i was looking for a knife for camp chores and to take on day hike with me. it will be a knife that i will carry on my belt and use along the hikes. i like the esee 4 and tops B.O.B. Also i really like esee warranty. thanks
Tops knives look a little too tacti-cool for my taste. The Esee 4 is a great knife. Only complaint is the handle is a little small. Wish it was longer.
If you get an Ontario Tak-1, its an Esee 4 blade with Esee 6 handles, but the warranty on the Ontario Tak-1 is not unconditional, but it's like other knife companies "All knives are guaranteed to the consumer who made the original purchase, against defects in material or workmanship. Damage due to abuse or misuse is not covered and normal wear is not covered. Defective products will be repaired, replaced or substituted with comparable items at similar cost." Also the sheath sucks on the Tak-1.
If you had to choose between only the Esee 4 or the Tops B.O.B, get the Esee.
the TOPS BOB is one of a few of their designs I like the looks of - to me it looks like a mini-ESEE 5. (not a bad thing)
if you have large hands, the ESEE 4 may be uncomfortable for extended use, unless you also get the aftermarket scales through T-K-C. (I love my 4 with TKC scales almost as much as the TAK)
I had a TAK-1 and loved it -- great knife. The Ontario RAT 5 is also a good one, slightly longer than the TAK1 & BOB.
I can't speek for the TOPS, but I do have an Esee 4, and I'll say now that I have it, I don't see ever needing something different, whether it be for camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, or my bug-ouy-bag. It is what it is, the perfect knife to handle them all.
Bear in mind that the TOPS has only been available for about a month, and cannot have nearly the number of users as the ESEE-4, which has a great reputation already.
I own neither knife, but I would probably go with the ESEE because the TOPS is, IMO, too thick for a Scandi grind. anything over 1/8 should have at least a 3/4 saber grind, because it doesn't need the extra steel to strengthen the blade (one of the main benefits, IMO, of a Scandi grind as opposed to a similar-geometry secondary grind).
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