It always seemed to me that Tops knives were quality made...

Thank you Jimmy. I'll watch that video when I get a chance but your explanation really helped. Makes me think that the $90 I paid for the Delta Unit 3 was a very fair price.

Does Tops use the differential heat treat on all of their knives or only a select few?
 
Actually, most, if not all current models are, but there may be some excepions on the how. A few may have a little more hardness done on their spines for those looking to use that area for spark producing during bushcrafting... Best to contact them directly to make sure you are getting the knife in the way you want it, (asking them the specifics of the model you are interested in) :)
 
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McFeeli said:
Tops makes one of the sexiest production fixed blades out there.. The Prather War Bowie. I only own one Tops, the G10 MSK, which is a great little fixed blade, but the War Bowie is on my "to buy" list. Not exactly sure what I'd use it for, but I know I want one, haha.
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My thoughts exactly but for the Longhorn Bowie...i don't have any real use for it, but it's one of the very few knives i would buy for the heck of it:D
 
Railsplitter said:
Makes me think that the $90 I paid for the Delta Unit 3 was a very fair price.
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I think a lot of folks judge Tops as being too high priced because of their use of 1095, which is not considered expensive steel. But, that is only one factor in the price, with the amount of quality labor going into the making of the product being more of a factor. Tops has that obviously involved ☺
 
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PocketKnifeJimmy said:
I think a lot of folks judge Tops as being high priced because of their use of 1095, which is not considered expensive steel. But, that is only one factor in the price, with the amount of quality labor going into the making of the product being more of a factor. Tops has that obviously involved ☺
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I finally found the time to watch the video that you provided. My Delta Unit 3 should arrive tomorrow but judging by what I just saw in that video I have a feeling that I'm going to get my money's worth and then some.
 
I wasn't sure where to post this. The Traditional Folders and Fixed Blades forum didn't seem like the right place so I guess this thread is a more practical place.

My first Tops knife. It just arrived within the last half hour but so far I'm very pleased with the entire package. The whistle that came attached to the sheath (not pictured) is even great. Scared the crap out of my dog.

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Railsplitter said:
I wasn't sure where to post this. The Traditional Folders and Fixed Blades forum didn't seem like the right place so I guess this thread is a more practical place.

My first Tops knife. It just arrived within the last half hour but so far I'm very pleased with the entire package. The whistle that came attached to the sheath (not pictured) is even great. Scared the crap out of my dog.

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Looks like an entrek knife, except with a clip point and integrated finger guard. And 1095 instead of 440c. The badger, javalina and bravo’s all have similar profiles, but different lengths and thickness. If I’m not mistaken, 440c can’t be differentials ht’d. And entrek’s start at about $120.
 
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Railsplitter said:
I wasn't sure where to post this. The Traditional Folders and Fixed Blades forum didn't seem like the right place so I guess this thread is a more practical place.

My first Tops knife. It just arrived within the last half hour but so far I'm very pleased with the entire package. The whistle that came attached to the sheath (not pictured) is even great. Scared the crap out of my dog.
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Congrats on your new knife.
Your dog might not be a fan though:D

 
Yonose said:
Looks like an entrek knife, except with a clip point and integrated finger guard. And 1095 instead of 440c. The badger, javalina and force recon all have similar profiles, but different lengths and thickness.
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Personally I dont see the ENTREK in that one, I must admit.
 
PocketKnifeJimmy said:
I wonder if the ownership was changed when Michael Fuller retired and left Leo as the President... Or, if he still retains ownership of Tops?
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On their wiki page, which could be outdated, it mentions that Leo is the vp and in charge of operations while Mike is the owner. It also mentions the bank scandal. He isn’t trying to hide anything. If anyone gets to be a green beret and continues as a government agent through much of the Cold War without getting his hands dirty, well, that’s a version of war that isn’t realistic.
 
No, that info is outdated. Mike Fuller retired as President of Tops, gave the reins to Leo. As for Mike still owning Tops, I don't know if that too was something that changed or not.
 
PocketKnifeJimmy said:
No, that info is outdated. Mike Fuller retired as President of Tops, gave the reins to Leo. As for Mike still owning Tops, I don't know if that too was something that changed or not.
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I don’t know if true, but the page states that he and his friends from Vietnam started the company, so if true was Leo originally a member of this group?
 
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Just having been delivered, here she is fresh out of the box, (still wearing the protective factory preservative).
Shown next to my OKC SP-53 for size comparison, one can clearly see that the Tops Wild Pig Hunter is no dainty knife! In fact, although most places online have this knife's blade listed as being 7 1/2" long, that measurement is roughly the cutting edge length, not it's entire blade length. The length of this blade, from the front of the handle scale to the blade's tip, is actually 8" long. Yup, she's a beast in her own right!
This Tops knife has such great lines, and they are so very well executed. Yup, it oozes with quality :)

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The "black river wash" finish they use, kind'a/sort'a reminds me of an old school military gray'ish phosphating/parkerizing, (but with a slightly thinner appearance to it). The green micarta handle scales are in the olive drab color range. The combination of the metal and handle scale color and texture, (not to mention the knife's overall styling), really gives this knive a military purpose built look. Yes, it has the name "Wild Pig Hunter" laser engraved into it's blade, but this knife is patterned closely on the Russian design mentioned earlier in this thread, and we know that the original Russian design had "tactical" purposes in mind. My understanding is that the original Russian designed knife does have a following with wild pig/boar hunters, so it's not a far stretch that Tops named it as such :)


The temper line can definitely be seen, and I do find that to be a pretty cool thing :)

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