Tops Prather War Bowie

SpartanSaint

SpartanSaint

Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
970
I was browsing knifeworks for no particular reason, and this baby caught my eye...

thoughts guys? i don't know much about tops, they aren't mentioned a whole lot on the forums and i don't know how well they treat their 1095, but for $150, 7.25"x .25" of steel in what i've got to say is my favorite rendition of the clip point i've seen to date...

well if i weren't so damn broke i'd say its tempting. but a man can dream right?

google it up and tell me your thoughts. i'd post links but with deal spotting, and image jacking... i'll leave it up to you to find. its on knifeworks' site, under new knives and their tops selections.
 
I've heard and read good things about Tops and that looks like a heckofa knife - Go for it!
 
I liked the design since I first saw it, and like you, I was on Knifeworks when I ran across it. I've also heard that TOPS does 1095 as well as anybody. I just wish it didn't have War Bowie printed on the side in fairly large letter's.
 
cutter17 said:
I've also heard that TOPS does 1095 as well as anybody. I just wish it didn't have War Bowie printed on the side in fairly large letter's.
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IIRC Rowen does the heat treat for Tops. If that is correct you won't find better 1095 anywhere.

the printing on the side of the knives has always been a turnoff for me. I don't mind that they give their knives silly names, I do mind that they put that name on the side of the knife...that has stopped me from buying quite a few of their pieces.
 
I have been looking at that knife since it appeared on tops site. Seen it on knifeworks and order one.
 
i've heard so many good things about Rowen heat treat; i may have to put this on my list....

I'll probably mod it a bit. strip the coating etc etc etc... get rid of the ugly writing haha. but that clip is the most attractive i've seen, and if they have a good ht, with a good steel... dammit my wallet hates you.

i've been eyeing customs, but like i've said. this is my favorite shape, and my favorite version of it to date. unless i can convince someone to copy it...
 
I've had a couple of TOPS knives. One was the Skinat and the other was the Mini CQC. I have to say that I think they are over priced for what they are. I wasn't impressed with either of them. I tell you for a fact that my carbon steel Mora Clipper held an edge much better than either of the TOPS did. Most of their designs are a little radical but they do have some very good ones too.

Micarta is inexpensive and so is 1095 steel. Don't get me wrong, I love micarta handles and 1095 is probably my favorite steel, but it's too much $$ for a production blade.

Once the asking price passes $100 or so, I'm looking to one of the makers on here first. YMMV.

I read that Rowen used to do the heat treating for TOPS, but I am pretty sure that TOPS does their own in house now. Videos and other stuff that I've read show heat treat ovens in their production area. If they were out sourcing their heat treat, I don't know why they would have ovens in the production facility?
 
kreole said:
Rowen doesn't work with TOPS anymore, sorry.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...e-TOPS-Pathfinder-Knife?p=8679153#post8679153
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well even if Rowen doesn't work with tops, that thread is hardly doubt inspiring by any means. and i agree, it is a little spendy. i could easily get a custom for the same price. but i was asking how good their knives are. its not so much about the bargain... i said i really like the shape. it appeals to me, and if i so choose, i may well be willing to pay for that "luxury"

if i wanted a bargain of a knife, i'd be asking about mora... i still do have my eyes on several custom makers for a variety of uses. but i've said it before and i'll say it again: this is my favorite rendition of my favorite shape :D

if it didn't strike me as bad manners, you'd bet your a$$ that i'd send pics of this thing to a maker and ask if they could copy it for me; but i feel it would not only be wrong action towards tops, but likely offensive to the maker. and so i'm faced with the decision of over paying materials wise for a design i quite like. though the decision is an easy one today: i'm broke as a joke, so no knives what so ever till i get back on my feet.

just lookin for an opinion or a dozen and it would seem they make good stuff, that doesn't appeal to everyone. as long as its good stuff, and it appeals to me i'm set!
 
It seems like a pretty reasonable price to me. Knife is large and the Micarta is grooved. Compared to the Esee 5 and 6 I think it's priced fairly.
The design itself seems very well thought out. Simple and effective. I love bowies, myself, and this one looks pretty neat. I'm not big on writing on the blade either though. Maybe having the entire knife recoated would be the way to go.
 
SpartanSaint said:
well even if Rowen doesn't work with tops, that thread is hardly doubt inspiring by any means. and i agree, it is a little spendy. i could easily get a custom for the same price. but i was asking how good their knives are. its not so much about the bargain... i said i really like the shape. it appeals to me, and if i so choose, i may well be willing to pay for that "luxury"

if i wanted a bargain of a knife, i'd be asking about mora... i still do have my eyes on several custom makers for a variety of uses. but i've said it before and i'll say it again: this is my favorite rendition of my favorite shape :D

if it didn't strike me as bad manners, you'd bet your a$$ that i'd send pics of this thing to a maker and ask if they could copy it for me; but i feel it would not only be wrong action towards tops, but likely offensive to the maker. and so i'm faced with the decision of over paying materials wise for a design i quite like. though the decision is an easy one today: i'm broke as a joke, so no knives what so ever till i get back on my feet.

just lookin for an opinion or a dozen and it would seem they make good stuff, that doesn't appeal to everyone. as long as its good stuff, and it appeals to me i'm set!
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Brother, that is all that is important. As long as you like it and feel that it's money well spent, you will be happy. :thumbup:
 
TOPS went back to the way they were at the beginning making their own stuff..

"All TOPS fixed blades are designed and handcrafted at TOPS’ own facility in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, USA." from TOPSknives.com

That Prather design is pretty neat, it reminds me of a tactical Chef knife, which is a pretty cool idea in my book.
 
I own 3 TOPS knives. I can tell you this about mine. They are made as well as ESEE knives, the coating is great, and the edges are ground well and even. Yet, none of them cut as well as I'd like, it their edge geometry. My Mountain Lion is a bit like the ESEE 5, sharp but thick at the edge, great for durability. I bet it's balanced at the ricasso, and feels good in hand. For the money, I'd hope to be getting some kydex with their knives.
The War Bowie might be the exception to those thicker edges, if not reshape the edge to perform the way you want it to. I do suspect it's made well for what it is, but will you like it?
 
I like the look of that blade quite a bit, however I just can't do 7" blade knives. Too long to feel quick and handy and too short to have a personality of their own if that makes any sense. Nearly all my fixed-blades are sub-6" or 8+.
 
Got mine today
 

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