TRAILMASTER VS TUSK

Cobalt: Sorry, I was goofing off today. The Ontario Survival Bowie is on the way to Cliff so I can't measure it. It's either .187 stock or since it's flatground, might as well be. It's more of a short machete far as I'm concerned. The Marine Raider Bowie is .250 stock. Solid. Reminds me of the old Western brand Bowie w/o the big brass hilt. The clip or false edge is unsharpened but groud well enough that it only takes 10 0r 15 minutes with a tungsten(?) V sharpener like the bucksharp or whatever it's called to put a bevel on it. Far as the 10" blade tanto, liked it a lot. Unfortunately, when in L.A., visiting relatives, had electrical probs w/ car, and a nephew on the El Monte SWAT team gave me a heavy duty set of jumper cables. In return, gave him the mint tanto out of my suitcase. Never replaced it (yet) but should, as it makes a good Calif. legal knife.
 
Great thread, and I'm looking forward to the test results.

However...we all need to keep one thing in mind: ergonomics and handling can matter as much as "raw toughness". Some knives are worth owning because of balance and design but aren't Godzilla-tough enough to be put through the kinds of paces Cliff's gonna do. Most of that comes down to "pure fighters" so...if that's an area of interest, keep in mind the difference.

A lighter FAST blade that handles right may be worth sacrificing toughness and utility functionality. That's part of what The Outsider is all about...no way in hell could it take the abuse of the ATAK, the tip's too fine for starters and it's ATS-34. Most Black Cloud fighters are also "streetfighter class".

So...we should remember that there's other good pieces besides what's being tested.

Come to think, the Mad Dog ATAK/DSU/WSP1 are possibly the best balance between fighter and utility ever made. I wish I could loan my WSP1 to throw into the mix as a representative of the class but...I can't. I would if I could. Any chance of throwing one of these into the pot?

Jim March
 
Note MD has commented on the HC issue brought up in this thread:

http://www.knifeforums.com/ubb/Forum12/HTML/000702.html

Cobalt you can knock the HC off of a MD but the only way to do it is to use the MD as a hammer to drive another knife through something or reverse that. Also the other knife had better be really hard on the spine or the MD will indent it severely.

Jim you are right on. There is one large element that I am not going to be looking at and that is the fighting aspect. Note however that while a lot of systems like fast neutral blades there are those (Bando) that like blade heavy knives as well.

Main evaluation of the TUSK, Uluchet, and Service #1 khukuri was completed this weekend. I used the Ang Khola from HI as info for something to compare the results to. I will add the knives Rusty is sending when they get here.

-Cliff
 
Jim, you want to send the Outsider to Cliff for destructive testing? hehe. I was thinking about sending him my MPK for testing, but figured it would be returned in the shape of a pretzel.

Rusty, so the marine raider bowie is a tough looking original style bowie? Looks like something the mountain men would have carried or would have wanted. You can't beat these knives. Their toughness to cost ratio is unbelievable. What other knives do they have that are 1/4 inch thick?

Cliff, there is no doubt that the hard chrome on the MD is about as well bonded as the best hard chromes I have ever seen. That's the good part. Also, his chrome does not appear to take away any of the ductility of the blade.
 
The Tusk sells for $905.....

I would buy a Brend #2, which is far superior than both of the knives being "tested", and i would have $305 left over.

Now, you Mad Dog and Cold Steel fans dont jump on me. I like both the Tusk and the Trailmaster, but in my opinion they are not equal to the Brend.
 
RMLamey, thems is fightin words!!

Seriously though, the Brend knives have always looked solid to me, but I have never held one. What is the #2 and who do I contact to check them out.
 
Cobalt this is the #2:

brend2.jpg


They come in ATS-34 and D2. Contact Les Robertson (rccedge@csranet.com). He also moderates the custom knives forum.

Oh yeah, I also meant to mention that of course what Jim said is true, this is not really a best of the best or anything, its just what is on hand.

-Cliff
 
Now that is a nice looking knife. Is it 1/4 inch thick? What is the length?
 
Cobalt, Ontario's website ain't that great. Some of the web's merchants give thickness though.

Jim, ( and especially anyone else into the martial use of knives ) on the HI forum JayH asked me to comment on the 15" Sirupati. Your comments on speed and balance make sense to me. I'm limited in knowlege but learning, and would be interested in having others critique what I told JayH. Both to correct obvious dumb ideas before they get me or someone else hurt, and to learn from. The thread is, oddly enough, titled *15" Sirupati*
 
From memory on the Brend; the blade is 10" long, 1/4" thick, and the handle is Micarta. I am sure I am within 1/2" on the blade length and right on with the thickness. Ask in the custom forum and Les will give you the exact stats. The handle has been described as oversized by some so for me that's a good sign.

-Cliff
 
Uh, was the original discussion on Trailmaster vs. TUSK?

I have handled many of the Mad Dog line and I own several of the Cold Steel line. IMHO:

-The CS knives are great buys for the money, especially if you get a factory second. I think Mad Dog Kevin McClung said once the best knife buys under $100 were CS factory 2nds. I wholeheartedly agree.
-I THOUGHT my Recon Scout and Trailmaster were the pinnacle of knives....then I handled some Mad Dogs...?!?!?!?.....
The Mad Dog knives balance MUCH better for fast work and the grips are much more comfortable and ...can't find a good word for it...they fit your hand real well. Much better than CS knives.
-After I handled some Mad Dogs my Recon Scout and Trailmaster felt like clumsy slabs of steel. Are CS knives tough? Of course. Are MDs tough? Yes.

The key to selecting between them IMHO is whether the user will want/need the extra benefit of the hand-crafted work of a MD or will settle for the mass-produced design of the CS.

I dare say that the majority of knife users will never come anywhere close to needing the full strength of their knives. For those who do, they probably also can appreciate whether the balance/grip differences in CS/MD are worth the price difference.

This is like unto rifle owners. To get rifles that shoot 1/4 MOA compared to 1 MOA, the rifle price will jump a thousand or two or three. Will it matter? To some shooters IT WILL. A few...a very few. Of course there are many more 1 MOA rifles and CS knives than the 1/4 MOA rifles and MD knives.

Chrome plating: I think it helps, but is no substitute for eyeball inspections, wipe downs, oiling, and other TLC.

Edmund
 
Edmond, I agree with you stated. Especially with the hard chrome portion. My whole point was, that it should still be maintained.

Also, guys lets go to Cliffs testing page for continuing the discussion. This thread is getting to darn long and it takes forever to get into it.

Spark, if you read this, can you lock this thread.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top