Why so little love for TOPS?

I peruse their website every so often. There's a few designs i like, and a few i almost like. The only one i see myself getting is the.Mil Spie 3.
 
I own one TOPS knife, and based on it -- jimping that's painful on my hand, and ground so thick at the edge it barely cuts -- I'm unlikely to get any more.

The large number of ridiculous over the top designs and mall ninja 'operator' marketing don't help either.
 
Hi all,

I have a strong interest in the TOPS BTK (Bird and Trout Knife). Might any BF members own a BTK and if so, your thoughts please.

Regards,
HARDBALL
 
I own one of the larger TOPS knives (don't have any real use for it, just bought it for grins years ago). It is well made, sharp, and feels good in my hand. I have found several small knives in their lineup that I like and would want for utility uses.

Sounds like lots of people have not tried them and just want to complain about their names. Funny that I don't read people complaining about a popular maker that names his knives using African words. Maybe if we translate those names we would find that they mean "person pays too much for knife".
 
tons of tops love here. ive got the xl fdx, street scalpel, and the wolf pup. phenominal knives!
 
I have a Mil SPIE 3 - it's a decent knife but did come with a indecently obtuse edge bevel. I had to thin it quite a bit on a belt sander to get it to cut acceptably. It also is very lacking in the pointy department but I haven't figured out how to cure that. I should probably have gotten a SPIE 5 - I'm sure I'd have had to thin it but it starts out pointier. I didn't because it has serrations and I'm not a fan.

Now, let me tell you a couple of stories about why TOPS gets little love from me. When I got the SPIE 3, one thing I really liked was the kydex sheath. I really liked the way it was made with screws and posts instead of eyelets or rivets. I also like to make kydex sheaths and thought I'd like to give the screw and post metod a try. So, I called Tops and asked if I could get some - they said sure. I told them I would figure out how many I needed and call them back - when I did, after waiting several moments on hold, I was told I couldn't buy them after all as they were proprietary parts. A torx screw and a post! I was pretty mad about wasting time and money (I wouldn't have been nearly as upset if they had said no at the outset) and had nothing further to do with TOPS for years thereafter. Then last year the Key D came out and I fell in love with the blade shape - only it had serrations. I emailed them asking if I could get one without them. They emailed back, saying no - they were part of the design. Now, someone correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't the manufacturing process - less the heat treat - go something like this - 1. blank the knife 2. grind the main bevel 3. apply the finish 4. grind the edge bevel 5. grind the serrations. I realize this is greatly simplified but really, how hard would it have been to pull an example from the production line if you really wanted to sell your knife and wanted a happy customer? So, no, I don't have a lot of love for TOPS. Besides, 900 of their, what, 1000 different designs look impractical and/or uncomfortable and/ or too mall ninjaish:)
 
I recently bought my first Tops knife and i am very impressed. I got the BOB and although its really thick, it came with a great edge and cuts really well. The only thing i wish was better is the warranty.
 
I only have two Tops. One is the Street Scalpel, which is actually a somewhat useful small heavy duty edc fixed blade once reprofiled to 20* per side, despite it's .25" thickness and narrow profile (not exactly a tomato slicer, but it cuts other things well enough). The other is the Lil Roughneck, which I haven't found a use for. How useful is a 2.75" blade that's .40" thick? :D I bought it for the sheer novelty of it. It's definitely a great conversation piece. I will say fit and finish is excellent on both knives, and I really dig their belt clip Kydex sheaths. It just seems when I'm looking for a thinner, slicier knife I always find something from another company that I like better.
 
Most aren't my style, but that new HOG 4.5 looks good to me.
 
I own two Top's Knives, the B.O.B. and the Firestrike 45.

I like them both and I am interested in getting the Cougar Claw.

The Power Eagle 12 looks pretty sweet too.
 
I've never owned one so I'm not qualified to rate the product which I'm sure is very good.1095 shouldn't be a mystery. It's the names of some of their knives that keeps me from buying them:confused: It's like they want to re-invent the wheel. I know it's probably possible but are there that many Seal, Swat, Sniper or Recon teams or their members deseigning knives? If that doesn't grab you I'm sure there's a Prepper out there working a new profile as I type. Thank God I know where to get a weapon to handle an Anaconda or the odd Falcon or Apache I might run into while I'm trying to survive in the woods or the "High Desert". The Condors better hide out once I'm geared up that's all I can say.
 
I have several Tops knives that I love. In fact I was wondering about the lack of coverage here at BF. They do get a bit gimmicky for me sometimes, and the knives of theirs that I own I either love or hate, no in between. I have the Cheetah, which is a more ergonomic Izula imho. I also have the Paysatin Lite Traveler which I like so much I bought a second so I always have one in each of my packs. However I have their scalpel and Skinat and the .25" blades are too thick for the size making them useless to me. They have a couple of other designs that interest me, the Hog 4.5 and the B.O.B. but it seems that they are switching to nylon sheaths which worries me if they go to a generic sheath to fit multiple styles ala Ontario.
 
The main thing I hear people disliking on this thread is how thick some of TOPS's knives are, but that's one of the reasons I love them. What can I say, I like a blade with a little meat on the bones.
 
I think they are called TOPS because a lot of their designs are over the TOP. That being said my Mil Spie 3 is a 154cm brick shithouse, and I love it.
 
BigBert said:
Sorry, I wasn't very clear in what I was asking. I was hoping for a comparison between either the BOB/BK16 and the Dragonfly. I agree that the BOB is much more comfortable than the 16 primarily due to the 16's shorter length.
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Brian Griffin aka Mistwalker in the Wilderness or Outdoor forums has many very good and illustrated reviews on TOP knive including the ones you want to know about
Search for threads he has started
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/member.php/216989-mistwalker
 
I've got a Tops .230 Machete and it's fantastic. The edge grind was perfect over the entire blade, which is impressive for something of its size.
 
There's nothing wrong with Tops knives. They are well made and they have nice designs.

HOWEVER, I believe it's the absurd prices that they charge that scares everyone away. The use 1095 on almost all their knives and 1095 is one of the least expensive steels out there. Their knives are severely overpriced.
 
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