Anyone use the Tom Brown tracker?

[woof]

BD, i've said my piece on this, but still feel the same & would like to have a go with one. You are one of the few, probably the only one who has put some time in with the knife & i respect your point of view on this. Do you have any photo's you could post showing the knife in use, doing a variety of tasks ?.

Rob

 

[whiskersnitch]

I've seen quite a few videos on Youtube with some competent individuals using both the large TBT as well as the mini TBT (I can share if you like). For what they do with it, it seem to work for them, and while I like gadgets, I'll likely not go for something that I would feel silly using. It's ugly, and that alone keeps me away. I'm kinda big on aesthetics. I think it's... And I say with no disrespect for my country... it's an American thing. We tend to like coated blades, multi-purpose items, tactical gear, bigger is better, et al. Personally, I'm happy with a Mora or GRK, but even I can't deny the appeal of some of those knifes (Beckers or ESEE, for example).

 

[Wayne]

I used one once. A student brought one along on a course I was running. It's not nice. When it came to carving I suggested the student might like to use a different knife he was insistent that his Tracker was the best knife in the world. Contrary to popular belief it is possible to cut something with the tracker as he put a lovely deep cut in his hand that took me quite a while to stop the bleeding.

 

[woof]

I've seen quite a few videos on Youtube with some competent individuals using both the large TBT as well as the mini TBT (I can share if you like). For what they do with it, it seem to work for them, and while I like gadgets, I'll likely not go for something that I would feel silly using. It's ugly, and that alone keeps me away. I'm kinda big on aesthetics. I think it's... And I say with no disrespect for my country... it's an American thing. We tend to like coated blades, multi-purpose items, tactical gear, bigger is better, et al. Personally, I'm happy with a Mora or GRK, but even I can't deny the appeal of some of those knifes (Beckers or ESEE, for example).

Thanks for the offer.

Rob

 

[Martyn]

There are better options out there but I do like that the one knife can do a bunch of things.
The saw on the back of the Tracker knife is only used to make trap notches. It sucks as a saw and was never designed for sawing. There are two grips on the knife. If you use the lower grip it does hack through wood quickly.

The main use that I have for the Tracker is for splitting wood. You can split a wood round that is just about as wide as the blade. You can see me use it on the Survival School show on RTE here in Ireland.

The thing weighs 800g, doesnt cut well. doesnt chop well and doesnt saw well.

For 900g you can have a Cold Steel Trail Hawk - which actually chops stuff ...and a Frosts Mora - which actually cuts stuff ...and a Bahco Laplander - which actually saws stuff.

...all for about a third of the cost of a Tom Brown Tracker.


Hmmmmmm, let me think....

 

[whiskersnitch]

The thing weighs 800g, doesnt cut well. doesnt chop well and doesnt saw well.

For 900g you can have a Cold Steel Trail Hawk - which actually chops stuff ...and a Frosts Mora - which actually cuts stuff ...and a Bahco Laplander - which actually saws stuff.

...all for about a third of the cost of a Tom Brown Tracker.


Hmmmmmm, let me think....

I like how you think!

 

[BoonDoc]

The thing weighs 800g, doesnt cut well. doesnt chop well and doesnt saw well.

For 900g you can have a Cold Steel Trail Hawk - which actually chops stuff ...and a Frosts Mora - which actually cuts stuff ...and a Bahco Laplander - which actually saws stuff.

...all for about a third of the cost of a Tom Brown Tracker.


Hmmmmmm, let me think....

Good point. I don't want to be backed into a corner here. I am not waving a flag here. I have one, I use it, I like it, BUT, it stays in the classroom area, I don't take it out for long hikes, I don't sleep with it, nor do I sing it lullabies.

The frost knife with a folding saw from Lidl will do everything that you need in a bushcraft setting. 900g is far too heavy for such a task.

But, with the beating that I can give my TB Tracker knife, I would break countless frost knives. In fact, most of the frost knives aren't full tang. Quite dangerous to pound at all.


Look, I am a lazy survivalist. I will not carry 900g unless it tastes good, gets satellite emails, or keeps me warm at night.

 

[John Fenna]

In fact, most of the frost knives aren't full tang. Quite dangerous to pound at all.

Mors aint broken too many IIRC.....
Nor have I.....

 

[Siberianfury]

i cant see how the knife would be effective, for anything, even zombie killing. the tip has far to steep a curve which means the wood will slip right off the edge, which is both ineficent and highly dangerous. the bevel near the handle would be hear impossible to control, with that great weight at the front, as for the saw back notching device, well i
personaly find it quicker and more precise to cut my notches, all that thing does in my eyes is add more risk to the user.

if i wanted a knife to throw at zombies or to take to a star treck convention i might consider it, but for a bushcraft knife id rather have a tool that does the job.

 

[Hoodoo]

I would not mind having a couple of the large ones if the price was right. I could mount one at each end of my boat.

 

[whiskersnitch]

In fact, most of the frost knives aren't full tang. Quite dangerous to pound at all.

Mors aint broken too many IIRC.....
Nor have I.....

Me either, and I live in a really hard wood area compared to most (hickory, walnut, ironwood, thornapple, etc)... You just have to be smart about what you decide to "pound" your knife into... And then use your axe/tomahawk instead anyway.

I hate abusing knives! Every tool for it's job, I say!

 

[wizard]

Sorry I am late to the roast. I've been away. I have handled a Tom Brown Tracker knife which belonged to a young man at a Bushcraft course I attended. He was convinced initially that he had THE outback knife that the whole world wanted/needed. He also had a sheath of leather with extras that cost about as much as the knife.
After a few tasks, he was obviously having difficulties. After about 4 days the course had a class on sharpening and it gave everyone an opportunity to sharpen up their tools. I watched this poor TBT owner try to use the diamond from the sheath on his knife, tried a ceramic rod, tried the schools waterstones and just could not sharpen the thing. His technique was off by a lot, so I offered my assistance. It was so hard of a blade that almost nothing even scratched it, seemed to me. I tried and tried and got it sort of sharp enough to be able to slice through warm butter, but that was all I could do.
I watched this determined person (probably to justify his costs) do everything requiring a knife with that TBT. He managed, barely. He had little fun at the tasks and worked so much harder than anyone else. The most used knife was a Mora Clipper, which just worked, time after time.
Best use for the TBT is as a boat anchor for a small watercraft. A medium sized rock is much cheaper though!

 

[Alfredo]

I used one TBT for a week, and agree with all yours negative comments. Anyway, I need to say the TBT has a enough confortable handle.

 

[Sapper1371]

Here's the funny thing about that knife ....tom brown is a naturalist so apparently the best way to sharpen this thing is by carrying the following sharpening instruments for its "special" shape
1) a Flat File (as in an industrial one) for the straight blade and then a soapstone sharpener for the curved part ....apparently the metal blade is made of the same forging process that makes the blade that cut factory sheet metal. I'm going to be the guy that's buying one too but from an outside company that makes a better more edger friendly blade but I've heard it chops grooves and splits like no other but then again this knife will be best used by FULL BLOWN mountain men like grizzly adams ....once the weight of it is mastered for tequnique apparently its earned a warming up to by some people. But everyone who's seen "The Hunted " with Tommy Lee And Benicio can agree this knifes sales figures have skyrocketed....Oh well- to each there own I guess after all it only matters what we as outdoorsman find useful and close with through experience.