Review - Colt TrailScout

I know it's not very "tactical", and the blade is even 420J2 (eww!). However, it is one well made knife. Most of you who have been around the forums for any length of time know that I have always been a Knife Nut. A few years ago I stopped buying expensive knives and even sold off or gave away most of my old collection. The word collection being the operative word here. While I still have a couple of old quality blades that I decided to keep for sentimental reasons, most of my EDC's and real utility users are now practical, and dare I say it, CHEAP!

I mess it up, who cares.
I lose it, who cares.

These days I can afford to replace whatever I damage or lose because it no longer costs me an arm-and-a-leg to get a new one.

This does not mean I buy junk. It means I've taken everything I've learned about knives over the last 30 years or so and finally managed to put it to good use for me instead of for every knife retailer and custom/semicustom maker in America.

And all this finally brings me back to the Colt TrailScout. First of all I paid less than the price you see listed at the website that is hosting the picture I linked to above.
This is, as I said, one well made knife. I've never been a fan of 420J2 steel, but apparently somebody finally figured out how to get decent edge-holding abilities out of it. I've tried it on everything from cardboard, to a London Broil, whittled wood, cut nylon and cotton rope/cord and duct tape just to give you an example because there was other stuff but I just can't think of it right now.

The handle appears to be cast aluminum with a checkered heavy rubber slip on coating that fits into a pre-machined portion of the handle. The grip is excellent without being too tacky. One of the things I like best about this knife is the heavy half-guard that actually keeps your fingers from sliding up onto the blade during a thrust. No I haven't been going around stabbing people, or even any cheap rump roasts from the butchers. Pine 1x12"s and old duffel bags filled with old rags and wrapped in duct tape have proven to me that my fingers and tendons are safe if I ever have to jab this knife into anything solid.

Hell, it even works in Reverse-grip edge out for all you pickle fans out there.

Finally, the sheath. Again, not at all tactical, but made of a thick Nylon material with a stiff plastic liner. The stitching is well done, and the retention snap and strap are both solid as a rock. You'd have a problem getting it out in hurry for Self Defense, but you'd never have to worry about losing it in the woods or doing some work at a construction site. If you want to make it "tactical" though, just go buy yourself some Kydex, read some articles, and make yourself a "tactical" sheath.

So there you have it, solid, reliable, and with plenty of potential for SD.

And with the money you save, you can actually go out and enjoy your life, instead of sitting home and trying to save every last penny you can, just so you can buy the latest Self Defense Wonder Knife that'll cost you so much money, that you'll be afraid to carry and use it for fear of scratching the blade

NOTE: This is a sllightlty edited version of a Review I published online at a small forum in 2006)