Trail master in O1 or San Mai?

Which steel?

  • O1

    Votes: 17 63.0%

  • San Mai III

    Votes: 10 37.0%
  • Total voters
    27
Status
Not open for further replies.
:) I have both but the san mai is just too dang pretty to use . The O1 is plenty tough and will take a patina with some effort or just time . I've done some heavy chopping with my O1 Trailmaster with no damage . :cool:
P1030863_zpsbm1sqtyd.jpg

Tough enough even to deal with wily Chiquita !
 
Last edited:
I own the O1 TM and it's my favorite "outdoors" knife. I've chopped some pretty dense hardwoods and it held it's edge very very well to my surprise. No chipping or rolling. Now the bad. O1 it seems is one of the best steels if you're looking to create rust. It would get spots sitting in my air conditioned house, and no I'm not being sarcastic. I would actually clean it with a scotch brite pad and acetone after use just to make sure nothing was left behind. I actually made a post here asking how to stop it.

I ended up putting a patina on it with vinegar. I took a 2 liter soda bottle and chopped the top just big enough to fit the blade. I made sure the TM was cleaned of any possible contaminants with acetone (I was very careful not to get any on the handle as it gummed up the handle on my tractor) before setting it in the container. I then filled the bottle and set the TM in. Make sure not to let the blade touch anywhere or you'll get a not so dark spot that won't match the rest of the blade. I had to clean it all back off once because of that.

It's not the prettiest blade but it keeps it from rusting and driving me insane. I have plenty of 1095 that I just clean off and it's just fine with a little oil wipe down. Other than that the O1 is a beast and like I said is my favorite outdoors blade. If it rusted that bad in Ohio's horrific humidity my guess is the even worse Pac NW could turn it into a pile rusty chips.

Like you, I thought very hard about getting a San Mai TM but I'm not sure I'd use it. Beating on what is supposed to be a limited edition/numbers knife isn't something I could make myself do. The patina worked though and I've been thumping on my O1 ever since, I think it likes it;)

P.S.-Please Cold Steel, for the love of God DLC coat the TM!
 
Last edited:
I've used them both and actually prefer the convex grind on the San Mai for chopping. I'm more of a user than a collector.
 
I have not experienced any chipping yet and am not overly worried about it. The 01 is more prone to rust than the other carbon steels CS has used for the Trail Masters over time.
 
Given your location for use, the Pacific Northwest, I would definitely opt for the San Mai Trial Master. It is a joy to use and well worth the cost.
 
I have not had any rust problems with any of my O-1 knives. Living in a heavily populated area I dont have many opportunities to walk around town with a bowie hanging on my belt even though open carry is legal in my state (California). I also wipe my blades down after handling so you could say that they live a somewhat pampered lifestyle , kind of like a house cat.

I have been considering putting a patina on one of my O-1 blades to see how it will look. Several people have posted on this forum and results vary. One of the best patinas was done on a Trail Master with vinegar and it turned out really dark, I thoughf it was the best I had seen so far.
 
I love both the SMIII and O1 Trail Master as I have multiple of each. I'd just buy an O1 Trail Master and cerakote it. Problem solved and much cheaper.
 
I live near San Francisco. Next to Los Angeles it is one of the most densely populated parts of the state, not the kind of place where a large bowie hanging on your hip would go unnoticed. I dont like having to explain myself to trigger happy members of the law enforcement community so I generally leave bigger fixed blades at home.

Concealed carry would be ideal but is illegal for fixed blades regardless of size. So a folder or two is what I usually have for any knife related chores that may come up.
 
Last edited:
For your purposes, light to medium chopping in the Pacific NW, I'd go with the SMIII. Or just to throw another idea at you, there still are some SK5 Trail Masters around. SK5 seems to be a lot less rust prone than O-1. There's an SK5 on newgraham for a little over a C note and a half. Pretty decent price.
 
:) I haven't had any problem with corrosion on my patina 'd O-1 TM , but I don't live in a coastal rainforest .

If you do get the SMIII to use, expect to scratch-up that polished shiny finish . Mine came with a nylon sheath with a rivet head inside that tries to scratch my SMIII just in drawing and sheathing the blade . A OCD's nightmare .
If you can live with scratches , then no problem . :cool:
 
What did you use to patina your O-1 Trail Master? The best one I've seen so far was done with vinegar purchased from WalMart. It was so dark and evenly applied. I wish I could remember where I saw it. The person said that they had rubbed the blade with alcohol and a scotch brite pad beforehand then soaked tge blade for two or three hours and it was done.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top