TOPS Knives? Who owns any?

i dont own a tops but i have a steel eagle that belongs to a customer in japan. its a nice knife but he wants the edge thinned down some and convexed. it was sharp when it arrived but will be sharper when i'm done. it has good steel in it and should hold a good edge.
 
Yo Amigo!! I've got the Interceptor model, used it for chopping some branches and digging some roots out. No problems with it all, edge held up just fine.
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I've got a Tops masquerading as a Browning.

It's more or less a sharped pry bar, but the edge is sharp and keeps it well. Like others has said, it could benefit from having the edge thinned a bit.
Overall, fit and finish is very good and the sheath is well made. The grip is large and really fills the hand well.
 
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richard j said:
i dont own a tops but i have a steel eagle that belongs to a customer in japan. its a nice knife but he wants the edge thinned down some and convexed. it was sharp when it arrived but will be sharper when i'm done. it has good steel in it and should hold a good edge.
Click to expand...

Thanks Richard, from the foto you sent me. The blade seems just fantastic:thumbup: wonderful work:eek:


My old thoughts remain the same!

http://hgyu456jucl.forumco.com/topic~TOPIC_ID~243~whichpage~2~SearchTerms~tops,.asp

Well I use a lot of tops knives on the field.
And in so many years, there's no problems whatsoever...
1095 treated well, it will hold an edge well and be easy to sharpen. It is pretty tough, and is aided furthur in its toughness by the very robust grind angles TOPS uses in their knives. The cutting ability of the thicker, heavier models won't be especially high, but this is due to design rather than steel. Their quality is high, they're extremely strong, and if you find a model you really like and don't mind the cost, you should be able to use it long and hard without fear of it failing on you.
TOPS in general are geared towards 'Combat Knives' and as we know a Combat Knife is more of a tool than a pure knife,I would hazard a guess that 90% buy them because they look bad-ass....
Most people I've read/talked to who use TOPS knives say they're very tough, hard to break, and do an 'okay' job of cutting. This is design-based far more than steel-based, however. Most have narrow saber grinds which go from full thickness to cutting edge in less than half an inch (and TOPS are generally in the 3/16" to 1/4" thickness range), and so are pretty much splitting wedges. That doesn't mean they can't be got sharp--I can make a splitting wedge or a hammer claw sharp enough to shave, but their edge geometry is so extremely thick that they will cut not so bad, unless shaving arm hair is all they're ever called upon to do. Some of their designs (especially recently) are either increasing the height of the relief grinds or using thinner blade stock, which will improve the performance greatly.
ALSO TRUE It has been observed that TOPS knives are a bit pricey considering their use of 1095 steel. 1095 is a good steel, but also very cheap, and it is hard to justify TOPS prices for knives made of 1095. Kabars and Ontario knives are also made of 1095 steel, and they are way less expensive.
I definitely wouldn't call them custom but I wouldn't call them production either... They are handcrafted onsite in Idaho. The designs defintely fill a real world tactical/outdoors nice. I know of many Armed Services Folks who are TOPS fans because they are simple, TOUGH, and also unique. I have yet to read a review that has any issues with any aspect of these knives. They're not fancy, but the BTC has been called the best by a couple of high end knifemakers including Trace Rinaldi.:D:D:D Be careful this is not green beret :foot:Their linen micarta slabs are comfortable, durable, and nice to look at. The warranty is great. I have used my tanto tips to open cans, dig, and hog out wood with no adverse effects to the steel and it's shape. Chopping hardwood including studs for kindling had no effect on the edge. Their Kydex is sturdy, though I'd like to see some options to the spring steel clips... Here again, they seem spendy, but there are several places that will deal from less than retail.
In general, I find TOPS knives overbuilt for my average needs. By this, I mean thich edges meant for abuse, saber grinds that make a better knife for prying and similar abuse. As far as materials and quality of construction go.The TOPS fixed blades I shortly had were very well made and comfortable in my hand. Stout blades with nice micarta scales. I had a Mohawk Hunter and a Jeff Randall Laser Strike that was produced by TOPS. All knive very well done I thought but given away or sold before extensive use thus I cannot comment in detail on their utility. You know is a knife....
I've got an Steel Eagle and Overlander..it seems to be a tough as a knife should be.
Sure 1095 can be great, but for >$150 you can get an individually made knife in that steel from a relatively good maker. For only about $50 more you can get a differentially heat treated 1095 custom.

Good luck;)

P/S
I have large hands and steel eagle fit my hand very well:p

double
P/S If any of you buy stell eagle for Tops? The next thing to do re profile of the blade! then you have a knife:thumbup:
 
For hard use knives I find TOPS to be comparable to Busse and Strider, but for considerably less money. Frankly, I think TOPS puts more work into their product and I've never heard anything but good about anyone involved in the company.

My personal taste is in knives that are a bit more refined, but TOPS keeps getting closer.
 
Tops Tom Brown Jr. Tracker, not impressed. The workmanship was very good, knife was dull out of the box. It was more of a design issue with me than anything else.
 
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