't think there is anyway that the Trailmaster would surpass the Allen Blade knife.

------------------
Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye, Cd'A ID, USA mdpoff@hotmail.com

>>--->Bill Siegle Custom Knives<---<<
-http://www.geocities.com/siegleknives-

Talonite Resource Page, nearly exhaustive!!

Fire Page, metal match sources and index of information.

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal, 210 B.C.
 
Another Vote for Allen Blade....and I do have a Trailmaster and a Recon Scout to compare to. The Bowie that Kodiak PA pictured above is one that he squirreled away from me, he is very persistent fellow!! But the only reason he has that is one, I count him a very good friend, and two, I have another smaller bowie on order to replace that large bowie, though it still hurts that it's gone!!

I'm getting a smaller bowie, around a 5" blade with stainless fittings and micarta handle and CPM3V blade.....was going to go with a nice wood handle but the micarta is so tough that I changed my mind at the last get go...

A word about Allen's sheath, amazing to a fault! very good work nicely shaped and secure, when I first got the knife I tried pulling the knife out by hand with one hand on the sheath and one on the handle and it was all I could do to remove it, I thought it was TOO tight, BUT, when I placed the sheath on my belt, where it belongs when you use it, I found I could fairly easily pull the knife clear, but it was still secure as well, he also forms the edge of the sheath to follow close to the back of the knife, just plain good work!

G2


------------------
"The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions!"
Take the time to read your Bible Now, don't be left behind...

G2 LeatherWorks
 
Hey Allen you have mail!!

I am ordering one of you Patrol Bowies, please check your mail.
Thanks,
mason
 
How do the two knives compare, price-wise?

I have a Stainless Cold Steel Trail Master Bowie, and I feel that I could chop-down a small tree with this monster.
biggrin.gif
.

I don't know about the Allen Patrol Bowie, but I DO know that my Trail Master Bowie is 5/16ths if an inch THICK, and over 9 inches long.

------------------
Dann Fassnacht
Aberdeen, WA
glockman99@hotmail.com
ICQ# 53675663
 
I got my trailmaster in a trade. I traded it for my busse sth2. I don't think my handle is gonna come off in this lifetime.
I have had the handle on a srk loosen a tad. but that was after extreme gross abuse. I have had that knife for 10-12 years. I paid 70 bucks for it. I am a big CS fan. The steel is awesome yeah it rusts but hey it isn't gonna desintergrate before your eyes.

The price is very affordable.
how much does allen's knives cost?

I haven't handled one of allen knives so I am not comparing the 2 just giving my very biased opinion.
 
Marion :

I don't think there is anyway that the Trailmaster would surpass the Allen Blade knife.
Click to expand...

The point is slimmer based on the pictures of Allen's bowie I have seen so the Trailmaster will probably have better point penetration. It is not sharpened but would not be that hard to do it and thus you have another cutting edge which has benefits and disadvantages. The lower cross section in the tip of course makes it weaker. Then again, Allen could easily grind a false edge, or an actual on one one of his bowies.

In regards to handle durability, I had a Trailmaster for a few months and after regular use the handle had become unstable and I could rotate the Kraton around on the grip. The checkering had also worn significantly which made the handle very slippery. It did however make it easy to throw it like a big dart.

-Cliff
 
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