Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness
Cons: None
A Modern Classic
If TOPS had a, ‘knife of the month club,’ you could sign me up. They come out with so many new, interesting, and innovative designs. Well, this is not one of them. This is a beautiful, ‘classic’ drop point hunter with point, curves, notches, and edges in all the right places. The Rocky Mountain Bulls-eye Micarta slabs on the 69 are my favorite TOPS grip, or any other knife maker’s Micarta grips. The grip is comfortable, ergonomic, ruggedly handsome, and you won’t look like some tac-weenie/mall-ninja out in the bush. They did the sheath up right, too. I hate those leather sheaths where they bury the knife so far in that you have to attach a lanyard to the handle, just to get it out. Briar patches and wait-a-minute vines have an insatiable appetite for fixed blades with lanyards attached, and they’ll latch on to your knife slicker than a pickpocket on a crowded subway platform. Tex Creek is just the right size for deer/medium sized game, and seems well balanced. Good belly, and nice long primary grind for slicing. I hope to put it to the test in next few days on some wild asparagus, and morel mushrooms. Definitely stout enough for light bush craft. TOPS ought to make this, ‘Miss April,’ on the TOPS Calendar. Picture Tex Creek 69 in a fern covered glade, perched atop the up-turned bill of a baseball cap, brimming-over with morel mushrooms. Now that’s, purdy, right thar ; )
(
