This is a heavy thick knife with one of the sharpest edges i've seen. To call this thing a Trail Master is an understatement. The pictures really do it no justice. I did not know this had a distal taper on it when I had purchased and am glad it does because it can not only do woodworking but can also be used to hunt/skin. Let me emphasize just how THICK this thing is from the halfway point to the guard. You could baton decent sized wood and hunt with this thing at the same time. I do not know any other knife that exists with such versatility. Oh, and with the weight it can chop! It can definitely substitute a hatchet weighing only 1lb compared to the 2lbs of a standard hatchet. First complaint, as with many other people, is that the handle is very uncomfortable and is almost impossible to use without gloves, plus the rubber grip will not last forever. Although the grip is good for cold weather i'd prefer micarta handle scales instead. The clip point can eat up baton sticks as it is very sharp, so look out for that. The secure EX sheath that it comes with only dulls the blade, but it is designed to last forever. The sheath that came with my O1 Trail Master ended up scratching up the fine brass guard on both sides after taking it out 2 or 3 times, which I believe to be from the friction locking system of the sheath (essentially a bump in the plastic). I ended up getting a $300 custom kydex sheath made for this which only ended up scratching the blade (LOL), but according to many online forums, that is very common and signs of a "good fit", I'll consider it a mark of character.

cold steel is a American company, the trail master is made in tawan but the knife is very good.