David Beck W.S.K. vs. TOPs "TRACKER" round #1

That is one FANTASTIC photo.
Did you do that?
Any photoshop or app use to get it so WOW!!!
Thanks for the info.
Tom
 
Yup, I took all the photos myself. Glad you like them!Here's one more pic of my W.S.K....no photoshop anything, this is a real picture.
EDITED
 
Vermonster, your compared Beck's WSK to the TOPs Tracker has sold me. I've mailed my payment in full to Mr. Beck for my own WSK today. Thank you for such an excellent caparison review of the two knifes.

I have a few questions you ask you, if I may.

In one of the posts you stated the following:

"The pouch on the Beck was a custom order to my specs. I left it big enough to give me options. I have the EZ-Lap diamond rod, a small fire starting tool, SAK Rucksack with a couple feet of para cord attached and a small packet of tinder (0000 steel wool and cotton balls) and a little snare wire."

I would like to know more about the EZ-Lap diamond rod and the dimensions of the pouch it's self. I've asked Mr. Beck to place a pouch on my sheath for a sharpening stone. But looking at your sheath is making me re-think that pouch and perhaps change it to what you have done.

I guess what I'm interested in the most is the EZ-Lap diamond rod. Does it fold? Is it good for keeping the WSK sharp? Where can I get an EZ-Lap diamond rod? About how much are they? Does all of these items fit in the pouch at one time? What are the dimensions of the pouch?

Thank you,
Warren
 
The pouch Mr. Beck put on my sheath was too big to be sewn on, so he designed it to be laced on through the belt loop, making it completely removable. The dimensions of my pouch are 2 1/2" wide by 4" long by 5/8" deep.

I keep an Aviation Spark Lite container (about the size of a Tic Tac container)in there with tinder, fishhooks, line sinkers a flint rod, razor blade and needles in it. I also carry a 4" X 1" sharpening stone with one of the long sides rounded off to sharpen the hook area.



He charged an extra $20.00 for the pouch.
Hope this helps.
 
J.P. Your pictures are simply amazing. Great job!!

warren_ss2,

Welcome and congrats on your purchase. You are going to be so pleased with your Beck knife. Dave puts his heart and soul into making these knives, and believe me its apparent in all aspects of the knife, form, function, balance, and finish.

The pouch I had Dave build was specifically made to first accommodate the SAK Rucksack, we then added enough space to fit other tools of necessity in the bush. It gives me options to add and subtract as needed, but still allows me to carry the SAK. The pouch for me, is the perfect size. Its plenty big but still compact enough to keep the weight down when filled and not add to much bulk. (I don't know about you but if I have a large space/pouch on my gear the temptation is there to FILL it to the max thus adding unneeded weight) I tried to keep it as simple as possible, but still get the necessity's in there.
The pouch on mine is 4.5in long X 1.75in wide X 1.5 deep at no extra cost. The sheath is OUTSTANDING. I have been using it hard since I got it and the sheath is still functioning like it did when it was new.

The diamond rod is the EZE-LAP model "M". It is a very rugged sharpener and suited for bush use. It has a brass handle and screws into itself for storage. When you want to use it, simply unscrew it and take it out of the brass handle. It works well for putting a nice "toothy" edge on the Beck, although my Beck has not needed very much sharpening, only stropping after use. I wore one side smoother for sharpening the hook portion of the blade. I have yet to really sharpen the hook, but have touched it up lightly and it worked perfectly for the task.

I know of a few places that sell it, Cabelas and I believe the BladeForums store has them. If you do a Google search it should turn up many places.

Take care,

Matt

PS: J.P. That new Crain is amazing. I think I need one. What's your new email? I tried to send you something and it got returned as failed mail.
 
Can someone throw the knife up on a 1" x 1" grid?

I want to get an idea about the size of the knife.

Thanx in advance.;)
 
Vermonster,

I hope you don't mind me being a copy-cat but I called Dave Beck and changed my sheath over to what you did with your's. :D

I also did some reseach on the SAK Rucksack and found nothing but admiral praises for the tough little folder. So I purchased one of those too.

I have to stop talking to Dave on the phone. His passion and desire for perfection on making a knife is VERY contagious. It makes me want to have the hilt in my hand all that much more quickly!

Now the HARD part! Waiting for it to be made and shipped to me!

Warren
 
It'll be worth the wait, trust me. Dave's going to be building a knife for me that I designed, and I already can't wait! I designed the knife over a year ago and I've been waiting for just the right maker. After I got my W.S.K. I knew Dave was the man.
 
Hello Warren,

Your not a copy-cat at all. It's a very versatile rig. It leaves you with nice options. The SAK Rucksack is also a great knife and complements the WSK well. I concur what Jared has stated, it's worth the wait, and yes Dave is the man for a hard core bush blade.

Matt
 
Here's my new Kydex sheath for the W.S.K. It's a Scott Hendryx #1-SB survival sheath. The removable pouch holds my World Survival Institute P-60C firestarter and an Eze-Lap diamond rod sharpener.
W.S.K.Hendryx.jpg
 
Oh man, i was just thinking something in nylon would be perfect for me. Looks like i gotta pick up an OT shift this week.
 
:confused:
Can you get a scout sheath (horizontal sheath) for your wsk from beck? In the hunted he had one. Also aren't there certain positive parts to having a tops tracker, like if the blade or something broke you can send it back and get a new one.
 
I don't think you can get a horizontal sheath from Dave Beck. The one in the film was not made by him, it was a creation of the prop department. There are plenty of Kydex sheath makers who could hook you up with one I'm sure.

You'd have to put a W.S.K. or a Tracker in a hydraulic press to break the blade. Plus if one was going to break, the TOPS Tracker would break long before Dave Beck's differentially heat treated W.S.K. There's not much you can do to 1/4" thick steel that's 2 3/4" wide. Pretty tough stuff.
 
grant4353

I'm sure if you ask Dave to make your sheath with the ability to carry horizontally he will. The sheath you get from Dave Beck is easily twice the sheath you get from TOPS. With that being said the TOPS sheath is simple kydex and metal clips, it's not a bad sheath, I just think it could be much better than it is.

The positive points to the TOPS Tracker over the Beck is, the ability to get faster delivery as many dealers have them in stock, and the price is 125.00 cheaper than the Beck.

The TOPS warranty is a good one, Dave Beck's is also very good. Don't go out of your way to destroy either one and both TOPS and Beck will repair or replace as needed. There is no need to worry anyway because I highly doubt your going to break either. Trust me.

The TOPS, in my opinion, would break before the Beck. That first cut out in the front portion of the TOPS for breaking wire did not instill confidence. I was always afraid I would lose the tip. It never happened though.
 
what are the benifits to having a scout sheath as opposed to a normal vertical sheath? Also can you do small jobs with the wsk?
 
grant4353

If you look on the 4th page of this thread there are 3 pictures of my WSK, the second picture down shows a spring loaded snare, if you look closely towards the upper right hand corner of the pic, you will notice the trigger. It was very small and required delicate carving. It will work just fine.

I don't know what the benefit of "Scout" carry is, I suppose if your crawling around the bush it would be ok as it would not catch as easy or drag on the ground and it's out of the way, but there are trade offs. I guess it comes down to preference.
I like mine slung across the body with a piece of paracord, or placed in my pack. The Beck goes EVERYWHERE with me it's home most of the time is in my SnugPack Rocket Pack. I other words, there is a seat for every ass.

Hope this helps
 
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