Bit of a miss-match there, for those particular tasks, I would have thought. The Busse is a monster of a chopper, which is its main attribute. The Trail Master is one of those large knives that don't really excel at any one category of tasks, but accomplishes almost everything that comes its way, a veritable Master of Trail work. In the price dept the Trail Master comes out top, as the Busse, as always, is well into the premium bracket, and probably category leader, certainly in my estimation! People tend to forget that primarily, the Bowie was a fighting knife, and the Trail Master is no exception. However, when used for other than fighting, it performed so well that it came to be accepted in much wider "outdoorsy" circles and found to be the ultimate all-rounder. Hence it is still up there and selling well many years later! After all, isn't that the real hallmark a great product, that it is still selling well despite the efforts of competitors to unseat it? All I can say to anyone contemplating the purchase of a Trail Master (especially in San Mai III), is before you decide against it, arrange to see and feel one in your hands! It just does something to your soul! Speak/type to guys (like Rob Evans) about the knife and I feel certain you won't be able to say NO. I didn't, and I even had Rob make me one of his excellent leather sheaths for it, just to celebrate! Go well!
I know the CS Trailmaster specs because I own one, but I wish you speced the maximum blade spine thickness of the Busse. As you know, blade thickness, as well as grind type is responsible for the splitting capability of a knife when batoning.
Say Heah M8, My Trail Master is a vintage 1990 model, It's in San Mai 3 and the line of demarcation is closer to the edge like that Fallkniven's. Also the ricaso is different than the new models, They just don't make them like they use to, I don't have the Fussion Battle Mistress, But I have the Nuclear Meltdown Fussion Steel Heart, and the Ergo Battle Mistress and Anneversay Straight Handle Battle Mistress. Great Knives, Great Job, M8. Thanx You. and Cheers, M8.
My FBM has the blade grooves - I can't see them on yours. Is it a later version or did your grind/sand them out? A friend on mine has an original Trailmaster from the late 80s/early 90s and the handle on his is sort of starting to crumble/disintergtrate Not sure if the current models use the same material, but someting to bear in mind if you are considering one. The Carbon V steel is very nice though - not sure that it is as durable as INFI but you can get a scary sharp edge on it real fast and it holds is pretty well - my SRK is probably the sharpest fixed bklade knife I own.
the busse heat treat is absolutely incredible!!i beat the daylights out out my ashbm for 2 days prossesing firewood it was very cold and it would still pop hairs edge was totaly unaffected BUSSE RULES!!:-D
Lol the steel on busses is treated to ~60 RC, the point is that the edge is supposed to roll instead of chip like 3v does. Most CPM steels WILL chip if you are chopping and hit something hard by accident like a stone or a bone. That's just the nature of steels that are heavy in Vanadium and Chromium
I was batoning wood with my San mai trail master and the blade bent to the left by around 9 mm. I eventually figured out smacking it on wood backside down helps it bend back but I was still very disappointed for a knife I paid 450 CAD for.
i own a few busses and cold steel japan. busse knives are survival knives. by all means, beat the living hell out of them. trail master is, like most bowies, a fighting knife. by design, they are light and balance for stabbing and cutting. even rambo's knife would break if you treat it as a heavy duty field knife. know your tools is half the battle of survival.
First got my Trailmaster back around 1986. Torture-tested it out in my yard, it still cut 3 inches of hemp rope with one swipe, after chopping down an 8 or 9-inch cherry tree, then I hammered the blade`s point into the cherry stump, stood on the handle, and bounced up and down. It survived with flying colors ! The double handguard annoyed me, so I cut off the top side and filed it smooth....great improvement, IMHO. This is one tough knife !
If you're trying to compare which knife is tougher for everyday use, isn't it kind of like asking which would hurt worse if it stepped on your foot: A rhino or a hippo? Still, comparing these two seems to be a normal thing, there's hundreds of videos and articles about it. However, not only is the Infi steel going to be ultimately better, the full tang of the FBM is much stronger. Both should hold up to a lifetime of use, but the Busse will go further through generations.
well i gotta say thats true the busse will last longer however its not because of the tang, its because of the steel, the blade will break before the tang does and the bfm is like 10 times more expensive than the trailmaster sooo
Jordan Nazif I have to disagree with a couple of your points. I agree the Infi syeel Busse uses is better than any of the Steels Cold Steel has ever used on the Trail Master, and of all the steels Cold Steel has ever used, only CPM-3V really compares with either Infi, SR-101, or Elmax, the steels Busse uses. Also, a Battle Mistress sells for about $450 when they are in stock at Busse, the used ones go for anywhere from $200 on up. A Cold Steel San Mai Trail Master retails for almost $500 and sells on Amazon for about $280. While original, unused classic Battle Mistresses may go for a lot more than that, good used ones are regularly available for $200-$400, not 10X more.
Jordan Nazif Also, the tang on Trail Masters are very solid by comparison to most other big knives, they're still only about half the width of the blade itself. Google " Cold Steel Trailmaster tang" and click on "Images" and you'll see how thick they are: Beefy, but well less than half of any model of BM.
@@random_eskimo_in_the_rockies Rodger have to disagree with you on the 3V comparing itself to Infi steel they're not in the same category go to one of the Busse forums and you will hear Jerry talk specifically about 3v and he mentioned if it was Superior or on par to Infi then he would off used it. Then he said that it wasn't so that's why they choose Infi. Not only that the Steels that are in the same catagory to Infi are s7, CD#1, Ztuff and Caldi. 3v is on the same catagory as to Zwear and PD#1.
Say Heah, I Live my Busse, heh heh heh, get it. Yeah, I have a Meltdown Fusion Stél Heart, and a Anniversary Straight Handle Battle Mistress LE, and a Ergonomic Battle Mistress, I also have a Vintage Trail Master circa 1990 where the Ricaso was different than the new ones, I think they were better made.,,.
Bit of a miss-match there, for those particular tasks, I would have thought. The Busse is a monster of a chopper, which is its main attribute. The Trail Master is one of those large knives that don't really excel at any one category of tasks, but accomplishes almost everything that comes its way, a veritable Master of Trail work. In the price dept the Trail Master comes out top, as the Busse, as always, is well into the premium bracket, and probably category leader, certainly in my estimation!
People tend to forget that primarily, the Bowie was a fighting knife, and the Trail Master is no exception. However, when used for other than fighting, it performed so well that it came to be accepted in much wider "outdoorsy" circles and found to be the ultimate all-rounder. Hence it is still up there and selling well many years later! After all, isn't that the real hallmark a great product, that it is still selling well despite the efforts of competitors to unseat it?
All I can say to anyone contemplating the purchase of a Trail Master (especially in San Mai III), is before you decide against it, arrange to see and feel one in your hands! It just does something to your soul! Speak/type to guys (like Rob Evans) about the knife and I feel certain you won't be able to say NO. I didn't, and I even had Rob make me one of his excellent leather sheaths for it, just to celebrate!
Go well!
Totally agree 👍
Great video. Good hard testing on what these large camp knives are made for.
Both are good tough knives and I would love to own either one of tbem. Plus the Cold Steel is a Combat Weapon design.
I love my NMFBM hand shaped micarta. Love my Sarge 7 too!!
I know the CS Trailmaster specs because I own one, but I wish you speced the maximum blade spine thickness of the Busse. As you know, blade thickness, as well as grind type is responsible for the splitting capability of a knife when batoning.
Say Heah M8, My Trail Master is a vintage 1990 model, It's in San Mai 3 and the line of demarcation is closer to the edge like that Fallkniven's. Also the ricaso is different than the new models, They just don't make them like they use to, I don't have the Fussion Battle Mistress, But I have the Nuclear Meltdown Fussion Steel Heart, and the Ergo Battle Mistress and Anneversay Straight Handle Battle Mistress. Great Knives, Great Job, M8. Thanx You. and Cheers, M8.
My FBM has the blade grooves - I can't see them on yours. Is it a later version or did your grind/sand them out?
A friend on mine has an original Trailmaster from the late 80s/early 90s and the handle on his is sort of starting to crumble/disintergtrate Not sure if the current models use the same material, but someting to bear in mind if you are considering one.
The Carbon V steel is very nice though - not sure that it is as durable as INFI but you can get a scary sharp edge on it real fast and it holds is pretty well - my SRK is probably the sharpest fixed bklade knife I own.
It's a Custom Shop version. Your version sounds like the original Combat Grade one.
Busse wins... The Battle Mistress is half knife - half axe, all badass.
Next week -- Lamborghini Aventador vs. Dodge Dart! lol
Lol yeah that's how these two knifes compare for sure.
Yep the handle has let the TM down for a while, however for its time it still competes with modern large blades.. Great review keep them coming bro..
the busse heat treat is absolutely incredible!!i beat the daylights out out my ashbm for 2 days prossesing firewood it was very cold and it would still pop hairs edge was totaly unaffected BUSSE RULES!!:-D
well the busses i have and used have been great blades.
Lol the steel on busses is treated to ~60 RC, the point is that the edge is supposed to roll instead of chip like 3v does. Most CPM steels WILL chip if you are chopping and hit something hard by accident like a stone or a bone. That's just the nature of steels that are heavy in Vanadium and Chromium
sawdust 69 ĺ
We shall see
@@signs80 I'm I'm
I was batoning wood with my San mai trail master and the blade bent to the left by around 9 mm. I eventually figured out smacking it on wood backside down helps it bend back but I was still very disappointed for a knife I paid 450 CAD for.
i own a few busses and cold steel japan. busse knives are survival knives. by all means, beat the living hell out of them. trail master is, like most bowies, a fighting knife. by design, they are light and balance for stabbing and cutting. even rambo's knife would break if you treat it as a heavy duty field knife. know your tools is half the battle of survival.
A heavy chopping knife vs. a theme park knife.
I find my self questioning those rubber handles also but the blades and steel rock on Cold Steel knives.
I love the kraton handle on the Trail Master. Fits my hands very well.
I still don't get the whole chopping wood with a knife bit.
Split a deer pelvis and sternum yeah ... but never chopped wood with a knife.
Not everybody wants to bring an ax.
@@StevanOutdoor Simple wedges do the job just as efficiently. [Most people don't use wedges because for some reason they are not seen as "cool"!]
Like the Busse
First got my Trailmaster back around 1986. Torture-tested it out in my yard, it still cut 3 inches of hemp rope with one swipe, after chopping down an 8 or 9-inch cherry tree, then I hammered the blade`s point into the cherry stump, stood on the handle, and bounced up and down. It survived with flying colors ! The double handguard annoyed me, so I cut off the top side and filed it smooth....great improvement, IMHO. This is one tough knife !
What on earth kind of wood was that during the battoning comparison???
It's called Flooded Gum.
@@RobStanley72 some tuff stuff
👍👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
If you're trying to compare which knife is tougher for everyday use, isn't it kind of like asking which would hurt worse if it stepped on your foot: A rhino or a hippo? Still, comparing these two seems to be a normal thing, there's hundreds of videos and articles about it. However, not only is the Infi steel going to be ultimately better, the full tang of the FBM is much stronger. Both should hold up to a lifetime of use, but the Busse will go further through generations.
well i gotta say thats true the busse will last longer however its not because of the tang, its because of the steel, the blade will break before the tang does and the bfm is like 10 times more expensive than the trailmaster sooo
Jordan Nazif I have to disagree with a couple of your points. I agree the Infi syeel Busse uses is better than any of the Steels Cold Steel has ever used on the Trail Master, and of all the steels Cold Steel has ever used, only CPM-3V really compares with either Infi, SR-101, or Elmax, the steels Busse uses. Also, a Battle Mistress sells for about $450 when they are in stock at Busse, the used ones go for anywhere from $200 on up. A Cold Steel San Mai Trail Master retails for almost $500 and sells on Amazon for about $280. While original, unused classic Battle Mistresses may go for a lot more than that, good used ones are regularly available for $200-$400, not 10X more.
Jordan Nazif Also, the tang on Trail Masters are very solid by comparison to most other big knives, they're still only about half the width of the blade itself. Google " Cold Steel Trailmaster tang" and click on "Images" and you'll see how thick they are: Beefy, but well less than half of any model of BM.
@@random_eskimo_in_the_rockies Rodger have to disagree with you on the 3V comparing itself to Infi steel they're not in the same category go to one of the Busse forums and you will hear Jerry talk specifically about 3v and he mentioned if it was Superior or on par to Infi then he would off used it. Then he said that it wasn't so that's why they choose Infi. Not only that the Steels that are in the same catagory to Infi are s7, CD#1, Ztuff and Caldi. 3v is on the same catagory as to Zwear and PD#1.
@@GODWITHUS0712 Of course he's going to say INFI is superior, it's his proprietary steel. Not exactly an unbiased opinion.
Both knives win mallet big looser both knives are winners .Happy Trails
du bist aber auch nicht zimperlich mit den messern...😀😀😀
Nothing goes through wood like INFI and/or A8mod. My friends are all 3v SNOBS until I pull out the A8mod . Then all I hear are excuses, lol.too funny
Splitting power depends on blade geometry, not steel type.
All depends on how big is your arm and how heavy you are. Steel is for flex but I like to flex too :P
Say Heah, I Live my Busse, heh heh heh, get it. Yeah, I have a Meltdown Fusion Stél Heart, and a Anniversary Straight Handle Battle Mistress LE, and a Ergonomic Battle Mistress, I also have a Vintage Trail Master circa 1990 where the Ricaso was different than the new ones, I think they were better made.,,.
Cs is flat grind and busse is saber grind not same geometri that's why different results. Try busse flat cs flat..
Tooo muchhhhe
Not much of a test in my opinion.
trailmaster wins by far, no clips on hard use