Tracker Knife

S

SilentJohn

Joined
Feb 11, 2008
Messages
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anybody got anything about the tom brown tracker. gonna be buying one soon and i want to know what i got coming
 
Hey Silent John, I dont have any experiences with the blade but I personally wouldnt waste the money.Not to knock on Tom Brown or the workmanship of the blade but it doesnt seem too practical. The blade has too much ''mush'' on it for only being 11.5 inches total. I would rather bring a machete, kukri, or even a hatchet only into the wilderness than that blade. Most camp/survival chores center around chopping. A multitool or a small fixed blade would compliment them great. I personally use a kukri and a leatherman blast and cant see needing anything else for under $150. But if u want to spend money like that get a Busse or a Swamp Rat. Thanks for letting me talk your ear off,just my personal opinion!
 
SilentJohn said:
anybody got anything about the tom brown tracker. gonna be buying one soon and i want to know what i got coming
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Some hates it, some loves. :jerkit: Look at the pictures from this review:
TOPS Tracker

(Laikus, who wrote this article, loves it. :D)

Try a cheap chinese ripoff first :p, if it works for you, then get the real thing. :D
 
i'm pretty much set on getting one, i got other knives and old kabar knife from the korean war i restored and sharpened a m16 bayonet a leatherman supertool and old VALOR MUSTANG skinner i got a US standard issue pocket knife from viet nam marked 1967 i got other stuff i own the cheap version of the tracker the PARATRAX i like it alot i already held my friends tracker it was like coming home. hes got some really knice knives. also my bro is gonna buy the tom brown scout and my dad is getting the gerber lmf 2
 
SilentJohn said:
i'm pretty much set on getting one, i got other knives and old kabar knife from the korean war i restored and sharpened a m16 bayonet a leatherman supertool and old VALOR MUSTANG skinner i got a US standard issue pocket knife from viet nam marked 1967 i got other stuff i own the cheap version of the tracker the PARATRAX i like it alot i already held my friends tracker it was like coming home. hes got some really knice knives. also my bro is gonna buy the tom brown scout and my dad is getting the gerber lmf 2
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dont say we didnt tell you
its probly the most useless over priced blade out there, next to the bear grylls knife
for alittle bit more you can get a Busse ash-1 which is much more useful and made of better steel
 
i'm not a rich man i've been saving money for a while to buy it all i got is $350bucks . what exactly is wrong with the tracker
 
its a very ineffective disign, most of your cutting edge is up front, serrations have no use and weaken blade, movie knife
its not a good knife to be used is the woods
most people buy it and hate it

may I reccomend the Busse ash-1
bussecombat.com/knives/index.shtml

much better steel and heat treat and a much better disign to be used in the woods

there is a test of a Busse on knifetests.com and there is also a Busse sub forum here
 
At the risk of being blunt, it is a Frankenknife. It is made to do a little bit of everything (none of them well) and a lot of nothing. I can't imagine putting one of it's features to good use without the others serving to just get in the way. The serrations on the spine are all but completely useless as far as I can tell.

IMO, use your $350 to buy a Bark River, a Victorinox Farmer and decent machete. You will have change left to put back in your pocket to save for your next knife purchase (probably another Bark River after you experience the first).
 
Knives are a very personal thing. If you like the design of the knife, I say go for it. It's well made with a good steel, and will hold a good resale value if you decide you don't like it later. If I worried about the majority's opinion, I wouldn't own any knives at all.
 
yes but Busse's gain resale value
if you buy a Busse and dont like it you can resell it for more than what you paid for it
also Busse has a no questions ask lifetime replacement policy
 
macgregor22 said:
yes but Busse's gain resale value
if you buy a Busse and dont like it you can resell it for more than what you paid for it
also Busse has a no questions ask lifetime replacement policy
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This is a common myth. Not all Busses go up in value. If it's a discontinued model or rare in some way, sure. But I've never made a profit on one.

That said, Busses are good knives. They are obviously well built and tougher than most. They are not however the answer to every question posted on BladeForums. I swear I could post "What is the best GPS available?" in G&G, and someone would say Busse or Sebenza within the first 5 posts. :rolleyes:
 
LMAO
good point, of course sometimes people do it as a joke
I'm sure if Jerry made a GPS it would be good
 
I'll break it to you like this:

Pros:
-the tracker has features that are more survival related such as: the sawback which, although would bind with heavy duty sawing, is more for notching, an essential in trap making (i.e. figure-four deadfalls) and can go through smaller pieces as well; the quarter-rounder/gut-hook, which is useful for rounding arrow shafts, etc. and gutting (although the Tom Brown Tracker is not pronounced enough but can be filed and sharpened); hatchet head for carving wooden bowls, chopping, skinning; draw portion of blade for many uses, also used for splitting...
-both Busse' and Tracker's have lifetime warrantees so both are trustworthy
-the Tracker handle provides three points of handle for chopping at light, medium or heavy leverage
-1/4" thick 1095 tool steel and full tang
-black traction coat

Cons:
-Among my collection I own a few Busse's and a Tom Brown Tracker and a Predator WSK and even though a small Busse can cut better and hold it's edge better, is a better steel and tempered better, has been battle tested, and can also split wood or chop, the typical Busse has no sawback which makes notches/trap-making difficult, and no gut hook.
-the gut hook is not pronounced enough on the Tracker, it's better on the Dave Beck WSK or Predator WSK or Hardin WSK (predator has hollow grind throughout and Tracker has flat-grind)
-the grips could be more ergonomic, as in the Predator or Dave Beck WSK or Busse
-Most guys get by with Kukri's or Machete's because they either slash vegetation or chop wood, but within the "Tracker philosophy" and "Apache Scout philosophy" you disturb as little as possible, so the Tracker knife isn't designed to hack vines for example because its a telltale sign of passing and disturbance, a Tom Brown student would weave through the woods and churn up as little as possible with the least amount of gear, ideally just a knife, hence the many details put into the Tracker knife, so it is more a tool but not for whacking paths in the jungle
-the bevel on the Tracker blade is very low and close to the edge so it can't have as sharp of an edge as say a Busse with a full flat grind
- again, it is more of a general tool, a hybrid hatchet/knife so a sharper knife for finer work like whittling will also be necessary
-weighs 1 1/2 lbs.

So, there's a few points... You should really judge how much you're investing and for what use. A Busse, Swamp Rat or a Scrapyard would be a good general investment. If you need the added Tracker features, if you are a pure survivalist and would use all of these features then yes get one. If not so much then checkout a Busse. They are really good knives. I would suggest a 5"+ bladed Busse or Scrapyard, a Hoffman harpoon (great small knife for carving, etc. and can be fastened to stick for fishing, spearing, etc.) or scout knife and if necessary, a mini Tracker for lighter carry but same features. And a multi-tool. The large Tracker would definitely perform better at chopping than the mini. There's also the Predator WSK but it's made of a stainless steel. The Hardin WSK is made by Mark Terrell and is well-made and more of a modified bowie with all the tracker features. The Tracker comes with a booklet on all the uses for each feature for living with the wilderness. So there you go...:)
 
Also....

SilentJohn, you may not be aware but TOPS aren't the only ones who make this design.

Dave Beck's are the originals, and the one used in "The Hunted", but they are very expensive and hard to come by.

There is the Predator WSK, which is a stainless version. I believe the maker sells different versions (sawback, no sawback, etc.)

I saw one posted in the last couple of days, that looked really nice, but don't recall the maker. Someone who remembers which thread it was may be able to help.

There is one made in Pakistan called "The ParaTrax", which sells for about $13. I'm sure it's probably junk, but it may be a cheap way to see if you like the design.
 
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