Anyone heard of this guy?

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TOPS Response:

Hello Kiah,
Thanks for your message and your interest...
I guess there is little imagination left in life,

With thanks,
TOPS KNIVES
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Gentlebeings, this thread is no joke. This is about an actual person who really is offering knives for sale for money. This thread is moving to TGB&U.

Let’s see if we can find the right forum …
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I love how a thread can evolve (devolve?) and get moved to more sub-forums than a circus-performer!:D
 
That knife is unbelievably kick ass. I wouldn't shell out more that $16.25 for it though.
 
JLightning carefully missed the point. Many of us have served and almost all of us have extensive experience with knives - on the Wildernmess & Survival Skills subform, with hard use knives.

Instead of explaining and defending his work, he attacked us for our scepticism. This was playing against that strength of ours that he derided, our internet experience. An exercise in futility: we are still not convinced.
 
Actually Babson Park is not a 'burb, but it is also not in the Everglades. It is in cattle/citrus country between Lake Wales and Avon Park. One more question for any of you that might know. What are the perceived benefits of triple quenching 1095? Correct me if I am wrong, but even folks who swear by multiple quenches on chromium bearing carbon steels such as 52100 and 5160 have said, if I recall correctly, that you probably don't get the same benefit with simple carbon steels like the 10xx types, or the W steels. I have been told that multiple quenches may give you an unintended and possibly unwanted "recurve" or "reverse sori" if you do it on a large clay coated W2 blade:D:eek:
 
Im not sure why but this guy has really annoyed me. The following 3 points are probably a good part of it.

JLightning said:
1:
You can’t afford my products

2:
I don’t have to ask any of you what any of you ever designed, invested in, or had the initiative to develop, ever, much less built with your own hands. Dumb question, I already know the answer: absolutely nothing.

3:
P.P.S.: This is an e-mail we received a week ago from an operator in Afghanistan who purchased a Special Combat and Survival System almost a year ago. This is somebody who has had real experience with our equipment.

“Mr. J Lightning,
This is SPC John Langford. I bought one of your special combat razrs a few months ago. I was chopping one day and the last chop went through and i nicked the blade a little on a rock or something. The nick is toward the point. Would there be anyway I could send it to you and have you get the bur out of the blade. If you don't remember me I am the one that bought your last leather sheath that could be used for horizontal carry. Anyway I do love the knife and sheath and really appreciate the quality.Thanks for your time.
SPC John Langford

RE: SPC Langford,

Absolutely, no worries! Simply send just the knife to us, well wrapped so it can't punch out the box, with a check enclosed for return shipping and insurance.
I will put a whole new edge on your knife and re-heat treat the edge so it will be the same as you bought it new, no charge.
Depending on how deep the nick is, I don't want to completely remove a flaw. I'll judge it, and do it accordingly, but understand that if there is something little left, if will come out eventually with future sharpenings. We just don't want to grind your knife away for no reason.
Anyhow, glad to fix it for you! If you're still around to beat it up that means you're still intact and that's much preferable!

Good to hear from you, stay safe,
J. Lightning “
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1: I think he will find were just not stupid, our finantial status has nothing to do with it.

2: Not been to the "makers forum" here then has he :rolleyes:

3: Hes going to reheat treat that guys knife but he dosnt want to "regrind the knife for no reason" :confused: so what was wrong with the first 3 heat treatments any way ???:rolleyes:
The knife just needs sharpened but it seems he chose to BS the guy with some crap he presumed the guy won't know any better about, if the guy even exists :rolleyes:

So when did he buy that knife ? a few months ago or a year ago :confused:

:thumbdn::thumbdn::thumbdn:
 
Here's his "hand-built process" as far as I can see (specifically the Razr):

Step 1: Acquire a perfectly good TOPS Screaming Eagle (retail $269 - an excellent and well-made knife. BTW, TOPS are hand-crafted in a shop, not a factory).

Step 2: Ruin perfectly good knife by tearing chunks out of it, over heat treating it (if he really does any additional heat treat at all), and passing it off as a custom knife "made" by J. Lightning (an alias, anonymous "tactical operator").

Step 3: Charge almost 3X as much for a now ruined knife, fraudulently claiming it as your own work. Rip-off our servicemen who pay way too much for this fraudulent work.

Step 4: Sleep well at night, because you are a greedy sociopath with no conscience.

NEW-Step 5: Sleep less well because you've been discovered and called out as the fraud you are.

NEW-Step 6: Whine on the forum without providing any bonafides, further damaging your own reputation because you have no bonafides to show.

Repeat, but substitute inexpensive Cold Steel or Pakistani knives and their various prices according to scale.
 
JLightning said:
Do any of you geniuses have any first-hand knowledge of our gear? Or even second-hand?
I’ve had enough field experience not to judge any equipment before I’ve spent at least a week or better in the weeds with it. You haven’t even held it in your hand, so what qualifies you to make the criticisms you have?
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RobertH said:
I think this guy actually contacted me at one time. Now I turn around and see this? He corrupts the name and copies it? He even sent the knife in. I reserved comment, for occasionally I get the overpriced, cord wrapped uber tactical ninja blade in for sheathing (to each his own) But I had no idea he was trying to copy me.
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...........................
 
JLightning said:
So, you self-proclaimed “experts” have any real survival experience, or background at all, and I don’t mean a weekend survival school......

What qualifications do any of you have? None, I bet, for the reasons I’ve just stated.....

The only opinion that I value is from professionals, not wanna-be’s. You guys need some real experiences and maybe you’d have something real to talk about. We get feedback from real men, soldiers that put their life on the line every day.....

These are real professionals, maybe you should send them some of your third-hand opinions and see what they think....

I am so tired of runny-nosed wanna-be’s, I could scream, and it makes me ill. Maybe I’ll point a few real soldiers to your little site, that could make for good reading.
You all don’t have what it takes to be real field operators, or you would be, so the best you could do is stay in the comfort of home and try to impress everyone with your banter......

You know, one of the most disturbing things in the world today is that most people’s mouths are as big as the internet, sure is safe there, huh, fellas.....

Your “fun” at my expense is greatly outweighed by the e-mails we receive from real soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq that have had our equipment for quite a while now, and from a year to two years later still thank us for our great gear.

I shouldn’t be so critical of you guys as you are of me, for the same reason I stated earlier, I haven’t met you and I don’t know you, but what am I supposed to think other than you have no backbone or any basis on which to make your opinions. And you know what they say about opinions … That’s the difference between you and me, I do, you talk.

J. Lightning

P.S.: I won’t return to this site to see if you boys are done picking on me, you’ll hurt my feelings.
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I snipped a bit of your post. Reading over it, I have a solution:
I'm your Huckleberry.:D
Send me one and I'll do an honest review on it. While my list of "creds" may not be as large as some of the folks' here......I've got a few. Ball's in your court Mr. Lightning.

Aaron
 
:mad:

He is just some bastard with a dremil tool and some black paracord that scams our soldiers out of their money.

His claims are just outragous, reheattreating the blade because it got a knick in it. How did he heat treat that cheap oss without burning the handle and logo off?
 
Well, I emailed him about coming down there, and he responded:

"Come on over, Junior!"

When the visit is scheduled, I'll let you know.
 
I have a very nice Schrade SP2 for sale too. I am only asking $250.00 for it. (plus shipping). I know that seems a little high but I am doing the reverse volume sales thing here. I don't have to sell many to make out pretty good.

(said with a big smile on my micky)

Discounts available for US Military service person. For example I will ship it to anyone in Iraq for $2.09. Anyone in Afganistan for $2.12. The extra 3 cents if because it is farther to Afganistan.
 
This has been one interesting thread. Having read quite a few threads that the "attackee" finally comes on & defends himself on (Not necessarily just this Forum), I've noticed consistencies of the "BS guys."

1. They always seem to know more than everyone else & have far greater "creds", but won't or can't prove it.

2. Instead of explaining themselves, they all seem to "knock" the Forumites (Us). Calling us names, etc.

3. They seem to pull up someone that gives them a great testimony (That can't seem to be verified).

I wish J. Lightning WOULD invite some of his "Military aquaintances" to the Forum.

While I do understand how one of our Soldiers can get an expensive knife in his/her hands when off to combat (Gifts from family, friends, or even vendors/manufactorers) & "some" might have the $$ to buy them for themselves (Family wealth, successful Reserves, etc.), I do find it surprising that our Soldiers would buy a relatively unknown brand knife (Striders, even Cold Steel, are known, not his knives).

Also, I find it interesting that he "brags" about his product, but asks the Soldier (In his post), to include return shipping. If this person exists, I understand he's clear across the world, but wouldn't most manufactureres offer to return the knife free of charge? J. Lightning "bragged" about sending over free stuff to our Military, what's the big deal in paying for the return postage himself?

Also, while I don't know J. Lightning, he doesn't know me (Or any of us, for that matter), & what we might have or are doing. While it hasn't been the same, my LE days have definitely seen their share of "real" use of my knives.

OK, will someone please pass the popcorn, I'm done with my rant...
 
JLightning, I can afford your knives, and I have designed and made a few things with my own hands. To me, that knife doesn't look like you did much design work yourself. It looks like you removed some metal from a knife that someone else designed.

You really seem to think that you are something, but you come across as a jackass. You're a pompous, condescending jerk, and I wouldn't spend one cent on anything you have made.
 
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