Tops DART opinions?

beestokk

beestokk

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2009
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Any opinions on the Tops DART? I've handled one but not used one. Feels great in hand and the design looks solid all around with good reviews. Looking to pick one up if anyone looking to move one.

nannybear nannybear - thought of you specifically bc I know you picked one up recently on the exchange here. How you liking it?

Thanks!
 
yes actually. I had one from earlier was well. so now I have 2. need to unload one. I wear mens small gloves and this knife fits my hands fine. lovely balance, fit and feel. slight recurve with razor sharp blade that keeps its' edge. all I have to do is touch it up with my ceramic rod and she is good to go.
 
nannybear said:
yes actually. I had one from earlier was well. so now I have 2. need to unload one. I wear mens small gloves and this knife fits my hands fine. lovely balance, fit and feel. slight recurve with razor sharp blade that keeps its' edge. all I have to do is touch it up with my ceramic rod and she is good to go.
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Good stuff! Can you email me at the address in my Profile posts and maybe we can talk about making a deal for one whichever one you're looking to unload? I don't have PM privileges as of now. Thanks for the reply!
 
nannybear nannybear - figure this might be easier to save ya having to look at my profile page; email is (email removed). Thanks!
 
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I have one and like it. Mistwalker did a nice review on the earlier S30V version here-https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/tops-d-a-r-t-s30v.836560/page-3 Mine is 5160. I took it camping on one trip and it's a solid camp knife. I guess my question would be what role are you hoping it will fill? It's not a delicate fillet knife or a dedicated whittler. It is a wood splitting beast that's not so large that it's not capable of doing more detailed work. If I separated all of my knives into 2 piles, keepers and get rid of, it would definitely go in the keeper pile.
 
Creaky Bones said:
I have one and like it. Mistwalker did a nice review on the earlier S30V version here-https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/tops-d-a-r-t-s30v.836560/page-3 Mine is 5160. I took it camping on one trip and it's a solid camp knife. I guess my question would be what role are you hoping it will fill? It's not a delicate fillet knife or a dedicated whittler. It is a wood splitting beast that's not so large that it's not capable of doing more detailed work. If I separated all of my knives into 2 piles, keepers and get rid of, it would definitely go in the keeper pile.
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Thanks for the reply! Looking for it for pretty much that purpose, kind of a "if I chose to only bring one knife" out with me deal, could it do a little bit of everything? My expectation is yes. Not expecting it to excel at any one thing but able to do most any task effectively.
 
beestokk said:
Thanks for the reply! Looking for it for pretty much that purpose, kind of a "if I chose to only bring one knife" out with me deal, could it do a little bit of everything? My expectation is yes. Not expecting it to excel at any one thing but able to do most any task effectively.
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In my opinion it would be a very effective choice for a one knife scenario. It’s a great size and steel choice to do hard work, it chops above its weight, it’s easy to field sharpen and it’s comfortable. It’s also not too big to handle smaller knife chores. And it looks pretty danged sweet which doesn’t matter work wise, but does make a bit of a difference in my reaching for it to take with me.
 
Creaky Bones said:
In my opinion it would be a very effective choice for a one knife scenario. It’s a great size and steel choice to do hard work, it chops above its weight, it’s easy to field sharpen and it’s comfortable. It’s also not too big to handle smaller knife chores. And it looks pretty danged sweet which doesn’t matter work wise, but does make a bit of a difference in my reaching for it to take with me.
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Right on, thanks again for the reply, much appreciated. All makes sense to me and I agree with the look! Still on the lookout for one; if you know of one let me know!
 
The DART (Direct Action Rescue Tool) knife was designed by Trace Rinaldi. He interviewed numerous field operators, particularly snipers and HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) members while designing this model. This knife is especially handy for chopping in close areas because of its economy of movement and energy.

Taken from the description on bladehq. I'm sure it's a fine knife, but I'd really like to see transcripts from these interviews. I'd like the knife even more of these field operators actually just wanted a knife to clear brush at home.
 
AntDog said:
It was designed by one of my favorite knifemakers - Trace Rinaldi. Looks like a winner to me, and Trace knows his way around a knife.
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Thanks for the reply! I agree and get the same impression of the designer!

Started a thread in the Wanted to Buy forum as I'm still looking for one.
 
T.L.E. Sharp said:
The DART (Direct Action Rescue Tool) knife was designed by Trace Rinaldi. He interviewed numerous field operators, particularly snipers and HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) members while designing this model. This knife is especially handy for chopping in close areas because of its economy of movement and energy.

Taken from the description on bladehq. I'm sure it's a fine knife, but I'd really like to see transcripts from these interviews. I'd like the knife even more of these field operators actually just wanted a knife to clear brush at home.
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Although I don't doubt he talked to a couple guys that's obviously a sales pitch to the tacticool crowd. How much knife does a hostage rescue guy need?
 
beestokk said:
Thanks for the reply! I agree and get the same impression of the designer!

Started a thread in the Wanted to Buy forum as I'm still looking for one.
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I mean, there are several for sale on that Extra Big Auction site, You know?
 
Quiet said:
I mean, there are several for sale on that Extra Big Auction site, You know?
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Haha, yea, saw those but they seem to be new and comparable in price to a couple reputable dealers that I would rather support if it comes to it. Unless I'm missing some used ones but I've looked pretty thoroughly I thought. Lemme know if I missed something! Was more interested in a used one at a good price. Thanks for the (clever) reply!! :thumbsup:
 
beestokk said:
Haha, yea, saw those but they seem to be new and comparable in price to a couple reputable dealers that I would rather support if it comes to it. Unless I'm missing some used ones but I've looked pretty thoroughly I thought. Lemme know if I missed something! Was more interested in a used one at a good price. Thanks for the (clever) reply!! :thumbsup:
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That's fair! I wasn't certain whether these were discontinued or not. TOPS does that, they bring out a million new models, but then they disappear off the world stage just as quickly. I wasn't sure if this model had become scarce or not.
 
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