Tom Brown Knives

[TexasOilOutlaw]

I am now the Proud owner of an ESEE 5, ESEE 4, and went ahead and bought an Ontario RAT-5(just for Grins). I wish I had better impulse control, lol. Next on my list is an LMT 7.62, just waiting on my tax return.

[mikesmistake]

I will say one thing about this knife..It is a great starting point for a great knife..I spent 8 hours modifying it to suit my needs.. I changed the grind of the cutting edge and removed the epoxy coating. I did all mods by hand with a diamond file and 1500 grit sandpaper....Working the metal takes time but by doing so I figured out how to sharpen the beast..I kayak so I needed a good heavy blade to bust up beaver dams on the river...I love the weight ...For camping it allows me to leave my ax at home...It is not the only knife I carry because who hits the woods with just one knife? I usually carry three and a multitool...A knife is a personal choice...Everyone has a preference....For someone wanting a beast of a knife that will serve you for years this is it...As it is out of the box it is a fair choice..Mod it a bit and it is amazing....I have an anvil and forge and have made knives...I could make one just like it....but not for 250 bucks..

[RatDrall]

I take back what I said earlier, about the ESEE-5 being the best all around knife I've ever used.

Camping last weekend, I used my smaller, handier, prettier, sharper Bark River Bravo 1 for EVERYTHING from splitting wood to carving tools and food preperation. It did everything the clunkier ESEE-5 could do, but looked better, and felt better in my hand, while doing it.

[Whiskey]

ESEE will not let you down. I like Moras, and have two of them myself. However, especially in a survival situation, sometimes you may need a knife to take some serious abuse. I don't trust my Mora Knives to take a real beating. My ESEE knives will take anything you throw at them, and giggle like school children (figuratively). And, should you bust them, they replace them free.

The Tom Brown Tracker has had my eye for years. I just wont spend the money on it, knowing it won't do anything my 5 won't.

[ineffableone]

While the TB tracker has gotten a lot of grief as being a gimmick knife it has also gotten quite a following from people who really love the knife. I don't mean weekend warriors either, I mean serious knife folks who know a good knife. The TB Tracker is a nitch knife, designed for specific intended tasks and it does do extremely well in those according to those who have actually taken the time to honestly try it and learn to use it. That is the next point, the TB Tracker is not a knife that is just an easy to use blade. It is a blade you need to practice with and get to know and learn to use. Of the many people who do love these knives I have heard most of them remark that you do need to learn how to use it properly to appreciate it.

Folks over at BCUSA started out making fun of the TB Tracker much as folks here are, but then slowly some of the more respected members started coming forward saying how useful the knives were, how good they were, etc. As I mentioned the problem is they don't function like most other knives, so you have to learn to use them differently. Slowly the opinion of the TB Tracker has moved to a more respected one over at BCUSA.

The opinion that the TB Tracker is a gimmick knife is not really valid. It is put out by people who don't have the skills and knowledge to use the knife or who have never used it and are judging by appearance and other people's opinion. The TB Tracker does excel well when paired with the right skill set to use it. For those folks the knife is a great tool, and well made. Of course not everyone has the skills of Tom Brown, and the knife does not magically grant those skills to us, so this knife is a nitch knife. Designed for a very limited amount of knife users.

Sure it is not the perfect knife, no knife is. The TB Tracker has it's place as a specialized knife and if your looking for a knife to fit that need it is a very good knife. However if your just looking for a good camp/bushcraft knife, you can find something better suited to your skill level and experience than the TB Tracker.

[B7tac]

The issue I have with the TB tracker is the price. I have held one on a few different occasions and it felt alright, but for the $$$ there are just other knives that I like better.


Sent from my iPad

[RatDrall]

While the TB tracker has gotten a lot of grief as being a gimmick knife it has also gotten quite a following from people who really love the knife. I don't mean weekend warriors either, I mean serious knife folks who know a good knife.

No, it hasn't.

While there are numerous people who dislike the TBT, and know nothing about knives or using them, there are also numerous people who understand what makes a good user knife that dislike the TBT.

Like I said, it is a great idea, that TOPS ruined with their shitty grinds and mall ninja marketing.

The original Beck WSK must be held in the hand to be believed, it is an amazing knife. The TOPS Tom Brown Tracker is a poor imitation, unless reground to a convex edge on the upper portion of the blade, and thinned out considerably in the middle.

[DarkGhost]

So is the TB Tracker a rip off of David Beck's Tracker ? There is a $900 price difference in the 2, so just wondering. I really don't think there is anyway David Beck's knife could be worth that much more...school me please! Now, back to my first blacksmithing class.

[praharin]

So is the TB Tracker a rip off of David Beck's Tracker ? There is a $900 price difference in the 2, so just wondering. I really don't think there is anyway David Beck's knife could be worth that much more...school me please! Now, back to my first blacksmithing class.

My understanding is that Tom Brown designed the tracker blade. Dave Beck made them for him originally. They are worth that because people are willing to spend that for the exclusivity of owning a Beck WSK. That isn't to say that they are $900 more useful, but...

Nevermind all that:

Look up supply curve and demand curve.

If you understand that you can understand why some custom knife makers charge what they do.

[RatDrall]

So is the TB Tracker a rip off of David Beck's Tracker ? There is a $900 price difference in the 2, so just wondering. I really don't think there is anyway David Beck's knife could be worth that much more...school me please! Now, back to my first blacksmithing class.

Tom Brown designed the knife. Dave Beck made the originals, then took a many year break. Tops was authorized to make the Tracker. Dave Beck is back in business makign knives again.

I wouldn't even call the Tops version a "copy", if so only in the basic shape viewed from the side is it similar. The Tops and Beck versions are completely different. Like I said, it must be held to be understood.

[DarkGhost]

Thanks for the reply guys! I am trying to come up with a design for the knife we are gonna make in class, can't sharpen it at school, but we can forge it here.