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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Opinions on Tops Knives

Posted: 9/16/2014 5:26:03 PM EDT

Anyone have opinions on them either way? Are they worth money? Some of their designs have caught my eye. Others are just silly.

Thanks in advance.

Posted: 9/16/2014 5:33:40 PM EDT

[#1]

which designs are just silly? just curious

Posted: 9/16/2014 6:16:46 PM EDT

[#2]

This ATAX Thingy

and

HKT

and

Toothpick

Maybe silly was the wrong word. Not my cup of tea for sure.

Posted: 9/16/2014 8:10:17 PM EDT

[#3]

I agree OP

Posted: 9/16/2014 9:02:34 PM EDT

[#4]

Quote History

Quoted:
This ATAX Thingy

and

HKT

and

Toothpick

Maybe silly was the wrong word. Not my cup of tea for sure.

View Quote

Those first two especially are silly as hell. I like the Street Scalpel.

Posted: 9/16/2014 9:47:52 PM EDT

[#5]

I handled a some a few years back. They seemed a bit gimmicky and overpriced. Just my opinion.

Posted: 9/17/2014 10:51:35 AM EDT

[#6]

They have some ridiculous designs that's for sure, but also some good ones.

I really want one of these: http://www.topsknives.com/product_info.php?products_id=459

And their Brothers of Bushcraft gets good reviews too: http://www.topsknives.com/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=473

Posted: 9/17/2014 6:47:12 PM EDT

[#7]

I think of them as producing gimmicky, ill conceived, over priced designs (in general) in some sort of meager attempt at producing knives that look "cool"... I can't take them seriously... They do have an occasional design that looks reasonable/useful but, like most of their designs, the price point is usually a deal breaker (for me at least)... I'm sure they have their fans but they can not count me among them...

Posted: 9/18/2014 2:58:21 AM EDT

[#8]

I have a Brothers of Bushcraft for camping/hiking and my wife has the Sparrow Hawke for self defense. Both are extremely well built and rugged.

Posted: 9/18/2014 10:57:33 AM EDT

[#9]

I found a slightly used street scalped on a table at a gun show and picked it up for $40. At that price, it's been a pretty cool little knife.

Posted: 9/18/2014 7:36:50 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
I found a slightly used street scalped on a table at a gun show and picked it up for $40. At that price, it's been a pretty cool little knife.

View Quote

Wanna make a quick ten bucks?

Posted: 9/18/2014 8:40:30 PM EDT

[#11]

I have one Tops knife, and it is well built and solid.

I do think they have some crazy ideas about knives, but every one I have handled has been top notch quality for production/ semi custom knives.

Posted: 9/19/2014 11:47:12 AM EDT

[#12]

I bought this model from them some years ago. The price was ok for me.

Posted: 9/22/2014 10:17:10 PM EDT

[#13]

I bought the Rhino.

It is a good sized knife - not too big, not too small. Not only is the blade properly sized but so is the length of the grip (I have big hands and this grip fits).

It is well made and solid with good scales.

I'm sure that the coating on the blade will be damaged, eventually, but I've used it a bit when camping and the coating is still almost like new. It came to me with a VERY sharp edge.

The sheath is also well made and holds the knife securely. It is adjustable for tilt and has a very stout QD clip.

I don't know what else to say about it. It's just a KNIFE.

P.S. - I know what else to say,... if I wanted another knife, I'd look at the TOPS knives, for sure.

Posted: 9/26/2014 1:45:49 AM EDT

[#14]

I have their TSK- tactical steak knife. I like it for what it is. The handle could be a little thicker and have a more grippy texture for better handling of the knife. The material they use is ground/polished to a smooth texture. I like the blade profile as a skinning knife. It doesn't hurt that it's made from 440C either. A lot of their knives though are just goofy looking.

Posted: 9/26/2014 12:04:05 PM EDT

[#15]

Just wait until they show up saying that hot linking their pics is theft. I had that happen once and any thought I had on purchasing one went out the window.

Posted: 9/26/2014 12:19:33 PM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
This ATAX Thingy

and

HKT

and

Toothpick

Maybe silly was the wrong word. Not my cup of tea for sure.

View Quote

No,I think silly was the right word.

Posted: 9/27/2014 4:20:57 PM EDT

[#17]

The Tops BOB, Scandi Trekker, and the MSK are a great Scandi series of knives. Also, the Tahoma Field Knife has been praised by the one knife option guys.

Posted: 10/7/2014 1:01:58 PM EDT

[#18]

I have the Idaho Hunter...it is one heck of a knife.

Posted: 10/7/2014 9:53:37 PM EDT

[#19]

I have the condor alert I use it for camping and splitting firewood which is does a great job at. I use a rock or club shaped piece of wood to hit the back of the knife to split logs shows some mushrooming on the back end but is built like a brick shit house.

Posted: 10/7/2014 10:01:03 PM EDT

[#20]

I have the 4.5 hog that Norseman designed. Sweet as hell. The very well made, and great design. Crappy sheath though....I was able to have Norseman make me a kydex sheath with fire steel for mine and it's top.notch!

Posted: 10/7/2014 11:23:02 PM EDT

[#21]

seems like they are trying too hard. if they would find a few not ridiculous blades, and get those designs refined, they would do better.

they get some things right, but lots of stuff wrong.

Posted: 10/23/2014 8:11:45 AM EDT

[#22]

I'm not diss'ing their founders but some of the final designs are just MALL NINJA.

I have thought about 2 or 3 over the years but a fairly well-known reviewer on another site (on too many boards-can't recall if it's a sin to name the site here) reviewed four knives a TOPS Firestrike, a Benchmade Presidio fixed blade, possibly a large Becker, and one other for an extended "winter survival" review. Of all of them, including the Presidio which wasn't even designed for outdoor winter survival, the only "fail" was the TOPS Firestrike which bent during batoning. Now I am often not in the "baton" camp, but it was a fair and even "abuse" test that all 3 of the others weathered admirably, but not the TOPS. Now the reviewer did state later that TOPS contacted HIM, and provided another knife for his review (read "cherry-picked") and he said that it did well. I just can't forget this however.

I think they ruined the Buck Nighthawk design also with the hole and longer blade, but that's just my journey...

Posted: 11/22/2014 12:28:43 AM EDT

[#23]

I was really, really close to buying a TOPS Dragonfly last night. It's a more expensive knife, and I wasn't sure I'd love it, so I did lots of research and comparison shopping. In the end, I didn't buy it. Too much money to risk on a company where I can't tell if they're in the business of making serious tools or space shuttle door gunner props. There are too many interesting knives on my wish list, and not enough money in the blade procurement account for me to waste it on wack knives.

If I can handle one in person and it meets my standards, I'll definitely buy one. Until then, indie knife makers are getting my money.

Posted: 11/23/2014 11:29:51 AM EDT

[#24]

I bought the Tactical Steak Knife yesterday for a good all around use knife. Good blade length and sized right for what I wanted. I wish I'd seen the XcEST though as I'd been looking for exactly that style of blade. I could care less about all the "survival kit" gear with the XcEST, but neat concept. Anybody have an XcEST? Thoughts or reviews?

Posted: 11/23/2014 1:35:58 PM EDT

[#25]

Too many of their knives fall into the "sharpened pry bar" category for my taste. A knife should cut first and everything else is secondary.

Posted: 11/26/2014 2:29:35 AM EDT

[#26]

I have 2. A Cougar Claw and one of their bigger designs. No complaints. They're made about 45 minutes from here.

Posted: 1/19/2015 2:28:20 AM EDT

[#27]

I bought a TOPS B.O.B. two weeks ago and although I haven't taken it into the field yet, I have used it to split wood for our fireplace by batonning with it. The knife feels really good in hand. Weight and balance are good. The blade is thick and should stand up easily to hard use. I also bought a KA-BAR at the same time and I'm using both knives together in a very unscientific fashion to see the advantages and disadvantages of both designs. The only advantage the KA-BAR has had so far is the length of its blade while batonning.

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Opinions on Tops Knives

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