COLD STEEL Trail Master

Short version: Buy this one. It's good. You won't be sorry. Seriously, stop reading this and buy the knife. Considerably less short version: I bought a Trailmaster Bowie in Carbon V when they first came out and were still made in the USA. I cold blued the blade and carried it on my web gear for years. As one might expect, it took quite a beating over the years, but it did everything I asked it to do, and it always sharpened up shaving-sharp. Wonderful piece of American steel, still have it. This new one is forged from CPM 3V , and this is what the Google AI summary has to say about CPM 3V vs Carbon V: "CPM 3V steel is generally considered significantly better than carbon 5 steel, particularly in terms of toughness and resistance to chipping, while still offering good edge retention, making it a preferred choice for applications requiring high durability and impact resistance, especially in knives, where carbon 5 steel might be more prone to breaking or chipping due to its higher carbon content and lower toughness. Key differences: *Toughness: CPM 3V is significantly tougher than carbon 5 steel, meaning it can withstand more impact without chipping or breaking. *Edge Retention: While CPM 3V has good edge retention, carbon 5 steel, with its higher carbon content, might hold an edge slightly better but at the cost of reduced toughness. *Corrosion Resistance: CPM 3V is typically considered more corrosion resistant than carbon 5 steel due to its alloy composition." The new one has one or two slight differences from the original, the most notable of which is a steel crossguard instead of the original's brass - but that's just my esthetic preference. It comes with the new Secure-Ex composite sheath, which I like much more than the original leather sheath and the first model ballistic nylon sheath (which is the one I had on my web gear.) Other raters have complained that the Secure-Ex sheath is just that bit too tight and it can dull the belly of the blade. Time will tell, and I'll update as appropriate. The Original Carbon V was $80.00 US back in the mid 1980s; as of 26 JAN 2025, this new CPM 3V was $280.00 US, and it came out of the box razor-frickin'-sharp! Do I need this one? No probably not; my 40+ years old original is still going strong, but boy howdy, I sure did WANT this one. My opinion - money well spent. I'm very pleased. Highly recommend!

Monster chopper, great steel, comfortably handle, secure sheath.

A very functional blade. I am a Knifemaker and make high end knives from top of the line components, but hate using my own knives because of all the work I put into them. For the cost of this knife, I wouldn’t hesitate to use the crap out of it, with total faith it’ll hold up to any abuse a knife like this would be put through.

My Knife has a gap between the ricasso and the guard. It is large enough that a spray lubricant will go down into the handle. This could be a problem if water goes down and causes the tang to rust. Tried to return it for a replacement but Amazon says "it can only be returned" even though the product page says "return OR replace". Update: This knife, too, follows cold steel's practice of stating a blade length that includes the ricasso, and not just the cutting edge. For instance, the specs say the blade is 9.5 inches. I measure the CUTTING edge at exactly 9.0 inches and the other half inch is the ricasso. Of course the ricasso has no cutting edge. Deceptive? You decide. But be aware of this practice before you purchase.

You read articles and see videos about people receiving these off-quality, or not perfect from Amazon... that was not the case with mine. It is in perfect condition - grind lines are immaculate, razor sharp, symmetrical in all ways.

Now that's a knife. Perfect fit and finish you can expect from a fixed blade. Very thick but good geometry for cutting. This is a design that has been around sense the 80s, but with modern day cpm 3v steel. It's hard to find a cheaper 3v blade for lesser price with this type of design

The knife arrived with a broken tip and uneven grinds on the clip. Returned.

This is the big guy! It can do the big jobs. Super construction. There is only one limitation: When you chop with it, the handle does not have a wide hilt. Be sure to add a lanyard. You WILL NOT be disappointed.