Anyone use the Tom Brown tracker?

[AuldJum]

Does anyone use this knife?

I had a play with one this morning and have to say this is the most horrific piece of crap i've ever used.

It's very hard to get an edge on it and is just rubbish.

Tried chopping through a 5" beech log while the grandson was going through it with a Mora 137 and a baton, needless to say the tracker sucked while the Mora just did it's thing.

It's so wide and wierdly shaped to carve anything.

The sawback is good for notching though, if your thinking of getting one, save your money and get a 50p kitchen knife, it'll be more effective too.

 

[John Fenna]

I too prefer a more "classic" knife.....

 

[Graham_S]

As I understand it, no-one uses it.
Not even the people working at Tom Brown's school.
Apparently, they all use Moras...

 

[HillBill]

The knife is a joke by all accounts, totally unfit for purpose.

About as much use as a waterproof teabag.

 

[woof]

Lol, loving the hate hate relationship that this knife provokes in people. I've never seen one in the "flesh" so to speak, i think the concept is good, and would love to have a play in the woods with one, especialy one thats had the grinds sorted.

Rob

 

[BoonDoc]

I like the Tracker and the Scout knife. Although there are design flaws with the Tracker it is my preferred "big knife."
Here is a link to a kids show where I am using it to chop wood.

Granted, I had to regrind the edge on both knives to make them easier to sharpen. The reworked Scout knife is brilliant.

Oh, just a heads up, I worked at the Tracker School and can confirm that a lot of people use the Tracker and Scout knives. The Moras are sold there as well since they are really top notch inexpensive knives.

 

[sandbender]

"...I had to regrind the edge on both knives to make them easier to sharpen..."

There is a chap over here who spent a fair amount of time regrinding one, I posted the link to an article and some pics earlier, I will see if I can find it again.

In the words of Bob Loveless...

"As soon as your design crosses from an obvious Knife pattern to something odd and wierd shaped--all you have is something odd and wierd shaped"



Edited to add:

Pics and article (Hungarian) showing very heavily modified Tracker.

http://www.freeweb.hu/laikus/index.html

 

[Hoodoo]

Say what you want about that knife but it was designed by a famous person and really, that's all that matters isn't it?

 

[Toddy]

He has rather become infamous for the knife though........

M

 

[mountainm]

I think the knife is an example of when ideas in isolation sound good, but when put together just don't work - it reminds me of homers dream car

The Homer: Features
Large beverage holders
Little ball on top the aerial
Bowling mascot on the hood
Horns that play La Cucaracha
Sound-proof bubble for the kids
Huge motor
Big Fins

 

[AuldJum]

Looking through the comments here, reviews and videos of it in use plus my own experience of it it appears that it's a joke.

Was this designed for the movie or was the knife there before the movies?

Then when you look at some of the controversy surrounding the tracker school and Tom Brown himself it becomes strange.

A few people like it but even from a technical standpoint, you could just look at it and see it's a joke.

 

[Graham_S]

To me, as with many of these "Celebrity survival knives" such as the tracker, the hellion, etc, they are more of a solution looking for a problem.
It's like a bunch of guys were throwing ideas at someone with a sketch pad.
"I want a saw"
"I want multiple bevels"
"I want a divot for a firebow"
"I want it to look tacticool"

And like anything else with no clear direction, it becomes a mess.

As they say, a camel is a horse designed by a committee.

 

[ged]

I've never seen one in the flesh, so to speak.

I think the product might have done a great deal of good for its designer. For example I'd most likely never have heard of Tom Brown's Tracker School if it hadn't been for the fuss about this knife.

OTOH when I read something like "Explore the Spiritual teachings of Grandfather and become one with the Spirit-That-Moves-Through-All-Things" on somebody's Website, where he also has his email address, his new fax number, and a link to my shopping cart, I really can't help but wonder what the guy's up to.

I sort of like the idea of playing with the knife, I think I'd rather take it camping than take an axe, but then I don't take an axe when I go camping. But I don't think I'd want to part with three hundred dollars for it. If I saw one in a junk shop I might pick it up just for fun.

Carrying it in the small of your back looks a bit odd, how on Earth would you get it back in its sheath without making holes in your underwear? :yikes:

 

[woof]

BD, its good to hear from someone who has actualy used the knife. It does seem to be that re-grinding is the the thing to do with it, i would of thought that they mightof took the hint at where they're made & done it as standard. But i'd still like to have a go with one.

Rob

 

[udamiano]

Carrying it in the small of your back looks a bit odd, how on Earth would you get it back in its sheath without making holes in your underwear? :yikes:

I just covered my keyboard and screen in tea LOL

 

[Toddy]

Carrying it in the small of your back looks a bit odd, how on Earth would you get it back in its sheath without making holes in your underwear? :yikes:

Ah, that's the way of the spirtual grandfather ........but the spirtual grandmother rattles your lugs for being so damned stupid
One way to excise pilonidal cysts I suppose.

cheers,
M

 

[TeeDee]

I think I'm correct in saying that the tracker is a bad copy of the Beck WSK???

Photos and more here:- http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/_jthy/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=10

It looks more usable than the slab of steel punched out by TOPS , but I'm still happy with a Mora.

 

[robevs73]

I traded a sambar handled bushy knife that I made for one a few years ago, what a load of crap!!! I sold it within the week , I like saw backed survival knives and tactical stuff but they must be comfortable to use and actually do what they are designed for, the Tracker is unfomfortable , cant chop or whittle and the saw is to short and not sharp enough, I also found the blade a bit soft.

 

[ged]

I traded ... for one a few years ago ... I sold it within the week ... unfomfortable , cant chop or whittle and the saw is to short and not sharp enough, I also found the blade a bit soft.

Oh dear, I've gone right off it now. :bluThinki

 

[BoonDoc]

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.