1. This knife is a collaboration between the famous wilderness survival expert Tom Brown and TOPS. They design it as an all – round outdoor fixed – blade knife.
2.Usually, people choose knives according to different occasions and purposes. However, as a wilderness survival knife, it must fulfill the functions of small, medium and large knives simultaneously, which is really a big challenge.
3. But the TOPS Tracker has achieved it. All this comes from its uniquely designed blade. The arc-shaped front part of the blade, which is similar to the design of an axe, can achieve more chopping power. The smooth straight edge at the back is more suitable for cutting.
4. Since the blade shape is relatively complex, we mark different areas of the blade with letters for easy explanation.
- Area A: The most finely ground and sharp edge, used for shaping, scraping and cutting.
- Area B: You can use it as a gut hook or for scraping, which is convenient for making arrows and traps.
- Area C: The chopping edge that replaces an axe, used for cutting trees or clearing the ground. It is also the strongest edge.
- Area D: Designers referenced the German butcher bayonet when creating the staggered back teeth. These teeth provide strong sawing ability and self-cleaning performance, and they prevent themselves from getting jammed with sawdust.
- Area E: The striking area. In the outdoors, it is often necessary to split firewood by hitting the back of the blade. Here, a concave design is adopted to avoid slipping when hitting the back.
5.They make the blade of 1095 high – carbon steel, which is probably the most widely used 10 – series steel. It has a hardness of 57 – 58HRC and excellent toughness. It is also very easy to sharpen. The only drawback is that it is not rust-resistant. However, this Tracker blade has a layer of black powder coating on the surface. Although I know that the wear of this coating is inevitable. It has an integral tang and is very sturdy.
