Didn't mean 1095 was bad or cheap (it is usually not expensive though) just that other makers sell similar knives steel wise that are less costly; Becker for example.
Never implied 1095 was crap.
So obviously from your passionate response that Tops are a good value.
Hey Billy, I didn't mean to sound like I was having a go at you. I have heard people on this forum say similar things about 1095 so often though that I have to shake my head.
Matt of ML knives almost exclusively uses 1095 on his knives, is he just using it because it's cheap, of course not. The cost of some more modern steels is negligible on the amount needed to make one knife, the reason Matt and many others use it is because it's relatively easy to work with and they get great results from it.
When you look at a TOPS knife you can see they are made to pretty high standards, the fit and finish is as good as most customs.
My only complaint is that their edges are a little thick, depending on what you will be doing with your knife will determine if this is a bad thing or not.
Even some of the so called super steels have their faults.
This is an extract from a test that Cliff Stamp did on a Fehrman knife in CPM 3V:
"The Extreme Judgement was initially sharp but the edge roughly finished which lead to poor edge retention and durability in wood working due to fractures. The edge chipping continued after a light sharpening and was readily evident with just light impacts on concrete. The edge also ripplied on harder batoning. The grip was above average in some respects but had ergonomic issues in others. The sheath also had problems in wearing the coating and abrading the edge."
