The Cold Steel Trail Master with the San Mai III Bowie blade requires minimal maintenance and is practically immune to water, salt, air, or the humidity of a jungle environment. This Bowie will outperform just about any stainless steel Bowie in the world in terms of strength and toughness. And, as an added bonus, this Trail Master® is equipped with a beautiful rolled edge, capable of easily severing 4" or more of free hanging manila rope!
The broad clip point of the blade is extremely resistant to bending or breaking. This is largely due to the fact that the tip is actually thicker near the point than what is seen on our competitor’s knives. This, however, does not mean that the point is dull or blunt. On the contrary, the point is almost needle sharp and offers tremendous penetration. Plus, the blade-back is equipped with a slightly concave false edge that measures approximately three and a half inches long. Every Trail Master’s® edge has been honed by hand, then given a high speed buff until it is truly razor sharp and capable of easily shaving the hair off one’s arm. This knife is so sharp it will cut at the slightest touch. The Trail Master® balances approximately 3/4" in front of the guard for a slightly blade-heavy feel that is ideal for delivering heavy chopping and slashing strokes. The Trail Master’s® Kraton® handle is 5" long and deeply checkered for a non-slip, shock absorbing grip. What’s more, its contoured cross section helps prevent the knife from shifting or turning in the hand when striking full power blows. The double guard is very study and rigidly fixed into place. It is long enough to keep fingers off the blade, yet short enough to avoid being tangled in clothing or equipment when the Trail Master® is drawn.
Been putting together the money to buy this knife for a year. Glad I finally got it from Blade HQ. As always, good place for knives! Cold Steel has put fancy into absolute functionality. Be prepared, this knife is a massive 14 1/2" overall and .31" thick for brutal jobs. It's so sharp you can easily camp, survive, or just prepare your supper tonight at home or camp. Take it everywhere. Survival, self-defense, chores, land, water, hunt, fish, cook, chop, baton with a branch -- not rocks or other steel....erg!! The point remains -- this mother is tough! The Kraton handle is grippy -- and needs to be for a tool like this!! The sheath is stiff and functional, although it could stand a slight overall upgrade, maybe, slightly larger and with a few more studs to reinforce the stitching. But that drawback does not detract from usability or belt carry -- just my wish thought. One good aspect is that the present sheath carries either lefty or righty. Just reverse the knife slide-in for your choice of side. Personally, I very much like Japanese San Mai III steel. No flaws on it anywhere. This rugged beast is going to be difficult to wear out!
got it 6 years ago and been carrying it for all my outdoor excursions. perfectly sized and got some weight which makes it capable for food prepping and chopping wood. handle is very tactile and the sheath retention is perfect.