This is a copy of a letter I just wrote to TOPS knives about the purchase of a Screaming Eagle I bought from a dealer off of Ebay.
I'm a newbie here and usually I just let stuff go but I felt I needed to let TOPS know I wasn't going to be buying any more of their products.
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To whom it may concern,
I wanted to write you and let you know about my first purchase of a TOPS knife.
I bought a TOPS Camo Screaming Eagle Tanto Paracord Wrapped knife. It has the plain edge and a suggested retail on your website of $299 with the camo paint.
I admittedly bought the knife from a good vendor on Ebay. He carries TOPS knives almost exclusively. I also did not spend anywhere near the $299 retail price. I used "Buy it Now" and paid only $99 plus $13 shipping. I thought it was a fantastic price.
The knife arrived as described a week later in the original bubble wrap with some sort of inspection sticker on the outside. Inside were the knife, sheath, Lansky catalog, and a "Certificate of Origin" from TOPS. The serial number is 005 and it has a production date of 2006. I fully believe this is a genuine TOPS knife from your company.
I am honestly completely disappointed with my purchase. How you can justify a retail of 300 is beyond me. Even at the greatly reduced price of $100 I feel completely taken. Let me explain why.
1. The knife is not sharp. The edge on the tanto tip is good but the rest is dull. I wouldn't drag my finger on it but you can't even shave with it. My Gerber LMF II will strip the hair right off my arm with the factory edge. You can't say that this knife has that kind of edge for hard bushcraft work as the knife is clearly designed as a fighter.
2. The sharpened top section is even more dull. It's edge is also inconsistent. I clearly see grind marks and a wavy surface.
3. The sheath is not up to the asking price of the knife. The kydex liner is a nice touch but the rest of it is closer to the quality of a Cold Steel knife with a retail of $40.
4. The balance is terrible. It's a nose heavy pig. I knew it was going to be heavy being .250 thick but the light handle really threw me off.
The fit and finish of the knife is fine. The paracord wrap is tight and well executed. The paint is very thick and seems durable. These high points however can not cover up the fact that I could have bought a Cold Steel GI Tanto and had 90% the knife for $25.
I bought a new Gerber LMF II about a week before I bought the SE. I have to tell you the fit, finish, edge, ergos, and sheath are so far superior it's not even fair to compare. I paid $75 for the Gerber and it has a retail of $140.00 by the way the Gerber is made in the USA just like you. I do understand that the CS Tanto is a Chinese product and an American made knife will command more.
I am bummed and I'm writing to tell you this because I was really excited to have nabbed this knife at such a good deal. I was fully prepared to buy one of your large Steel Eagles or the Armageddon as they are really fantastic looking and I just can't afford a Busse.
I feel the retailer did his job well enough and he wasn't selling anything more than the product you offer. It would be unfair to a small businessman to return a product though no fault of his. I will just keep the knife and call it a lesson learned. I'll probably sell it for my cost to someone of a less discerning nature.
I'm hoping you might tell me that this was such an early production knife that the shortcomings have been updated. You can't really sell knives like this on just looks alone can you?
I just wanted you to know as a company that I won't be buying any more TOPS knives. They seem (as far as my experience goes) little more than a stylized and heavily marketed, pointy, slightly dull paperweight.
I'm a newbie here and usually I just let stuff go but I felt I needed to let TOPS know I wasn't going to be buying any more of their products.
_________________________________________________________________
To whom it may concern,
I wanted to write you and let you know about my first purchase of a TOPS knife.
I bought a TOPS Camo Screaming Eagle Tanto Paracord Wrapped knife. It has the plain edge and a suggested retail on your website of $299 with the camo paint.
I admittedly bought the knife from a good vendor on Ebay. He carries TOPS knives almost exclusively. I also did not spend anywhere near the $299 retail price. I used "Buy it Now" and paid only $99 plus $13 shipping. I thought it was a fantastic price.
The knife arrived as described a week later in the original bubble wrap with some sort of inspection sticker on the outside. Inside were the knife, sheath, Lansky catalog, and a "Certificate of Origin" from TOPS. The serial number is 005 and it has a production date of 2006. I fully believe this is a genuine TOPS knife from your company.
I am honestly completely disappointed with my purchase. How you can justify a retail of 300 is beyond me. Even at the greatly reduced price of $100 I feel completely taken. Let me explain why.
1. The knife is not sharp. The edge on the tanto tip is good but the rest is dull. I wouldn't drag my finger on it but you can't even shave with it. My Gerber LMF II will strip the hair right off my arm with the factory edge. You can't say that this knife has that kind of edge for hard bushcraft work as the knife is clearly designed as a fighter.
2. The sharpened top section is even more dull. It's edge is also inconsistent. I clearly see grind marks and a wavy surface.
3. The sheath is not up to the asking price of the knife. The kydex liner is a nice touch but the rest of it is closer to the quality of a Cold Steel knife with a retail of $40.
4. The balance is terrible. It's a nose heavy pig. I knew it was going to be heavy being .250 thick but the light handle really threw me off.
The fit and finish of the knife is fine. The paracord wrap is tight and well executed. The paint is very thick and seems durable. These high points however can not cover up the fact that I could have bought a Cold Steel GI Tanto and had 90% the knife for $25.
I bought a new Gerber LMF II about a week before I bought the SE. I have to tell you the fit, finish, edge, ergos, and sheath are so far superior it's not even fair to compare. I paid $75 for the Gerber and it has a retail of $140.00 by the way the Gerber is made in the USA just like you. I do understand that the CS Tanto is a Chinese product and an American made knife will command more.
I am bummed and I'm writing to tell you this because I was really excited to have nabbed this knife at such a good deal. I was fully prepared to buy one of your large Steel Eagles or the Armageddon as they are really fantastic looking and I just can't afford a Busse.
I feel the retailer did his job well enough and he wasn't selling anything more than the product you offer. It would be unfair to a small businessman to return a product though no fault of his. I will just keep the knife and call it a lesson learned. I'll probably sell it for my cost to someone of a less discerning nature.
I'm hoping you might tell me that this was such an early production knife that the shortcomings have been updated. You can't really sell knives like this on just looks alone can you?
I just wanted you to know as a company that I won't be buying any more TOPS knives. They seem (as far as my experience goes) little more than a stylized and heavily marketed, pointy, slightly dull paperweight.
.
