Tops Firestrike FS45 Review
Apr 1, 2011 2:52:52 GMT
Post by Sébastien on Apr 1, 2011 2:52:52 GMT
Tops Firestrike FS45 Fixed-Blade Knife Review
by
Sébastien Bilodeau, Montréal, Québec
My blade cravings were getting so bad, I was about to loose my mind. Short on cash, I decided to abort buying groceries for a week or two and use that money to buy myself a new knife. Besides, domestic cats like mine are for these kind of emergencies.
Introduction
I've wanted a Tops knife for a long time. After watching Cold Steel promo clips, I felt like the CS knives were made for emo kids who needed to gain weight. And all other brands seemed sized and intended for little kids. Also, all product description on Tops website ARE IN CAPITAL LETTERS BECUZ THEY R SO AWSUM THAT EVRY HOUSEHOLDE SHULD AVE ONE. HUFREAKINRAH. Anyway, those descriptions in caps are so awesome and hardcore that no Tops dealers use them on their site.
So, I bought the knife from Grand Prairie Knives, a seller based in Ohio with killer prices, cheap and quick shipping. THis place rocks and their site looks great. Check 'em out. However, the lack of caps might look un-epic. I paid 117 $ for the knife ; www.gpknives.com/tops-fire-strike.html
Here are a few numbers for the weak-bodied nerds who like 'em
Blade Length: 7"
O/A Length: 12 3/4"
Cutting Edge: 7"
Thickness: 1/4"
Weight: 20oz
Blade Color: Black Traction Coating
Steel: 1095 High Carbon Alloy RC-58
Handle Material: Black Linen Micarta®
Sheath: Kydex With a Rotating Steel Spring Clip
Mfg. Handcrafted in the USA
Fittings
The handle is made in black linen micarta, which is textured pure awesome for epic CQC with bad guys. The grip is quite large, and allows a number of different gripping technique thanks to its size, just in case you get bored wielding that thing in a certain way. It is a full-tang knife, so the tang goes all the way to the end of the pommel. That part of the knife is thickly built, with a pair of lanyard holes (just to make sure you don't drop ur knife in CQC against baddies and that you don't look like a newbie. Looking like a newbie sucks. Don't do it.). The pommel seems made to easily hammer stuff, including Charlie's face, like the Marauder ins Starcraft 2 would say, *KABOUM BABY !*.
That blade is epicly thick and badass. I'd like to describe it in caps but it would like I was shouting, which wouldn't look very appropriate, especially from an awesomly-pc-mod' like me. Anyway, the blade's thick, black, mean-looking, with lots of nooks and details that must look useful for the 'leet armchair commando. It is made of 109something steel, which is an humble way to say unobtainium. I heard somewhere this stuff can split atom and make Chuck Norris bleed. It was on the internet so it must be true. Anyway, the blade's nearly 1/4'' thick. This thing could replace the USS Gerald R Ford anchor, but GreenPeace would probably complain that the knife look would scare to death the undersea wildlife.
The sheath is made of kydex. Very solid. It holds the knife in a very secure way, yet allows quick deployment for epic CQC.
Handling
This knife is no small thing, but it is freakin' heavy for its size. 20 oz, nearly a pound and a half. I'd say it isn't made for haters who want light knife on the field. If ya go on the field, train, muscle up and suck up those 20 oz. True epic spec ops n commandos all wear big heavy Tops blades like this one. Cuz Tops and I said so.
The handle allows multiple grips, like I said. Here are a few examples ;
Damn, my hands are so sexy.
Anyway, the grip is big and grippy, the knife large and heavy. I heard they put knife like these in front of a rocket engine to blast armored vehicles. I think they call these Hellfire missiles, just to fool the bad guys into thinking they cannot buy this stuff on the internet. It is that big and epic.
Conclusion
Pros
-Big mean blade for bringing big hurrah to the bad guys
-Big grippy grip so you don't drop ur knife and look like a newb
-Tactical sheat, for epic speed tactical deployment of the blade
Cons
-So heavy it might break the arm of your emo friend who tries to hold it
-So mean-looking it burns Twilight books by its presence, and smoke pollutes, even if the fire is 4 a good cause
-4 The same price u can get multiple lower-cost knives, or get groceries for a few weeks
This review was written by a guy who lives in the hometown of Epic Meal Time, and ten minutes from the place of their epic indian experience clip, it is very likely that this review is an epic masterwork that will blow ur mind. Or not.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, it felt good to goof around with this review, and april 1rst seems like a good day to do that.
***
Edit added april 3rd, 2011
Alright, here's a quick, serious synthesis of what I think about this knife. I bought it because I was always tempted by Tops knives rugged, mean looks. Now that I have it in hand, it sure looks and feels mean and rugged. The handle feels huge and even though it might look simple and overbuilt, it is very well-made, from an ergonomical viewpoint. It allows many kind of grip and feels comfortable. The blade is one badass-looking chunk of steel. I believe some of its small nooks and cracks are made for special survival/tactical tasks ; the two small cracks are rumored to be made for breaking steel wires and fences and/or picking up a boiling can of soup on a fire. One small, textured, uncoated part of the blade's back is probably made for lighting up a fire using a magnesium block. The sheer look of the blade is probably enough to give a small pause to a bad guy.
However, I am not certain if this knife is really the ultimate spec ops tool of work and battle advertised by Tops. Although I enjoy a knife that feels heavy (gives the impression that it'll chop and cut with autority), I feel this one goes too far. I have seen multiple same-sized knives that are much lighter, and multiple larger knives of the same wieght. For example, my Himalayan Imports Kukri has the same weight but is nearly 7'' longer. Unless you absolutely need a 1/4'' thick blade that could be used as a massive pry-bar, I think the blade is overbuilt and too thick. For chopping stuff, I'd prefer a longer blade.
In the end, I have a feeling this is a tacticool knife. It is made to look cool and badass, and made for serious business. I am happy to own it because of that, it looks and feels cool and totally badass. But, I am not certain that a soldier in a real-life warzone would like to drag around a knife of that weight and size, I think he would be better served by a slightly smaller and much lighter blade.
But that's just my armchair commando opinion, my two cents on that. Take 'em for what they're worth. Two cents.
by
Sébastien Bilodeau, Montréal, Québec
My blade cravings were getting so bad, I was about to loose my mind. Short on cash, I decided to abort buying groceries for a week or two and use that money to buy myself a new knife. Besides, domestic cats like mine are for these kind of emergencies.
Introduction
I've wanted a Tops knife for a long time. After watching Cold Steel promo clips, I felt like the CS knives were made for emo kids who needed to gain weight. And all other brands seemed sized and intended for little kids. Also, all product description on Tops website ARE IN CAPITAL LETTERS BECUZ THEY R SO AWSUM THAT EVRY HOUSEHOLDE SHULD AVE ONE. HUFREAKINRAH. Anyway, those descriptions in caps are so awesome and hardcore that no Tops dealers use them on their site.
So, I bought the knife from Grand Prairie Knives, a seller based in Ohio with killer prices, cheap and quick shipping. THis place rocks and their site looks great. Check 'em out. However, the lack of caps might look un-epic. I paid 117 $ for the knife ; www.gpknives.com/tops-fire-strike.html
Here are a few numbers for the weak-bodied nerds who like 'em
Blade Length: 7"
O/A Length: 12 3/4"
Cutting Edge: 7"
Thickness: 1/4"
Weight: 20oz
Blade Color: Black Traction Coating
Steel: 1095 High Carbon Alloy RC-58
Handle Material: Black Linen Micarta®
Sheath: Kydex With a Rotating Steel Spring Clip
Mfg. Handcrafted in the USA
Fittings
The handle is made in black linen micarta, which is textured pure awesome for epic CQC with bad guys. The grip is quite large, and allows a number of different gripping technique thanks to its size, just in case you get bored wielding that thing in a certain way. It is a full-tang knife, so the tang goes all the way to the end of the pommel. That part of the knife is thickly built, with a pair of lanyard holes (just to make sure you don't drop ur knife in CQC against baddies and that you don't look like a newbie. Looking like a newbie sucks. Don't do it.). The pommel seems made to easily hammer stuff, including Charlie's face, like the Marauder ins Starcraft 2 would say, *KABOUM BABY !*.
That blade is epicly thick and badass. I'd like to describe it in caps but it would like I was shouting, which wouldn't look very appropriate, especially from an awesomly-pc-mod' like me. Anyway, the blade's thick, black, mean-looking, with lots of nooks and details that must look useful for the 'leet armchair commando. It is made of 109something steel, which is an humble way to say unobtainium. I heard somewhere this stuff can split atom and make Chuck Norris bleed. It was on the internet so it must be true. Anyway, the blade's nearly 1/4'' thick. This thing could replace the USS Gerald R Ford anchor, but GreenPeace would probably complain that the knife look would scare to death the undersea wildlife.
The sheath is made of kydex. Very solid. It holds the knife in a very secure way, yet allows quick deployment for epic CQC.
Handling
This knife is no small thing, but it is freakin' heavy for its size. 20 oz, nearly a pound and a half. I'd say it isn't made for haters who want light knife on the field. If ya go on the field, train, muscle up and suck up those 20 oz. True epic spec ops n commandos all wear big heavy Tops blades like this one. Cuz Tops and I said so.
The handle allows multiple grips, like I said. Here are a few examples ;
Damn, my hands are so sexy.
Anyway, the grip is big and grippy, the knife large and heavy. I heard they put knife like these in front of a rocket engine to blast armored vehicles. I think they call these Hellfire missiles, just to fool the bad guys into thinking they cannot buy this stuff on the internet. It is that big and epic.
Conclusion
Pros
-Big mean blade for bringing big hurrah to the bad guys
-Big grippy grip so you don't drop ur knife and look like a newb
-Tactical sheat, for epic speed tactical deployment of the blade
Cons
-So heavy it might break the arm of your emo friend who tries to hold it
-So mean-looking it burns Twilight books by its presence, and smoke pollutes, even if the fire is 4 a good cause
-4 The same price u can get multiple lower-cost knives, or get groceries for a few weeks
This review was written by a guy who lives in the hometown of Epic Meal Time, and ten minutes from the place of their epic indian experience clip, it is very likely that this review is an epic masterwork that will blow ur mind. Or not.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, it felt good to goof around with this review, and april 1rst seems like a good day to do that.
***
Edit added april 3rd, 2011
Alright, here's a quick, serious synthesis of what I think about this knife. I bought it because I was always tempted by Tops knives rugged, mean looks. Now that I have it in hand, it sure looks and feels mean and rugged. The handle feels huge and even though it might look simple and overbuilt, it is very well-made, from an ergonomical viewpoint. It allows many kind of grip and feels comfortable. The blade is one badass-looking chunk of steel. I believe some of its small nooks and cracks are made for special survival/tactical tasks ; the two small cracks are rumored to be made for breaking steel wires and fences and/or picking up a boiling can of soup on a fire. One small, textured, uncoated part of the blade's back is probably made for lighting up a fire using a magnesium block. The sheer look of the blade is probably enough to give a small pause to a bad guy.
However, I am not certain if this knife is really the ultimate spec ops tool of work and battle advertised by Tops. Although I enjoy a knife that feels heavy (gives the impression that it'll chop and cut with autority), I feel this one goes too far. I have seen multiple same-sized knives that are much lighter, and multiple larger knives of the same wieght. For example, my Himalayan Imports Kukri has the same weight but is nearly 7'' longer. Unless you absolutely need a 1/4'' thick blade that could be used as a massive pry-bar, I think the blade is overbuilt and too thick. For chopping stuff, I'd prefer a longer blade.
In the end, I have a feeling this is a tacticool knife. It is made to look cool and badass, and made for serious business. I am happy to own it because of that, it looks and feels cool and totally badass. But, I am not certain that a soldier in a real-life warzone would like to drag around a knife of that weight and size, I think he would be better served by a slightly smaller and much lighter blade.
But that's just my armchair commando opinion, my two cents on that. Take 'em for what they're worth. Two cents.