Tops xc est

lagarto said:
Mistwalker,

First off, awesome review of a great knife. I've been looking at one of these for a while now. I'm thinking of getting my brother either this or an M1 Midget from TOPS for Christmas. He spends a good chunk of his life both for work and pleasure in the outdoors. Hunting, big wall climbing, etc.... and I want him to have a tough, light knife. My question is, what do you think of the components with this one? Are they worth the money, or am I better to get him another knife and just build the kit myself? Thanks for any insight you can offer.

Lagarto
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I like the way this kit is set up. I may change out the light for a different type, but I like the knife and sheath alone enough to make it worth what it cost.
 
Thanks so much for the review. I've been drooling over this for quite some time now. I see the advertisements all the time in Blade magazine and have been wanting to buy one. I like the wide, short blade and the slight recurve.

I keep telling myself I'll wait to see one show up on the aftermarket.
 
myright said:
Thanks so much for the review. I've been drooling over this for quite some time now. I see the advertisements all the time in Blade magazine and have been wanting to buy one. I like the wide, short blade and the slight recurve.

I keep telling myself I'll wait to see one show up on the aftermarket.
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Glad you enjoyed the post. I definitely love the stout design, and that re-curve comes in handy whittling.
 
well, it's not Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife to be sure, but if you can't get that one, this is a pretty good substitute.

Great review. And I mean like, truly great. Way to put the tool to work in its 20 different forms, plus photos, plus video.
 
as always, your reviews/pictures are some of the best , thanks for sharing
one little question, anyway ; i see in all your reviews you use the edge of your knives to create sparks from what ferro/misch rod you happen to have , so im asking if it happened to damage some edge a little more than you expected , because from what i know, this can create flat spots in a blink of an eye
thanks again
 
Thanks for the kind words guys.

Actually I use whichever part of the life lends itself to sparking a fire steel. On customs and knives with sharply squared spines I'll use the spine, but on coated knives and knives with rounded spines I'll use the edge. I've never had a problem dulling the edge of a knife with a good heat treat.
 
Thanks again for the great review mistwalker. After your input in response to my questions and based on the strength of your review I have just ordered one of these for my brother, as well as an M1 Midget for myself. Now the wait begins.

Lagarto

P.S. I have to be honest here. I ordered another knife from another company I know that he likes as well, just in case I can't bear to part with this Xc EST when it arrives.
 
lagarto said:
Thanks again for the great review mistwalker. After your input in response to my questions and based on the strength of your review I have just ordered one of these for my brother, as well as an M1 Midget for myself. Now the wait begins.

Lagarto

P.S. I have to be honest here. I ordered another knife from another company I know that he likes as well, just in case I can't bear to part with this Xc EST when it arrives.
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The waiting is always the fun part lol, I'm waiting on a few knives right now. I've been waiting on a couple for some time now but that's all part of it.

Which ever one ends up with it will have a good survival knife kit. One thing I am adding to mine is a small ceramic rod that will be more fragile but take up less space than the Lansky.
 
Awesome review......just ordered one of these the other day. I've been in the market for a sturdy survival knife and this is small enough that I could see myself using it as an EDC....albeit a beefy one.
 
osok666 said:
Awesome review......just ordered one of these the other day. I've been in the market for a sturdy survival knife and this is small enough that I could see myself using it as an EDC....albeit a beefy one.
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Thanks, glad you enjoyed the review, it's a great knife. Depending on where you live and how urban it is it may be a bit bulky for edc. If I still lived over in the rural county I lived in some years ago I'd edc it there.
 
Great Stuff Mist - By far one of the best reviews I have ever seen on BF, practical, relevant and BS free. The bow-drill was a nice touch that put this review up a level. TOPs should give you one free for the excellent and free advertising. :thumbup:
 
Falcor said:
Great Stuff Mist - By far one of the best reviews I have ever seen on BF, practical, relevant and BS free. The bow-drill was a nice touch that put this review up a level. TOPs should give you one free for the excellent and free advertising. :thumbup:
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Thanks man, I'm really glad you enjoyed the rview so well.
 
Thanks for the review.

The knife looks a bit 'odish' for me but functional. I like the sheath! Not screaming 'RAMBO IS HERE', but silent and discreet yet functional.
 
Falcor said:
Great Stuff Mist - By far one of the best reviews I have ever seen on BF, practical, relevant and BS free. The bow-drill was a nice touch that put this review up a level. TOPs should give you one free for the excellent and free advertising. :thumbup:
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Plus one on that. They're using a link to this post on their website as advertising in case you weren't already aware of that Mistwalker.

Lagarto
 
lagarto said:
They're using a link to this post on their website as advertising in case you weren't already aware of that Mistwalker.

Lagarto
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Really? Wow I'll have to check that out. I haven't looked at the XCEST page since I cross referenced my specs for this review.
 
very helpful and insightful review. sorry to bring up an older post, but i had posted inquiring about TOPS 440C in general, and this knife specifically. someone posted the link to this review...sweet! mistwalker or anyone else, might you be able to shed a little light on my original post from the other thread?...especially mistwalker since having possibly/hopefully continued to put this knife through some good hard use since the review.

original post:

"Hey all...something about the TOPS XcEST ALPHA really attracts me, not sure why, but it does. anyways, does anyone have input on how TOPS' 440C is? Good heat treat? Tough? Hold an edge? Stand up to abuse?...i.e. as good as what I've read of Entrek's heat treat? Any info or personal experience appreciated! Thanks!

also, if you've got input on the XcEST knife itself from personal experience i'm all ears...i recognize it's not everyone's cup of tea hence me just asking for input from those who have used the knife or at least handled it. thanks!"

thanks in advance
 
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