TOPS knives and Tools is established in 1998 in Ucon, Idaho with the objective of producing top quality knives specifically developed for especially hard use. Hence, they began by putting together a team of knife designers with backgrounds in outdoor occupations ranging from Navy Seals to Airborne Rangers to SWAT Team Members to Martial Arts instructors to Native American weapons professionals and wilderness survival specialists and proved their skills in following fields
- Armed force
- Police
- Martial Arts
TOPS knives are developed and developed utilizing the substantial knowledge and real-life experiences of numerous Operators from nearly every background that utilizes hard-core knives.
Last, all TOPS fixed blade knives are made and hand-finished at their center in the heart of the Rocky Mountains and therefore, they are made completely in the U.S.A. from top quality American blade steel so that you can be guaranteed that when you acquire a TOPS knife, you are receiving the finest quality American workmanship offered.
When reading reviews of the 7 TOPS knives listed below, you will see that I have noted numerous various specifications for each knife that will provide you beneficial info about each knife.
- Tops Knives Tahoma Field Knife
- Tops Knives B.O.B. Fiedd Hunter Knife
- Tops Knives Sneaky Pete Knife
- TOPS Knives Brakimo
- Tops Knives Tom Brown Tracker Camo
- TOPS Silent Hero Knife
- Tops Knives Tops TEX Creek XL Knife
Unless you are familiar with the numerous aspects of knife style, then the various requirements may be somewhat confusing to you. Nevertheless, when it comes to general function bush craft/survival knives, the type of steel that the blade is made from is the single essential factor to be considered because the blade should be difficult enough to withstand any task that you may require the knife for.
But, in addition to the kind of steel the blade is made from, you ought to also note the blade’s Rockwell firmness since a blade with a Rockwell Solidity that is too low will not hold an edge well while one with a Rockwell Harness that is too expensive may be too brittle.
In addition, you should keep in mind the length of the blade since the blade’s length determines the knife’s viability for any provided bush craft/survival task. In addition, you need to also note the blade style because some blade styles are far better suited as general function bush craft/survival than others.
Last but not least, you must keep in mind the type of cutting edge the knife has because, there again, some designs are far much better matched for bush craft/survival than others. So, listed below you will discover an explanation of each of these aspects of knife style to help you pick the bush craft/survival knife that best suits you.
Blade steels– As discussed above, the type of steel the blade is made from is a crucial factor when picking a bush craft/survival knife and therefore, the primary step to selecting an appropriate blade steel is to decide in between a stainless steel blade and a high carbon plain tool steel blade due to the fact that they each have advantages and drawbacks over the other.
Due to the fact that bush craft/survival knives are frequently called upon to perform a wide variety of tasks, you need a steel that it is both reasonably hard and yet, likewise holds an edge well.
Hence, in this case, high carbon plain tool steels such as SAE 1095 are frequently a sensible choice even though they are much more susceptible to corrosion than stainless steels are.
However, even so, there are some stainless blade steels such as AUS-8 and 440C that are likewise well fit for making bush craft survival knives and which will do a far much better job of withstanding corrosion that than high carbon plain tool steels.
Rockwell Solidity– While the type of steel a knife blade is made from is the single essential element to be thought about when choosing a bush craft/survival knife, the steel’s Rockwell Firmness is another essential factor that should be considered due to the fact that it will not only provide you with an indication of how hard the blade is, it will also indicate how well the blade shall hold an edge.
You need to be conscious that the Rockwell C scale is typically used to determine the solidity of blade steels and, the higher the Rockwell Hardness is, the much better a blade tends to hold an edge. However, at the same time, the more fragile it tends to be.
On the other hand, the lower the Rockwell Firmness is, the tougher a blade steel tends to be however, the more quickly it will lose its edge.
However, since a knife is a person’s best friend in a survival circumstance, a blade steel that does an excellent job of withstanding both effect and prying is often a better option than one that holds an edge well because, while a dull edge can be sharpened, a damaged blade is totally useless.
Thus, when choosing a bush craft/survival knife, blade steels with a Rockwell Firmness of 52 HRC to 56 HRC are an excellent choice.
Blade Length– In addition, the length of the blade is another aspect that you should consider when picking a bush craft/survival knife because, while longer blades are a good choice for such jobs as
- Slicing saplings
- Splitting fire wood,
- Precise cutting tasks
- Construction Snares
- Making Traps
Therefore, when selecting a bush craft/survival knife, knives with blades that vary from 8 to 10 inches are a good choice for sturdy choppers however, knives with blades that vary from 4 to 6 inches are a far better choice for basic purpose utility knives.
Blade Design– In addition to the length of the blade, you must likewise carefully think about the blade design since some blade designs such as the Kukri are really purpose particular while others such as the Bowie are very general.
Hence, when picking a durable chopper, you need to look for a weight forward blade design with a very thick spinal column but, when choosing a general-purpose utility knife, you need to search for a healthy blade with either a clip point or a drop point blade style.
Plain vs. Serrated Leading edges – Last, when picking a bush craft/survival knife, you should keep in mind that while blades with serrated edges do a far much better task of cutting hard materials, they are not particularly useful on a bush craft/survival knife since they do not sculpt or slice in addition to a plain edge.
In addition, partially serrated edges are really hard to sharpen and they need a round ceramic sharpener of the very same size as the serrations in order to keep them sharp.
7 Best TOPS Knives
Since there are a lot of different repaired blade knife produces in the market today who produce so many different styles. Selecting a single survival knife from all of those on the market can be an uphill struggle.
Thus, I have actually listed below what I feel are the leading seven survival knives on the marketplace to help make the job of picking a basic function survival knife simpler for you.
Note: The sequence is in general and does not mean positioning of any other products. Further more, the pros and cons are as per our customers feedbacks, bloggers reviews and other variables as well. the purpose of this article is to provide information only. For more visit TOPS Knives Reviews.
1. Tops Knives Tahoma Field Knife
Tahoma Field Knife has a two-sided tip, designed to provide a secondary edge, in case the main edge becomes unprotected during use, as well as a notch in the column that can be used to lift fire containers.
or mark materials to create a weak spot before breaking, and the big finger allows the user to place his hand later for more precise control when performing delicate cutting or carving tasks.
Tahoma Field Knife is designed by Andy Tran to be a borehole blade, the blade in the Tohoma area
is large and heavy enough to handle most borehole tasks. Total length of 13.94 inches with a blade length of 7.75 inches and a weight of 19 st. and smooth) with Rockwell hardness of 56-58 HRC and has a smooth edge and saber tooth with a matte black finish, “river wash”, to help resist corrosion.
Specifications of Tohoma Field Knife
Specification | Details |
Steel: | 1095 HC Steel |
Blade: | 7.75 in |
Blade Thickness: | 0.19 in |
Handle: | 5.625 in |
Overall: | 13.94 in |
Weight: | 19 oz |
Tahoma Field Knife features a full tang with ergonomic handle for cutting and cutting from cinnamon colored plastic that provides a very positive grip with dual neck connections for use with an exercise bow and the button has a small lever rod
Finally, it includes a holster with a black belt in high strength ballistic nylon.
Pos & Cons of TOPS Knives Tahoma Field Knife
Pros | Cons |
Very flexible blade design | Too large for accuracy cutting jobs |
Good option of blade steels | Blade steel is prone to rust |
Great option of deal with product |
2. TOPS Field Craft BOB Hunter Knife
Brothers of Bush craft Knife/ TOPS Field craft BOB Hunter Knife features a drop-point blade design made of SAE 1095 (which is a simple, high carbon, American tool steel) with Rockwell’s 56-58 HRC hardness and has a smooth edge with modified Scandinavian grind and matte black color.
TOPS Fieldcraft BOB Hunter Knife is designed by the Bush craft brothers, a coalition of North American men focused on sharing life skills in nature, the Field Craft knife is the culmination of their knowledge and experience. So, TOPS Field craft BOB Hunter Knife is a good choice to use as a general purpose knife or as a dedicated wild survival knife and has a total length of 10 inches with a blade length of 4.75 inches and a weight of 9.6 oz.
Specification of TOPS Field craft BOB Hunter Knife
Specification | Details |
Steel: | 1095 HC Steel |
Blade: | 4.75 in |
Blade Thickness: | 0.19 in |
Handle: | 5.125 in |
Overall: | 10 in |
Weight: | 9.6 oz |
“Towing”, coating to resist corrosion. In addition, it features a full-bodied ergonomic design of a black-lined Mikarta handle that provides a very positive grip, as well as thumb grips that provide greater comfort and control when using specialized carving, leather grips as well as grooves.
TOPS Fieldcraft BOB Hunter Knife’s extension pin has a scraper specially designed to hit the included Ferro strip. Finally, it includes a black shaped Kydex belt cap.
Pos & Cons of TOPS Field craft BOB Hunter Knife
Pros | Cons |
Great blade design for the function | Blade steel is not stainless |
Medium length blade is extremely flexible | |
Includes Ferrocerium fire starter rod |
3. Tops Knives Sneaky Pete Knife
TOPS Â Sneaky Pete Knife is designed to be a utility knife and survival knife too. Its somewhat smaller than the BOB Fieldcraft knife, the Scandinavian Trekker has a total length of 8″ inches and has a blade length of 3.63 inches with a weight of 0.44lbs.
TOPS Sneaky Pete Knife features a drop point knife design manufactured in SAE 1095 (which is a high carbon American tool steel) with a Rockwell hardness of 56-58 HRC ( *subjective) and has a smooth edge and a saber tooth with a matte black “Acid Rain”, finished to help resist corrosion.
Specifications of TOPS Sneaky Pete Knife
Specification | Details |
Steel: | 1095 HC Steel |
Blade: | 3.63 in |
Blade Thickness: | 0.12 in |
Handle: | 4.125 in |
Overall: | 8″ in |
Weight: | 7.04 oz |
Furthermore, it features a full tang with an ergonomic handle design made of green Micarta canvas that provides a very positive grip even when the handle is wet. It also includes, high strength, leather belt sheath in black color.
Pos & Cons of TOPS Sneaky Pete Knife
Pros | Cons |
An exceptional energy knife | Non-stainless blade steel |
Ergonomic manage style | |
Light weight makes it easy to carry |
4. TOPS Knives Brakimo Knife
TOPS Brakimo Knife features a drop point knife design manufactured in SAE 1095 (which is a high carbon American tool steel) with a Rockwell hardness of 56-58 HRC and has a smooth edge and a modified Scandinavian grinding with a matt gray, “Fall”, finished to help resist corrosion.
TOPS Brakimo Knife is designed by nature survival instructor Joe Flowers as a backup for a machete and / or a general-purpose field knife, the Brakimo knife cups (pronounced BRAH-key-MOE) has a total length of 10 inches and has a blade length of 5.25 inches with a weight of 9.4 oz.
Specification of Brakimo Knife
Specification | Details |
Steel: | 1095 HC Steel |
Blade: | 5.25 in |
Blade Thickness: | 0.18 in |
Handle: | 4.75 in |
Overall: | 10.0 in |
Weight: | 9.4 oz |
Brakimo Knife has a full tang with an ergonomic handle design made of green Micarta canvas that provides a very positive grip along with a deep groove to pierce the bow. Finally, a black, molded, Kydex strap wrap is included.
Pos & Cons of Brakimo
Pros | Cons |
Comfy handle style | Made from non-stainless blade steel |
Great choice of blade grinds | |
Handle with bow drill divot |
5. Tops Knives TOPS Tom Brown Tracker Camo
TOPS Tom Brown Tracker Camo blade is designed by nature survival instructor Tom Brown Jr as a backup for a machete and / or a general-purpose field knife, the Brakimo knife cups (pronounced BRAH-key-MOE) has a total length of 11.88 inches and has a blade length of 6.38 inches with a weight of 2 lbs.
TOPS Tom Brown Tracker Camo features a drop point knife design manufactured in SAE 1095 (which is a high carbon American tool steel) with a Rockwell hardness of 56-58 HRC and has a smooth edge and a modified Scandinavian grinding with a matt gray, “Fall”, finished to help resist corrosion.
TOPS Tom Brown Tracker Camo has a full tang with an ergonomic handle design made of green Micarta canvas that provides a very positive grip along with a deep groove to pierce the bow.
Finally, a black, molded, Kydex strap wrap is included.
Pos & Cons of TOPS Tom Brown Tracker Camo
Pros | Cons |
Good choice of blade steels | Blade style has restricted energy |
Excellent option of blade styles | Incredibly heavy |
TPE over mold supplies a favorable grip |
TOPS Silent Hero Knife
TOPS Silent Hero Knife comes with a total length of 11.25 inches, it has a blade length of 6.38 inches and weighs 12 st. In addition, it features a drop-point blade design made of SAE 1095 (which is a simple, high carbon, American tool steel) with Rockwell’s 56-58 HRC hardness and has a smooth hollow edge with Matt Black, “River washing,” ended up helping to resist corrosion.
TOPS Silent Hero Knife is designed by Anton Du Plessis, chief of operations of the Silent Heroes Foundation’s Special Task Force, which is tasked with combating the poaching crisis in South Africa, the Tops blade is designed to be a general purpose knife.
Furthermore, TOPS Silent Hero Knife has a large finger to allow the user to place his hand forward on the handle for greater control when performing precision cutting tasks, as well as to move the spine to provide better grip on the user’s thumb.
It has a complete tang with an ergonomic black-lever handle design in Mikarta, which provides a very positive grip. Finally, it includes a high-strength black leather belt case.
Pos & Cons of Hero Knife
Pros | Cons |
Excellent camp knife design | Blade steel is prone to rust |
Full tang for extra strength | |
Handle Material is good |
Tops Knives TEX Creek XL Knife
TOPS TEX Creek XL Knife is designed by Leo Espinoza, TEX Creek XL Knife is great hunting and field knife, the TOPS Tex Creek XL knife is a tribute to the intrepid men and women who hunt the Creek Wildlife Management Area Tex in southeastern Idaho.
With a total length of 11 inches, it has a blade length of 6.25 inches and weighs 12.8 oz or 8 lbs. In addition, it features an extra wide back straight blade design made of SAE 1095 (which is an American, high content of carbon, plain tool steel) with a Rockwell hardness of 56-58 HRC and having a smooth edge with a hollow routine and a matt black, “river wash”, finished to help resist corrosion.
TOPS TEX Creek XL Knife also has a full tang with an ergonomic handle design made of black Micarta fabric that provides a very positive grip and, which includes heavy work, the brown leather belt sheath.
Pos & Cons of TEX Creek XL Knife
Pros | Cons |
Outstanding camp knife design | Blade steel requires extra care |
Super difficult blade steel | |
Super difficult handle material |
Conclusion of 7 Best TOPS Knives
For those of you who need an utterly trustworthy on wilderness knife or survival knife, it is challenging to make a much better choice than one of the seven TOPS knives listed above because they are all constructed from SAE 1095 Plain Tool Steel with a suitable Rockwell firmness for their desired purpose.
Plus, they each function full tangs with extremely comfortable manage styles together with canvas Micarta deal with scales.
Hence, each of the all of the TOPS survival knives listed above will last you a lifetime without displaying any appreciable wear.
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