TOPS Tom Brown Tracker knife

[shocker]

Stick to your regular knife and look at something like the Fiskars Brush Hook - with its hollow handle theres a place for a folding saw to be packed. Short of carrying a real, regular handaxe its a good bet... At reasonable sensible money with no gimmicks...

...my opinion at least.

If I've already got a large axe and folding buck saw is there any reason to carry a brush hook?

In that case, no...but then what was the TOPs for ? I am now confused .

But both KaBar and Coldsteel make some fine blades, again, my opinion

[Plymtom]

Sorry that link doesn't seem to work. Anyhow, check out YouTube for the destruction tests!

I've already had a look and I think I'm pretty much sold. I do want to buy it but I've already spent a lot of money this month - it is hard not to get too carried away.

Think I should be sensible and put it on the wish list for now.

Nah go for it remember rule number 1, you cannot have too many guns, guitars, or knives.

Shocker... if in doubt get both

[shocker]

Nah go for it remember rule number 1, you cannot have too many guns, guitars, or knives.

Never a truer word, along with "no amplifier is TOO loud"

PS- I have both !

[MBJ]

Stick to your regular knife and look at something like the Fiskars Brush Hook - with its hollow handle theres a place for a folding saw to be packed. Short of carrying a real, regular handaxe its a good bet... At reasonable sensible money with no gimmicks...

...my opinion at least.

If I've already got a large axe and folding buck saw is there any reason to carry a brush hook?

In that case, no...but then what was the TOPs for ? I am now confused .

But both KaBar and Coldsteel make some fine blades, again, my opinion

Don't be confused

I was confused too and was just throwing ideas out there to see what people think. As I said earlier in the thread, I don't think I really knew what I wanted till people started throwing ideas out.

[TeeDee]

The Tom Brown Knife is based on a more original concept called the WSK Or Wilderness Survival Knife coined I believe by a designer called BECKS , its been copied a few times without much success.

The Original http://www.drbeckknives.com/

Red Scorpion Six

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=red+s ... CxsQsAQIIA

The knife was made semi famous due to the film 'The Hunted'

The TOPS version in the OP is HORRENDOUS.


Knives need to be more considered in terms of Blade Geometry and Blade Material rather than the Blade shape itself.

You are in my opinion covered well by any one of the Mora Knifes - to me a Knife is to CUT not CHOP. Anything over 4" Blade is a bit overkill and not useful.

But what you could do with is most likely is an Axe , why - because the blade Geometry is different , the weight and handle length makes it far more usable - its a question of form follows function.

And an Axe over a Machete which is a different beasty all together.

[ForgeCorvus]

You've got a few options:-

Big knife, small knife. For example the Puukko & Leuku (Traditional tools of the Sami)



Or theres Uncle Ray's favored option. Small knife and axe

Then theres the All-in-one-knife, quite popular over the Pond.
The TOPS edged item in the OP is an example of this, my main arguments against this idea are there are (to my mind) too many compromises trying to make different bits of the blade be different tools (thereby making none of them good tools) and secondly field-maintenance is difficult because of all the strange curves (all of which need to be sharpened exactly to spec.). One last thing, lose, damage or break your one knife and you have no usable tool........Unless you carry a spare, in which case why have an AIOK ?

I tend use a variation on Big knife, small knife (Bill hook and Opinel) or the classic Axe&knife (long handled Kent and a mora type in my case)

Machete are better for bramble and springy 'jungle' type brush, axes for stiffer woody growth. Bill hooks are pretty good on either (better on bush then bramble though)

Price is something to think on, always ask yourself "How much would it hurt if this never came home?"

[shocker]

Good summing up, Corvus

[Plymtom]

Good summing up, Corvus

Agreed and in particular

Price is something to think on, always ask yourself "How much would it hurt if this never came home?"

I have a dirt cheap large and small axe and a cheapish saw backed Machete which I would not but again, I'd go far a plain one and a folding saw, one long nasty edge is enough on one tool It was thrift which had me buying cheap on these items, but logic would dictate to keep thinking like it, the axes in particular probably didn't cost £15 between them, and if I was one of those types with a bug out location heavy stuff like that would be hidden there, little point in that though Plymouth's harder to get out of in a hurry than Europe

[shocker]

Yes, a plain back on a long knife is essential (to me at least) as it allows you to use it as a draw knife/spokeshave, apply pressure for riving/splitting and so on...

...and as an aside, one sees broken electric chainsaws in skips/bins quite often- the chain is easily salvaged. Then you can cut a length, put rings, wire, paracord on the ends and you have an emergency saw that can be handle-ed with a couple of bits of branch. Or pay 30 quid to an outdoor shop.

[ForgeCorvus]

As I've said before (probably far too many times) I like Kent pattern axes, I've got five ...cough...or so.....cough in working state and a few spare heads that are awaiting fettling. I've never paid a whole banknote for any of them (most of the time the replacement wood costs more then the metal).

I also tend to go for Hultafors for a fixed blade (they are what Mora was five or ten years back, a low cost working knife to be used, abused and lobbed in the tool box) and Opinel as a folder. Again less then a tenner.

Cheap= Crappy
Inexpensive= Happy

I suppose (not counting Multitools, and none of them are that costly) my most expensive bush tool was the Billhook at £15ish..... Now that is a possible 'One to rule them all'.
Does anyone else use one?