TOPS 440C??...and XcEST ALPHA???

beestokk

beestokk

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2009
Messages
937
Hey all...something about the TOPS XcEST ALPHA really attracts me, not sure why, but it does. anyways, does anyone have input on how TOPS' 440C is? Good heat treat? Tough? Hold an edge? Stand up to abuse?...i.e. as good as what I've read of Entrek's heat treat? Any info or personal experience appreciated! Thanks!

also, if you've got input on the XcEST knife itself from personal experience i'm all ears...i recognize it's not everyone's cup of tea hence me just asking for input from those who have used the knife or at least handled it. thanks!
 
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addendum, just to better clarify: with regards to the steel any input at all is welcome...the XcEST itself i'm most interested in input from ppl who have used or handled one, but after 65 views and no replies I guess I'll take any at this point haha.
 
Do you like the knife? Then buy it and dont worry so much about blade steel, heat treat, Rockwell numbers, etc.
 
dano said:
Do you like the knife? Then buy it and dont worry so much about blade steel, heat treat, Rockwell numbers, etc.
Click to expand...

duly noted, just looking for opinions from anyone who's dealt with TOPS 440C before as even if I like the knife I'd be less inclined to buy it if the steel won't stand up to anything more than day to day cutting tasks or what the knife was designed for. also, if it weren't a $100 + blade those things would be less of a concern for me. if i was buying it purely for aesthetic reasons i'd have bought it already as yes, i do like the knife. i understand your point though and at its core i agree 100%. just not a manufacturer i have any experience with and most of what i've read about them is relative to their 1095, hence the post.
 
dano said:
Do you like the knife? Then buy it and dont worry so much about blade steel, heat treat, Rockwell numbers, etc.
Click to expand...

Gosh. I can't say I full agree with this entire opinion. I am 100% with Dano on the blade steel if the heat treat is good and the Rockwell numbers are suitable. For example, 2 very "pedestrian" steels, 440c and 420HC can be heat treated into extemely good blades that perform as well as many of the "super steels". 1095, pretty much good old carbon steel, if heat treated well and at the right RC (59ish) is going to perform really well. That same steel down around 55 is going to be a tough customer but is not going to hold an edge very long...that combo would make a pretty decent bayonet.

AUS-8, same deal...good heat treat and it is a good blade.

So I guess I agree with the first 3rd of this statement wholeheartedly...but I think if the blade won't do what you want, you won't be happy.
 
HoosierQ said:
Gosh. I can't say I full agree with this entire opinion. I am 100% with Dano on the blade steel if the heat treat is good and the Rockwell numbers are suitable. For example, 2 very "pedestrian" steels, 440c and 420HC can be heat treated into extemely good blades that perform as well as many of the "super steels". 1095, pretty much good old carbon steel, if heat treated well and at the right RC (59ish) is going to perform really well. That same steel down around 55 is going to be a tough customer but is not going to hold an edge very long...that combo would make a pretty decent bayonet.

AUS-8, same deal...good heat treat and it is a good blade.

So I guess I agree with the first 3rd of this statement wholeheartedly...but I think if the blade won't do what you want, you won't be happy.
Click to expand...

i agree completely with everything you said and i am also in agreement with dano given good HT and suitable rockwell. i recognize that the type of steel is most often, if not almost always, the least important aspect of a knife's capabilities. hopefully that came across in my initial response to dano, and again, the whole reason for the original post was to better qualify TOPS 440C with the help of anyone who has personal experience with it or good knowledge of it. apparently not many people do though haha :p
 
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