I’ve got a new fixed blade in hand to T&E. Thought I’d introduce it to you. The knife is the result of a collaborative effort of the Tyr Group, a training group specializing in tracking instruction for military and Jeff Crowner (as in well known knife craftsman Jeff Crowner). It’s called the Tyr Group Combat Tracker.
Tyr Group Combat Tracker
Without going into too much detail, the guys behind Tyr Group have a solid grounding in operational SOF work and are excellent trackers. The knife was conceived after many hours in the field conducting tracking classes. Mr. Crowner is a master knife maker an accomplished Pekiti-Tirsia Kali practitioner and instructor.
“[We] needed a knife that could easily attach to a MOLLE vest or harness without being too long or too bulky…[it needed] to be heavy enough to take the punishment when used…to chop, baton…gut and skin an animal…and be balanced properly so it could be used as a fighting knife as well.” Tyr Group
The blade is 5160 Chromium spring steel that has been differentially heat treated and was designed as an all purpose blade. The blade profile is based on a Filipino barong design with a slight S curve along the cutting edge and a convex grind for heavier tasks like chopping. The blade is 6” long, with a 4 ½” military birds-beak handle and is longer than your typical handle, for larger grips or a user wearing gloves. Overall length is 10”, sheath is standard Kydex.
There’s a lot more to this knife than what I’m writing here, but you’re going to have to wait until I’ve had more time to beat the hell out of it. I have had it in the field just a little bit so far. I started out on a short day hike from the Marmaton river-Deerfield Creek junction to KK highway, but I was flooded out and haven't had a chance to do much more with it yet. I have done some basic cutting and prying, and based on some problems I've seen with knives in the past I hammered through the hood of an old car to see if I could chip or break the tip off (I couldn’t).
Took me a while to beat it through the hood. Rocks kept breaking. I put it through in three places and pried back and forth. Didn't do much but discolor the tip.
After beating the end with a several rocks and a handy piece of metal.
That’s all for now. The knife is available via Tyr Group. I'll write more on it as I have time to work with it.
The following day, after cutting through a tractor tire and my initial abuse. Discoloration is from the rubber of a tire off an old JD830.
DR
