TOPS Shango...

[mtnfolk mike]

those of you that have been on the forums for a while, know that i am a sucker for a good neck knife, and/or small utility style fixed blade... when i heard that Joezilla had designed a necker for TOPS knives.. i knew that i had to give it a try....
i have had this knife this knife for a few weeks now, and had meant to write a review after i got it, but we have been super busy and i also started a new PT job, which is going very well..


i now present you with the TOPS SHANGO.. designed by Joezilla (a.k.a. Joe Flowers)

here are some specs as per TOPS site...

O/A Length: 6 1/2"
Bladen Length: 2 3/4"
Thickness: 5/32"
Steel: 440C RC 58-60 Cryo Treated
Handle: Skeleton
Blade Color: Tactical Gray
Sheath: Kydex
Weight: .15lb

out of the box, the knife was surprisingly sharp... despite having TOPS thick grind, it cuts fuzz sticks with no problem what so ever...

i have been carrying and using this knife just about everyday since i got it... it has done just about everything an EDC/neck knife is meant to do... after i had recieved it, i carried this knife the whole time during a 5 day camping trip and 3-d archery shoot.. it was the go to knife for me... the size and shape of the knife are very versatile and user friendly...

the SHANGO has been used for a lot of kitchen prep work and is continuing to do so, the nice wide bellied blade is suited perfectly for the job... to the blade would also make a nice skinner as well.. the hump along the spine allows you to easliy choke up on the blade if needed..

yummy... teriyaki skirt steak...

the SHANGO comes with a very well made fold over kydex sheath, i was really impressed with it, when i first opened the box.. it even has a thumb ramp along the back, so the knife can be pulled out easlily..

TOPS also includes some really cool little gadgets with the SHANGO... a pocket sharpener, a loud whistle and a cool magnesium/ferro rod combo..

one of my favorite features of this knife, is the small scraper at thebase of the blade... it is designed to be used for for scarping the magnesium and then striking it with the ferro rod... Joe makes it look really easy in his video, but it does take a few tries to get used to it and get going.. i finally did after the 4th or 6th try...

all in all i think this is a very cool knife and a really well thought out design.. nice job once again and congrats to Joezilla... if your looking for a new neck knife and or EDC fixed blade, give the TOPS SHANGO a try... it is a lot of blade for such a small package...

thanks for looking...

cheers... Mike

 

[JD Mandrell]

Where did you find one? I was just looking yesterday and couldn't find any place selling them?

These get me on two fronts, a great necker and 440C!!!

 

[myright]

I like the design a lot. I'm a big fan of a full handle and small to medium sized blade. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.

 

[Liam Ryan]

I like it, the striker on the base of the handle is a neat idea.

 

[Fletcher Knives]

Definitely looks like Joe designed a winner there. I'd like to get one and give it a workout, but we'll have to wait till the money is a little more abundant. Great review and good knife.

 

[chewbacca]

The only place I have seen it is on the TOPS website. When it hits the retail web sites, I will have to give it a try, it looks like a great blade.

 

[Jeff Venture]

Saw it on the Forums and was really interested. Now you review has clinched it for me. Thanks for the great review and thanks for the Knife design Joe!

 

[texastonydobbs]

Sweet Score ,maybe my 1st TOPS Knife...maybe ?

 

[Mistwalker]

Thanks Mike, good pictures.

Hmmmm, I can see some good applications for a thin skeletal stainless knife, and I really like that sheath for what I want to do, I really like the thumb push. I think I'd want a slightly shorter handle though. I may have to give one a try when they become available...maybe cut the handle down some and relocate the the scraping/sparking area to the spine close to the handle.

 

[dawsonbob]

Hey, that's a Cool Tool, Mike. Your pics show it off pretty well. That would make a nice little backup knife.

 

[ms3902]

Great review. I am really glad that they chose to use 440C for this little necker. To often it is over looked as a great blade steel when it is heat treated properly.

 

[mtnfolk mike]

many thanks for the great comments folks... i appreciate it...:thumbup:

i am also really liking the 440c stainless steel for a neck knife... i do think that it is a highly under-rated steel... it's very useful when working with food or around water...

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I have one of these puppies too, and I can tell you it's one sweet knife! I've been using it for similar tasks--in fact it helped me just put a storage rack together for the apartment. Like Mike said, it comes with a thick grind typical of tops, but I quickly thinned it out so it was "sharpmaker friendly."

Honestly I think it has the best 440C I've seen on a production knife to date! The edge that this thing will take is truly terrifying! I've been EDCing it for a couple of weeks now and I hardly notice it's there. The striker notch works great, though it took a few strikes to get the hang of it.

If you plan on trying out a TOPS for the first time, make it this one. It's one of my favorite fixed blades now, and I'm notoriously hard to please.

Note how dead sexy it looks with a wrapped handle.

 

[matthewdanger]

Nice review Mike. Those are some of the most delicate fuzzies I have seen.

 

[j williams]

Awww mike.... Thats a cool lil blade. Definatly a nice EDC or UL backpacking blade.

Lovin the 440C too...

Im in for one in the near future, looks like a good combo of the becker necker and Izula. Im not a fan of clip points usually, but it really works with this one!

Great design Joe!
Great review Mike!!

 

[kgd]

That little puppy would make a great knife attached to my PFD on the boats! Thanks for the review Mike.

 

[CKE2]

Great review of a great lookin blade!

 

[ChapmanPreferred]

That is one fine looking knife.

 

[BarberFobic1992]

Great write-up Mike. I like how the spine is done.

 

[resinguy]

Looks nice, but why is a stainless blade coated? To save on finishing cost?