Updated Again: Tops .230 Machete review. Now VERY pic heavy

buckmaster96 said:
i just punched my computer cause of you :D but i think that one is defective send it to me immediately
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If it was defective when i got it, it must be seriously screwed up now that i've completely convexed the blade from the bohi forward to a hair shaving edge. It cuts MUCH better now, and is the fastest sword shaped object that i own
 
Nice D-Guard, it seems very functional for a machete that "heavy". I am a bit jealous of that handle, I've convexed my Ontario 18" but I haven't gotten around to re-handle it yet. The original handles are way to thick, and the weight makes it want to leave my hand way too easy. I bet you have a much better grip with that micarta, and now that D-guard is just a bonus of security.
Nice pics guys.
 
Yeah, the micarta is WAY grippier than the stuff on all the other machetes i've owned.

With the guard, i don't think there's really any way to have it come out of your hand
 
This is starting to be what I've been looking for in a good machete. Now if it was made from 3V... I'd already be ordering one...
 
Rapt_up said:
This is starting to be what I've been looking for in a good machete. Now if it was made from 3V... I'd already be ordering one...
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ORDER IT!!! I used mine yesterday. Pics will follow, but suffice it to say that it's EXCELLENT.

Chopped all kinds of stuff and it shaves with no problem
 
BePrepared said:
ORDER IT!!! I used mine yesterday. Pics will follow, but suffice it to say that it's EXCELLENT.

Chopped all kinds of stuff and it shaves with no problem
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I agree. I have been using mine here for a week or so now and am very happy with it. I'll be posting a photographic review as well at some point in the near future, but sounds like we are in agreement on the machete.
 
The handle makes more difference than i expected. It doesn't leave ANY hot spots on your hand. I used my buddy's hardware store machete along with mine, and mine chops MUCH deeper. I assume some of that has to do with the extra weight, but it also has to do with the fact that you can swing with a great deal more confidence with the micarta handles. They don't twist in your hand, or slip on impact.
 
I'm just waiting on the Tibo hitting the dealer market before adding the TOPS line to my site, and when I do the Machete .230 will be amongst the selection. I approve. :D
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I'm just waiting on the Tibo hitting the dealer market before adding the TOPS line to my site, and when I do the Machete .230 will be amongst the selection. I approve. :D
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Tibo :eek:

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You give to me one? i say nice things about you? :D

by the way, i trolled your site extensively before i bought the .230. I was hoping that you'd have one. I've been looking for an excuse to buy something from you for a while.
 
Like the D-Guard BP. Looking forward to reading your full report and seeing the pics of your new blade in use.
 
Okay, so here's my report... pics and all. It looks like my stupid camera malfunctioned on some of them, and they're all washed out, but here are the best ones. I had a couple comparing the boomslang and the .230 chopping, but they didn't turn out well at all.

First, the choppiness: If you're looking for a chopper, this is right up your alley. It is MUCH better than most machetes as a thick wood chopper. It bites DEEP

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One good swing cuts through a 1" dead vine like nothing. The boomslang didn't make it all the way through one this size. The split happened on it's own.

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and a 1" thick tree limb

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This one was a little thicker. The .230 didn't quite make it through this, but it's hanging by a tiny piece. Not bad considering it was free hanging.

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Here's the only pic i had of smaller stuff. I though i took some pics of the underbrush i cut, but that'll have to wait til next time i guess. It does VERY well on light stuff. Just as well as other machetes i've used.

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and now for some after shots. This was after chopping 6 or 7 trees, LOTS of limbs, and a bunch of brush. The edge has not been cleaned at all.

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this is after cleaning and wiping down the edge and coating. ZERO sign that it has been used. As you can see, still paper slicing sharp. The cuts were done all along the blade, and there are no spots that will not slice cleanly

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Some final impressions: This machete is suitable as a chopper and performs equally well at the real chore for which machetes were made, cutting grasses and underbrush. It would make a great all round survival blade with only the addition of a small skinner or folder in one of its two pouches.

Compared to the boomslang: It's not much heavier if any, and while the boomslang would make a slightly better survival blade IMHO because of the reduced length (making it easier to pack and carry) the .230 out performed it on chopping and although they both cut equally well on underbrush, the added length gives the .230 an obvious edge (no pun intended). The handle on the Boomslang is a hair more comfortable for chopping, but it's a small difference.

In all, i give this machete 9.5 out of 10, losing points only because out of the box, the "lanyard" they give you is a joke. With the D-guard i added, it's an easy 10... that's my attempt at being negative, but i can't really think of anything bad to say about this thing.
 
Can someone... maybe FortyTwo... comment on how this compares to the Ontario Knife 18 Issue machete which is in 1095 steel. I already have and use the Ontario knife model.. I'm looking for an upgrade to it in chopping ability, edge holding, etc... Is the Tops Machete .230 this upgrade? I thought this woudl go well here, but I can start my own thread if folks prefer.
 
Nah, make yourself at home

The Ontario 18 is the same machete. It has the same steel and the same heat treat. The difference is in the handle, coating, edge, and blade reprofile, plus a massively improved sheath

The retention should be identical, and any improvements in chopping ability will come from the massively superior handle
 
Also the factory edge on the TOPS is much better than on a stock Ontario. The stock edge tends to be both coarse and wildly uneven, especially at the point. As BePrepared mentioned, the blade has had the profile modified, the ricasso reshaped and integrated into the extended handle, the blade/tang have received a powder coat, micarta scales have been added, and a high-quality stiff nylon canvas sheath supplied. So it's the hotrod version of the standard model, so to speak. :):thumbup:
 
well, because i am completely incapable of leaving well enough alone, i reprofiled the edge of my .230 to a zero convex, then stropped it. It is now hair popping sharp from tip to ricasso.


I don't think i'm capable of leaving my knives alone... but it's aight, cause there's no such thing as too sharp
 
I gave myself a nasty cut with my hair-popping Condor Bush Knife once. It looks like I have a scar on my finger from it, but it's an illusion caused by my fingerprints not lining up straight anymore--they're staggered, but scar free. :D
 
neat fact... if you take a box and roll it up TIGHT until it's a cylinder 11 layers thick (that's about 6" across), then secure it firmly to you dining room chair with duct tape, the .230 with a convexed edge will cut smoothly through it with absolutely no trouble, and your wife will look at you like you are totally insane
 
Mine was already looking at me like that while I sat and sharpened my standard Ontario 18 while watching TV....

You guys motivated me to put a better edge on mine... Its slowly getting there... I gotta order my paper wheels.
 
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