All right. I'll concede that many camp knives with 3/16 blades chop very well. But not this one. I don't mean to offend anyone that has one so please don't take it that way.
The Tracker was invented to look like a survival knife. I get a little irritated at the survival experts that make money teaching people how to do things that many of us learned as a matter of growing up. They sell them on these fantasy knives and load them up with so much survival gear that the people leave it at home instead of having a few things with them all the time.
Back to the knife. Pay attention to how you chop with your camp knife. You naturally position the blade where the center of power or sweet spot is. It is going to be the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the blade.
The Tracker puts the part that needs the most power at the least powerful point. He gets around that (I think because someone called him on it) by calling the "Double chisel grind" a "Splitting Edge" as well as slicer. That area is where the chopper should be.
This arrangement also makes fine cutting work difficult because the finer edge is landlocked.
The sawback is like most saw backs ...useless for anything except very limited use. I have a SOG Power Plier with a saw blade. The only time I have used it is to cut notches for snare triggers and I could have done that with any blade.
The wire cutter....how many people in survival situations have to crawl through razor wire...besides, the wire cutter is not a good design and requires tension on the wire to work.
Brown makes an issue about being able to scratch scrimshaw lines with his knife.....WHO CARES. What's that for ...scrimshawing maps so you can find your way back.
Because of the fat chopping edge the knife is much to tip heavy.
I don't know Mr. Brown but given his knife design, I wouldn't pay him to teach survival skills. I remember when Rambo came out. The only real survival knife then was a HOLLOW HANDLE. Another idiot design. The round handle was weak and because it was round it was difficult to index in your hand without looking at it.
In short.....If you are looking for a real survival knife, you would be much better off with your camp knife than this silly looking thing.
Not that I have an opinion mind you.. :footinmou
Also remember...the best survival tool you will ever own (other than a brain) is the one you have with you and survival situations don't just happen in the woods.
End of narrow minded rant.
It's just one o' them pet peeves of mine. Making one really doesn't bother me -- it would would be monster to grind and quite a teaching tool. But making money off someone's design is the part that bothers me a bit.
You don't have to worry about that -- it's not my cup of tea.
