Tops Tahoma field knife?

Thanks for the input so far ya'll. So many decisions & makes now a days makes it harder. Harder even more when practically impossible to handle any knife but the every day crap on most stores!!! Rarely get out, so most stuff I handle is what I have.......sadly. will keep looking & keep this in mind
 
I like Tops knives but the edges are very obtuse and the grinds start too low on the blade on most models. I own a few of Tops knives that are reground to full flats or a very high saber and they perform flawlessly.
 
There are several very favorable reviews on youtube.

Here is one where Andy Tran explains the design.

[video=youtube_share;vYNsn39WA8w]http://youtu.be/vYNsn39WA8w[/video]
 
"Quote Originally Posted by Jason B. View Post
Looks awful, way too tactical. Top edge, finger choil, thumb ramp, all useless and inhibit good performance."


Brigadier said:
Use it and then see if you still think this way.
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I have used and owned one of their 'Do it all' knives. I wish I would have never seen it now. Not to say that I won't make a future purchase from them but I just wish I wouldn't have gotten the knife I did. Backup blade....JOKE! Hurts the function of the knife WAY more than it could ever help. Get one of their 'serious' blades and put a multi tools in the pouch on the sheath.
 
Shaggy DA said:
"Quote Originally Posted by Jason B. View Post
Looks awful, way too tactical. Top edge, finger choil, thumb ramp, all useless and inhibit good performance."

I have used and owned one of their 'Do it all' knives. I wish I would have never seen it now. Not to say that I won't make a future purchase from them but I just wish I wouldn't have gotten the knife I did. Backup blade....JOKE! Hurts the function of the knife WAY more than it could ever help. Get one of their 'serious' blades and put a multi tools in the pouch on the sheath.
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Well, until you use it, I guess you can go off your preconceived notions. Judging books by their covers, and all.

But from MY PERSONAL experience, when testing the TFK against a BK-7 and a RAT-7, chopping, batoning, feather sticking, the TFK was much better at all 3.
 
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Used mine in the woods this past weekend and had no problems whatsoever. Used it to clear a nice little path, used it to pry open the door on my deer blind, then cut down about 15 to 20 saplings, and it was still sharp enough to shave with. I don't know about all the other knives that TOPS makes, but this one holds one hell of an edge. Oh, and used the bowdrill divot just for shits and giggles, and started a fire the first week I owned it.
 
Dacus_Nomadic said:
Used mine in the woods this past weekend and had no problems whatsoever. Used it to clear a nice little path, used it to pry open the door on my deer blind, then cut down about 15 to 20 saplings, and it was still sharp enough to shave with. I don't know about all the other knives that TOPS makes, but this one holds one hell of an edge. Oh, and used the bowdrill divot just for shits and giggles, and started a fire the first week I owned it.
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Like I said earlier, judging a book by its cover......
 
Jason B. said:
Looks awful, way too tactical. Top edge, finger choil, thumb ramp, all useless and inhibit good performance.
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Whoa, what? Thumb ramps and choils are useless? I beg to differ. They most certainly are not useless, nor do those features inhibit good performance. I've got plenty of knives with one, the other, or both and none of them are useless. Come on, now.
 
I've used a lot of knives and have found that most things like a excessively large choil to "choke up" on the knife only places your hand in a bad position which quickly becomes uncomfortable. It also moves the edge further away from the handle changing the leverage point which makes most bushcraft cutting more difficult than need be. The closer the edge is to the handle the more control you have and less force you will need to make the cut.

Thumb ramps serve what purpose? Creating hot spots? Same with jimping, bunch of small grooves that cause pain with strenuous work.

A Mora doesn't have these features, even the TOPS bushcraft knife doesn't sport these features (well, maybe some jimping) yet both would be arguably better choices than the knife listed in this thread. My opinion is strong as most know, but it's also a well educated opinion.
 
Here is my favorite TOPS knife. The War Bowie. Its got almost a full flat grind and cuts well for being thick. Even though its a big clip point, the tips is very stout. Its in a kydex cross draw sheath that I made.



 
I bought one this past summer to test it out—I had heard good things and was impressed with Andy Tran's video. That's where it ended. On the first day of field testing I tried to pry a piece of fat wood from a log and with the slightest weight on the blade I bent it almost 45 degrees... literally owned it less than 24 hours it was done. Upon calling TOPS and reviewing the documentation sent with the knife, apparently I used it for something outside of its intended use—no warranty and out $250. Needless to say I won't be buying any TOPS products ever again.

I realize that this was a VERY rare incident, and I'm sure TOPS knives are perfectly fine, but the response wasn't what I expected. I doubt I would get that from other respectable knife companies, or many of the other top custom knife makers. So I will stick with my Busse collection—knives that have never let me down in very extreme circumstances.

Hurt'n'Broke said:
OK, has anyone had one of these out & about to use? I found a decent deal on one, but don't want to spend money on something that may not hold up to heavy use. I trust the members here more than the designer or company videos. Thanks for any & all info guys!
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