Thoughts on the TOPS Tom Brown Tracker?

Grayman1984

Grayman1984

Joined
May 5, 2017
Messages
288
Hey Bladeforums!
So I’m a huge fan of everything TOPS, I find that their 1095 and heat treat is far superior to most other companies. I’ve always had my eye on the Tom Brown Tracker, but was never able to justify the price. But here lately I’ve been considering one to use for outdoor activities since I’m getting ready to get out in the woods and teach my oldest son some of the things I learned in Scouting now that he’s old enough. Anyone here have any extensive use with one? Are they worth the price or is it all hype?
 
Danke42 said:
It's a cool outdoor knife for anyone who doesn't know a lot about outdoor knives.

Get it if you're a real fan of the movie. Don't get it if you want to use it.
Click to expand...
I do think it’s a little thick for most outdoor tasks, and it’s marketed as a “one tool option” (which doesn’t exist) I was just wondering if it performed reasonably enough to justify the cost. I can tell it’s definitely a polarizing design.
 
Grayman1984 said:
I do think it’s a little thick for most outdoor tasks, and it’s marketed as a “one tool option” (which doesn’t exist) I was just wondering if it performed reasonably enough to justify the cost. I can tell it’s definitely a polarizing design.
Click to expand...
It's been pretty thoroughly dissected here a few times. It's all sizzle, no steak.
 
I tried to find info on it here but I’m not that great at navigating the forums yet. It’s looking like something I may want to shy away from though. The Silent Hero is probably gonna be my next purchase.
 
I'll bet when you were a scout you probably had a Buck 110, Buck 112, or a some form of Swiss Army knife. Why not start your son off with one of those?
 
A friend had one. I tried it out in the woods. I was not impressed. I don't like the blade design.

I don't think it performs well enough to justify the cost.

For $200, I'd get a TOPs BOB in G10 $130 + Corona folding saw (Lowes $20) + Mora Kansbol Green $34 for the son. $ leftover to get a saw for the son too if you want. Bahco and Silky make a good saw too and they might be a little smaller too if the Corona is too big.

I purposely picked TOPs as the fixed blade choice since you said you were a fan. You could go Buck, Kabar, Terava Jaakaripukko, or Ontario and save some $.

Check out the Corona vids on utube, they give Silky and Bahco a run for the $.

I have a Corona, great saw for the $.
 
Last edited:
gazz98 said:
A friend had one. I tried it out in the woods. I was not impressed. I don't like the blade design.

I don't think it performs well enough to justify the cost.

For $200, I'd get a TOPs fixed blade (BOB, Mil Spie, Air Wolf, etc) and pair it with a folding saw. I like the Corona (from Lowes). Bahco and Silky also make good saws. You'd still have a few bucks left over to buy something else.
Click to expand...
I’ve got a Backpacker’s Bowie on the way and a folding Sthil saw I’ve had for years. Interested to see how the Bowie performs in the woods. But yeah, I don’t think I’ll be dropping over $200 for the Tracker though.
 
If you can deal with the blurry Photobucket photos, here's a review:

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/the-tom-brown-tracker-is-okay.1285502/

It's an okay knife...not great, but it works fine.
I brought another one along in case the Tracker wouldn't perform, and didn't need to use it at all. :)

Don't believe the hype.
Don't believe the hate.
Both sides often base it on nothing at all, never having used the knife. ;)
 
stabman said:
If you can deal with the blurry Photobucket photos, here's a review:

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/the-tom-brown-tracker-is-okay.1285502/

It's an okay knife...not great, but it works fine.
I brought another one along in case the Tracker wouldn't perform, and didn't need to use it at all. :)

Don't believe the hype.
Don't believe the hate.
Both sides often base it on nothing at all, never having used the knife. ;)
Click to expand...
Thanks for that link, Stab. Seems like something I would eventually want to try out, if I can ever find one at a reasonable price.

Also, I cringe at the TOPS naysayers.
 
In fact, EVERY TOPS I’ve owned has been razor sharp out of the box. Even my Lion’s Toothpick is hair shaving sharp, despite being designed for piercing and not slashing. And that tip is like a hypodermic needle, even a hard red oak stump won’t dull it.
 
Grayman1984 said:
Hey Bladeforums!
So I’m a huge fan of everything TOPS, I find that their 1095 and heat treat is far superior to most other companies. I’ve always had my eye on the Tom Brown Tracker, but was never able to justify the price. But here lately I’ve been considering one to use for outdoor activities since I’m getting ready to get out in the woods and teach my oldest son some of the things I learned in Scouting now that he’s old enough. Anyone here have any extensive use with one? Are they worth the price or is it all hype?
Click to expand...

You may want to look at the Tops SXB. It’s looks like a Tracker on steroids but fixes some of the problems with the knife. It is still an acquired taste, just a little more functional.

n2s
 
If it wasn’t a Tom Brown branded knife it would probably be $75-$100 less. Ive seen people use them for fire wood processing, to make feather sticks and chop wood.
Ive contemplated getting the smallest version for the feather sticking aspect. But I dont need it. Its a cool looking design. If the price was more in line with other knives I would have it.
 
115Italian said:
If it wasn’t a Tom Brown branded knife it would probably be $75-$100 less. Ive seen people use them for fire wood processing, to make feather sticks and chop wood.
Ive contemplated getting the smallest version for the feather sticking aspect. But I dont need it. Its a cool looking design. If the price was more in line with other knives I would have it.
Click to expand...
Plenty of other makers out there making iterations of these, should one want to try out a WSK/Tracker-like knife.
 
I had never seen one in the wild until I stopped in at SMKW. While I think the idea was cool in theory, it just seems like a hodgepodge of ideas glued together.

I would buy one if I had some extra money. I think I could press it into service on a camp site. However, I dont think i would tout it as a be-all-end-all survival tool.
 
Do a search here and on google/youtube to see the history of the Tom Brown Tracker. Seems like a bit of stolen valor going on.
 
bobobama said:
Do a search here and on google/youtube to see the history of the Tom Brown Tracker. Seems like a bit of stolen valor going on.
Click to expand...
Zero results.

Any chance you're talking about the guy who says that's he's the son of the guy that invented the knife and thinks he should get a piece of the action?

If his revamp of the design did one thing it made the TOPS version look reasonable. The top is is his and the bottom is something a forum member did to tone it down.

Qy4JyTz.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top