any love for the tom brown tracker

klute said:
It means he wants to hear others takes are on the knife "just not" ONLY negative. Which means he doesn't want this thread to be all negative IN TONE.

Negative means more than just "to take away" - a negative comment about the knife can be constructive. I think what he wants to say is "let's keep it constructive I will take the good with the bad -just don't bash".

If you would keep in mind that you aren't a native english speaker (US English) you'd be better off, the OP is not using perfect grammar but I understand exactly what he means to say.

I've noticed you sniping at members here.
You think that bcz you're in the Phillippines you can just act the wiseguy and it's all good right?

That game will get old bub.
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I agree with Klute. I don't know why singularity35 is coming across so arrogant towards an honest question. That tone is starting to get old fast around here. The guy didn't say he didn't want negative comments. He wanted honest opinions, and not just negative ones, meaning, if someone has a positive opinion those were welcome as well.

Someone can post a negative opinion of a knife without being condescending about it. If you fail at politeness, maybe you should just skip over the threads that seem beneath your tastes in cutlery? Just a thought. The smug and pompous replies to honest questions are starting to wear thin.
 
The positives; i always thought it looked cool. Oh, and i heard once, that it makes a great pancake flipper, unfortunatley i sold mine off before i had the chance to try it out as a spatula.
 
The Tracker, the most controversial knife on the net. Threads pop up and wars break out. Babies die because of these threads! But seriously, you should try one if you have the chance. It's a tool, period. In the hands of some and with some moderate mods it can be an effective tool, but that can be said of a dull butter knife too. :)

I have one and enjoy it.
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Some tracker use videos
http://www.youtube.com/user/OperationalExtras

It's not for everyone and often misunderstood. Have fun!
 
I got to try one out that had the edges thinned out.

The curved, skinning part of the blade worked OK for skinning (deer), but I wished my hand was closer to that part of the blade for that function. It would have been handier. Also, not a caper by any means.

The short, straight portion was about in the MK II ("Ka-Bar") neighborhood, function-wise, but the owner had, again, thinned it pout considerably.

The saw was hopeless compared to a decent folding pruning saw. It would saw, but slow and lots of effort. Would have been better if the hand was closer to the saw edge.

The saw also tore up the baton when batoning.

After I got used to the curved impact area, it didn't chop bad for it's length. The handle allows a grip towards the butt.

Not a really great return for the price IMO. I would rather have any number of more conventional knives and a good folding saw or, even, one-pound hand axe.
 
I like my Tracker 2 very much. The full sized model was just too big for me but the medium model is much handier. It allows a grip high enough to afford very good blade control for skinning and close in work. The grip is designed so it can be easily/effectively used while holding farther down. The only part I don't like about the knife is the saw. If it weren't there, the knife would be my favorite fixed blade. Hopefully mine will get put to some heavy use next weekend. If you're looking at a Tracker I would look at the 2. I bought mine because I love the design, to me it is a beautiful knife that I thought could fill multiple slots in a general use woods knife. I do not regret the purchase. Really shop around though, I got my Tracker 2 gor just over $150, most places they go for $185+

And just in case someone in here is thinking about chucking one around like in the movie, the warranty papers explicitly forbid such nonsense. It's a serious bushcraft tool, not a movie prop.
 
klute said:
So get a life, troll.
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Hahaha, Between my four generation family(My spry 87 year old mother, my son, my daughter in law, and my 5 year old grandaughter), I have a very full life. Oh, and I'm busy building my house at the moment too. :D

I also happen to be an officer of our local gun club too. So yes, I have a life outside the forums. :p


And to keep it on topic, I don't feel that that blade shape is useful. What is arrogant about that?
 
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Disclaimer: I am a very small knife dealer/sheath maker and a kukri lover so my comments should be taken with that in mind.

I have absolutely zero experience with the Tom Brown Tracker but each review done by real users brings out the same negative points. Many of the positive reviews come from the same cast of people that I highly dount live the outdoor lifestyle they claim and many of these positives are touchy feely and related to looks. Anyone I know of that got one either hates it/sold it or on the other end of the spectrum they love it and admire it on their desk often. This is why I never sopent my money on one.

However, if you are looking for a Tracker knife that really does work, this is mine.
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They are made in Nepal by people that are used to making the kukri (heavy choppers) that are not just big heavy machetes, but balanced effective tools and/or weapons. By angling the blade like a kukri, expanding the belly and adding a multiple hand placement handle, they have really made the better mouse trap. This 9" bladed Tracker (14" overall) will chop with the best of the 18" kukri and yet will weigh less, be easier on the hands and be a dream to carry compared to its larger cousins. Keep in mind that I still love, carry and use a kukri a lot but my Tracker has really become one of my go-to blades. When I say that I use this Tracker I don't mean once or twice a year when I go camping, I use it daily in an outdoor job and the one pictured is my personal one that has been in constant carry (vehicle and Polaris) for over a year with no rolls in the edge and rarely has it even been sharpened. I clean it with a Scotch-brite pad and W-40 after use and thats it. (note: I did opt for a clean top since I do not believe that the saw top works for anything practical. I have tried the saw top cutting barbed wire and while some do it, some do not. None were good at sawing wood.)

It may be hard to see but at the break in the spine you see a flat section that can be used as a hammer. I have used it to repair fences and break everything from a broken tractor part to a brick or cinder block. It is certainly not a carpenter's hammer but then again it isn't a mile trip back to the truck either! The Tracker is small and light enough to work well as an all around camp knife too. I use this Tracker with a home made western style multiple attachment dangler sheath.
 
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All the positive reviews come from the same cast of people that I highly dount live the outdoor lifestyle they claim and many of these positives are touchy feely and related to looks.
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You must not have read my post or the watched the links I posted. And I don't consider myself a touchy feely guy. I consider myself an experienced and active outdoors person.
 
You know, I see a lot of the opposite with this knife actually. The vast majority of people that knock it have only touched it one time at a gunshow or something. No first hand use with the knife. The people I find that generally like it are the avid outdoors type. Again, not all of them, but not everyone likes Busse or Esee, etc. Is it for everyone? No. Is it the best kife ever? No such thing. Is it a solid knife made by a respectable company that turns out good products? Indeed it is.

If you like it, try it. If you don't, well don't.
 
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shortwinger said:
I have absolutely zero experience with the Tom Brown Tracker but each review done by real users brings out the same negative points. Many of the positive reviews come from the same cast of people that I highly dount live the outdoor lifestyle they claim and many of these positives are touchy feely and related to looks.
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Search the Wilderness section. Pitdog routinely takes his out and uses it. I think he'll admit that the edges need to be thinned but overall he likes it and he's out in the bush more then everyone in this thread put together. I think it's a cool design and I'd like to get my hands on one eventually.
 
There must be a strong following behind the knife. Beck is still getting $1500.00 plus for the recent ones he sold. I have several made by different makers. The one I have made by Koster is the best in my opinion but it is a totally different knife than the original. I think the best thing about the Tom Brown knife is that it sparked a whole new direction for knife makers to head in.
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not2sharp said:
Allright, I will say something positive about it. Dave Beck, who made the original Tracker knife for Tom Brown is a very good custom knifemaker. His version of the knife was of very good quality; and, although he also made many far more practical knives (His pathfinder was a much better design), his version of this thing would still be worth owning.

n2s
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Interesting. The Dave Beck version does look like a better slicer than the TOPS version, and the saw actually looks usable. I'm still not sure I see the point, but it looks markedly superior to the TOPS knife.
 
The Tracker knife is one of those designs that either you like it or you do don't. Those that like it can be very passionate about it and it's use. Those that don't like can be very passionate about how it's a worthless design. I have used both Dave Becks WSK and the TOPS variant fairly extensively, please see Beck vs. TOPS by Vermonster (that's me). I found Becks version to be head and shoulders above the TOPS, however, guys seem to be modding the TOPS version with enhancements that look like they would increase performance in a big way.

Most of the guys that say its a worthless design have never used one. As far as the Beck Pathfinder being a better design, I'm not sure about that. You see not2sharp, I owned that very Pathfinder you have or had in your collection, the handle was uncomfortably short which threw off the balance of the knife. It was well made but way to big to be practicle.
 
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