Are Bark River and Tops going to crush everyone?

Ordered a Bootlegger, today the model with the saw teeth on the spine. Mainly because it didn't have "Bootlegger" in big letters across the blade. I'll post a picture and report on the edge!
 
coolbreezy37 said:
Got a few more Tops incoming for rest of 2023. The Dart, Silent Hero, Steel Eagle 107E (non serrated hunter’s point) and the Apache Dawn. I regret getting rid of the Outpost Command and the Longhorn Bowie. Might replace them with the same models sometime in the future. The best one I’ve ever used is the longhorn Bowie. I absolutely love the Alaskan Harpoon as well. The Alaskan Harpoon and Steel Eagle are quite impractical and somewhat strange looking, but they just plain work. I think I’ll add the Longhorn Bowie back to the 2023 list. I just hate their sheaths. Esee has them beat on that one big time.
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Love my Tops DART, have more than one. Probably one of my favorite designs and 5160 steel to boot. An under the radar winner of a knife IMO.
 
beestokk said:
Love my Tops DART, have more than one. Probably one of my favorite designs and 5160 steel to boot. An under the radar winner of a knife IMO.
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Looks like a great knife, the Dart. Added the Tahoma field knife and the Longhorn Bowie back to the list. Tops is by far my favorite production knife company.
 
This is one strange thread. OP are you under the impression Bark River only uses 3v?

Also I would be inclined to guess tops isn't even in the top 10 selling (quality) fixed blade brands. Don't get me wrong the Tops Bob is awesome.
 
You know what we need (and it will be counter to all of the online gurus and sales people) is a list of which knife for which application and why. I could see using the Tops Dart in and environment where you needed to chop through cane fields or the jungle, but also be able to stab whatever comes your way. Vietnam in 1965-1975 would come to mind. I use the Hiro Machete and the Hukari for chopping brush, etc and the tip may make putting it away a bit of a hazard and I might end up poking myself. So on the list - if I was going to fight in Vietnam in the 70’s or in dangerous cane fields, I’d take the Dart, so I could buy that when I am headed there. The list would save most of us from having a collection of things. Just a thought.
 
Elektroslag said:
This is one strange thread. OP are you under the impression Bark River only uses 3v?

Also I would be inclined to guess tops isn't even in the top 10 selling (quality) fixed blade brands. Don't get me wrong the Tops Bob is awesome.
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Ah - acronyms - I had to look up ”OP” - original poster. What I meant by this discussion was - hey Bark River and Tops make some good knives that one can recommend to others for specific applications. What I meant by generally saying Bark River using 3V and Tops using 1095, is that in general you get better quality/consistency out of a manufacturer that masters one type of steel for a given application, that one that goes with whatever the latest is. They learn more from making and potentially more so from the warranty process. People learn what works from a given manufacturer as well. Like if you want a Chris Reeve direct order, it’s like ordering a Cybertruck or - this steel is good for small hard pocket knives, but it snaps with larger choppers - or this one is a real bear to sharpen, so don’t take it if you’ll be skinning and need to sharpen between animals, etc.
 
droddy386 said:
You know what we need (and it will be counter to all of the online gurus and sales people) is a list of which knife for which application and why. I could see using the Tops Dart in and environment where you needed to chop through cane fields or the jungle, but also be able to stab whatever comes your way. Vietnam in 1965-1975 would come to mind. I use the Hiro Machete and the Hukari for chopping brush, etc and the tip may make putting it away a bit of a hazard and I might end up poking myself. So on the list - if I was going to fight in Vietnam in the 70’s or in dangerous cane fields, I’d take the Dart, so I could buy that when I am headed there. The list would save most of us from having a collection of things. Just a thought.
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As someone grew up in Vietnam, I don't think that it is a wise choice.

You don't need anything that heavy to cut sugar can effectively. A simple light machete, parang, bolo, whatever, will work better. A light swing from a lighter and longer blade gives about the same force as a strong swing from a shorter blade, therefore tiring you less. I don't think that you can work for very long using the Tops. It's like using force multiplier vs raw force.
 
Deino said:
As someone grew up in Vietnam, I don't think that it is a wise choice.

You don't need anything that heavy to cut sugar can effectively. A simple light machete, parang, bolo, whatever, will work better. A light swing from a lighter and longer blade gives about the same force as a strong swing from a shorter blade, therefore tiring you less. I don't think that you can work for very long using the Tops. It's like using force multiplier vs raw force.
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This. Or get a Tramontina Sugar Cane machete for like 15 bucks. It's literally made for that.
 
Deino said:
As someone grew up in Vietnam, I don't think that it is a wise choice.

You don't need anything that heavy to cut sugar can effectively. A simple light machete, parang, bolo, whatever, will work better. A light swing from a lighter and longer blade gives about the same force as a strong swing from a shorter blade, therefore tiring you less. I don't think that you can work for very long using the Tops. It's like using force multiplier vs raw force.
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Cool - thanks for the insight. Makes sense.
 
droddy386 said:
Cool - thanks for the insight. Makes sense.
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Really though, too many people use narrow thick blade as a wedge for the batonning technique, then waste a lot of strength doing the actual chopping.

The ideal knife to chop needs to have a wider blade first, then the thickness afterward to support it. This geometry gives high sectional density on the impact, more cutting with less power.

Bone chopper cleaver is an example, thin and lighter blade, but cut bones way more efficient than heavy knife using raw weight of the blade.

Also why knife like the Terava Skrama is an excellent chopper while having the same 4.2mm thickness as the smaller Terava knives. The Tops Operator with its 8mm thick blade is just an overpriced wedge building around the hype of "ultimate durability".

Edit: The Tops Dart looks fine, but still on the heavy and narrow side.
 
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Deino said:
Really though, too many people use narrow thick blade as a wedge for the batonning technique, then waste a lot of strength doing the actual chopping.

The ideal knife to chop needs to have a wider blade first, then the thickness afterward to support it. This geometry gives high sectional density on the impact, more cutting with less power.

Bone chopper cleaver is an example, thin and lighter blade, but cut bones way more efficient than heavy knife using raw weight of the blade.

Also why knife like the Terava Skrama is an excellent chopper while having the same 4.2mm thickness as the smaller Terava knives. The Tops Operator with its 8mm thick blade is just an overpriced wedge building around the hype of "ultimate durability".

Edit: The Tops Dart looks fine, but still on the heavy and narrow side.
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The Skrama looks like a nice one. Similar to the Hukari.
 
droddy386 said:
Now you are tempting us all to buy yet another knife. ;) Which version do you have?
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I got the 240. It is ugly, and is phenomenal! The long handle allows multiple hand positions and is very comfortable. It is amazing how it chops when holding farther back. I chopped through 4” and 6” birch logs just to see how it would do. It is great as a draw-knife for peeling bark as well. The steel holds an edge quite well, and takes minimal touching up to bring it back to hair-popping sharp. The sheath is excellent quality as well. I am seriously impressed with it. It is hard to believe such a great knife/sheath is available for $115.
I will be getting the 200, 140, and 85 as well.
BTW shipping was super fast as well.
 
beeinak said:
I got the 240. It is ugly, and is phenomenal! The long handle allows multiple hand positions and is very comfortable. It is amazing how it chops when holding farther back. I chopped through 4” and 6” birch logs just to see how it would do. It is great as a draw-knife for peeling bark as well. The steel holds an edge quite well, and takes minimal touching up to bring it back to hair-popping sharp. The sheath is excellent quality as well. I am seriously impressed with it. It is hard to believe such a great knife/sheath is available for $115.
I will be getting the 200, 140, and 85 as well.
BTW shipping was super fast as well.
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It's sexy ugly though.
 
Got the Tops Dart today. Feels amazing in hand, and balance point is right at the guard. Grind, geometry and fit and finish are superb! Not that thick BTE (for a Tops anyway), just a moment with this knife and I already like it better than the Alaskan Harpoon. Haven’t used it yet as I received it literally a half hour ago. So far highly recommended.View attachment 2330653
 
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