TOPS HOG 4.5 Knife Review

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TOPS HOG 4.5 Fixed Blade:
The Best All Around Hunting & Survival Knife

The TOPS HOG 4.5, in my opinion, is one badass hunting and survival knife. When you are hiking in the back country, fifty miles from the closest town, you need to have the best fixed blade knife you can buy. I don’t mean the most expensive knife, but a highly dependable proven product like TOPS. TOPS Knives was born out of experienced special operators, military special forces, adventurers, law enforcement and martial artists. TOPS Knives are backed by craftsmen who based their designs from personal survival experience. When you go to the TOPS Knives website, you will find many…many knife designs. I would venture to say, one of the largest collections of high-quality knife designs available.

With all of the knife designs TOPS Knives offer, one might be flustered in picking the right knife for them. One way you can pick the right TOPS Knife for you, is to make some basic standards you would like for your knife to have. One standard would be the blade length which would work best for you and your needs or perceived needs. If you are going to use this knife for chopping and carving your way through some heavy brush or jungle, then a machete would be the blade for you. The TOPS Machete .170 could be the best blade for this type of work. If you want a good all-around survival knife which can double as a hunting camp knife or even a combat knife, then I would suggest this knife would have a blade length between four and seven inches. Four inches being a little too short and seven being a little too long. For me a blade length for these purposes is around four and one-half inches to five inches long.

The blade length normally determines the overall length. Not always but in the majority of cases. The blade thickness should be close to 0.200 inches thick. The blade steel, in my opinion, should be 1095 carbon Steel. Why carbon steel and not some form of stainless steel? All around carbon steel, such as 1095 just holds the edge better, easier to sharpen and with age just looks cool. I keep my knives clean and sharp. When I get done using a knife, like the TOPS HOG 4.5, I clean the knife by washing it off with hot soapy water. I then wipe it dry and apply a goodly amount of oil. I then wipe the oil way with a cotton cloth. Job done. I used the TOPS HOG 4.5 to open 50-pound bags of soil. I then cut the jute, really lazy burlap, to place over the dirt to hold it and the seed in place if it rains really hard. I also used this blade to dig a small hole and pry up a flat rock. The pictures you see in this article was taken after this use.

As I stated in the previous paragraph, I pried up a flat rock with the TOPS HOG 4.5. As I always say, knives are not made for prying. With this said, some light prying or lifting can be safely done. You just have to know your knifes’ limits. An exception to this rule is the TOPS Pry Knife & PPP Tool. This knife is made for prying.

The HOG 4.5 Black Traction Coating finish is good for me. This finish is expertly applied to the HOG 4.5. This is a great finish but like all finishes, in time with hard use the finish will show wear. To me this just adds to the mystic of the knife. A visual record of its service to some warrior or sheepdog.

TOPS HOG 4.5 Conclusion

TOPS HOG 4.5 is the perfect outdoor survival knife. This blade is perfect for you who hunt big game. Any prepper would be well healed in carrying the TOPS HOG 4.5. This is one strong knife. It is well balanced and feels great in my hand. I love the large ring in the butt of the handle. The handle is made of Black Linen Micarta which is some tough stuff. The TOPS HOG 4.5 is a knife which will give you a lifetime of service as well as several of your descendants.

In particular I love the swinging black leather sheath. I like the fact it is made to swing and move when I am squeezing through thick brush. When I set on a giant boulder I am not being poked in the ribs. For you Rambo types, if you are crawling through a high window or climbing a tree to get a better view or shot, the TOPS 4.5 sheath will allow your bad-boy to swing out of the way and not snag on everything within reaching distances. In all if you are looking for a good quality fixed blade knife, you might as well get an outstanding fixed blade knife the HOG 4.5 made by TOPS.