- Joined
- Aug 16, 2016
- Messages
- 1
Hi guys, first time poster here.
I've had my Tops Steel Eagle 111A for about a year now. I have quite a knife collection going, as many of us do, and many choppers to compare with this one, my faves being the Ontario SP8, Ex-Gurkha Kukuri, and Beckers. When I spent $180 on this beautiful knife, I had expectations that it might blow my other knifes out of the water in durability. I would expect to baton, chop, dig, and use this as a general woods, camp, hard user. At first it was processing seasoned wood like butter, perfect edge retention, and the sawback is surprisingly effective. One day I batoned it through a too-tough knot, and to my surprise the blade had bent in the middle, with an offset of over 10 degrees at the tip. I unbent it in a steel pole. Concerned about this, I contacted Tops. For close to $50 shipping, handling, they examined it, straightened it out a little more, reprofiled the blade (they were some chips, but I definitely abused it after it was already bent) and sent it back to me. I was hoping they would find a problem with the heat treat and send me a new one. I went out in the woods, using the knife as a bramble-buster on the way to my fishing hole. I like to have a big, pointed knife to dig, which I do alot, and when diggin for bait, not even against a hardwood or anything but dirt, I felt the blade bend. I went home and bent it back. I feel as if I could chop into a log with this knife and break it with my own muscle strength. Do you guys think I expected too much from a foot long blade in 1095? The edge retention is outstanding, but is this steel not expected to have some flexibility to it? Did I get a lemon? Did I pay more for fit and finish? I have photos to upload once I figure out how. Any thoughts? Thanks guys, Cheers!
I've had my Tops Steel Eagle 111A for about a year now. I have quite a knife collection going, as many of us do, and many choppers to compare with this one, my faves being the Ontario SP8, Ex-Gurkha Kukuri, and Beckers. When I spent $180 on this beautiful knife, I had expectations that it might blow my other knifes out of the water in durability. I would expect to baton, chop, dig, and use this as a general woods, camp, hard user. At first it was processing seasoned wood like butter, perfect edge retention, and the sawback is surprisingly effective. One day I batoned it through a too-tough knot, and to my surprise the blade had bent in the middle, with an offset of over 10 degrees at the tip. I unbent it in a steel pole. Concerned about this, I contacted Tops. For close to $50 shipping, handling, they examined it, straightened it out a little more, reprofiled the blade (they were some chips, but I definitely abused it after it was already bent) and sent it back to me. I was hoping they would find a problem with the heat treat and send me a new one. I went out in the woods, using the knife as a bramble-buster on the way to my fishing hole. I like to have a big, pointed knife to dig, which I do alot, and when diggin for bait, not even against a hardwood or anything but dirt, I felt the blade bend. I went home and bent it back. I feel as if I could chop into a log with this knife and break it with my own muscle strength. Do you guys think I expected too much from a foot long blade in 1095? The edge retention is outstanding, but is this steel not expected to have some flexibility to it? Did I get a lemon? Did I pay more for fit and finish? I have photos to upload once I figure out how. Any thoughts? Thanks guys, Cheers!
Last edited:
