Opinion of Tops Knives?

Monofletch

Monofletch

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What is the opinion on Tops knives? I am looking at a Eagles Shadow or a Desert Fox/ Desert Son. Give me the good, bad, and ugly.
 
I don't own the two you mentioned, but I do own a Firestrike 45, Fieldcraft BOB, Scalpel, and Cougar Claw. Also have my eye on the Excest Delta Folder. I love them, good price, good quality, several great designs. I will continue to buy more Tops knives as money allows, IMHO they are some of the best 1095 in the price range. Someday I might get a Tracker, but that is a little way down my list.

I say pull the trigger on one, and you will likely be satisfied.
 
Great knives, some designs can get a little "odd", but the quality of the knives is solid.

Some of their factory kydex sheaths are not the best though.

Wish they would do more knives without the "tactical" coatings...
 
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Same steel, quality, and heat treat as ESEE, mostly terrible designs for the way I use my knives. Overall some great knives and amazing quality, youd be hard pressed to find much better in the price range.
 
Tops knives ROCK !!! You just gotta sift through the designs & find one that will work for you. Don't pay MSRP. Get them somewhere else. I have a Tops Alaskan Harpoon & LOVE it. I actually pryed with the tip into a stump looking for some fatwood. Thought it may break but it did not & i was reefing way harder than i shoulda been on it. Also have a Tops/BUCK CSAR-T fixed blade. LOVE it as well.
 
I have two, the 1st and 3rd from the right. They get a bad rap for the steel, but it works good for me.
The Tanto blade, I purchased from their site. After 2 weeks, I called to find out where my knife was.
They said they where still making it. A knife made to order for less than $100.

 
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I suspect many of their knives have thick edges. Tactical coatings and thick edges are for those that are hard on knives. Not all knives are for prying, some of us need to cut soft materials or carve wood. An overly thick, strong, edge doesn't help for most knife uses, and the tactical coating only covers up the lack of finishing on the steel.
OTOH, I own several of their products. The Machete .230 is the most recent, and it's made very well. The edge could be thinner, but the handle, the grind(very even), and the HT are excellent.
Thing is, whatever you get will have straight edges, even grinds, it will be sharp even if it's a wider edge than you may want. The heat treat will be correct, whatever the steel, and the name of the knife will be quite obvious. Sheaths range in quality, some are just nylon while others are kydex, and one that I have is micarta, that's the SSS.
 
Well, I decided to get a Desert Fox. It arrived today. Nice knife. It came with a kydex sheath with a big metal clip. I believe it is 1095- I'll have to check
 
HardTripper said:
Same steel, quality, and heat treat as ESEE, mostly terrible designs for the way I use my knives. Overall some great knives and amazing quality, youd be hard pressed to find much better in the price range.
Click to expand...

I have searched everywhere for the heat treat process Tops uses, how did you come across that info? A link would be awesome as I would really love to read through it.

Thanks
 
Monofletch said:
Well, I decided to get a Desert Fox. It arrived today. Nice knife. It came with a kydex sheath with a big metal clip. I believe it is 1095- I'll have to check
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Let us know what you think, since I finally convinced myself to buy my first knife over the $100 mark (the Tops Fieldcraft BOB) I have purchased three other's. They have been my go to blades ever since, I will agree with the poster who said that some of thier blades have very obtuse cutting edges but I only find that to really be true on the 1/4" thick blades, I still love them the most and still want more.
 
The Desert Fox is "stepped" down from the spine and it makes the blade angle not so bad. I'll get a pic in a bit.
 
Some of the designs are a bit fantasy-based, I think, but always excellent quality.
I beat up a Steel Eagle a couple months back chopping oak and hammering the pegs I cut into the ground with it.
I wouldn't worry about either construction or materials.
Some feel the TOPS products are a little pricey for 1095, but if you don't want to pay the price you're always welcome to go elsewhere.
Denis
 
I own several models, including some pieces made for Browning. Overall I think they are quality knives even if a bit pricey.
 
Firestrike said:
I have searched everywhere for the heat treat process Tops uses, how did you come across that info? A link would be awesome as I would really love to read through it.
Click to expand...
It's old info, now inaccurate. TOPS and ESEE used to use the same manufacturer, (Rowen.) TOPS moved production into their own facility, and Rowen now produces knives solely for ESEE.
 
I have the Mini Harpoon, and it is a fantastic little neck knife. The leather sheath is awesome and it is very functional.
 
I own a Tops Steel Eagle 107D. It is terrible at chopping, it is awkward to baton with the back being a saw, and the price seems a touch too high. The saw back works better than any knife I own, but then again I don't own many saw backs.

I would personally look elsewear for the price. But from the online world I hear they have a few that are of Good price like the Tactical Steak Knives, and Pasayten Light Traveller.............I will likely never buy another Tops. Opinions will very.
 
This is the one I got...

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I have several of TOPS knives. Good construction, good customer service. As has been said some of the designs are better then others. A lot depends on your needs.
 
Dan57 said:
It's old info, now inaccurate. TOPS and ESEE used to use the same manufacturer, (Rowen.) TOPS moved production into their own facility, and Rowen now produces knives solely for ESEE.
Click to expand...

True story :thumbup:, my friend as the Tops Blackstar Evolution, he loves it and used it for a couple years now, no problems yet. Personally, it's too weird lookin for me, but that's only me.
 
Need,
I had sorta the opposite experiences.
Mine chopped quite well, cut a 3-inch aspen down very easily & did a fine job on the oak limbs I chopped for tent pegs. Sharp enough to de-twig 'em & point 'em, heavy enough to easily pound them into the ground. The slightly blade forward angle I found adds to its use in chopping.

There's a good 2.5 inches of no-tooth spine behind the tip, so it can be batonned, you just have to watch what you're doing.

And, I found the teeth too large & wide to saw as effectively as smaller-toothed designs.
They worked better in notching than sawing for me.
I have the 107C XX with the spare mini-Eagle in the handle.

Not a bad knife.
Denis
 
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