Tom Brown Tracker

S

shockwavenut

Joined
Sep 12, 2007
Messages
4
Hey everyone new here and was wonder what everyone thought of this knife. He advertises it as a survival knife. I'm sure the movie the Hunted did not hurt it.

Thanks
 
Shockwavenut,

The Tracker is one of those knives that folks either absolutely LOVE, or absolutely hate. Get ready for some varied responses! And welcome to the forums!
 
I've handled them before, used one (borrowed) for a few cutting/chopping tasks and seen every incarnation of them from low end to high end. Overall, I'm not impressed. It is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. A knife is cutting tool first. I hate dangling extras on my gear or complicating simple designs. This knife is way too busy for me.
 
A well known knife maker once told me that the tracker would make a great anchor. I handled one and wouldn't own it.
Oldman/Marty
 
Thanks for the response. I also feel it has to much on it, and on top of that its pretty pricey. I have a SBT on order and hoping I get a call soon that it ready. Been lurking her for awhile enjoying all the post. Its a get place.
 
I think that by and large, in this subforum, you will find it isn't terribly popular. Like the guys pointed out, it tries to do too many things and ends up doing not much of anything very well.

A good ~4" fixed blade and a hatchet would get you a lot farther and for a lot less money. (Ex- A Mora 510 and a Fiskars hatchet would set you back around $30 total, and they're great pieces of steel.)

There are a few people that I've seen chime in around here that have made the design work well for them, so there are definitely proponents around.
 
If you buy one buy a 15 to 17" Khukuri from Himalayan Imports at the same time. Try them both out.:thumbup:;)
 
I bought a knock of version on ebay for $15 shipped(cheap enough for me to try it out). The quality was not here at all but I didnt expect much. After I put an edge on it(it came to me blunt) I tested it out and I dont think it is all that bad. It was pretty much a chopper with a sawback though. If I only had one knife it wouldnt be that bad, if I got over the ugly-ness factor.

A regular fixed blade and a hatchet would definantly be better though.
 
It seems to me that plenty of great combinations already exist. k_estela seems to have nailed it with "It is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist."

Even if there were a law stating that you can only carry one blade into the woods, a normal, large fixed blade will do as much heavy work as this, but be much better at more common tasks.


Why, why why???







- Because it's good business, that's why.
 
I like simple knives. The Tracker blade design looks to me like someone put on a blindfold, grabbed random pieces out of a pile of knives, and glued them together without looking at the result.
 
shockwavenut said:
Thanks for the response. I also feel it has to much on it, and on top of that its pretty pricey. I have a SBT on order and hoping I get a call soon that it ready. Been lurking her for awhile enjoying all the post. Its a get place.
Click to expand...


This is purely a guess...but I would be willing to bet that there are not a lot of people who are fans of the SBT that are also fans of the tracker.


Anyone like to prove me wrong? Is there anyone here who really likes both designs, say to the point that they own and use both?


I am not personally a fan...but people should use whatever works for them.

Just because I have no use for it doesn't make it useless (but other things might make it useless anyway!)
 
Misanthropist is right. It's all about preference. My friends at TOPS make the Tracker, and their knives are some of my favorite hard users. Just don't like it. Some folks love it. I find that they are usually huge Tom Brown followers. Those who think the knife is the best also think Tom Brown really got his all his knowledge from an old Apache scout. :p
 
I think the concept behind the knife is good, from what I have heard the edge on the TOPS version is a little too thick and needs to be thinned out to be effective.
If you are really taken by the looks of the thing then go ahead and get one, don't take notice of what everyone else tells you, lifes too short. I doubt there is a single person on this forum that hasn't bought a knife they kinda regret at some time or another !!!
 
I haven't, so being cheap and lazy has some real pluses!

If I wasn't cheap and lazy I'd have bought way more knives and I'd no doubt regret some of the purchases!
 
This design is similar but a step up I believe.
Razr1_cropped-760x450.jpg

"To be unstoppable you must be more than you fear, and at
times go from tough to invincible in any landscape, with
focus and determination, man nor beast, is too much. And if
you’ve been in the field, you get the point."
 
Brian Jones said:
Shockwavenut,

The Tracker is one of those knives that folks either absolutely LOVE, or absolutely hate. Get ready for some varied responses! And welcome to the forums!
Click to expand...

Brian is certainly right about that! :thumbup:

I have used several of these knives, in both sizes, here in the shop. They belonged to customers. When I look at knives like the Tracker, I must admit to being somewhat perplexed and in a state of wonder. Not a good condition for an engineer and outdoorsman to be in. :jerkit:

Whenever one designs in a series of very limiting compromises (they might call it "options"), into a tool (like the Tracker), you essentially end up with one big compromising tool. It simply doesn't do anything well. Being distinguishable by superiority will never have to be a concern with the Tracker (IMHO).

These days, everything is about marketing. They know that if they promote a new flavor long enough, and with enough flash, it will probably sell to a few. The older you get, the less you buy into this sort of thing.

Tom brown is probably a nice guy. His knife, I do not like.:)
 
Liam Ryan said:
This design is similar but a step up I believe.
Razr1_cropped-760x450.jpg

"To be unstoppable you must be more than you fear, and at
times go from tough to invincible in any landscape, with
focus and determination, man nor beast, is too much. And if
you’ve been in the field, you get the point."
Click to expand...

I'll take five!!! I have always wanted to go from tough...to invincible.
 
Liam Ryan said:
This design is similar but a step up I believe.
"To be unstoppable you must be more than you fear, and at
times go from tough to invincible in any landscape, with
focus and determination, man nor beast, is too much. And if
you’ve been in the field, you get the point."
Click to expand...

Liam, you S.O.B.! LMAO! :D:D:D
 
Dannyboy Leather said:
Brian is certainly right about that! :thumbup:

I have used several of these knives, in both sizes, here in the shop. They belonged to customers. When I look at knives like the Tracker, I must admit to being somewhat perplexed and in a state of wonder. Not a good condition for an engineer and outdoorsman to be in. :jerkit:

Whenever one designs in a series of very limiting compromises (they might call it "options"), into a tool (like the Tracker), you essentially end up with one big compromising tool. It simply doesn't do anything well. Being distinguishable by superiority will never have to be a concern with the Tracker (IMHO).

These days, everything is about marketing. They know that if they promote a new flavor long enough, and with enough flash, it will probably sell to a few. The older you get, the less you buy into this sort of thing.

Tom brown is probably a nice guy. His knife, I do not like.:)
Click to expand...

I don't have much more to add to this, other than it is a heavy knife. If you carry a tracker with one of those "scout style" (horizontal/small of back carry) sheaths, be sure to wear a sturdy belt and maybe some suspenders, because your pants will start to fall in no time!:p While it was a cool movie, I really wondered about this in the movie "The Hunted", lol. As Dannyboy Leather said, it tries to be too many things and does none of them very well. Keep it simple!:thumbup:
 
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