Saturday, February 27, 2016
Thursday, February 25, 2016
THE Rugged Outdoorsman Knife -- GCrafter Tracker
For purposes of full disclosure, I've not found a knife that I do not like. I've got a several folding knives: one for truck with the seat belt cutter and window breaker, one for the tool box to cut open anything and everything, a special edition from the State for my service time, one from my grandpa years ago that is really small, etc. I've got cheap machetes that I use to hack shooting lanes for hunting season. I've got a cheapo bowie. I've got a survival knife that I won at an church event. And, most importantly, I've got several skinning knives -- a rubberized handle with a gut hook that will not keep an edge (I'll never get rid of it because it was the last present from my mom before she passed away), a thick camo, and a matched set that is razor sharp. These knives include Gerber, Buck, Coastal, Hart, BUDK, Winchester.
Well, now to that list, I can add GCrafter! To learn more about the company, you can visit their website at: http://gcrafter.com. I appreciate and adore their tag line: "Genuine Products, Genuine Damascus, Genuine Leather, For Genuine Lovers. We are Genuine Crafters!!!" The logo is stamped into every blade right above the handle, and it offers a great, overall affect.
The company is located in Cary, North Carolina, which took me by surprise. As a native North Carolinian, I had never heard of them; yet I hope to pay their offices a visit soon. Any chance I can get to help support a local business, well, you know how that's going to end -- I'll support the local folks over a "big box store" any day of the week.
The Tracker knife is approximately 10 inches long from blade point to handle butt and the blade itself is about 5.5 inches. The knife comes with a leather sheath that is a wonderful match to the knife. If you look at the pictures on the website with those below, you will not see much difference. In fact, the only difference is in the color of the sheath -- and who really cares about that?
This knife is a thing of beauty, and the Damascus steel is just gorgeous!! These pictures simply do not do it justice -- get one for yourself and you will see why. A good friend of mine says the knife is almost too pretty to use, but I disagree with him. The company website speaks of the high carbon and nickel steel that are the basis of the blade. It comes right from the factory with a nice edge on it - unlike many knives that are just plain dull.
For those of you know understanding the different components of the tracking knife, please see the picture below that offers a little bit of an explanation. The best way I know to describe a tracker knife is in this fashion -- a multi-purpose, survivalist, outdoor knife! It contains roughly two parts to the blade: (1) the "tip" that can be used to hack, skin, or split and (2) the "draw" that can be used for whittling, shaving, and cutting motions. The handle is fashion from Micarta with solid, Brass O-rings. The Micarta is a composite product that some knife purists will object to; however, its hardness and rugged resistance to water make it the perfect complement to this true, outdoor knife.
The handle itself also endears it to the owner of the knife. Rather than just a flat and evenly proportional handle, it is contoured in several areas. First, the bottom of the handle has the deep groove for the index finger and the rest of the handle has a gentle slope that fits the remaining fingers almost perfectly. To give you a little context, I stand 6 feet 4 inches tall and weigh about 210 pounds; and this knife fits my hand amazingly well. Second, the width of the handle also varies twice and the positioning is right where it needs to be for that almost custom fit into the grasping hand. While the picture below does not showcase this variation well, you can get the idea of the grip.
The blade is heavy which gives the knife a "forward leaning" tendency; however, that tendency is exactly what you want and need for a skinning function. It is unfortunate that I did not get this during hunting season when I could have really put it through its paces in skinning several deer. Nevertheless, some cutting tasks were performed, and I have no complaints whatsoever with the knife. It slashed what I needed it to without issue -- well, I didn't need to slash those jugs of water but it was fun! It hacked smaller branches off trees to be used for future purposes (keep reading). It shaved wood easily to form marshmallow roasting sticks. All of these were performed right out of the box without any time sharpening it. Granted, I always put my own edges on knives, and this one will be no different, but my hope was just to test this overall right out of the package.
The only suggestion that I can offer is with the sheath. The snap was a bit loose, which could create a susceptibility for the knife to exit the sheath unintentionally. That snap issue could be just one sheath in a hundred, so I am not worried about that at all. My concern or frustration is simple -- the sheath not have a belt loop anywhere on it. Considering this is a truly rugged knife for the avid outdoorsman, I'm somewhat surprised that was part of the sheath. Some of the other, cheap-o knives that I own come with flimsy nylon sheaths that do include the belt loop option. That upgrade on the sheath makes this THE (without debate) perfect outdoor knife. For what it's worth and from my perspective, it already holds that title anyway.
In starting this review, I mentioned how many different knives and brands that I own; so let me finish this way -- the GCrafter Tracker knife is the favorite of my collection (excluding those of sentimental value, of course). My wife, who is not a "knife person," has spent lots of time with it in her hand as she continues to look it over. I am eager to explore their other options -- Bowie, Skinner, Dagger, and Folders. As you explore their knives, you may be tempted to say "overpriced" based on the MSRP. Well, I counter that by saying this -- the knives are offered at a lower price through the company. Just put your hands on one and you'll see and feel the quality which will help you understand the pricing point. I've paid similar quality for knives that are poorer quality.
Listen to my advice here -- get you one. There are multiple options for you to choose from at http://gcrafter.com/product-category/tracker-knife. You will not be disappointed with your purchase!!
Well, now to that list, I can add GCrafter! To learn more about the company, you can visit their website at: http://gcrafter.com. I appreciate and adore their tag line: "Genuine Products, Genuine Damascus, Genuine Leather, For Genuine Lovers. We are Genuine Crafters!!!" The logo is stamped into every blade right above the handle, and it offers a great, overall affect.The company is located in Cary, North Carolina, which took me by surprise. As a native North Carolinian, I had never heard of them; yet I hope to pay their offices a visit soon. Any chance I can get to help support a local business, well, you know how that's going to end -- I'll support the local folks over a "big box store" any day of the week.
The Tracker knife is approximately 10 inches long from blade point to handle butt and the blade itself is about 5.5 inches. The knife comes with a leather sheath that is a wonderful match to the knife. If you look at the pictures on the website with those below, you will not see much difference. In fact, the only difference is in the color of the sheath -- and who really cares about that?
This knife is a thing of beauty, and the Damascus steel is just gorgeous!! These pictures simply do not do it justice -- get one for yourself and you will see why. A good friend of mine says the knife is almost too pretty to use, but I disagree with him. The company website speaks of the high carbon and nickel steel that are the basis of the blade. It comes right from the factory with a nice edge on it - unlike many knives that are just plain dull.
For those of you know understanding the different components of the tracking knife, please see the picture below that offers a little bit of an explanation. The best way I know to describe a tracker knife is in this fashion -- a multi-purpose, survivalist, outdoor knife! It contains roughly two parts to the blade: (1) the "tip" that can be used to hack, skin, or split and (2) the "draw" that can be used for whittling, shaving, and cutting motions. The handle is fashion from Micarta with solid, Brass O-rings. The Micarta is a composite product that some knife purists will object to; however, its hardness and rugged resistance to water make it the perfect complement to this true, outdoor knife.
The handle itself also endears it to the owner of the knife. Rather than just a flat and evenly proportional handle, it is contoured in several areas. First, the bottom of the handle has the deep groove for the index finger and the rest of the handle has a gentle slope that fits the remaining fingers almost perfectly. To give you a little context, I stand 6 feet 4 inches tall and weigh about 210 pounds; and this knife fits my hand amazingly well. Second, the width of the handle also varies twice and the positioning is right where it needs to be for that almost custom fit into the grasping hand. While the picture below does not showcase this variation well, you can get the idea of the grip.
The blade is heavy which gives the knife a "forward leaning" tendency; however, that tendency is exactly what you want and need for a skinning function. It is unfortunate that I did not get this during hunting season when I could have really put it through its paces in skinning several deer. Nevertheless, some cutting tasks were performed, and I have no complaints whatsoever with the knife. It slashed what I needed it to without issue -- well, I didn't need to slash those jugs of water but it was fun! It hacked smaller branches off trees to be used for future purposes (keep reading). It shaved wood easily to form marshmallow roasting sticks. All of these were performed right out of the box without any time sharpening it. Granted, I always put my own edges on knives, and this one will be no different, but my hope was just to test this overall right out of the package.
The only suggestion that I can offer is with the sheath. The snap was a bit loose, which could create a susceptibility for the knife to exit the sheath unintentionally. That snap issue could be just one sheath in a hundred, so I am not worried about that at all. My concern or frustration is simple -- the sheath not have a belt loop anywhere on it. Considering this is a truly rugged knife for the avid outdoorsman, I'm somewhat surprised that was part of the sheath. Some of the other, cheap-o knives that I own come with flimsy nylon sheaths that do include the belt loop option. That upgrade on the sheath makes this THE (without debate) perfect outdoor knife. For what it's worth and from my perspective, it already holds that title anyway.
In starting this review, I mentioned how many different knives and brands that I own; so let me finish this way -- the GCrafter Tracker knife is the favorite of my collection (excluding those of sentimental value, of course). My wife, who is not a "knife person," has spent lots of time with it in her hand as she continues to look it over. I am eager to explore their other options -- Bowie, Skinner, Dagger, and Folders. As you explore their knives, you may be tempted to say "overpriced" based on the MSRP. Well, I counter that by saying this -- the knives are offered at a lower price through the company. Just put your hands on one and you'll see and feel the quality which will help you understand the pricing point. I've paid similar quality for knives that are poorer quality.
Listen to my advice here -- get you one. There are multiple options for you to choose from at http://gcrafter.com/product-category/tracker-knife. You will not be disappointed with your purchase!!
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