Thoughts on Tops Wolf Pup?

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gottahaveit27

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Aug 31, 2008
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I'm thinking of buying a Tops Wolf Pup. It looks like a really neat and functional little knife. I'm sure there are plenty of you out there who have, or have had one. What are your thoughts? This will be my first Tops knife so any comments on the company in general are also appreciated. Thanks!
 
rowen manufacturing is an excellent company they do the heat treats for both RAT cutlery and TOPS knives. they seem to really understand 1095 steel and i believe they differentially heat treat some of the knives and according to who you are and what your doing that may mean alot.

alot of people knock 1095 because its not stainless nor is is it one of the new wave super steels additionally the bar stock is fairly cheap so some people feel that a knife made of 1095 should be much cheaper than a comparable knife made of s30v, i think htis is baloney. 1095 is an excellent steel thats fairly easy to sharpen and is really tough. as for corrosion if you wipe your knife on your pants before u put it back in the sheath after getting it wet and perform the basic types of maintenance that you should be doing anyways you wont have any problems even on the coast regardless of what some steel snobs or anonymous internet experts may tell you.

the design seems solid and its one of TOPS most popular design. i have not personally handled the model but ive admired it many a time and think thatit would be a quality item.

really if you like the look you should go for it TOPS makes solid knives from proven materials.

good luck
 
I've got the TOPS Wolf Pup XL, and i'ts an excellent knife.
It all depends on what your use for it is, and the size of your hands.
I've got fairly large hands, so it's not a problem for me, but some of my buddies think that it's a bit too chunky (the handle).

Typical Tops construction and built like a tank so you really can't go wrong considering that it's around $50-$60, but I think you should handle one before you make your choice.
It's not for everyone.
 
razorsdescent said:
rowen manufacturing is an excellent company they do the heat treats for both RAT cutlery and TOPS knives. they seem to really understand 1095 steel and i believe they differentially heat treat some of the knives and according to who you are and what your doing that may mean alot.

alot of people knock 1095 because its not stainless nor is is it one of the new wave super steels additionally the bar stock is fairly cheap so some people feel that a knife made of 1095 should be much cheaper than a comparable knife made of s30v, i think htis is baloney. 1095 is an excellent steel thats fairly easy to sharpen and is really tough. as for corrosion if you wipe your knife on your pants before u put it back in the sheath after getting it wet and perform the basic types of maintenance that you should be doing anyways you wont have any problems even on the coast regardless of what some steel snobs or anonymous internet experts may tell you.

the design seems solid and its one of TOPS most popular design. i have not personally handled the model but ive admired it many a time and think thatit would be a quality item.

really if you like the look you should go for it TOPS makes solid knives from proven materials.

good luck
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Thanks for the info. I love RAT cutlery knives and I think Rowen does a terrific job on the RC blades. I didn't know Rowen also heat treated Top's 1095. That pretty much answers my quality concerns.
 
The wolf pup is a sweet little knife but the sheath sucks, not much retention. I didn't know Rowen did their blades either but I do know TOPS 1095 is bad a$$. The wolf pup is a very small blade but can handle large tasks, just make sure its not too small for you.
 
First rate quality, compares with my RC-3 (no surprise).

I use it as a neck knife when hiking. Retention wasn't too bad, but for carrying upside down, I heated the kydex and remolded it a bit for more security.

The belly is generous, and makes it easy to use the full length of the edge for a lot of tasks without my fingers crowding the work. I made some traps and a bow drill with mine, without any trouble.

My big complaint is the thumb ramp. It's a real hot spot, more for brand identity than function. I might grind it down, but the holes in it make that a little more iffy than it otherwise would be.
 
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gottahaveit27 said:
Thanks for the info. I love RAT cutlery knives and I think Rowen does a terrific job on the RC blades. I didn't know Rowen also heat treated Top's 1095. That pretty much answers my quality concerns.
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glad to be of help. it was a big deal whn rat chose to work with rowen because of their excellent heat treat on tops knives a bunch of people got very excited and rightly so it seems :D
 
razorsdescent said:
rowen manufacturing is an excellent company they do the heat treats for both RAT cutlery and TOPS knives.
Click to expand...

Didn't know that. I love the edge my RC3 takes. After using it my favorite steels now are S30V, D2, and Rowen's 1095. Will be looking at some Tops knives in the future.

Thanks, good info.
 
It's not a bad knife at all & a decent size for what it is. However, I think the sheath's a little too much for such a small knife, but that's just my opinion.

Another small knife in 1095 to check out is the Ranger Little Bird, however, it's admittedly quite a bit smaller. I believe it's about 4" OAL with a 1.75" blade, however, Justin can make it a flat grind (Which mine is & polished, not coated).
 
Got my wolf pup. WOW! This is one sweet little blade. Feels great in the hand (fills it nicely) and the blade shape is great. It is a really cool and functional design all the way around. It didn't come very sharp but it only took a few passes on the sharpmaker to get the edge nice. 1095 sure is easy to sharpen. Anyone looking for a nice little carry/utility knife should give this knife a serious look. Thanks for steering me right guys! :thumbup:
 
gottahaveit27 said:
Got my wolf pup. WOW! This is one sweet little blade. Feels great in the hand (fills it nicely)
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Hi, how has the Wolf Pup worked out in these months?
Also, how big is your hand? My palm is good 4" across, if that is a relevant measure...

thanks for input in advance

Greg
 
I've been tempted often to buy wolf pup. Only concern is that the skinner-like design wouldn't propably be good at outdoors activity (like whittling). They should also make a pocket sheath, or make the clip detachable/re-attachable.
 
STOP! Before you buy this knife, make sure that you're willing to buy a THICK knife, thick for it's size anyway.
It's a good mini pry bar, but don't expect it to slice tomatoes out of the box.
I do like TOPS knives, and this knife has a very nice little big knife feel to it.
It cuts okay for EDC work, but if you're looking for specific cutting chores, I'd look elsewhere.
And it will certainly out last almost any other knife this size.
.... Just read you got it already! Hope it works for you.
 
Sorry I missed that this was brought back up. To any interested... I really like this knife. It is certainly not the best slicer in the world due to its thicker stock but it is still a very useful little blade that feels really good in the hand and cuts better than its blade length would indicate because of the blade design. As for how the knife fits in the palm, the handle is actually pretty thick and three fingers fit on the knife easily and depending on how I hold it sometimes my pinkie is involved in the grip as well. My palm is a little over 3 1/2" but I don't see people with larger hands having a problem with this one. Now to be completely honest with you I don't carry or even use this knife all that often simply because I have others that I prefer for EDC or daily tasks.
 
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