Do you know of a knife better than the trail master?

U

ukknifer

Joined
Jan 30, 2010
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424
Hi :)

I have one in carbon5 and its amazing. The balance, the feel in the hand. Icant say enough about it.

What knife has better balance, feel, ?

I am not talking about better material or steel or fit and finish. I know that there are knives with better steel and fit and finish.

But Do you know a knife that has better balance and feel than the TMASTER?

Thanks
 
it REALLY is a matter of personal preference-balance, ergonomics etc are all something that is decided by the guy with the hand holding the knife. The ESEE Junglas, Condor Hudson Bay/Kumunga, RTAK, RD9, Becker BK9 and one of a dozen different designs by custom makers have similar dimensions that may be worth checking out. Unfortunately it seems as though most knife shops are more concerned with Schrade and MTech and Smith and Wesson knives to focus on real quality users-something like a gear swap, knife/gun show, etc. might be your best bet as far as getting hands on with good gear.
 
I know that there are knives with better steel and fit and finish.
But Do you know a knife that has better balance and feel than the TMASTER?
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I've never handled a TrailMaster so it's hard to make comparisons. My chopper blades are an RTAK 2 and a Kabar Kukri and I'm fond of them as well.

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As said, it is all a matter of personal preference. The Condor Kumunga and ESEE Junglas both feel better to my hand than the Trailmaster. However, they may not in yours. There are also customs -- which, if made to your specs, should feel better in your hand. (They do mine, at least)
 
Mora clipper has better feel and balance to me. Or are you just talking about bigger knives?
 
If we're talking big choppers, I've yet to meet a knife that has better balance and feel in the hand than my Busse Bushwacker Battle Mistress. I've gone through quite a few big choppers, and most are too thick or the wrong grind or have lousy balance, but the BWBM is lively in the hand and has a nice convex grind that makes it great for both chopping and more machete-like slashing tasks.


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I should also add that the ESEE Junglas has very similar specs to the BWBM, so I'd expect it to perform very similarly, and the main difference in preference would come down to which handle fits your hand better.
 
I don't own a Trail Master, but I have handled it. It's actually a very good blade from Cold Steel. A few people have had them re-handled in Micrata and that would be much prefered.

I have several customs that I feel handle a little better for for the price (now SK5), the Trail Master is still a good, large fixed blade. Glad it works well for you:thumbup:

One of these days, I'll land a deal on a Carbon V version and get it re-handled with Micarta:D

ROCK6
 
i suspect that an ESEE junglas ( 4 more days till mine is here) or any big busse would be comparable.
 
In the custom arena it is said there are some.
If Trail Master is not differentially hardened, it is likely it cannot exceed those large custom blades
with hard cutting edge and resilient spine or tang.
 
I DON'T like the feel of the Trailmaster. The handle is much too thin for my hands, and I found the kraton handles would come loose. The hollow pin would hold the kraton pretty well near the butt end, but the handle would spin a bit close to the guard. If I were to go for a knife of that size and weight, I'd much rather have a BK9, ESEE Junglas, or something by Busse, if I didn't like machetes so much.
 
Not wanting to hi-jack, but maybe help with via a clarifying question or two....

From most of the posts here, is it generally accepted that the Trailmaster's greatest competency is perceived as a Chopper?

If that is the consensus, what does the Trailmaster do better than other dedicated Choppers if anything?

Conversely, what do the other dedicated Choppers do better than the Trailmaster aside from chopping (if they are actually better at chopping)?

If the Trailmaster is not perceived primarily as a Chopper, what do most people think the Trailmaster is best at?
 



This Rio Grande Bowie from Bark River with custom Moran style handle is without a doubt tops of the big knives I have used. :thumbup:





Big Mike
 
If you like the Trailmaster, I think you could really appreciate a Fallkniven Thor!

Very similar to the TM, but the blade is a half inch longer, and the handle is stacked ox hide leather with a metal butt cap. Of coarse as stated it's all a matter of personal prefference, but I've held a CS TM and I find the Thor to be more comfy and better balanced in my hand. :)

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BryFry said:
If you like the Trailmaster, I think you could really appreciate a Fallkniven Thor!

Very similar to the TM, but the blade is a half inch longer, and the handle is stacked ox hide leather with a metal butt cap. Of coarse as stated it's all a matter of personal prefference, but I've held a CS TM and I find the Thor to be more comfy and better balanced in my hand. :)

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various2008-2009158.jpg
Click to expand...

I've heard it said somewhere that imitation is the *best* compliment...

I wonder how much the stacked leather grip/alumina pommel adds to the weight? It looks essentially like a San Mai III w/an extra half-inch of blade...
 
I love my TM, but also have been lusting over those Thors! There are several others that I also like as well, such as the Busse BM-e, SH-e, and the Swamp Rat Battle Rat. Carbon V steel is very good, but the INFI and 52100 are a bit better, IMO.
 
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