Knife Review: TOPS A-Klub Fixed Blade

The TOPS A-Klub Fixed Blade

In late 1998, TOPS Knives was founded with a mission to create the highest-quality knives around. Their knives are tools, designed and built using the extensive knowledge and real-life experiences of many operators with backgrounds in military, law enforcement, outdoor professions, and martial arts. Specifically, they have worked with designers with backgrounds ranging from Navy Seals to Airborne Rangers, from martial arts instructors to survival experts, and from SWAT Team Members to Native American weapons experts. They have a designer from nearly every background that uses hard-core knives. Perhaps the best part, all TOPS fixed blades are manufactured and hand-finished at their facility in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, USA.

Their knives have been requested and deployed in “Hot Spots” all over the world. Numerous individuals who are or were field operators use or have used their knives and report top performance and reliability from times when their life depend on the tools, they had with them.

Their mission is to create the highest-quality, rugged, unique, overbuilt, and functional tools for service members and outdoorsmen of all kinds through their superior manufacturing, finishing processes, and genuine field operators’ testing.

They have a vision to provide their clients with tools they can trust completely to exceed their expectations every time. Their values include American integrity, quality, durability, performance, and consistency.

Today we will be discussing the TOPS A-Klub fixed blade. This is a new arrival at BladeOps.

The Blade:

The blade on this is made out of 1095 high carbon steel that comes in with an RCC 56-58. This is a basic from of carbon steel. The steel is most commonly used in knives, especially knives that are going to have to take a beating. The steel has a carbon content of .95% which does harden the steel and reduce the amount of wear that a blade will experience over time. However, this steel is also not as tough as other steels that you are going to come across because it doesn’t have as much manganese as it could. Manganese also makes a steel harder, which does make it a little bit more brittle. This means that 1095 carbon steel is not going to be brittle, which is one of the reasons that it can take such a hard beating. This blade steel holds its edge for long periods of time and is also easy to sharpen. Unfortunately, this steel does tend to rust easily.

The blade has been finished with an “acid rain” finish. This is more commonly known as the acid stonewash finish.

The stonewashed finish is created when the blade has been tumbled in an abrasive material. The finish easily hides scratches and smudges that will accumulate over time. It also provides a less reflective surface than you would get with a brushed or satin finished blade. The stonewash finish is known to be one of the more low-maintenance finishes, because it does easily hide those marks that do accumulate over time on a blade. The stonewash finish does also look rather rugged, because of the textured appearance that it has. It gives the blade a well-worn look in the best way. This is an advantage because the blade is going to continue looking like that throughout its life. It isn’t going to become too much more worn. And nay imperfections that the blade may gain are just going to add to the look, instead of taking away from it.

An acid stonewash is a finish when the blade has had an acid treatment that darkens the blade before it undergoes stonewashing. The acid oxidation enhances a blade’s rust resistance by placing a stable oxide barrier between the steel and the environment. This provides a rugged, well-worn look that will stay for long periods of time.

The blade has been carved into a kukri style blade. This is a dramatically shaped blade. The spien starts off with a long row of thick jimping. The jimping is wide, so it isn’t going to bite as much as some of the finer jimping does. The jimping is also going to add in more control when you are using the knife, because it will add texture that you can put your hands on to gain better grip. The spine then has a dramatic curve that ends at the tip of the blade, which is fairly raised. The belly has a recurve, which is going to assist in slicing, because it adds more surface area to the sharpened portion of the blade. The belly doesn’t end at the point, but rather, at the bottom of the flat edge. Instead of a fine tip, the A-Klub does feature a flattened edge. There is a sharper corner, which can be used for minimal piercing, but since it is broader, you probably won’t be able to get much piercing done with this knife. That being said, with a blade this large, you probably won’t need to pierce to accomplish your task.

The Handle:

The handle on this fixed blade is made out of green canvas micarta. This material is created when thin layers of canvas are soaked in a phenolic resin and then set. This process creates a material that is strong, lightweight (which is crucial for a knife that you are going to be carrying with you into the field), and even looks classy. It is able to look classier than most other knife handle materials because it is the canvas that shows through, instead of a plastic-y looking material. This material is also durable and tough, which is exactly what you will need out of a fixed blade.

While micarta does have plenty of great aspects, it does have a few drawbacks. The absolute biggest one is that when the process is first finished, it doesn’t have any surface texture. This means that a lot of time and hand labor is going to need to go into carving in texture on this handle, which is going to make it a more expensive product. You can count on TOPS to etch in enough texture so that you can feel confident and comfortable using this knife. While the micarta may have started off with minimal texture, the handle offers plenty so that you can get the job done while staying safe.

One of the other bigger drawbacks that micarta has is that it does tend to be brittle. This means that if subjected to too hard or sharp of an impact, it may begin to break down and crack.

The handle is simple and built for durability. The spine of the knife is nearly completely straight, with only a bit of a curve to it. The butt of the knife does flare out, so near the end of the spine, it does curve upward. The belly of the knife has a deep finger groove. This ends with a slight finger guard. These two features are super important for such a menacing knife, because it could do some real damage if you did slip. Those two features will protect you though. The rest of the belly curves in, before flaring out at the butt. The end of the knife does feature a lanyard hole.

The Mechanism:

This is a fixed blade, which does mean that there actually isn’t’ a mechanism on it. Instead, the blade is always in “open” position. To store this blade, you instead cover it with a sheath that is included, rather than folding it back into the handle like a traditional pocketknife.

There are a few benefits to having a fixed blade. The first is that it is easier to take care of. This is mostly due to the fact that there is no mechanism. There are no small or moving parts that you have to be concerned about. All you really have to do is wipe down the blade and the handle and oil the blade occasionally.

You can also bring a fixed blade into play the fastest out of any type of mechanism. This is because all you have to do is withdraw the blade from the sheath and you are ready to go.

The last reason that having a fixed blade is so phenomenal is because it can take on a much wider variety of tasks. This is because the blade is thicker and longer, since it does not have to fit inside of the handle. You can use it for truly anything that comes your way. Especially since the TOPS A-Klub is as large as it is, there shouldn’t’ be any task that comes your way that you aren’t able to complete. You will be able to slice, saw, pry, and even hammer with this knife. Truly, the A-Klub will let you accomplish any of your outdoors tasks.

The Sheath:

The sheath that comes with this TOPS knife is made out of Kydex. Kydex is a man-made, modern material that is often used in creating holsters and sheaths. There are a couple of different advantages to having a sheath made for this modern material.

The first is that it is waterproof, scratch resistant, and it is also stretch and shrink resistant. Not only is it waterproof, but it is incredibly durable and stable, meaning you can have it with you in a variety of extreme situations—including humidity and saltwater. It is also going to stay unaffected by many different chemicals. Because of all of these advantages, it really doesn’t require any maintenance. This is perfect for a massive outdoors knife such as this one. It allows you to be prepared for almost any tactical situation that may come your way. Not just that, but it actually prepares you for almost any situation that comes your way.

However, there are disadvantages to this sheath material. The biggest complain about Kydex is that it is not silent. It is actually not anywhere near silent, which means you definitely can’t be sneaking around if you are going to need to withdraw your blade. The next is that it is stretch proof. This means that if the sheath does not fit your knife perfectly, there is going to be a rattle when you move. The last, another big one, is that you do risk dulling your blade’s edge with repeated withdrawal and replacing of your knife.

The Specs:

The blade on this beastly knife measures in at a whopping 12.38 inches long. That is over a foot of just the blade! The handle portion of this knife measures in at 5.5 inches long, which means that the overall length of the knife is going to come in at 17.88 inches long. This is a serious monster of a knife—there really isn’t going to be any outdoor challenge that it can’t rise up and meet. You will be in good hands if you choose this knife as your go to when you need a heavy working knife. The head thickness of the A-Klub measure sin at 0.19 inches thick.

The overall weight of this TOPS knife comes in at 1 pound 7.8 ounces. As you can see, this is definitely on the heavier side of the spectrum. However, the weight will ensure that you have enough backing you so that you can have the utmost confidence while using it. If the knife was too light, it wouldn’t be able to perform what you need it to.

This TOPS knife was proudly made in the United States of America.

Conclusion:

This fixed blade knife features green canvas micarta handles, a kukri style blade in an "acid rain" finish and includes a black kydex sheath.

TOPS' newest fixed blade was designed by Naked and Afraid star Amanda Kaye and based upon design influences from Native American war clubs. This heavy working tool will clear brush or chop trees with ease while its flared pommel design on the handle makes it easy to hold onto.

This new arrival is going to go quickly. Buy it now by clicking here to secure yours today.