My letter to TOPS knives

All too common in this forum, the original poster brought up a good question and got some answers that pointed him in the right direction. That's what FEEDBACK is for and it looks like it's working.

But there are always the others who jump in without much experience who add to the confusion, not the solution. I'm glad Dirtbiker stayed focused on what to do about the problem, and not on joining in the ranting.

Now let's see what TOPS can do to help him.
 
Esav brings up the important point which is paramount to what this forum is all about.

Thank You for that.

~ ~ ><> ~ ~

Dirtbiker,

Just a quick & friendly FYI about this steel and sharpening; 154CM steel is nearly equal to ATS-34 chemically. I personally find these steels quite a challenge to free hand sharpen at times using oil hone/stones(my time tested method) depending on the individual quench and RC hardness ratings on specific knife blades.. I have been sharpening knives and getting blades shaving sharp successfully for 40 some years now without much effort and I am always the go-to fellow in my group of friends that gets the job done when the favorite knife needs a touch up before the hunt or whatever outdoor adventure we're embarking on.

TOPS did the right thing after receiving your letter. I am also keen to hear back in here on how they ultimately treat you. Please keep us abreast of your situation here.



Thanks,
Anthony
 
I have had issues trying to get 154cm sharp before, TOPS are a little high-priced but I have had good luck with the smaller fixed blades I have owned from them. I will say that I tend to prefer ESEE.
 
Dirtbiker said:
It's marked 154cm on the side.
Click to expand...

The reason I asked is because in my experience 154cm costs more then 1095.
Id say you did alright for a big chunk of 154cm like that for just over a 100$ if it's real.

Get her sharpened up, have a new sheath made for it, and put her into action. :thumbup:

If I sent back every knife I bought because it was dull upon arrival I wouldn't have very many knives.
 
Okay, I have to resurrect this thread because the sheer logical disconnect of a particular standpoint presented here, especially from someone who is an enthusiastic ESEE fan (I am too):

Dude...okay. TOPS knives are, in my opinion, largely overpriced and tend to favor cool-looking grinds over useful cutting geometries but--and really, try to get this through your head--1095 is not a mediocre steel, it is in fact the SAME steel used by ESEE, and even more...

Rowen Manufacturing makes and heat treats the knives FOR BOTH COMPANIES!! They do NOT have two separate stacks of 1095, the 'good' stuff for ESEE and the 'bad' for TOPS. The same fellows until VERY (months) recently were touching every single bit of 1095 that made it's way to either outfit. TOPS has just split off from Rowen and is doing their own manufacturing now, but any experience you've had with their products was with knives sitting next to ESEE/RAT knives on Rowen's shipping dock.

Their other knives are nearly all 154CM--and you can certainly try to convince people here that that is mediocre as a stainless cutlery steel, though they may giggle at you. ;)

Absolutely hate them if you want, but try to be accurate about WHY you hate them.

Apebrains said:
Sorry you found out the hard way amigo.

I've maintained for some time (to ill effect from some TOPS fans) that TOPS is merely an overpriced, overadvertised, TacticLOL knife company that charges obscene amounts of money for a mediocre knife steel, capitalizing mainly on name-dropping and movie successes. I will never buy a TOPS knife, as in my experience, their customer service is awful, their materials are mediocre at best, and they charge outlandish amounts of money for said materials. It is my belief that their company is driven on media-marketing hype, and very little substance. I know some people will disagree with me, but I feel as though you've experienced firsthand what I'm talking about. For the price you paid, you could get an ESEE and receive 3 times the knife in return. It saddens me that companies like this are still around, but such, I suppose, are the innate hazards of capitalism. :jerkit:

Hope everything works out for you and they treat you better than they've treated me in the past.
Click to expand...
 
t1mpani said:
Okay, I have to resurrect this thread because the sheer logical disconnect of a particular standpoint presented here, especially from someone who is an enthusiastic ESEE fan (I am too):

Dude...okay. TOPS knives are, in my opinion, largely overpriced and tend to favor cool-looking grinds over useful cutting geometries but--and really, try to get this through your head--1095 is not a mediocre steel, it is in fact the SAME steel used by ESEE, and even more...

Rowen Manufacturing makes and heat treats the knives FOR BOTH COMPANIES!! They do NOT have two separate stacks of 1095, the 'good' stuff for ESEE and the 'bad' for TOPS. The same fellows until VERY (months) recently were touching every single bit of 1095 that made it's way to either outfit. TOPS has just split off from Rowen and is doing their own manufacturing now, but any experience you've had with their products was with knives sitting next to ESEE/RAT knives on Rowen's shipping dock.

Their other knives are nearly all 154CM--and you can certainly try to convince people here that that is mediocre as a stainless cutlery steel, though they may giggle at you. ;)

Absolutely hate them if you want, but try to be accurate about WHY you hate them.
Click to expand...
I absolutely agree with this. 1095 is a great steel and will out perform most "stainless". Regarding TOPS, I own several of these knives and they perform extremely well. One in particular is the Smoke Jumper which cuts, batons wood like butter and did a better job for me in the Smokey's than did the RC5 I borrowed. That not withstanding a great test of a company is how they rectify their mistakes and expect that they will make good. Did anyone hear back?
 
did Tops ever get back to the OP if the knife sent in was genuine?


Bladite
 
still hoping to hear how this all plays out...

most popular steels can be great. it's all in the heat treat and the blade geometry.

I have a 154CM by Emerson semi-mass produced (translated $200, not $65 & not $650),
holds an edge well for about 5 - 6 weeks. I have a 154CM Benchmade mini-griptilian that won't go a whole week without going dull.
 
I am giving this a bump in the hopes the OP can update...

I have since recv'd a TOPS Screaming Eagle via trade and it came dull to me but, the grinds and overall shape of the knife is pretty cool, maybe even Tacticool thanks to the para wrap and camo'd paint job. I double wrapped the handle and sharpened both blades on a ceramic rod. I really, can't say enough good things about the design of this knife, the pry bar at the butt is genius, I wish I had this instead of my Anaconda 7.5" when I was in the service.
 
Bump for a reply!! I am looking at the Apache Dawn knife myself from Tops.

Something that concerns me a little is how much TOPS's warranty differs so much from ESEE/RAT. I know they are different companies but if TOPS has so much confidence in their product why not use a "no questions asked" replacement warranty like ESEE?
 
Though the quality (in terms of construction) is equal, TOPS' image does tend to lend itself towards the "knives you can screw around with be tacticool in the woods" crowd versus ESEE which tends to run a little more towards the "knowing what the hell you're doing and not acting like an idiot" crowd, so TOPS may be concerned that their crowd might cause more intentional damage that they'd be obligated to fix with a NQA warranty, but that's just a guess. :D
 
I tell you what man, I am very very sorry to hear about your dilemna with your knife. I know you were very proud to get a TOPS knife at that time, and that is why you were so disappointed. I myself have went through the same thing you did, except my problem was with the Original Aitor Jungle King 1 knife and I paid about $280 for. I was so excited that my wife was getting that knife for me this past Christmas. I had been wanting one for a very long time. I got the Black coated one. I tell you, I was so disappointed when I got it and it wasn't sharp up to my preferences. However, I was way more disappointed when the cheapo coating just started rubbing off at the slightest push of my fingertips. But what broke the camel's back with me is that I sharpened and sharpened on that darned knife. And no matter how much I sharpened on it, that damn knife just would not hold an edge, and i am sure let alone keep one!!

I tell you, I was so darn disappointed in that knife. And the company which I bought it from through Amazon.com, AExtrema, would not even just send me a replacement one and me send that allegedly faulty one back. But what they did do was they refunded my money to me in full. But I told them that if they'd just exchange the defective knife for a new one, then that was what I had rather do, and that would keep them the sale. I told them, however, that if they just wanted to do the refund and make me go through the trouble of having to order another one, there was no guarantee from me or my wife that we would buy another one, let alone buy it again from them. And I meant what I said. That fell on deaf ears to AExtrema, and they still decided to hassle me with having to order another one and just refunding my money.

Well sure enough, during the process, is when I found and decided to get my wife to buy me the TOPS Condor Alert CA99 knife instead! It was much cheaper, is full tang, and unlike your troubles, mine was delivered to me flawless and hair-shaving razor sharp and the blade, grind lines and everything is just about as straight as an arrow. Now, the nylon sheath leaves something to be desired, just as all knives that comer with those crappy sheaths do. But I always get sheaths handmade for my high quality knives such as this one.
And I agree with others here; The TOPS Knives company are awesome to work with, and are very outgoing and understanding. I just Know that if you did get a real genuine TOPS knife and you contact them, I know they will deem it a defective one almost immediately, and then send to you a new replacement one right away! This is just the awesome way that all high end companies in the USA are.

And unlike those crappy foreign companies that would either pretend they couldn't understand you just to avoid helping you, or they would just keep on trying to convince you that you need to see everything their way, just so they could avoid helping you, usually most USA made companies, especially the knives companies that are still here and haven't sold out and moved to another country, are more than willing to resolve any issues that you have with their high end knives, and right away too!

And as far as people here that complain about TOPS Knives having thicker, nose heavy tips, I'd much rather a high carbon steel knife like the Condor Alert knife, have a thicker, near unbreakable and unbending point than for it to have a thin, flimsy, sissy-looking nose! You know, the Cold Steel Trail Master and the Recon Scout both also have the super thick tips. but that doesn't mean they are not sharp, because they are, and I mean Needle sharp!

I really feel for you, my friend. Your issue is just like what I went through with the Aitor knife my wife bought for me, as far as aspect goes! But TOPS Knives have gotten so many rave reviews. My guess is that either it is like one guy said and you bought a flimsy cheapo Chinese or Pakistan knockoff, or that the TOPS Knife that you bought just might be defective. After all, you Do know that All TOPS knives are handmade, right? And even handmade knives can get screwed up from time to time!

I just got my CA99 today, and I just absolutely LOVE it. It has exceptional balance and feel and ergonomics. It is thick and sharp as a razor, and the blade is straight as an arrow! And I for one am glad that the nose on it aka the tip, is heavy and thick as well. That lets me know that if shoved through something, the tip won't bend.

The thick tip aka nose just means that it will go straight through whatever it is shoved in, without any flimsy bending like a flamer faggot queer's bent left wrist! Ummmm, speaking of my TOPS CA99 knife and its thick heavy tip. I just wonder if.... TOPS Knife heavy thick tip........shove knife through....gives me a great for-fun idea!!!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hello,

I wanted to come on here and publically apologize for the durogatory words and staements that I used in my original reply to this thread here, which I guess the mediator Mike took it upon himself to delete them and also to notify me and let me know that I had violated the Bladeforums Policies. It wasn't and never is my intention to downplay or degrade anyone for their personal preferences, whatever they may be. Sometimes in trying to explain things, I get a bit carried away and I type/say/use words that no one should ever use, expecially towards others. After all, none of us are perfect and I am by far no man that has reached judgement-of-others status. And so, I deeply apologize for those words, and at the same time I thank Mike very much for pointing out my flaws in my post. And if I have offended anybody in any way with my original post before Mike edited it for me, I am deeply sorry, and I most humbly ask for your forgivenness!

Sincerely,

thedemonbeast!




thedemonbeast said:
I tell you what man, I am very very sorry to hear about your dilemna with your knife. I know you were very proud to get a TOPS knife at that time, and that is why you were so disappointed. I myself have went through the same thing you did, except my problem was with the Original Aitor Jungle King 1 knife and I paid about $280 for. I was so excited that my wife was getting that knife for me this past Christmas. I had been wanting one for a very long time. I got the Black coated one. I tell you, I was so disappointed when I got it and it wasn't sharp up to my preferences. However, I was way more disappointed when the cheapo coating just started rubbing off at the slightest push of my fingertips. But what broke the camel's back with me is that I sharpened and sharpened on that darned knife. And no matter how much I sharpened on it, that damn knife just would not hold an edge, and i am sure let alone keep one!!

I tell you, I was so darn disappointed in that knife. And the company which I bought it from through Amazon.com, AExtrema, would not even just send me a replacement one and me send that allegedly faulty one back. But what they did do was they refunded my money to me in full. But I told them that if they'd just exchange the defective knife for a new one, then that was what I had rather do, and that would keep them the sale. I told them, however, that if they just wanted to do the refund and make me go through the trouble of having to order another one, there was no guarantee from me or my wife that we would buy another one, let alone buy it again from them. And I meant what I said. That fell on deaf ears to AExtrema, and they still decided to hassle me with having to order another one and just refunding my money.

Well sure enough, during the process, is when I found and decided to get my wife to buy me the TOPS Condor Alert CA99 knife instead! It was much cheaper, is full tang, and unlike your troubles, mine was delivered to me flawless and hair-shaving razor sharp and the blade, grind lines and everything is just about as straight as an arrow. Now, the nylon sheath leaves something to be desired, just as all knives that comer with those crappy sheaths do. But I always get sheaths handmade for my high quality knives such as this one.
And I agree with others here; The TOPS Knives company are awesome to work with, and are very outgoing and understanding. I just Know that if you did get a real genuine TOPS knife and you contact them, I know they will deem it a defective one almost immediately, and then send to you a new replacement one right away! This is just the awesome way that all high end companies in the USA are.

And unlike those crappy foreign companies that would either pretend they couldn't understand you just to avoid helping you, or they would just keep on trying to convince you that you need to see everything their way, just so they could avoid helping you, usually most USA made companies, especially the knives companies that are still here and haven't sold out and moved to another country, are more than willing to resolve any issues that you have with their high end knives, and right away too!

And as far as people here that complain about TOPS Knives having thicker, nose heavy tips, I'd much rather a high carbon steel knife like the Condor Alert knife, have a thicker, near unbreakable and unbending point than for it to have a thin, flimsy, sissy-looking nose! You know, the Cold Steel Trail Master and the Recon Scout both also have the super thick tips. but that doesn't mean they are not sharp, because they are, and I mean Needle sharp!

I really feel for you, my friend. Your issue is just like what I went through with the Aitor knife my wife bought for me, as far as aspect goes! But TOPS Knives have gotten so many rave reviews. My guess is that either it is like one guy said and you bought a flimsy cheapo Chinese or Pakistan knockoff, or that the TOPS Knife that you bought just might be defective. After all, you Do know that All TOPS knives are handmade, right? And even handmade knives can get screwed up from time to time!

I just got my CA99 today, and I just absolutely LOVE it. It has exceptional balance and feel and ergonomics. It is thick and sharp as a razor, and the blade is straight as an arrow! And I for one am glad that the nose on it aka the tip, is heavy and thick as well. That lets me know that if shoved through something, the tip won't bend.

The thick tip aka nose just means that it will go straight through whatever it is shoved in, without any flimsy bending like a flamer faggot queer's bent left wrist! Ummmm, speaking of my TOPS CA99 knife and its thick heavy tip. I just wonder if.... TOPS Knife heavy thick tip........shove knife through....gives me a great for-fun idea!!!!
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top