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

2 of my favorite choppers, Ontario spec 8 Machete:

(The knives shown below are not my actual knives just similar images of my knives)

TS-OKC003_540.jpg


And a Sterile EK Model 5 Combat Bowie:

EK_Knife-Sheath.JPG
 
I can think of several similar sized knives I prefer to the CS Trailmaster. I prefer the Scrap Yard Dog Father LE, Busse Bushwacker, ESEE Junglas, Ranger RD9 and maybe a few others. But if you like your Trailmaster, and it serves your needs, why worry? I have owned a few Trailmasters over the years and all were fine bowies. One thing I really like about them is the razor sharp convex grind some of them came with. The Trailmaster is a legend, and it deserves to be. It has great balance and was one of the first "High Performance" big knives I ever owned. I personally think the Busse is a better and tougher knife, but that is just my opinion. I can't fault the Trailmaster's performance, and I never broke one.
 
Well yeah, I'd rather have Farmer's golok, too. I had the pleasure of using one just like that. But that Trailmaster is a Bowie, and as Bowies go, it is a one of the best commercially available ones for the money.
 
Horn Dog said:
I personally think the Busse is a better and tougher knife, but that is just my opinion. I can't fault the Trailmaster's performance, and I never broke one.
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I agree with you on both counts. Busse is better and tougher. And there's still nothing wrong with the TM. I like 'm both, a lot.
 
I'd love to own a Busse but the price and availability issues keep me from trying/buying one. Cold Steel and Becker's are more in my price range.
I have a nice Marbles Trailmaker as well but haven't really used it much yet.
Its comparable to the Trailmaster, slightly longer than the CS but about the same weight.
coldsteelsk5trailmasterandmarblestr.jpg
 
Just got a killer deal on a new Busse CGFBM... $502.50 shipped and insured!!!
Glad you like the trailmaster though, I almost went for one but then decided to get a bushwacker instead.
 
I own and abuse an SK-5 Chinese made Trailmaster and I love it.
I still own several Busse, ESEE & Ontario choppers like the BWM, Junglas & RTAK II as dedicated light duty campsite choppers but the CS Trailmaster does have it's own feel to it. Of course being just over 6'4" and with my mitts the thinner grip on the TM didn't impress me much but after wrapping it in paracord it is just about perfect.
The balance is just forward enough to perform some light chopping but it excells when you go to baton your kindling with it.
Have you ever notice that it resembles the Rambo II knife if someone had ground off the saw teeth? Just a little extra coolness there. ;)
 
BryFry said:
The Fallkniven and the San Mai Trailmasters are both full convex, ground to a zero poit edge. My favorite blade and edge grind BY FAR, especially when it comes to large choppers. :thumbup:

The SK-5 and older Carbon V Trailmasters are flat ground with a V edge.

BTW, You can turn a convex "edge" into a V edge, and vise versa, and you could flaten down a full convex blade if you had the ambition, but you can't really change a flat ground blade into a true convex one. .....hope that makes sense! :)

Personally I like alot of "big" knives, and I hope to own a Busse or two some day too. I've just always thought of the TM/Thor as sort of a good "Jack of all trades" kind of knife. That is maybe not "perfect" for any one task, but is "very good" at many. -Great all around blade rather than a single specific task tool.
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Not sure why you think a flat ground TM cant be modded into a "true" convex. I sure did it to mine with a lot of time and sandpaper. What is your definition of a "true" convex edge?.--KV
 
ukknifer said:
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
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Well my nmsfno, as a better balance a better feel a better steel a better handle & grip..all together!

P/S is more cool too:D
IMG_3303.jpg
 
kvaughn said:
Not sure why you think a flat ground TM cant be modded into a "true" convex. I sure did it to mine with a lot of time and sandpaper. What is your definition of a "true" convex edge?.--KV
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Because you can't add more metal to a flat ground blade with sandpaper. :) The grind on a true "fully" convexed blade starts up near the spine and *curves* down to a zero point edge. I don't know how to show illustrations on here, but basically the middle of a full convex blade is thicker than a full flat ground one.

A fully convexed *blade* and a convexed *edge* are two different things. I think you are probably thinking about the process of convexing just the edge of a knife.

-Because if you were to turn a fully flat ground Trailmaster into a truely, fully convexed blade, ... well, technically it IS possible, but by the time you were done (meaning that there is a gradual curve from the very edge of the knife all the way to the spine, with no flat spots) ...you would have removed around a half inch to an inch of overall width from your blade!



:)
 
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I noticed a weight difference between the SK5 (full flat-grind) and the heavier SM III (convex grind).

Would you attribute the additional wgt of the SM III to the "thicker" blade on the convex grind or possibly the laminated steel? Sorry, may not be a fair question - speculating.....
 
fmajor007 said:
I noticed a weight difference between the SK5 (full flat-grind) and the heavier SM III (convex grind).

Would you attribute the additional wgt of the SM III to the "thicker" blade on the convex grind or possibly the laminated steel? Sorry, may not be a fair question - speculating.....
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That would be my guess. The full convex blade of the San Mai TM is simply thicker (meatier) through the majority of the width of the blade, (not at the spine) They are otherwise identical in dimentions and handle material, and I doubt SK-5 steel would be that much lighter than VG-1 or 420J? that they use for the laminate version.
 
In the large blade arena I gotta give it to my Busse NMFBM. I've owned cold steel trailmasters and while they're nice. They simply don't melt into my hand nor do they perform anywhere near as nicely as my Busse. It's a beast. My particular Busse has a thinner blade at .25" thick than the Trailmaster and yet still outdoes it by quite a large margin. And the Cold Steel does keep it's edge quite well. But the Busse just doesn't ever seem to go dull even after a full day of chopping.
 
I have a stag handled Trailmaster with a CarbonV blade. I convexed the edge and it cuts much better. On a flat grind, I prefer the edge to be convexed. Easier to sharpen and maintain the edge by stropping.
Scott
 
I had a CS Carbon V Trail Master and it was a nice knife.Very nice and came sharp as hell.
This two pound Mineral Mountain Hatchet Works Custom Bowie is nice as well.
Pictured next to a Leatherman Surge and sweet Coombs Handmade neck-knife.



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The Trail Master handle shape is fine but the sticky rubber quickly becomes uncomfortable unless you're wearing gloves.
I'm in the process of rehandling mine. The rubber handle slides right off after you remove the thong tube.
 
Infi-del said:
In the large blade arena I gotta give it to my Busse NMFBM. I've owned cold steel trailmasters and while they're nice. They simply don't melt into my hand nor do they perform anywhere near as nicely as my Busse. It's a beast. My particular Busse has a thinner blade at .25" thick than the Trailmaster and yet still outdoes it by quite a large margin. And the Cold Steel does keep it's edge quite well. But the Busse just doesn't ever seem to go dull even after a full day of chopping.
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I'd luv a Trail Master in INFI - not so sure i'd like the price!!!!
 
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