Opinions on TOPS?

T

taddster21

Joined
Feb 3, 2011
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Hey, I am looking at maybe getting my first TOPS knife. I have never owned one, Was wondering what your opinions were? Thanks! Also, what do you think of their 1095 Carbon Steel, RC-58? Thanks in advance...:D
 
They make good knives, but folks tend to think they are bit pricey for 1095. My limited experience with them is that the grind is to thick, so I sent it off for a grind and I it's a real nice cutter now.
 
I like them. I will own some one day. I am a BIG fan of HD thick wide blades. :D I do own a BK2 w/ 1/4" thick blade---AWESOME, & an Ontario Knife Company Ranger signature series RD6 w/ 3/8" thick blade. :D

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You can get a thick blade plenty sharp.
 
I have one (Cheetah), and it's okay, but I have two issues with it: The jimping on the spine is too big and rough and uncomfortable when I put thumb pressure on it (A shame in a knife whose size and shape I otherwise love), and the edge is ground thicker than I like at the edge. The latter is apparently normal for TOPS. I'm still not sure if I'll get a second one (There's a few other designs I like the looks of) because of that. I like knives that slice well, and thick edges don't do that.
 
I own several TOPS knives and they are outstanding knives in every way. The fit and finish are on par with any knife I have ever handled and their heat treat is truly top notch. I have wolf pups, mission team 21, operation badger, apache dawn, DART in S30V, urban defender, and several more. The 1095 takes a wicked edge and keeps it a LONG time, and it's easy to bring back that edge after use. Some folks tend to avoid S30V for a chopper but my DART is a chopping beast. It has become my primary camp knife as well.

I own Busse, SRKW, Randall, ML knives, banchmade, Emerson, and such so I am not loyal to any one brand. I do like well made quality knives and TOPS are among the best.
 
TOPS makes a great knife, it's the names being a little mall-ninja that people seem to be turned off by. I would put their quality right up there with ESEE though.
 
They're good knives and as previously stated, easy to sharpen, but they have a serious mall ninja image. Way too tacticool, even if they make good, solid knives. If that doesn't bother you, go for it! My tastes have changed from a few years ago--I'm all about wood and stag handles and leather sheaths instead of micarta and kydex.
 
Just look for the designs that are practical - yes, I said practical.

I like the Swiss basic tool and the Mil Spie 5
 
+1 :thumbup:for TOPS. I own several , mainly the smaller (under 3") fixed blades and several neck knives. Excellent quality and all of them were shavin' sharp out of the box. Excellent customer service in my experience as well. I order directly from TOPS off their website.
 
I have a few. I agree with most of what's been said. They have too many designs, and most are "tacticool".
It's not that the blade spines are thick, the angle of the edges and the grind geometry can be thick.
I have the Mountain Lion, and it's sharp, but thick. Not the best for small cutting tasks. The "swedge" of that knife is different than any other I've seen, and must be designed for stabbing, I don't know.
The Pry Knife is a unique design, as well as their SSS. Yet, the chisel grind on those will make you work to use them as knives. SSS, the handle is just too short to get a strong push cut. The whole package is a great idea though.
 
Good knives BUT pricey as heck!

I have several and have been happy with them. Just wish the prices weren't so dam high.

Easy to sharpen.

Agree with others regarding the mall ninja factor in some of their designs. I too wonder why they have so many models.

All that stated, I will most likely buy more from them.
 
Very solid fit and finish for what they are (okay, screw-on scales and sprayed-on coatings don't exactly qualify as master blade smithing but the grinds are very even and the scales fit the tangs well) and---at least as far as the Rowan-manufactured ones with which I have experience (somebody else doing them now) their heat treatment was solid and consistent.

As has been mentioned, their grinds tend to be WAY too thick. I'm very used to regrinding my own blades so this has never been a sell-killer for me but on almost all of them the factory geometry just doesn't make a good cutter. Others may chime in here at this comment and show pictures of their bald arm and a hair-covered Anaconda but I never said they didn't come sharp--just that they don't cut well.

Their sheaths tend to not quite live up to the knives, in my opinion, just in terms of quality. I like my kydex to SNAP! instead of *click* and their nylon sheaths are...functional. Don't know if they offer leather sheaths or not, it's been a long time since I've looked.

Probably my #1 complaint with them is the damned etching. This goes back to the tacticool aspect that jayinhk spoke of. I don't want "SUPER OPERATOR" or "NINJA ASSASSIN" or "BADASS WANNABE" inscribed in gigantic letters on the side of my knife, thank you. A simply maker's mark would suffice.
 
I was looking at the Power Eagle, but the etching was massive, and the sheath, quite plain.
 
I agree with the ones "complaining" about Tops habit of grinding the blades to thick. I own the Mil-Spie 3 - a small knife. But the grind is so thick I rather squish a tomato than slicing it. Regrinding the edge didn't help much...and I'm most certainly are not going to regrind the whole blade!
Don't know why TOPS did this...it really sucks!!! So the Mil-Spie 3 is probably going to be my last TOPS knife!
 
I was going to offer regrinding it for you, but the Germany to America journey might get problematic. I hate sending "weapons" overseas, as I've lost a few over the years.
 
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