Overview Cold Steel Trail Master san maiIII

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3 жыл бұрын

Cold Steel Trail Master san maiIII
* this is a grail knife for me, bought for my fortieth birthday
*drop point Bowie, full tang, Kray-ex over-molded handle
*san mai III (VG-1/420J laminate), flat grind with convex grind
OAL 14 1/2" 370mm
Blade 9 1/2" 240mm
Blade thickness 5/16" 7.6mm
Handle 5" 125mm
Weight 17.5oz 496.11g (without lanyard)
*made in Japan
*comes with a Cor-Ex sheath (cordura sheath)
*I bought mine for $340 10 years ago, currently $499.99 at Cleavers (Brisbane gun shop)
www.cleaverfirearms.com/Produ...
*typical Japanese fit and finish quality, laminate lines every even, convex grind very well executed.
*available in A2 steel model
*designed by Lynn Thompson to address perceived shortcomings of the traditional Bowie designs
Pro's achieves what Lynn set out to do, fit and finish, quintessential drop point Bowie.
Con's none
I post all of my videos on Australian Blade Forums
www.australianbladeforums.com...

Пікірлер: 71

@waveman0 3 жыл бұрын

I acknowledge I made a mistake 6.25 and said "Carbon 5" and should have said "Carbon V" as JW Apothecary correctly points out, Trail Masters were made from Carbon V not Carbon 5 early on.

@collector7993 2 жыл бұрын

V is 5

@samthai818 7 ай бұрын

Yeah, same thing. You were correct. Tell JW to get his head out of his butt! 😂

@mike3020 12 күн бұрын

They are perfect aren't they !

@waveman0 12 күн бұрын

very close to it mate, I wish though for the money you pay for them, they came with a leather sheath

@masonmaloney1972 2 жыл бұрын

I have one coming next week, I just cant stop watching everyone's reviews 🤣🤣🤣

@waveman0 2 жыл бұрын

I doubt you'll be disapointed.

@bladeandcloak666 2 жыл бұрын

Mine is on the way and I've watched this video twice lol

@waveman0 2 жыл бұрын

it's a classy knife, well worth the money mate, you'll love it I have no doubt.

@ericsierra-franco7802 2 жыл бұрын

I just acquired one a couple days ago. The Trail Master is indeed an impressive blade! It has fantastic balance and is quick and nimble in the hand. I will definitely be getting a second one.... perhaps a 3V.

@waveman0 2 жыл бұрын

the 3v version will be awesome, I ended up getting a custom 8" 3V camp knife so I don't need to go that way.

@blindowl-bushcraft-survival 3 жыл бұрын

looks nice, good sized knife

@waveman0 3 жыл бұрын

definitely among my favorite knives of all time.

@jamieschmotzer 3 жыл бұрын

I got my Trailmaster in Carbon V (Made in the USA; Carbon V stands for Vanadium - not 5) around 1994 or so, and the beast is still going strong! The leather sheath that mine came with is still in good condition, too.

@waveman0 3 жыл бұрын

I would have loved to have gotten a Carbon V Trail Master, and they occasionally come up on the secondary market, but I never seem have the money when I see one for sale (or they aren't in good shape)

@jamieschmotzer 3 жыл бұрын

Orion I took mine into the Amazon for a week, and that beautiful mirror polish was quickly replaced with a fantastic patina from the humidity. Great knife. Congratulations! Happy belated birthday!

@waveman0 3 жыл бұрын

@@jamieschmotzer thanks mate

@2214freak 3 ай бұрын

Heck of a blade man! I just got one of my grail knives a cold steel Recon Scout.....phenomenal blade. Unlike you i will be putting mine to work asap lol.

@waveman0 3 ай бұрын

I've got many work knives and this one is darn pretty so I don't mind leaving it pristine

@knifevideochannel4657 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome knife that's beautiful ground and expertly made! Then you look at that sheath, Bummer! I've never had such a nice knife with a total crap sheath, Total contrast! Luckily my wife makes awesome leather sheaths. Thanks for video

@waveman0 3 жыл бұрын

to be honest I prefer the sheath rather then the Secure-ex ones, I have said it before CS should have offered these with a leather sheath option, but if you think about it there are plenty of knives at the Trail Masters price point that come with a leather sheath.

@knifevideochannel4657 3 жыл бұрын

@@waveman0 Yeah, Even Condor and some of the other budget brands offer leather sheaths. Hope these nicer offerings(San Mai /3V) don't get axed now that GSM Outdoors bought Cold Steel.

@waveman0 3 жыл бұрын

@@knifevideochannel4657 totally agree, as an example I bought a Svord Von Tempsky (AUD$300) and it came with a leather sheath, my TM san maiIII cost me $340, so I can't see how they could not do it.

@powerplay4real174 Жыл бұрын

I would love to find some one who can upgrade the handles on those knives because I'm not a big fan of the material it is made of but It's not a deal breaker because the blade is where the value is. 🥇🏆🥇

@waveman0 Жыл бұрын

you can always rehandle them

@collector7993 Жыл бұрын

Gidday Orion, pulled that amazing sheath to pieces to look at what it's constructed of so viewers could be informed of such and I was horrified. The outer panels front and back, are made of cardboard. The side welts are made of craft wood. Any oil or water on both these will stuff them up and the knife will cut or puncture easily and potentially injure the owner. Makes me laugh when you read the online catalogues on cold steels site and it says that these knives come with high quality sheaths, they obviously don't inspect their own merchandise.

@waveman0 Жыл бұрын

Yeah that's really disappointing, my sheath has held up well but to be honest I don't do much with it. For such a nice knife, and at this price point cs should have done a lot better.

@alexschwan625 Жыл бұрын

Nice review mate 👍

@waveman0 Жыл бұрын

thanks mate, a grail knife for me

@alexschwan625 Жыл бұрын

@@waveman0 me too, getting one in 3v shortly

@waveman0 Жыл бұрын

@@alexschwan625 of all the Trail Masters I think the 3V will be the best one yet, though my san maiIII would be a close second.

@marcie-leebyers9521 3 жыл бұрын

Hell yes.. that's what I'm talking about 👍👍 thats a beast of a blade. I will be buying one of these.. but it's in the O-1 version.... I like the false swedge on them .. I like how CS has given U the option the shapen it.....

@waveman0 3 жыл бұрын

yeah we only have the san maiIII and A2 versions available here easily (when buying through Cleavers, a gun shop I buy most of my CS knives here in Brisbane). The O1 version would be great. In all honestly I would not sharpen the swedge, unless you intend to use it for fighting and as an EDC knife. Yes I know of American's that would carry knives of this size , one bloke on the now defunct Cold Steel forum used to EDC their Bowies, which are bigger than the Trail Master, it's all about the sheathes apparently to do it comfortably.

@marcie-leebyers9521 3 жыл бұрын

@@waveman0 yeah true.. the O-1 is discontinued now.. there is a couple of O-1 models in my local gun shop still so I'll pick one up.. 👍

@marcie-leebyers9521 3 жыл бұрын

The O-1 and A2 models have the brass guard instead of the stanless..

@waveman0 3 жыл бұрын

@@marcie-leebyers9521 the brass guards are classy, the old Carbon V models used to have them as well.

@marcie-leebyers9521 3 жыл бұрын

@@waveman0 yeah i like the look of them. 👍

@jaredh.8186 3 жыл бұрын

It’s a beautiful, hefty blade. Have one for myself and since my dad keeps eyeballing it I got one for him too. He just has to wait for Christmas. Going to prank him with a cheap blade in the trailmaster box first 😈

@waveman0 3 жыл бұрын

They are a formidable knife, well designed and made from premium materials. They are an icon blade for a reason and Lynn really hit a home run (and achieved what he set out to do, overcoming the perceived shortcomings of the traditional bowie design) when designing this knife in the early '80's.

@jaredh.8186 3 жыл бұрын

@@waveman0 well said 👍🏼

@powerplay4real174 Жыл бұрын

O1 is the version I own , but I'm watching the new San Mai Trailmaster Bowie because I just like convex edge knives and they are some of the best with the convex edge blades. Plus I will not have nearly any rust concerns with the San Mai version. 🦉

@waveman0 Жыл бұрын

agreed

@Katana-Karl 2 жыл бұрын

I'll be ordering this knife next week. I've wanted one since the early 90s. I've been looking on Ebay at the originals with Carbon V and the brass guards but like you said they are a bit expensive and most I've seen are not in the best shape. They have them on Amazon for $270. So I think I'm gonna go that route. Whataya think?

@waveman0 2 жыл бұрын

the san maiIII for $270 would be a great deal mate, and honestly you can't go wrong with a Trail Master, it's an iconic knife for a reason. Go and talk to Matt Pearson blazes and blades as well, he has a Trail Master and get a second opinion.

@Katana-Karl 2 жыл бұрын

@@waveman0 will do! Thanks for the quick response!

@wyattrogers8768 3 жыл бұрын

I just bought this knife.

@waveman0 3 жыл бұрын

I doubt you will be disappointed.

@treyh0079 2 жыл бұрын

What a Beauty just ordered one this morning. Did you make or buy the sheath leg strap?

@waveman0 2 жыл бұрын

weaved it myself, used a cobra weave.

@treyh0079 2 жыл бұрын

@@waveman0 looks great! 👍🏻

@waveman0 2 жыл бұрын

@@treyh0079 it's an easy pattern and works well, just add a clip and you are set. Looks great as well.

@B-leafer Жыл бұрын

Q? How did you modify the keeper strap to switch sides to the "safety" side? Can you just move it over, or do you have to take it apart? Nice review btw. One of the few to show proper use of the lanyard strap. Also, I am intrigued that you like the Cordura sheath better than the "secure-ex" one. May I ask why? As I respect your opinion.. PS: Lynn T. Didn't invent that drop point shape at all. It was pioneered much earlier in Bo Randall's "Randall no.1" which was developed and used during WWII Era (1943-1944). Also, used famously by Bill Bagwell. Regardless, it is extremely effective and my favorite version of the American Bowie.

@waveman0 Жыл бұрын

the strap was a simple swap, no real issue just swap it over and it's fixed. I like the Cordura sheath because they don't rub the edges blunt like the secure-ex ones do. As far as the development of the trail master, yeah I probably misspoke a couple of times

@elusivellama 2 жыл бұрын

I'm thinking of getting one of these, but it's an old stock 16JSM with the words 'Made in Japan' printed on it.

@waveman0 2 жыл бұрын

the made in Japan models are great, that's one of those in the video.

@elusivellama 2 жыл бұрын

@@waveman0 Oh the one I was looking at is not even VG-1, it's the original san mai III and doesn't say VG-1 on the blade anywhere. But I think I'll pass on that one, and go for a VG-1 san mai III just like the one you have in the video. It's a shame about the sheath, it sucks. I've learned that the Boker Arbolito El Gigante sheath seems to be a perfect fit for the trailmaster, so maybe you could find a replacement sheath in black leather and swap that in and put that corduroy one away. If you look up 'Lone Survivor' here on KZfaq, look for his comparison video between the two knives and skip to about 5:30, you can see that the trailmaster fits the sheath perfectly. The micarta version of the El Gigante comes with the aforementioned black leather sheath, so...

@Wongnumber 2 жыл бұрын

Has that dodgy sheath marked your blade heaps, they usually do.

@waveman0 2 жыл бұрын

it has somewhat

@1Rabble-Rouser Жыл бұрын

What did you get for your 50th?

@waveman0 Жыл бұрын

I commissioned an Aussie knife maker to forge a custom 3V large camp knife, it exceeded my expectations, and I've made videos about it.

@Mountain.Man.1978 3 жыл бұрын

How about that you fixed the simple thing of moving the snap so you don’t cut it! They need you in the common sense department!

@waveman0 3 жыл бұрын

thanks mate, it was a stupid thing (though small it was annoying) and a really simple fix.

@collector7993 2 жыл бұрын

Highest quality Japanese knife, lowest quality Taiwanese sheath pretty sad those sheaths. I will be making a custom saddle leather sheath, 3 welt, with front loop for Eze lap sportsman Steel, double row stitched, dyed black and waxed. Will also put the retention strap on the no cut side.

@waveman0 2 жыл бұрын

they certainly deserve a quality sheath

@samthai818 7 ай бұрын

I would love to have a convex grind Coldsteel Trail Master. But preferably not in the VG1. I wished my O1 and 3V has the convex grind.

@waveman0 7 ай бұрын

yeah that would be awesome mate, I will admit I always wanted a 3V trail master but never dropped the hammer.

@bobkrohn8053 2 жыл бұрын

I understand that you are apparently Aussie and I am a Yank. But I can’t understand half of what your saying. Need to slow down and annunciate your speech

@waveman0 2 жыл бұрын

I'll try mate

@bladeandcloak666 2 жыл бұрын

Lol...Bob go and fuck. I'm from the u.s and I can understand you just fine.

@ericsierra-franco7802 Жыл бұрын

Are you kidding? I'm a Yank too and I understand him perfectly. Annunciate his speech? His annunciation is perfect for Aussie English!

@ryangibson1901 Жыл бұрын

Fuck off lmao. “Annunciate”. I’m Aussie and can understand your dumbed down disgusting rendition of English. Aussie accents are closer to English than the yanks accent is closer to English and English being true English. I’d say you’re the odd one out. Obnoxious yank.