Thoughts on TOPS Cheetah...

[Drew66]

I'm looking for a solid fixed blade knife for when I do my annual fly-in fishing trips. Something I don't know is there until I need it. Usually in these situations the most typical use is cutting fishing line, anchor ropes, and make firestarters. Something in the 4" range with a full size handle would be preferred.

TOPS has a couple that fit the bill, the Cheetah, the Coshise, Nite Chaser, and the Sea Wolfe. Anybody have first hand experience with both TOPS and one of these models?

Thanks for any incite!

 

[aosthed]

I saw your post and I have a couple of TOPS knives as well as some Fällkniven. I think you will be more happy with looking at an F1 or S1 from Fällkniven that has (IMHO) a better steel that is much lighter and stronger.

The one drawback that I found with larger Fällkniven knives (like the A2) was that it was lighter than I wanted it to be for a good chopper. TOPS appeals to me asthetically (I like the way they look) and the 1095 steel is heavy and thick on their larger knives that make it work well with things like chopping.

However, if you are looking for a 4" blade then it won't serve as a chopper, heavy-duty task knife anyway. The F1 (~3.8" blade) or S1 (~5.2" blade) you can find on line for much less than the TOPS, is lighter, has a harder blade with a stronger steel, and will out perform many other knives in edge retention and durability...

 

[aosthed]

I just looked around a little and at KnifeOutlet.com or OneStopKnifeShop.com you can find the Fallkniven knives. The F1 is a 3.8" blade and sells for $65 and the S1 is a 5.1" blade and sells for $85.