Cold Steel or Ontario for a large knife?

J

JTmisterknifeguy

Joined
May 22, 2013
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477
I've recently come into some money (I sold a rifle I haven't used in over a decade) and I'm debating and wrestling with myself whether to get an Ontario Gen II Sp50 OR an SK5 CS Trailmaster...
Now I've been obsessed/enthralled with the sp50 after watching Nutnfancy log half of the Rockies with one over several videos and reviews.
But ...
I've been a Cold Steel fan for a long time, and I have yet to get my paws on a Trailmaster, and I like that it does double duty as a terrifyingly effective fightin' knife, the secur-ex sheath is a bonus too.

I've just got a BK9 and I've got a BK2, BK14, and an RTAK II on the way.
The next one is going to ship with a BK7, getting the trailmaster is an extra $30-$40..
.So I'm not sure what to do...
What do you guys think!! ???
I'll take advice, wisdom, comments, criticism, pies in the face...
Thanks
JT :)
 
Yeah, I'm more and more leaning towards the Trailmaster, the hard sheath is probably going to be the tipping point... But I WILL eventually have to get an SP50. :)
 
I like the Ontario SP series a lot. If you have not held the Trailmaster yet, you may find you don't like the grips. I found them narrow & a little small for the heft of the blade in my hand.
Honestly if you already have a BK9 I don't see what a Trailmaster offers that you can't already do with the BK9. Maybe save that coin for something else.
 
Ontario all the way! Made in USA! Trail Master made in Taiwan I think. The Trail Master has the better sheath being a secur-ex while Ontario being Nylon I think. Ontario has the better steel I would think it being 5160 spring steel while sk5 = 1080. Trail Master's kraton handle material would probably outlast the Ontario's rubber I think. The Ontario has a black coating to inhibit rust while the Trail Master does not, both being carbon steels rust is a real threat. And finally lastly as far as I can think price, just looked up really quick and cheapest I could find was an almost $50 difference between them, the trail master has gone up in price as of late. Both are good knives but I really don't believe the Trail Master is worth that much. Ontario wins in my book.
 
I'd get the Ontario, myself, mainly because I KNOW Ontario's SP line are great knives(made in the US too, if that's important to you), and while I hear good things about the Trailmaster, I don't see much about it that warrants the much higher price. I'd like a Trailmaster, but I'm more likely to get the Ontario.
 
? I thought the whole line (SRK, Recon Scout, etc...were steels analagous to AUS 8. My bad if incorrect!
 
Quillan said:
? I thought the whole line (SRK, Recon Scout, etc...were steels analagous to AUS 8. My bad if incorrect!
Click to expand...

Yeah, SK-5 is the Japanese version of 1080. Cold Steel does use a ton of AUS-8(it's basically their default steel), but SK-5 is not the same.
 
I would take trailmaster.
SP50 is simmilar to bkt/rtak, trailmaster is more slender, it has a "bowie line".
 
Well either is a good blade, though I have read plenty of reports and reviews that say the BK9 will chop better than either. Still, I'd like to get a TM, it just looks cool.
 
The Cold Steel SRK is made of Aus8a steel. The Trail Master and Recon Scout are made from Sk5 which = 1080. That all being said since I already have an Ontario sp10(which I love by the way, simply a beast) I plan on getting a Trail Master and BK-9 next. Simply put you can't really go wrong with either choice.
 
Picked up the sp50 and I really like it! It's smaller than I envisioned it, but maybe that's because it rides with the RtakII and the BK9... 8D
 
This may sound stupid to you, but Mtech makes a trailmaster clone for like 25 bucks that totally kicks ass. I used it a ton living in rural new england. it holds an edge pretty damn well, stands up to repeated throwing and handles batoning, bashing and hammering. I destroyed the handle eventually but its easily replaceable. You could get both and compare the ergos without the big investment.
I also wanted to mention that the securex on my CS SRK was complete shite and definitely required the crappy little snap to keep it securexed. Which to me sort of defeats the purpose of a hilt clipping thermoplastic sheath.
 
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Binalith said:
This may sound stupid to you, but Mtech makes a trailmaster clone for like 25 bucks that totally kicks ass. I used it a ton living in rural new england. it holds an edge pretty damn well, stands up to repeated throwing and handles batoning, bashing and hammering. I destroyed the handle eventually but its easily replaceable. You could get both and compare the ergos without the big investment.
I also wanted to mention that the securex on my CS SRK was complete shite and definitely required the crappy little snap to keep it securexed. Which to me sort of defeats the purpose of a hilt clipping thermoplastic sheath.
Click to expand...

The additional $100+ cost of the Trailmaster isn't just markup to pad Lynn Thompson's pockets...
There's a good reason that Mtechs are often laughed out of the forum, especially where large wilderness/survival blades are concerned. I don't doubt that yours has served you well, but they have such a crap reputation, that I'd rather save my money... My one (and only) problem with Securex sheaths are that there aren't enough knives that come with them. I'll take them over many of the ridiculously flimsy nylon/cordura sheaths or worse, leather (shudder)...
Not to sound like an elitist, but I'm all done buying clones, knockoffs, Pakistani and low quality Chinese knives. There's too many good blades out there with an equal amount of good reviews on them.
Cheers.
 
JTmisterknifeguy said:
The additional $100+ cost of the Trailmaster isn't just markup to pad Lynn Thompson's pockets...
There's a good reason that Mtechs are often laughed out of the forum, especially where large wilderness/survival blades are concerned. I don't doubt that yours has served you well, but they have such a crap reputation, that I'd rather save my money... My one (and only) problem with Securex sheaths are that there aren't enough knives that come with them. I'll take them over many of the ridiculously flimsy nylon/cordura sheaths or worse, leather (shudder)...
Not to sound like an elitist, but I'm all done buying clones, knockoffs, Pakistani and low quality Chinese knives. There's too many good blades out there with an equal amount of good reviews on them.
Cheers.
Click to expand...


truth...except for the securex haha.
 
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