Tops awesome awesome awesome customer service you didn't even have to ask them or contact them a lot of manufacturers would have said that's abuse your SOL but atleast tops is on there game
I bought a Silent Hero from Tops at Shot Show last year. I really liked the design and could live with the handle. I brought it home and batoned a small cedar log. It had a little twist in the grain but nothing crazy and nothing I haven't tackled with "lesser" knives many times in the past. It bent the blade. I contacted Tops and they eventually replaced it and scolded me for abiding their knife. I've got this SXB Skullcrusher here for the Gauntlet and immediately chipped the edge on a preliminary test that a Gerber Strongarm flew through with flying colors. On the flip side my Tahoma Field Knife had been outstanding. Tops has failed to impress me more times than not though so your results don't surprise me much.
i dont particularly like schrade but at 29 dollars they can give you 1095 steel, a descent sheath, a farrow rod, and a sharpener. tops gave you a poorly heated treated knife, a bad sheath, and whistle. why tops?
+Tribune of The Plebs this is 1095 steel, so it shouldn't have chipped that so easily. There was definitely something wrong with it, since Tac doesn't really even abuse the knives, so.
Mine had a warped blade from the factory. Took it back to the store for exchange, all 4 blades they had were warped to the side. I also agree with you on the handle. It feels good when you pick it up for the first time, but after doing some chopping you really begin to hate all choils and hooks that serve only to give you hotspots. Funny enough, your earlier review from a few years back is what sold me the blade.
Hope all is well in your camp Tac. I know this is an old initial thoughts review... what eventually became of this knife, or how did bent and chippy show scenario turn out? I did see the follow-up you did with regards to TOPS sending out a 2nd knife (new/revised version), but what was the verdict so to speak on the first one you had? Did you keep (ie. still have) the second improved version?
That's a Very Disappointing Knife. Tops Needs to Send You a New One, Schrade Would! Great Review, Thanks Tac! I'll save a lot of money and get the Jessica-X!
Hehe well you had the same experience we had in our test with this knife brother. It is a disapointment in all departments in my opinion. Great vid man. Snake
Tops knives are overpriced 1095 period, would never consider purchasing one of them. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and suggestions with me, I appreciate it sir Tac.
NO they're not. It's not just the steel that you're paying for. It's the amount of work that it takes to make the product. Then there's the cost of running small factory, paying your worker insurance, taxes, so forth and so on. But how would you know, you don't produce anything. Also, there's absolutely nothing wrong with 1095 steel. If you think you can make a better semi-custom US made knife for less, go ahead.
In all honesty playboy, it did a pretty good job through your brand of testing. You do put all your blades through some serious shit. I do know a guy who swears by that knife as his favorite big blade knife. But everyone's different. Great testing bro!
You are the best . I laughed so hard . I could totally relate . when you get something you wanted . and its not what they say it is . great video thank you.
Júlio Salotti I looked at it again and tried to pause it but I couldn't get a good view on it. you could be right. Tac stop fucking things up that you payed for lmao
WTF I see it! What did Craig and the guys say? Was it taken care of? I was just going to add it to my collection. Was it a bad heat treat let me know brother. I have seen you test on harder woods and wow I was blown away
I think it's a bad heat treat because I dropped mine tip down onto concrete and literally the tip only had some scratches in the coating. You should call tops and have them send you a new one. Also, I wrapped the handle with paracord and that really takes the hot spots away. PreparedMind has an Armageddon and put it through a lot and held up really well.
Mine cane to me bent out of the box!!! The knife's design is less to be desired! You don't make a 10" blade with a thin tip like that! And the knife is not really benefitting the 1/4" spine as most of it is full flat grind!!!Another reason why I personally like big choppers with saber grinds like the BK9 for lateral and tip strength! Thanks for the video brother Tac! I am glad I gave my Armageddon away!
Damn what a total bummer! I really expected more! Guess it's no sxb.Tac this would be a great time for your viewers like me to see how Tops steps up and handles the life time warranty! Just know that Esee would absolutely send you a new knife. And I'm a Tops guy myself! Thanx Tac keep doing the Damn thang!
+Tactical It is bent, but don't let that get you down. Custom knife makers are always having to deal with warpage from heat treatment. Its not really that hard to fix with 3 round shafted screwdrivers and a bench vise. Put 2 of the screwdrivers adjacent to the warp on one side and one on the other side half way between then tighten the vise bending a little at a time. Retouch the edge where it rolled, add some grip tape to the handle and you are back in business and good to go for the chop off.
Neat video Tac. It doesnt look bent to me it just looks like the bevel is WAY off which makes it looks lopsided, but it could be me. Im pretty disappointed by the performance of this blade, I have a few Tops knives and they are always good. There is always a lemon I suppose, Id send it back. Hey you like big mamba jamba knives you should check out the Becker BK21 Rhineheart kukri, I know a lot of people doesnt like kukris and Im usually one of them but I got this one and its BADASS, thinking you could do a decent review since there isnt a whole lot of reviews for it yet.
Nice review brother Tac. Sorry to see your blade bent. Tops will make it right. I highly recommend their Bush Crafter Kukuri 7. It will blow your mind. It is a well thought out design that really works.
I have had my Tops Condor Alert for about 2 1/2-3 years now. I once dropped my knife on concrete tip first, yeah I about cried, but it chipped the concrete and ever so slightly bent the edge of the tip, easily fixed with a stone. Mind you, I dropped it at about four feet. My favorite feature about this knife is the fact it has a very stout tip, slightly thinner then what's on the Schf9. Let us know if you contacted Tops and how things go, curious to see what they do...
Sucks to have a new blade let you down. Those spools like the one you were batoning on do have steel through bolts, usually 4, that protrude on the ends. Nontheless, that 1095 shouldn't have taken a bend over what you did. Did you contact Tops?
Send it back brother, TOPS will replace it they're pretty good about warranty work. Looks like the HT could be a little off which can happen with larger blades.. The chip could be from grind geometry or overheating the the thinner part of the edge where it occurred during the diff HT.. Either way, great vid brother thanks for sharing.
I love how some people come to your channel and tell you you don't know anything about knifes I guess the person running his sorry ass mouth knows everything. Thanks Tac for just doing what you do.you are one of my top 9 channels thanks again.
That's a bummer, I'd be pissed too. I'd send that back to TOPS, it looks like something went wrong at heat treat. They're warranty is pretty good, they'll test the temper.
Tops sxb on Amazon for $190. From this vid, compared to this sheath, the sxb original sheath is even better. If u have the money, I suggest it. Love ur reviews. Keep on keepin on man
When you pay that much for any item and it get out performed by a lower quality product, it's depressing! I hope TOPS can give you some feedback on the defects. Thanks TAC!!
That's a wicked classy intro, Tac, but compared to the proper video's volume, it's kinda loud. Maybe tone it down a notch or two for future episodes of the show?
As for the knife itself: man, this was a MAJOR flop. Bad sheath, bad heat treat, poor edge retention... it seems like the designer half-assed the "architecture" and the engineer slept on the job when they were making this. I'd normally say that this is what I'd forgive on a budget knive, but there are two problems with that: one, this is NOT a budget knife _in the farthest stretches of the imagination_, and two, look at Schrade! They do sheaths better, handles better, and blades better, and for a third of the price or less! This makes me not give it a go even if it cost thirty dollars, because there are so much better choppers for just a bit more than that. I seriously hope TOPS isn't going the Streamlight route with this, and that this model as a whole is an isolated flop that they will learn from and not repeat further ahead. I guess the answer will depend on how well customer service treats you - if they refuse to cover the tip test bending and the batoning burr _on softwood_, you can just say you're taking your business to a company that sells better shit for cheaper. It worked for me when I was arguing with a (not knife) company in the recent past. Overall, I agree with your score. But considering the MSRP, this doesn't get more than a 2. At all.
I'm sorry I only watched a few of your episodes so I don't know but is there a reason you always have your face covered not judging just asking also do you do any episodes on Condor knives and if not maybe you could?
hey Tac. I dont have a Tops knife. but I do know just like Esee and Busse, they have a life time warranty. I think if you contacted them they should cover it no questions asked..... although im not sure if they cover everything. I have an esee junglas with custom handle scales, and they keep coming loose every time I use it. even with lock tight. so I contacted them, they werent willing to do anything about it. so now I have a Junglas I dont even use... anyways, u should contact Tops, see if you have some better luck..... great review as always. its pretty bad ass knife
Hey man, I make custom knives by hammer forging them. And one thing that always catches me off guard, it the hammer blows near the spine of the knife and it will look bent Or curved but it's not. It's an optical illusion. So I would clean up the coating and then check to see if it's straight
I like a lot of the Tops knives, unfortunately this isn't one of them.. There's nothing I like about this blade. As always thank you for sharing your thoughts and opinion on this blade reviewed, I appreciate it sir Tac.
I think this is one of the nicest looking blades out there, I can't believe it failed your testing, Tac! I'm sure I saw you tear up a bit at 10:15, must have been the smoke, right :)? Keep up the good work, I love your videos, looking forward to the Chop Offs!
You experienced the reason why I don't like to do the tip test either. It's unrealistic to stab a piece of wood with the tip of any blade, that's just not what they are made for. I know, so folks wanna know that if they have to stab a zombie in the head will the thing break or will it kill the freaky looking dude, right? Well when that time comes I want my blade to start intact, and it won't start intact if I bust it on a tree during testing... Now, if the mfr says that they will cover a warranty claim after breaking or bending it when stabbing wood, well in that case stab on friend, stab on. Otherwise we are just asking the thing to do something it was never designed for, and we cannot expect something to perform in a way that it was not designed to perform. Its like getting upset when my stupid little Kia Rio gets stuck during an off road mud run - I was just asking it to something beyond the specs and I got what I was really asking for.
For overall practical use I think this knife is the best to serve it's purpose. And it is built to bend not snap into two pieces which would be a disaster out in the woods. Any other knife subjected to what you put it through would have failed entirely. By the way no one who truly knows how to use a knife would not forcefully bend a knife towards the flat surface. This knife is super cool...
looks to me that you have a old wire reel for a base. they have metal rods through them to hold the two ends on. that where your knive damage probably occured
Oh hell noooooooooooo.....that sucks bro, thought that blade was going to be the shizzzzznit but damn it just shit the bed. Sorry bro, hope Tops hooks you up and treats you right on this one. Good info and sweet vid Tac!
People expect to much from steel. Even Narsil broke, and that was a magic sword forged by a dwarf master smith. It may be bent, but not much at all. Don't let it bum you out so much. With all the torque from such a long blade combined with a fairly thin tip, it doesn't surprise me that it bent slightly. You must have hit something hard to dull that spot; it wasn't even in contact with the wood you were batoning.
+TKDLION I agree. The 1095 is not magic steel and with a knife this long its bound to bend a bit eventually. I own one of these and mine has swayed slighty but it has been re-centered by a friend. Not the end of the world by any means. Great intelligent comment here thanks!
It should not of bent tops grinds are sometimes off but did you ever check it before use I have never seen that happen before and I have stood on my brothers of bushcraft and it didn't bend it is still my favorite bushcraft knife out of all my bark rivers my ambush and my others to long to list them all but they are easy to break the tips on in a few models like the silent hero there a and vex grinds are great though and hey they will probably replace it because that was not abuse of a knife at all I wish they would switch some blades over to like an a2 steel though or something a little tougher than 1095
+Tactical hes just tryin to cheer you up. tac you bent a 300 book blade go with pain just let it out i know the feeling well there never the same when ya bend it. if it were me id av gone sick lol
Tac I'm with you 100% men because I always liked and always wanted to buy the tops Armageddon always wanted it love Blade the way they ask me the whole handle that everything everything about it I loved it and seeing it and you know you really didn't do much and Bend the tip got a flat spot and thank God I didn't spend that $300 cuz I would have bought it straight from tops themselves but I am sure that they do have a lifetime warranty so send it back and get a new one!! But still like I said you know I really f****** pissed too man cuz I mean think about it manually you said for $300 or 200 something dollars 1095 high carbon steel I mean it should not have been or even caught a flat spot like that you really didn't do anything anything hard that would even do that.
As always, cool review. And on a brand that people say is top(s) quality. I recently got my first tops knife before I watched this, would I reconsider after watching this... Maybe. I have not put it through its paces yet so hard to say from personal use. But I'm a little more wary to use it like the beast it seems to be.
Greetings from Canada Tac!! Was wondering if you could do a review of the Anvil Bladesmiths Bull Shark G10, partial serrated blade. I don't see any RUclips reviews of it, so you'll be the first! :) it seems to be a decent pocket EDC blade. You can find it on Amazon Cheers!
Not for nothing TAC but 1095 is not a very hard steel it does have some give and flex that is why it makes for very good survival knives, it will bend and flex without breaking and that is good, unlike the boutique steels like D2, ATS 34 , 1056 etc . 1095 is rather flexible. You should strive to be more flexible in your thought remember "a warrior should never have a favorite weapon"- Musachi.
Damn! I never expected that to happen! It gets thinner at the point, but it still shouldn't bend or chip! That was bad A great review, but the knife couldn't handle it
Sucks that the edge rolled and the blade bent a little, I don't care for that sheath either... I own the Tops Smoke Jumper, it's been a great knife with a fantastic factory kydex sheath.
Hey +Tactical, send it to us. We'll test it and get you taken care of.
+TOPS Knives you rock! will do :)
Thumbs Up because +TOPS Knives is watching +Tactical and possibly many other reviewers as well. Bonus that they are taking care of our Brother Tac.
TOPS Knives when does the new power eagle come out! Looks awesome!
Tops awesome awesome awesome customer service you didn't even have to ask them or contact them a lot of manufacturers would have said that's abuse your SOL but atleast tops is on there game
Really wanted this blade glad I watched this video first,I’m shocked this bent !! You didn’t even abuse it
Sorry tac, but your sacrifice helps us all. Keep up the good work brother
Your intros are some of the best on youtube, and different every time. Well done, sir.
I bought a Silent Hero from Tops at Shot Show last year. I really liked the design and could live with the handle. I brought it home and batoned a small cedar log. It had a little twist in the grain but nothing crazy and nothing I haven't tackled with "lesser" knives many times in the past. It bent the blade. I contacted Tops and they eventually replaced it and scolded me for abiding their knife. I've got this SXB Skullcrusher here for the Gauntlet and immediately chipped the edge on a preliminary test that a Gerber Strongarm flew through with flying colors. On the flip side my Tahoma Field Knife had been outstanding.
Tops has failed to impress me more times than not though so your results don't surprise me much.
+Blue Mountain Bushcraft and Outdoors ya im done with tops
+Blue Mountain Bushcraft and Outdoors
That is REALLY sad to hear. One home run doesn't win a season, especially when the players are such asswads.
For more than 200 Bucks, that knife shouldn't stay bent....
i dont particularly like schrade but at 29 dollars they can give you 1095 steel, a descent sheath, a farrow rod, and a sharpener.
tops gave you a poorly heated treated knife, a bad sheath, and whistle. why tops?
I agree with you!!
Tops is one of the very few knife makers that actually do a real good job at heat tempering. this surprised me.
+TheAllSeeingEye I don't think they do a better job than Ka-Bar with their BK9, that thing rocks.
Sharpblade Yeah, i'm going to get that one, the one with the clear coat - i hate black blades + g10 handles + leather sheath.
+Tribune of The Plebs this is 1095 steel, so it shouldn't have chipped that so easily. There was definitely something wrong with it, since Tac doesn't really even abuse the knives, so.
Mine had a warped blade from the factory. Took it back to the store for exchange, all 4 blades they had were warped to the side. I also agree with you on the handle. It feels good when you pick it up for the first time, but after doing some chopping you really begin to hate all choils and hooks that serve only to give you hotspots. Funny enough, your earlier review from a few years back is what sold me the blade.
Hope all is well in your camp Tac. I know this is an old initial thoughts review... what eventually became of this knife, or how did bent and chippy show scenario turn out? I did see the follow-up you did with regards to TOPS sending out a 2nd knife (new/revised version), but what was the verdict so to speak on the first one you had? Did you keep (ie. still have) the second improved version?
That's a Very Disappointing Knife. Tops Needs to Send You a New One, Schrade Would!
Great Review, Thanks Tac! I'll save a lot of money and get the Jessica-X!
Hehe well you had the same experience we had in our test with this knife brother.
It is a disapointment in all departments in my opinion.
Great vid man.
Snake
Tops knives are overpriced 1095 period, would never consider purchasing one of them. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and suggestions with me, I appreciate it sir Tac.
NO they're not. It's not just the steel that you're paying for. It's the amount of work that it takes to make the product. Then there's the cost of running small factory, paying your worker insurance, taxes, so forth and so on. But how would you know, you don't produce anything. Also, there's absolutely nothing wrong with 1095 steel. If you think you can make a better semi-custom US made knife for less, go ahead.
In all honesty playboy, it did a pretty good job through your brand of testing. You do put all your blades through some serious shit. I do know a guy who swears by that knife as his favorite big blade knife. But everyone's different. Great testing bro!
Thanks to your review I will be passing this one up ! Thanks again and good job !
Dude, I absolutely love watching your reviews & vids. Great feedback & your comments are great. Keep em' coming!
You are the best . I laughed so hard . I could totally relate . when you get something you wanted . and its not what they say it is . great video thank you.
Sounds pretty freaking frustrating, Tac. Great info. Great review!
actually I don't think it's bent tac. I think the steel is a little bit thicker one on side than the other
+gruffalo25 But it didn't look like that when he showed us the beavel
Júlio Salotti I looked at it again and tried to pause it but I couldn't get a good view on it. you could be right. Tac stop fucking things up that you payed for lmao
gruffalo25 I'm not really sure, but that's what I think hehe
Today's stuff can't handle the Tac level, it seems lol
+gruffalo25 must agree though maybe he was seeing something I didn't but the grind at the tip looked off center to me.
no mine came in with a slught bend to when I had ordered one
Tac I do like your honest reviews bro! Keep on doing it!
Best review ever? Man, Tac, keep 'em comin'! Well done, friend. :) (and yeah, saw the bend when you first sat it up there for us to see. gosh).
Damn!! And I had my eyes set on getting one of these. Thanks for reviewing this knife bro. Just found one for $300 Canadian.
I don't blame you for being disappointed with this blade reviewed, I would be pissed off.
Bent tip and chipping on pine, looks like an uneven grind to boot. Thanks for saving me $200.
WTF I see it! What did Craig and the guys say? Was it taken care of? I was just going to add it to my collection. Was it a bad heat treat let me know brother. I have seen you test on harder woods and wow I was blown away
Do the Tops US combat knife and zero dark 30. I'd really like to see how well they slash and penetrate when stabbing something.
Man i used to drool over this knife above other else at its blade length....but now, not no more, thanks for the test!
+cebuanostud glad I can help
I think it's a bad heat treat because I dropped mine tip down onto concrete and literally the tip only had some scratches in the coating. You should call tops and have them send you a new one. Also, I wrapped the handle with paracord and that really takes the hot spots away. PreparedMind has an Armageddon and put it through a lot and held up really well.
Mine cane to me bent out of the box!!! The knife's design is less to be desired! You don't make a 10" blade with a thin tip like that! And the knife is not really benefitting the 1/4" spine as most of it is full flat grind!!!Another reason why I personally like big choppers with saber grinds like the BK9 for lateral and tip strength! Thanks for the video brother Tac! I am glad I gave my Armageddon away!
+Babak P
You say that, and I'm reminded of why I want the SCHF43 so bad. Ain't no bending that monster either.
love the new intro man!
That's disappointing man. Still a cool knife though. Hey Tac what method do you use for sharpening recurves? Is a rod the preferred method?
Damn what a total bummer! I really expected more! Guess it's no sxb.Tac this would be a great time for your viewers like me to see how Tops steps up and handles the life time warranty! Just know that Esee would absolutely send you a new knife. And I'm a Tops guy myself! Thanx Tac keep doing the Damn thang!
Really dig this intro Tac. Ps you rock at knife reviews keep it up
It's all good, mine bends to the left too bro...wait...were talking about knives right?
i watched this a few times and i always die laughing when he said: i got this for 3 yrs and i didnt want to use it ahahahahhaha
It breaks your heart when that happens, but on the bright side you don't feel as bad beat the crap out of it now.
Random question floating by, would you ever try doing a "Budk mystery bag" unboxing? Or another weapons bag thing
that whistle is the bomb.
choo choo
+Tactical It is bent, but don't let that get you down. Custom knife makers are always having to deal with warpage from heat treatment. Its not really that hard to fix with 3 round shafted screwdrivers and a bench vise. Put 2 of the screwdrivers adjacent to the warp on one side and one on the other side half way between then tighten the vise bending a little at a time. Retouch the edge where it rolled, add some grip tape to the handle and you are back in business and good to go for the chop off.
Neat video Tac. It doesnt look bent to me it just looks like the bevel is WAY off which makes it looks lopsided, but it could be me. Im pretty disappointed by the performance of this blade, I have a few Tops knives and they are always good. There is always a lemon I suppose, Id send it back. Hey you like big mamba jamba knives you should check out the Becker BK21 Rhineheart kukri, I know a lot of people doesnt like kukris and Im usually one of them but I got this one and its BADASS, thinking you could do a decent review since there isnt a whole lot of reviews for it yet.
Tac I have a question. If things went south would u try to work with other ppl or would you stay hidden
OUTBACK SCOUT stay hidden
Nice review brother Tac. Sorry to see your blade bent. Tops will make it right. I highly recommend their Bush Crafter Kukuri 7. It will blow your mind. It is a well thought out design that really works.
Contact Tops and see if they'll replace it. I'm interested to see how they handle their warranty.
I have had my Tops Condor Alert for about 2 1/2-3 years now. I once dropped my knife on concrete tip first, yeah I about cried, but it chipped the concrete and ever so slightly bent the edge of the tip, easily fixed with a stone. Mind you, I dropped it at about four feet. My favorite feature about this knife is the fact it has a very stout tip, slightly thinner then what's on the Schf9. Let us know if you contacted Tops and how things go, curious to see what they do...
Tac you rock. By far you are one of my favourite reviewers.
Yeah its bent, bummer.... Have you ever tried an SP53 from Ontario made from spring steel? Its my favorite big chopper with a lifetime warranty!
Good for you Tops! Nice customer support! Yes, I have 3 of your knives too!
What a bummer brosifus! That sucks dude! Such a beautiful blade!
Sucks to have a new blade let you down. Those spools like the one you were batoning on do have steel through bolts, usually 4, that protrude on the ends. Nontheless, that 1095 shouldn't have taken a bend over what you did. Did you contact Tops?
watch the update vid
Send it back brother, TOPS will replace it they're pretty good about warranty work. Looks like the HT could be a little off which can happen with larger blades.. The chip could be from grind geometry or overheating the the thinner part of the edge where it occurred during the diff HT.. Either way, great vid brother thanks for sharing.
tac my mannn you killed it playboy hell yeahh
Damn that sucks. Let us know how it turns out. I've never had a bad blade from tops.
I love how some people come to your channel and tell you you don't know anything about knifes I guess the person running his sorry ass mouth knows everything. Thanks Tac for just doing what you do.you are one of my top 9 channels thanks again.
Tac, my man! Awesomely honest review man. Semper Paratus. -Corey @ PREPARED 2 THRIVE.
+Prepared 2 Thrive thanks mang
That's a bummer, I'd be pissed too. I'd send that back to TOPS, it looks like something went wrong at heat treat. They're warranty is pretty good, they'll test the temper.
Time to find a new big chopper for the bug out bag?
Tops sxb on Amazon for $190. From this vid, compared to this sheath, the sxb original sheath is even better. If u have the money, I suggest it. Love ur reviews. Keep on keepin on man
When you pay that much for any item and it get out performed by a lower quality product, it's depressing! I hope TOPS can give you some feedback on the defects. Thanks TAC!!
Omfg, I'm laughing so hard I'm pissing myself... Let me know if you'd like to have some real INFI steel in your hands:) Love the vids!
Knife looks really cool and I love a recurve chopper but... looks like the quality isn't there, thanks for saving me some $ man!
+tactical can you review the condor Hudson Bay?
The hook on the Fiskars X7 and XA3 is about perfect.
Yes it needs to be well rounded, and not that sharp edged metal hook.
That's a wicked classy intro, Tac, but compared to the proper video's volume, it's kinda loud. Maybe tone it down a notch or two for future episodes of the show?
As for the knife itself: man, this was a MAJOR flop. Bad sheath, bad heat treat, poor edge retention... it seems like the designer half-assed the "architecture" and the engineer slept on the job when they were making this.
I'd normally say that this is what I'd forgive on a budget knive, but there are two problems with that: one, this is NOT a budget knife _in the farthest stretches of the imagination_, and two, look at Schrade! They do sheaths better, handles better, and blades better, and for a third of the price or less! This makes me not give it a go even if it cost thirty dollars, because there are so much better choppers for just a bit more than that.
I seriously hope TOPS isn't going the Streamlight route with this, and that this model as a whole is an isolated flop that they will learn from and not repeat further ahead. I guess the answer will depend on how well customer service treats you - if they refuse to cover the tip test bending and the batoning burr _on softwood_, you can just say you're taking your business to a company that sells better shit for cheaper. It worked for me when I was arguing with a (not knife) company in the recent past.
Overall, I agree with your score. But considering the MSRP, this doesn't get more than a 2. At all.
I'm sorry I only watched a few of your episodes so I don't know but is there a reason you always have your face covered not judging just asking also do you do any episodes on Condor knives and if not maybe you could?
hey Tac. I dont have a Tops knife. but I do know just like Esee and Busse, they have a life time warranty. I think if you contacted them they should cover it no questions asked..... although im not sure if they cover everything. I have an esee junglas with custom handle scales, and they keep coming loose every time I use it. even with lock tight. so I contacted them, they werent willing to do anything about it. so now I have a Junglas I dont even use... anyways, u should contact Tops, see if you have some better luck..... great review as always. its pretty bad ass knife
im not surprised they wont cover you. Most companies of any product wont warranty their products if you modify them.
Thats that basic commonsense. Why would they cover problems with custom parts that they dont make....
Tac, I love your Baroque stylings.
What was this track?
tac you are the man.
love your rambling video on the quad. I think best big blade for the $ junglas
please look at condor knives next. They make some really badass knives for cheap like the moonshiner but I wanna know if they will hold up.
looks like the tip might have been over heated during the final grinding and ruined the temper there.
dont looks bent?,. that ini mini tip test wont bent a kitchen knife,. bummer for the edge roll tough,. cool vid,
Hey man, I make custom knives by hammer forging them. And one thing that always catches me off guard, it the hammer blows near the spine of the knife and it will look bent Or curved but it's not. It's an optical illusion. So I would clean up the coating and then check to see if it's straight
It's funny how a slight bend will immediately destroy one's confidence in a knife. I know the feeling.
I like a lot of the Tops knives, unfortunately this isn't one of them.. There's nothing I like about this blade. As always thank you for sharing your thoughts and opinion on this blade reviewed, I appreciate it sir Tac.
I truly appreciate your honesty. You just saved me 200$. I bet you were sick when you noticed that bend and nick. Sorry bro.
I think this is one of the nicest looking blades out there, I can't believe it failed your testing, Tac! I'm sure I saw you tear up a bit at 10:15, must have been the smoke, right :)?
Keep up the good work, I love your videos, looking forward to the Chop Offs!
I have an Armageddon. But I don't do tip testing with it..Too expensive! Tops makes some really good products though.
You experienced the reason why I don't like to do the tip test either. It's unrealistic to stab a piece of wood with the tip of any blade, that's just not what they are made for. I know, so folks wanna know that if they have to stab a zombie in the head will the thing break or will it kill the freaky looking dude, right? Well when that time comes I want my blade to start intact, and it won't start intact if I bust it on a tree during testing... Now, if the mfr says that they will cover a warranty claim after breaking or bending it when stabbing wood, well in that case stab on friend, stab on. Otherwise we are just asking the thing to do something it was never designed for, and we cannot expect something to perform in a way that it was not designed to perform.
Its like getting upset when my stupid little Kia Rio gets stuck during an off road mud run - I was just asking it to something beyond the specs and I got what I was really asking for.
I don't think it is bent, it looks good to me and even if it is ever so slightly bent it will still work
For overall practical use I think this knife is the best to serve it's purpose. And it is built to bend not snap into two pieces which would be a disaster out in the woods. Any other knife subjected to what you put it through would have failed entirely. By the way no one who truly knows how to use a knife would not forcefully bend a knife towards the flat surface. This knife is super cool...
looks to me that you have a old wire reel for a base. they have metal rods through them to hold the two ends on. that where your knive damage probably occured
So I should save 100 bucks and buy a bk9?
+robfromaz1977 yes mine rules...
+robfromaz1977 your god damn right
+robfromaz1977 i love tops they kick ass
kevin panetta No doubt they make excellent stuff. One day I will own one. Tac just happened to get a rare bad one. They will make it right though.
+robfromaz1977 Not verry shure. I dont know how they operate with guarantee servise . But TOPS works well !
I saw it bend when you did it. but I don't see it when you're holding its uo
I saw the same thing. I thought...wow it bent.
I think you're right, it did look bent. That really sucks Tac
truly a heartbreaker
Oh hell noooooooooooo.....that sucks bro, thought that blade was going to be the shizzzzznit but damn it just shit the bed. Sorry bro, hope Tops hooks you up and treats you right on this one. Good info and sweet vid Tac!
People expect to much from steel. Even Narsil broke, and that was a magic sword forged by a dwarf master smith.
It may be bent, but not much at all. Don't let it bum you out so much. With all the torque from such a long blade combined with a fairly thin tip, it doesn't surprise me that it bent slightly.
You must have hit something hard to dull that spot; it wasn't even in contact with the wood you were batoning.
+TKDLION I agree. The 1095 is not magic steel and with a knife this long its bound to bend a bit eventually. I own one of these and mine has swayed slighty but it has been re-centered by a friend. Not the end of the world by any means. Great intelligent comment here thanks!
It should not of bent tops grinds are sometimes off but did you ever check it before use I have never seen that happen before and I have stood on my brothers of bushcraft and it didn't bend it is still my favorite bushcraft knife out of all my bark rivers my ambush and my others to long to list them all but they are easy to break the tips on in a few models like the silent hero there a and vex grinds are great though and hey they will probably replace it because that was not abuse of a knife at all I wish they would switch some blades over to like an a2 steel though or something a little tougher than 1095
Yeah looks like you may have bent it ever so slightly on the blade edge side.
It's okay if it bends a tiny bit it still works !!
+ApeX BIRDMAN true
+Tactical but still if it broke it broke, there are always better knives.
+Tactical Hammer the tip straight. It will scratch up the coating but looks like you gave it a good work out already!
+Johnny Twothumb yeah that's what did with my other knives when they bent
+Tactical hes just tryin to cheer you up. tac you bent a 300 book blade go with pain just let it out i know the feeling well there never the same when ya bend it. if it were me id av gone sick lol
Tac I'm with you 100% men because I always liked and always wanted to buy the tops Armageddon always wanted it love Blade the way they ask me the whole handle that everything everything about it I loved it and seeing it and you know you really didn't do much and Bend the tip got a flat spot and thank God I didn't spend that $300 cuz I would have bought it straight from tops themselves but I am sure that they do have a lifetime warranty so send it back and get a new one!! But still like I said you know I really f****** pissed too man cuz I mean think about it manually you said for $300 or 200 something dollars 1095 high carbon steel I mean it should not have been or even caught a flat spot like that you really didn't do anything anything hard that would even do that.
As always, cool review. And on a brand that people say is top(s) quality. I recently got my first tops knife before I watched this, would I reconsider after watching this... Maybe. I have not put it through its paces yet so hard to say from personal use. But I'm a little more wary to use it like the beast it seems to be.
Greetings from Canada Tac!!
Was wondering if you could do a review of the Anvil Bladesmiths Bull Shark G10, partial serrated blade. I don't see any RUclips reviews of it, so you'll be the first! :)
it seems to be a decent pocket EDC blade. You can find it on Amazon
Cheers!
+joey8obby if I get one ill woop the hell outta it
I'd liberate Troy again with that thing! Great video bro :)
Not for nothing TAC but 1095 is not a very hard steel it does have some give and flex that is why it makes for very good survival knives, it will bend and flex without breaking and that is good, unlike the boutique steels like D2, ATS 34 , 1056 etc . 1095 is rather flexible.
You should strive to be more flexible in your thought remember "a warrior should never have a favorite weapon"- Musachi.
its the grind that makes it look slightly bent at the tip
Damn Tac! Sorry bout that man. Would not expect that to happen with a tops blade.
So, Tops Armageddon, or ESEE Junglas?
it doesn't look bent but I think the grind is off on the tip
Thats even worse for $200 smackers..
Damn! I never expected that to happen!
It gets thinner at the point, but it still shouldn't bend or chip!
That was bad
A great review, but the knife couldn't handle it
DAMN, you really came close to stabbing your self in the chest doing that tip test lol
Sucks that the edge rolled and the blade bent a little, I don't care for that sheath either... I own the Tops Smoke Jumper, it's been a great knife with a fantastic factory kydex sheath.
Like the SILENT HERO?