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Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Finish, Materials, Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard, Weight
Cons: None
3V Trailmaster - the best Trailmaster yet?
I was skeptical about the 3V Trailmaster—whether it would be worth the money, if the fit and finish issues had been addressed, if the Taiwanese were doing a good job, etc., etc. So I ordered one. Knife Center has always been a great, reliable source with fair prices. The knife arrived in good time. I looked it over close…I looked it over hard, under magnification. The knife is nearly perfect. There is the slightest difference in the secondary bevel angle at the point, but not enough to make any difference in the function of the knife. It came with a very good edge. I stropped it and it will slice a lazy S in 20lb. printer paper. I haven’t used the knife to beat the crud out of it, but I have Trailmasters in SK5, O1, and San Mai III, and they all stand up great, so I believe the 3V will be the best of the bunch. I have quite a few Bark Rivers in 3V, and the heat treat is fairly well figured out by now. Enough manufacturers have used and are using 3V that it’s not a mystery, so I just ordered another 3V Trailmaster so I will have a spare. I would never want to be without one. I will compare the two when the other arrives and the better of the two will become the “reserve” and the other will come in for some serious use and abuse. In the realm of big knives, the Trailmaster is a classic. When it comes to a knife for self defense, the Trailmaster has the size, speed, and configuration for back cuts, etc. Hopefully, this will be the best Trailmaster of them all!
