TOPS or RAT

Y

yort85014

Joined
Apr 27, 2009
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I am just wondering where TOPS knives fall on the food chain (in general)? I was looking to purchase a RAT RC-3 or RC-4 and happened to come across the TOPS brand. I am not familiar with them, but they appear to have some really nice designs.....but does price equal quality. Thanks in advance for any input.
JT
 
+1 on buying a RAT Cutlery knife. They make great knives and have an awesome warranty.
 
Both knives feature 1095 steel with a good Heat Treat.

Both knives have Micarta handles, the Rats are smooth and the Tops will (probably) have some texture (some models do, some don't).

Both knives will have a sheath, the Rat will have a molded sheath and the Tops will (probably) have a Cordura sheath with liner (Tops models differ).

I have owned both, I like the Rat better due to;

Thinner Steel / better Edge geometry
Handle Ergonomics (Comfortable in various grips)
More practical style

Hope this helps.
 
Teague said:
Forget TOPS and buy a RAT. Better value for your money, IMHO!
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+1

I've handled a few TOPs knives. Some are pricey for what ya get imo. I also think their marketing is cheesy. Check out their ads in Blade mag. Too many references to SWAT, Special Forces, Survival instructors, etc. The Border Guard blade has the caption "For Operators without borders".. ohhhh sweeeeet.
 
Both are heat treated the same and both are exellent products, pick the one you like the most. TOPS is you want tatical and RAT if you want pratical.
 
Practical gets my vote......thanks for the help. Any advice on the best place to pick up a RAT4? New Graham has the best deals, but are out of most of their product.
 
Maybe I spoke too soon.....it appears that they have the COMBO version in stock. Any thoughts on the COMBO vs the PLAIN? I was looking for a plain edge initially. Thanks again for any help.
JT
 
Google , Two Wolves Outdoor, good prices , instant service and have them in stock.. Hope this helps.
 
Try , Google , Two Wolves Outdoor, good prices , instant service, and I believe the have them in stock.
 
RAT all the way, if you go to their website (ratcutlery.com) click on "help & support", then on "where to buy our knives" it will bring up a whole list of different dealers
 
Not to sound like a fan boy, but RAT Cutlery makes some good knives for the money. TOPS seems to be pretty expensive for what you're getting. TOPS knives also have really thick blade stocks. Don't get me wrong RAT has some expensive knives as well, but you are also paying for their warranty which is one of the best in the business.
 
AKnife said:
but you are also paying for their warranty which is one of the best in the business.
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I hope the do that:cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFpkrk4ikWc&feature=channel

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I can not say the same thing on TOPS because I can find ANY.

LAMAO:cool:
 
I was gonna say "I'm seriously contemplating getting a Rat-7" until I saW them fooking pics, holy shizzles :eek: WHAT HAPPENED?
 
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Those knives pictured are made by three different companies. Rat, Ontario, Swamp-Rat.

Also, Tops has alot of designs. I assume some of them are thinner than others and make good outdoor/general use knives. That said, I like what Rat Cutlery has to offer quite a bit.
 
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id go with the rat,i just got my first one and i love it.cant say the same about my tops knife i bought at a gun show about a year ago,if i had pics id show them to you,but i broke a tom brown tracker batoning fire wood,which seems like it would be their most heavy duty blade.broke the bastard right in the recurve.what it boils down to is this:all knives have the ability to be broken,and since we really dont know the abuse the knives in the pics had suffered in their short lives,its hard to condemn their quality.the best way to look at it is this,would you rather break a 200+ dollar knife with ok customer service,or a knife you can buy around 85-90 bucks with great customer service and a lifetime warranty to boot.it all just depends on how you treat your knife.just because they have a reputation for being tough doesnt make them unbreakable.hope this helps. sorry for rambling,i just had 3 cups of coffee.
 
The RAT7's in questions aren't made by rat cutlery, those are ontario knives...FYI.....



I too would got RAT, just seems more practical
 
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