To me they (mercworx and Tops) are like different schools of thought, oh and before I forget just to let anyone who is going to buy the shiva should know the blade looks much smaller when you get it than it does on the web, this is why I suggested the sniper model; however, the sniper model is hard to buy at a discount now as they are for the most part out of stock everywhere, also once the shiva grows on you it is a verly loved knife, suprisingly easy to conceal as well.
But back to the question, tops is alot heavier on survival, most of the blades seem to lean slightly in favor of survival as opposed to all out combat, they all have a very Natural feel to them, kind of like the makers almost wished they were knapping them from obsidian or something. In addition, they are nearly all coated black. Mercworx blades are all designed with operations use in mind. The blades are left with a satin finish which can be camoed as needed and the grain lines flow towards the point instead of perpendicular to the edge as in some knives, this makes wiping the blade down with a 3m rag much easier. Generally what I look at in knife quality is the tang, bot Mercworx and Tops always have full hefty tangs, not the skinny rat tail tangs hidden behind so many of those fancy leather wahsered handles or even i some of the more well known companies like SOG and even the Famous Randall knives.
Baisically its like this, a long time ago we had blacksmiths which made swords and daggers and other combat weaponry, these days swords are only made for decorative purposes, except in some areas of the world, and if they do have combat application they will cost you thousands of dollars, knives on the other hand are still made to be used, and in my opinion Mercworx is ironically one of the newer yet other thand tops perhaps the only company to make real warrior blades, holding the equatorian in my hand makes me feel like I have some huge assasins dager from the roman empire or something, which is another reason I like mercworx from a combat perspective their blade design is superior, very similar to designs used by ancient clets and Greeks. The Roman Pugio is also somewhat similar in nature, combining cutting and chopping power, plus the mercworx blades are so thick you could pry just about anything.
Lets put it this way, yes tops are less expensive( I own the tracker, rover atc, alaskan harpoon, and fox), and for a long time I thought that only a madman would pay the prices Mercworx was charging, but then I guess I went mad and bought one(equatorian, sniper, and shiva), I realized I wasn't crazy afterall. Since mercworx blades are so expensive I suggest those who are purchasing them to go for the sniper or Equatorian, as the difference between the shorter blades and these comes out only fifty bucks or so. Also the Mercworx blade is not double edged all the way, the second edge is about less than half of the length of the blade, meaning you can still assist cutting with the other hand on the back of the blade, from what I can tell the sniper model seems to cover all the bases of cutting chopping and thrusting. Realistically if you just want a dagger to have a dagger(because unless you are an operator there really is no practical use for a dagger other than to kill)
