TOPS Tom Brown Tracker and Skullcrusher Xtreme

Wolverine666

Wolverine666

Joined
Dec 7, 2009
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I've been looking at getting a rugged chopper/outdoors fixed blade. I came across the TOPS Tom Brown Tracker (1-3) and the Skullcrusher Xtreme. All of these models look excellent. Now , I have much experience with folders but very little with fixed blades. So for those of you who wouldn't mind bestowing some knowledge upon me , I have questions :

1) I see there are blades available in 1095 carbon and ATS-34 stainless. Automatically I lean toward the stainless because it's familiar to me. But for a chopping/camping knife , would I be better off with the 1095 carbon blade ? And would a non-coated 1095 blade rust easily ?

2) I buy folders often as my collection is constantly growing. But I don't plan on buying very many fixed blades so whichever one I get I intend to have and use for the long haul. Is there a clear victor here in the durability dept. that I can't see ?

3) That Sullcrusher is a monster. Would anyone say that it's maybe "too much" knife ?

I'm trying to get opinions and maybe learn a thing or two here before I buy in a couple days. Thanks to all.
 
1)You're better with carbon

2)Definately not a TOPS but that's just me. Both should be fine if you're fine hauling them from place to place. I recommend you pay close attention to the weight of the knives.

3)It's too much knife in the sense that it's too gimmicky for most. It doesnt look useless though, if like you say you like how it looks then you may as well have great times with it.

As oppinions go, I recommend you make a thorough search if you're just looking into just any good fixed chopper. As far as I'm concerned TOPS has great quality in the fit & finish department, what you need to look for is the design, which is a great hit or miss for most people, a miss in my case.
 
I have both the full size Tops Tracker and the SXB.
The Tracker is okay...the SXB is great! :)
It chops very similarly to the Junglas; thicker stock than the Junglas, but the extra mass makes it dig in very nicely.
The quarter-round section on the SXB is WAY better than on the Tracker...it actually works like it is supposed to.

Some people think it is gimmicky, but some people still think the Earth is flat. ;)
To put it bluntly, some people are just plain wrong.

The saw on either one is not for sawing; it is for creating notches for lashing or traps. If you need to make notches in a hurry, it's handy for that. You can also use it to make a pile of wood chips to help in getting a fire started, but the notching saw is not a feature I use very often on either one.
 
Awesome info guys. Thanks.

DPC , just to be clear : are you saying that the TOPS knives are not very durable ? Or that they're are just not your cup of tea specifically ?

Stabman , I'm glad to hear that about the Skullcrusher. I was curious about the saw teeth. Glad you answered that one for me. How do you like TOPS quality/fit&finish ?

So 1095 is the better steel option here ? Coated or uncoated ? Rust issues ?
 
Wolverine666 said:
I've been looking at getting a rugged chopper/outdoors fixed blade. I came across the TOPS Tom Brown Tracker (1-3) and the Skullcrusher Xtreme. All of these models look excellent. Now , I have much experience with folders but very little with fixed blades. So for those of you who wouldn't mind bestowing some knowledge upon me , I have questions :

1) I see there are blades available in 1095 carbon and ATS-34 stainless. Automatically I lean toward the stainless because it's familiar to me. But for a chopping/camping knife , would I be better off with the 1095 carbon blade ? And would a non-coated 1095 blade rust easily ?

2) I buy folders often as my collection is constantly growing. But I don't plan on buying very many fixed blades so whichever one I get I intend to have and use for the long haul. Is there a clear victor here in the durability dept. that I can't see ?

3) That Sullcrusher is a monster. Would anyone say that it's maybe "too much" knife ?

I'm trying to get opinions and maybe learn a thing or two here before I buy in a couple days. Thanks to all.
Click to expand...

If these knifes really turn you on go for it,

Also, just be sure to check out some other brands and models.

Such as,

ESEE Jungles
Ka bar Becker bk9
Condor Moonstalker
Bark River Bravo 3
Fallkniven A2
Schrade Jessica X

Have fun
 
Wolverine666 said:
Awesome info guys. Thanks.

DPC , just to be clear : are you saying that the TOPS knives are not very durable ? Or that they're are just not your cup of tea specifically ?
Click to expand...

They're not the absolute 10/10 most durable knives (that'd be Busse I guess as far as abuse durability goes) but they're really durable, you wouldnt have to worry about that at all if you dont do extreme things with them too often. They're no less durable than any other similar knife I know of, and always bear in mind it's a thick slab of steel, it's hard to break if not on purpose or with tools.

Also that I dont like them personally and I'd look into many more options.
 
DeadboxHero said:
If these knifes really turn you on go for it,

Also, just be sure to check out some other brands and models.

Such as,

ESEE Jungles
Ka bar Becker bk9
Condor Moonstalker
Bark River Bravo 3
Fallkniven A2
Schrade Jessica X

Have fun
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll be checking these out tonight. Something about the look of the Tracker and Skullcrusher really draws me in. It's almost like the swords from the movie "300". Haha and I like that. I just wanted to be sure TOPS is a quality knife maker.

So back to the steel : 1095 or ATS-34 ? Will uncoated 1095 rust quick ? Or is a coated blade preferable ?
 
Wolverine666 said:
Stabman , I'm glad to hear that about the Skullcrusher. I was curious about the saw teeth. Glad you answered that one for me. How do you like TOPS quality/fit&finish ?

So 1095 is the better steel option here ? Coated or uncoated ? Rust issues ?
Click to expand...

Build quality, fit and finish is quite good. :)
Even those who dislike the designs tend to admit that the quality is good.

The coatings help against rust for sure.
Tops uses a coating that adds friction initially, but as you use it, the coating will wear smooth and then off in the areas which are chopping/cutting the most.
I'd leave the coating on, as it makes maintenance easier; less spots to rust.
I use Tuf-Glide anyway on them, just to make sure.
 
1095 is a hallmark for a hard use blade amongst the community.

It can be so easy to make sharp and roll rather the chip when hitting the dirt or rocks.

Coating versus uncoated is really a matter of preference.

I prefer non coated

Less friction from batoning and cutting
Also I can polish out cosmetic scratches from use.
A high polish does help prevent rust too.

Coatings also have some great advantages.
Such as low maintenance and visibility.

Yet over time, they all wear away.

It's a matter of user prefences which comes from your own experience.

Ats-34 is dinosaur steel from the long forgotten super steel wars at the turn of the 21st century.

It's basically the same recipe as 154cm but it comes from Japan.

Again it all about your preferences.

The ats34 will cut stuff longer and have almost zero maintenance at the cost of taking longer to sharpen and it will take more damage and chips with abuse.

Good luck.
 
I'm surprised the ATS-34 blade is only available with the coating. I figured the stainless would be available without the coating. But what do I know. The 1095 is available with tan or black coating.

I like an uncoated blade but I think all the Trackers (and SXB) come coated.
 
Ah, I don't mind either way, it really just depends on the style of knife for me, I don't have a tracker but on that knife I like the way the coating looks, with more traditional styled like bark rivers and such I like the way a non coated blade looks.
 
I def don't like coated blades on folders (although the DLC on Spydercos has me curious). But on a fixed blade I can cope. I tried finding a camo finish bladed Tracker (Tracker 1 or 3) but no such luck.
 
Martin knives makes a tracker (wsk) and so does Bark river knives, both in stainless I do believe. As long as you are looking may as well see all that's out there. Then of course is a Beck, the original designer. Then there is Charlie Mike, a member here, who recently posted his awesome take (chisel grind).
 
jfk1110 said:
Martin knives makes a tracker (wsk) and so does Bark river knives, both in stainless I do believe. As long as you are looking may as well see all that's out there. Then of course is a Beck, the original designer. Then there is Charlie Mike, a member here, who recently posted his awesome take (chisel grind).
Click to expand...

Yes , I'm interested in checking out as many tracker-style knife manufacturers as I can. I'll give the ones you mentioned a look.
 
SXB:

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Tracker:

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Fantastic pics , Stabman. I like both the Tracker and SBX. I can't find any other brand of Tracker style knife in stock anywhere. I really like that style blade. The Bark River ones looked nice but no luck. Guess I'll stick with TOPS. I was hoping for a non-coated stainless blade but all TOPS have a coating. I'll be placing my order tonight after work.
 
Wolverine666 said:
Fantastic pics , Stabman. I like both the Tracker and SBX. I can't find any other brand of Tracker style knife in stock anywhere. I really like that style blade. The Bark River ones looked nice but no luck. Guess I'll stick with TOPS. I was hoping for a non-coated stainless blade but all TOPS have a coating. I'll be placing my order tonight after work.
Click to expand...

I looked into getting the Bark River version after seeing pics of a grind-in, but IIRC, they said that was a done deal.
Some custom makers do produce WSK variants, but they are very, very expensive.

Whichever TOPS version you get should do the trick. :)
 
Nice. I read the TOPS website through last night and they seem like a quality knife maker. I was impressed. What are your thoughts between the Black and Tan coatings ? Any big pros or cons there on each ? The camo blade design coating is cool too. But I think I'd have to order that direct from TOPS.
 
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