It always seemed to me that Tops knives were quality made...

Tops knives usually aren’t known for their great cutting geometry. They are definitely playing off that “special forces don’t cut, they PRY!” type of thing. I bought a Tops BOB like a fool and honestly it is a terrible bush craft knife.

Still I was surprised how easy it was ro get the scandivex edge sharp (usually I hate convex edges). If I’m ever in a firefight where my only hope is to pry my way out I will know my tool.
 
I think Tops prides itself with the overbuilding of their products. They've even stated that if a particular thickness is enough, they go thicker for that extra robustness and confidence it offers.
There are so many knife companies out there in the world, and Tops has chosen one of the less travelled paths to follow. If their thing was only to make "fat" knives, they would likely have failed long ago. But... They make high quality "fat" knives, and that makes a big difference :)
 
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As a self proclaimed eclectic collector of do-dads, (which I have self titled my "Man Gadget Collection"), I enjoy doing research on the companies behind the products.
I find it pretty cool to learn some of their history's twist and turns.
One great example of this... Schatt & Morgan, Queen Cutlery, Great Eastern Cutlery, and how they are so connected in their histories.
With my latest ordering of a Tops "Wild Pig Hunter" knife, I got myself wanting to know more specifics about the history of the Tops firm. I am having a hard time finding their specific start up. You know, like the founders names, if they are still involved, and if not, who all now is.
But one thing I found, (on Wikipedia), was the following...

TOPS Knives, Inc. is a tactical knife manufacturer located in Eastern Idaho, United States. The company was established in December, 1998 and is owned by Michael J. Fuller, best known for his involvement in the Nugan Hand Bank scandal.

Anyhow, I read the rest of the info they had about Tops, which was still not much, and definitely no real precise timeline. Then, I clicked onto the Michael J. Fuller name and that Nugan Hand Bank situation... Pretty darned interesting reading there. It's like something out of a non fictional movie, where the story line is often modified for movie excitement purposes, but that may not actually be totally factual... But in this case, seems to be a totally legit storyline.
I don't know if this gentleman is still in ownership of Tops, or if he had been one of the originals to start the Tops firm up... But, like I said, he makes for some interesting reading. Heck, this man's name isn't even his real name, but a name he later went by, (I guess to not be further connected to his past). His life story is simply larger than life!
I must be honest about this, the entire story, only makes the Tops products that much more desirable to a collector of such items. I mean, it's all pretty interesting history, and the Tops name will forever be part of that history.

Here is a link to an article on the matter done by Newsweek. I guarantee that anyone not knowing about this situation previously, (I totally admit that I did not), will find this article a very interesting read :)

http://www.newsweek.com/michael-hand-cia-heroin-nugan-hand-australia-393576
 
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I’ve seen that YT video and wish I had bought one of their knives when I was collecting those kinds of knives. Russia is under sanctions though, so a collab. would maybe be legally difficult, especially if it’s with a company instead of an individual, so a “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” and so on, as the Chinese do. I read somewhere a knife with a guard is considered a weapon in Russia, and pretty heavily restricted, though probably less so in non-urban areas.
 
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I don't like that they build knives with thicker stocks than necessary, it just makes the knife heavy and impedes cutting. That and they should get into higher quality steels - best they've done is 154CM.

Having said that, I have two models: Lion's Toothpick and the CUT 4.0 blackout. CUT came pretty sharp from the factory and I dig the design. Lion's Toothpick was dull, so I needed to put an edge on it. I'd recommend those two if you're looking for something similar design wise.

Wild Pig Hunter has always looked good, it's a shame if they stole the design.
 
I wish TOPS would sell the CUB without all the extra gear.

The Prather looks great as does that Pig Hunter.
 
I have no idea how much, or if any of the following is factual. But, the Ausi knife dealer, (apparently dealing with the Russian knife company), stated it this way, (copied and pasted here)...

"Both the Tops Wild Pig Hunter and the JSO are stolen designs from Kizlyar. They purchased a Kizlyar Phoenix-1 from one of the designers in Kizlyar some years ago and there was talk of making their own version of the knife, which was agreed upon providing they purchased the licence for the patent. However, no one heard back from Tops until a year or so later we noticed that they are openly selling a model called Joint Spec Ops under their own brand. And recenly they have released the Wild Boar Hunter, which is essentially an improved version of the JSO as the JSO was too heavy, poorly balanced and not very comfortable to hold all together.
In conclusion if you want the real thing go for the Kizlyar Phoenix-1 and do not support a company that steals other people's hard work!"

Btw, when the Australian gentleman wrote "Wild Boar Hunter" above, he was obviously referring to the "Wild Pig Hunter" (just a minor mistake on his part). He also wrote about a JSO, the JSO abbreviation is for Tops' first version of this knife, (Joint Spec Ops). I believe the JSO had smooth gray/black micarta handle scales, and I believe was offered with and without some serations on the blade. It seemed to have a more traditional grayish powder coat blade finish, not the river wash type used on the Wild Pig Hunter. The JSO was supposedly not as good of a seller, (that was said by Leo Espinoza during a you-tube video of a bladeshow, or shotshow).
Leo also mentioned some of the Pig Hunter's differences over the JSO in the handle area.

In any case, I am excited to be receiving my Tops version. Ever since I saw and handled that first Wild Pig Hunter at a gun show last year, I have been wanting to add it in to the collection. Don't think I've been this excited about an incoming delivery of a knife in a long time.
I will also be keeping my eyes peeled for possibly adding the Russian original into my collection :)

The Russian Phoenix 1 original has it's tang protruding as a glass breaker, (or what have you), at the butt end of the handle. I like how that feature was included on the original, but with "Wild Pig Hunter" being the name used on the Tops version, I guess that "glass breaker" would have seemed odd for the knife. I mean, go kill your wild pig with our knife, then, if you find a need for a glass breaker, it has that too!... Or, they could have marketed it as being a pig eye popper... If the pig is staring at you while you're about to stab him, use the pig eye popper to eliminate the pig's stare!
Umm, just may have seemed a very odd addition to a knife designated as "Wild Pig Hunter", so the Tops Wild Pig Hunter has no glass breaker.
Now, the Russian Phoenix-1 Combat model is a different matter, it obviously being sold as a "tactical knife", and the glass breaking protrusion fits the knife's "designated" purposes ;)
 
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If they stole the design, why support them? How is it any different than the junk that the Chinese companies release that are blatant rip offs? Sure, it might be better quality than what a Chinese clone would be, but theft is theft.
 
Yeah, again, it's what this man stated. As for me... Again... Why can't it be both, in just getting the Russian and USA versions! :)
I would love to see a video of a side by side comparison of the two. I'd be willing to bet that the Tops copy would fare well, if not surpass the original in most respects. I, based on solely the pictures of both, do prefer the beauty of the Tops version over the original.
There is a website that claims to sell the Russian brand of knives here in the USA... But, once I did a google search on them, seems they're a bit shady. Even the BBB rating is a solid "F".
I recently got burned on an internet sale. So, if I'm not a returning customer of a web business, I now have learned my lesson by checking the business credentials the best I can before ordering. I am pretty loyal to a handful of online suppliers, but sometimes they just don't have what you want. This Russian knife is certainly not an easy buy here in the USA. Too bad the one I found seems so shady, since they supposedly sell the knife, (when in stock), for about $130... Which seems reasonable enough. Would I pay $200 or $300 for one?... Nah, I would pass. But $130... Yeah, I'd bite! :)
 
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xdoomsongx said:
That's too bad. I hear you on negative experiences with internet dealers.
Click to expand...
Yeah; I felt like such a charms blow-pop (a real sucker) for having fallen for the scam. I THEN did a google search on the firm, and sure enough, they too had an F rating on the BBB, and the reviews showed the exact MO that they played on me.
I was out of funds, received no product, and had to cancel my debit card for a new numbered replacement... Ugh!
Not to mention the feeling of being burned... It still irks me :(
 
The steels used by the Russians on their original versions are Greek to me, (steels I never heard of). Also, I don't really know if the Russian firm has the consistency in heat treating and such that Tops is known for. I also believe the Tops version is made a little thicker, but the Russian version may not be far behind in that sense, since I do believe they are beasts in their own right. The Russian firm that makes them, does have some appealing designs, at least to my eyes. I think, with the proper marketing, they would fare very well here in the USA. But, don't know how the current laws/trade restrictions would come into play. Like I said, they seem like very neat designs, and if the quality is there, and consistent, I believe they could easily be a hit here in the USA, (that marketing thing would be the biggest determining factor, if indeed the quality is up to snuff).
 
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I don't just rely on the BBB... It was just one example. I simply google the company name, and usually find enough to give me a good feel for them. Actually, sometimes the google search pops up links to this forum, and I get much guidance by it all. I mean... if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck... Well, you know, it'll likely be that kind of poultry ;)
 
I wasn't implying your assessment of the company was wrong; I just wanted to spread the info that the BBB is probably not what most people think.
 
Yeah, many folks think that threatening a business by telling them you are going to report them to the BBB... They will be like.... So what! :)
But, me heading there to see if a lot of people seem upset with any given firm... And that is to say, folks posting up their experiences, concerns, or what not... Is just another tool at my disposal.
It's just like when I am doing research on a potential purchase... Even if I am not planning to buy it on Amazon, I still search for that product's reviews there. If there is, lets say, 100 reviews on an item, and it is rated at 4, 4 1/2, or 5 stars... I proceed to read many of the reviews and see what people are saying. Then, I read between those lines and make my decision to order or not :)
 
I had the Kyzler Phoenix and gave it to my daughter a few months ago. The grip was a little small for me, it took a good edge and held it though and performed just like you would expect. For that style its a pretty nice blade.
 
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