Opinions on Trident Oberland 03

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roumenov

Joined
Oct 24, 2007
Messages
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Hi guys,

I intend to buy a heavy, reliable knife for sawing, chopping, cutting and survival in general, because I’m a passionate trekker and usually I make 7 - 10 day heavy trekking. The list of knives was limited to the following knives:

Tom Brown Jr.'s Tracker knife

Oberland 03 from Crusader Forge.

I’ve read many reviews and opinions on Oberland 03, but I need opinion from someone who has used this knife for the same purposes that I mentioned.

So please if some of you have experience with Oberland 03 as a survival and trekking knife to post opinion

Thanks in advance
 
If I had to pick between the two knives, I'd go with the Oberland 03. Those knives have been put through many tests. I read one article from German periodical that claimed they had trouble breaking the blades. Crusader Forge makes some top flight products.

My Oberland 03 has seen some use in the field as a hunting knife. They are a bit on the expensive side, but fit well in the hand. This knife seems like a high end product for those who crave a high quality tool. It is slightly small for heavy duty chopping but would qualify as one of the better crafted survival blades on the market.
 
If I had to pick between the two knives, I'd go with the Oberland 03. Those knives have been put through many tests. I read one article from German periodical that claimed they had trouble breaking the blades. Crusader Forge makes some top flight products.

My Oberland 03 has seen some use in the field as a hunting knife. They are a bit on the expensive side, but fit well in the hand. This knife seems like a high end product for those who crave a high quality tool. It is slightly small for heavy duty chopping but would qualify as one of the better crafted survival blades on the market.
 
No doubt here, go with the Oberland 03. Trident makes outstanding knives and will be much more useful than the Brown Tracker. You can call and talk to the maker at Crusader Forge, he is a super nice guy and makes great knives that come very sharp. In my mind there is no comparision between the two. If I may I would suggest you take a look at Fehrman knives as well. They are every bit as good as Crusader Forge (Trident) and come just as sharp if not sharper and would fit your bill very well. I have/had all the above knives. The Brown is gone, really useless I still have the Trident and several Fehrmans. Good Luck!
 
Stubai, thanks for the posting - sure Oberland is not for heavy chopping, I intend to use it as a survival knife and as you mentioned it is one of the best.

trailside22 - thanks for the advice, I've checked the Fehrman knives - Extreme Judgment and First Strike seemed good, and also the price is pretty the same as Trident.
 
Could I just ask why it is that you are restricted to these two knives only?

There is a huge mountain of knives out there that would suit your requirements.

I think the Trident knives you mentioned go for around $250 - $350, correct?

If that is your budget I would also advise you to consider knives from the likes of Bark River, Busse/Swamp Rat/Scrapyard and Chris Reeve.

Granted Busse, etc are a little tricky to lay hands on, if you're overseas. Bark River is also quite a niche brand. Chris Reeve's stuff is more widely available.

Personally I think the Chris Reeve integrals make fantastic 'survival' knives. Strong as hell, made of A2 steel, which is easy to sharpen and takes a superb edge. I also really like the hollow handle feature, which is a great place to store your matches or Bic lighter. Alternatively the Pacific or Green Beret/Yarborough models are also well up to any 7 day trip. They come with a superb sheath as well. :thumbup: http://www.chrisreeve.com/onepiece.htm

As far as sawing is concerned, you're far better off packing a Swiss Army knife with a saw. The little saws on these knives are absolutely fantastic and can deal with most anything you would encounter on a trip like that. IMO a knife like the Tracker is not going to give you the same versatility as a SAK combined with a good, mid-sized fixed blade. If you packing as light as possible, consider a Pro-force survival saw, or something similar.

Mark
 
I still don't get the Tracker design, but the Oberland is a wonderful knife -- very functional blade shape and handle design. Excellent balance. I've done some chopping with mine and it works well. The blade is very thick -- quarter inch -- so it has some weight, although the length is not what you'd want for a real chopper. There are a lot of nice details that you might not notice at first, such as the rounded spine for more comfortable use. The Kydex sheath with Blade-Tech mount is top quality. The factory edge is extremely sharp.

The only downside for me was the patterned blade finish. It was beautiful, but like all finishes it begins to rub off with use. I sanded the finish off, but the job wasn't as great as I liked. But Trident took the knife back, put a bead-blast finish on it and resharpened and sent it back for free. Wonderful company to deal with.

My Oberland feels like an end-of-the-world knife -- a very well-rounded, built-like-a-bankvault knife that can do just about anything. The quarter-inch blade with high-sabre hollow grind makes it a close to perfect balance between strength and cutting power.
 
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