cold steel trailmaster v.s. himilayan imports ak bowie

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chadsims44

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Jun 18, 2011
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i was wondering which would be a better survival knife cold steel trailmaster or himilayan imports ak bowie
 
Personally my HI M43 Kukri was my survival knife. One of their BAS Kukri's would work as well.

The trailmaster is a good knife, haven't used one of the SK5 ones. But never cared for the kraton handle which has a tendency to separate from the tang. It will not chop anywhere near as good as even the BAS kukri.

The Kukri's are also much more versatile in use.

The AK bowie is very thick and heavy, really a beast, yet still lacks the chopping capability of the Kukri's.
 
chadsims44 said:
i was wondering which would be a better survival knife cold steel trailmaster or himilayan imports ak bowie
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Survival depends on your knowledge base and skill set, not the knife you have strapped to your belt.

People step into the wild with nothing more than a $10 Mora and do just fine.

Survival schools typically hand-out nothing more than a Mora, or in Latin America, a machete.
 
As far as Durability goes and longterm lasting I would have to say the Ak Bowie totally out performs the Trailmaster. You are talking about a handmade custom blade versus a mass produced off the line bowie. Yeah the Trailmaster is a very good knife its no piece of junk by any means. But its also far from the best out there. The Fallkniven Northern Lights Thor is head and shoulders a better bowie knife than the Trailmaster.
 
Head and shoulders better? The CS has a 5/16" spine made out of among other materials, carbon steel. Last I checked the Fallkniven knives were vg10 in thinner stock. Higher price does not always equate to better.
 
Thicker stock doesnt mean better either. Although the trail master may be thicker it would be a much thicker edge than the Fallkniven, usefull for chopping and battoning which I personally don't need or want in a knife. The Fallkniven would also be handmade with MUCH better attention to detail. Also, don't knock on VG-10, its a fantastic steel and a lot of people underestimate it and and its potential as a cheep mid to upper range stainless.

Would I ever drop a bit under half a grand on that knife? Of course not, but I wouldn't buy a trailmaster either. For around $120-$150 you could go onto the for sale area on the forms and buy something that would preform wonderfully.

Best of luck on your search, take care
 
Aa i know that about this Tomahawks, Pocket Knives, Fixed Blade .. would be a better survival knife cold steel trailmaster or himilayan imports ak bowie ... I know something about Himalayan Imports' items.we need to highlight this more through advertising, sign board etc it's my opinion....
 
My hand convexed C.S. Carbon V Trailmaster and Becker Brute were put into retirement when I got my first real khukri. A 16" 19 oz KLVUK from HI. A little fine tuning/modding turned this thing into the best large cutting/chopping blade I've owned. Teamed with a SAK and a B.G. Andrews scandi, I'm set bladewise for anything in the woods.--KV
 
crom said:
Head and shoulders better? The CS has a 5/16" spine made out of among other materials, carbon steel. Last I checked the Fallkniven knives were vg10 in thinner stock. Higher price does not always equate to better.
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First off the Fallkniven is a laminated steel at 7mm which is not shabby at all. The Trailmaster is a good knife but this belief that its better than every other bowie type knife cause its thick and made of carbon steel is ridiculous. Trailmaster's are MASS produced in a factory some where in Taiwan or China. Tolerances aren't all that great with every one of them. The Handle in thin the tang is thin. If you want a Trailmaster go right ahead and buy one but I will stick to my word when I say the Fallkniven Thor is a head and shoulders better blade than the Trailmaster. I haven't heard of any Fallkniven Thor's snapping in half from batoning. I've heard about quite a few Trailmasters doing that.

Cold Steel does there proof videos and everyone jumps on the bandwagon thinking they are something special. Those are in a controlled enviorment. Not in extreme heat or Cold or out in the elements. I promise a lot of knives produced today could go thru Cold Steels proof tests and come out fine. Its all part of the marketing ploy with them. Oh and Fallkniven VG-10 laminated steel is FAR better than Cold Steels San Mai III garbage which is WAY overpriced.
 
Never said it was the uber bowie. The Fallkniven is still made in Asia, correct? I've seen plenty of pics of chipped edges on Fallknivens, I think they are beautiful knives if a bit overpriced. The Thor is gorgeous, but not head and shoulders above the Trailmaster. Also, I believe CS's SM3 is VG1 with some sort of softer steel cladded. VG1 and VG10 are practically identical in their characteristics. AFAIK, both are made in Japan.
 
I had a CS trailmaster in carbon v and it was an awesome knife. Definitely a solid one for the money. Never had a single problem.

That user up top who said there are problems with the handles separating is full of poo.
 
Probably depends on your environment and how light or heavy you want to gear up. Legions of Bowie-style and Kukri fans. Think of how you would want to carry one and be realistic so you don't get something that stays at home or in the trunk.

I get a lot of enjoyment and use out of hatchets and light axes that cost under $50
 
I have owned both a Kukri and the Trailmaster. I still own the Kukri not because there was anything wrong with the Trailmaster but I just found there were better alternatives. (Bussikin).

If you are looking for something to chop and not worry about, I would recommend taking a look at the Condor Hudson Bay. It's a beast and very cheap. Good luck.

FlaskandHudson003.jpg
 
The NL series by Fallkniven is made of laminated vg10 steel in the middle with softer stainless on the sides, ( maybe 420) and yest it is made in Japan, NOT Taiwan or mainland China, a big difference. agree with one of the other posters, skill and the know how to use it are the best bushcrafting skills.
 
The Condor Hudson Bay knife is a phenomenal blade once you do a little work to the edge it becomes and unbeatable blade for the money.
 
crom said:
Never said it was the uber bowie. The Fallkniven is still made in Asia, correct? I've seen plenty of pics of chipped edges on Fallknivens, I think they are beautiful knives if a bit overpriced. The Thor is gorgeous, but not head and shoulders above the Trailmaster. Also, I believe CS's SM3 is VG1 with some sort of softer steel cladded. VG1 and VG10 are practically identical in their characteristics. AFAIK, both are made in Japan.
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I think You will find that the NL1 Tor or the Trailmaster SM III both will get damaged edges,if You try to chop lavastones in half!
There was pic's around of a Tor getting chips in the edge by the owner chopping into lavastones.

If You want an edge that can handle stones, You will have to make a stonecutting geometry and lower the RC hardness.
A woodcutting edge will suffer badly from cutting into stones,regardless if it's made by Fällkniven or Cold Steel!

The VG-1 steel used in Cold Steel San Mai III blades are probably a little bit tougher than laminated VG-10, but Fällkniven VG-10 will hold the edge longer.
For chopping with the NL2 and NL1, there's no need to worry as I have experienced it.
They do the job well and stay sharp.
As stated by others, they dont come back to Fällkniven in two pieces!

So, if You can afford a NL knife and want quality - Get it! There's no finer production knife in this size availible on the market today, as I am aware of!

Regards
Mikael
 
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chadsims44 said:
i was wondering which would be a better survival knife Cold Steel Trail Master or Himalayan imports AK bowie
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Depends on which you have in your hand in the time of need. But generally the Kukri design is a much better chopper than a straight edged knife because it shears and cuts instead of just push cutting (straight edged blade).
I have owned both, each has it's own advantages and disadvantages depending on size, length, weight, and so on.

Edit: Sorry I missed the AK Bowie part and thought you were referring to the AK Kukri. Sorry, my mistake. :foot:.
 
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