Tops Knives’ El Chete Sets a New Standard for Cleavers
The buzz was off the charts. This year, like every year, fans and collectors of TOPS Knives gravitate toward their booth at the SHOT Show and BLADE Show, hoping to peek at their newest edged tools. And the excitement was overwhelming at both the shows and online. El Chete, one of their newest offerings, almost shut down the internet with all the chatter.
This is TOPS Knives’ first offering to ever feature their new Acid Rain finish and sandwiched Micarta scales. The size, balance, and aesthetics of the blade, combined with two different sheath options, has had the TOPS Knives Users Facebook page filled with so many positive posts from anxious collectors, it just made sense to write this article.
TOPS Knives set out to create a new knife that could cause a ton of destruction. By the looks and feel of their new El Chete, they weren’t playing around.
First Impressions
The El Chete is a big knife. If you are looking for a small camp knife, this is not the knife for you.
TOPS Knives’ current president and wizard lead blade designer, Leo Espinoza, did not hold back on this 17.5-inch beast of a blade. Leo is a big guy, so I can see why he went the direction he did with this big, beefy blade.
The knife boasts a 0.25-inch thick, 1095 high-carbon steel blade that is a full foot long. It has thick scales that were designed to make it feel and chop similar to a small axe. While the knife is large, it weighs just under 2 pounds, so it’s not impossible to imagine having this knife as a permanent piece of kit for one’s bug-out bag or hiking pack. Adding this knife would eliminate the additional need and weight of having a camp axe or tomahawk.
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Denne historien er fra November 2017-utgaven av Knives Illustrated.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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TIP TALK
UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BLADE TIP SHAPES AND WHY IT MATTERS
HOLDING FIRM
GETTING A GRIP ON KNIFE HANDLE BENEFITS, MATERIALS, AND FUNCTIONALITY
EDGE UP
TIPS, TRICKS, AND TECHNIQUES TO SHARP WHEN ADVENTURING FAR FROM HOME
THE COMBAT KITCHEN
SLICE, DICE, CHOP, AND CUT: FOOD PREP WITH BLADES FROM POPULAR TACTICAL KNIFE COMPANIES
MORAKNIV Classics
THESE TIMELESS BUSHCRAFT KNIVES HAVE BEEN UPDATED AND ARE BETTER THAN EVER
ONE FOR THE ROAD
CHOOSING AN “EVERYWHERE KNIFE” CAN BE DIFFICULT DUE TO COMPLICATED KNIFE LAWS
TRAVELING LIGHT
SOMETIMES, INEXPENSIVE UTILITY BLADES YOU PICK UP AT YOUR DESTINATION CAN GET THE JOB DONE
MATCHED PAIR
JB KNIFE WORKS LAYMAN KNIFE AND GAMBIT HATCHET COMBO: ONE PICKS UP WHERE THE OTHER LEAVES OFF
WHEN BIGGER IS BETTER
THE CAS IBERIA CHOP HOUSE IS A MACHETE THAT PROVIDES BIG BLADE CUTTING POWER
KITCHEN KNIVES DON'T HAVE TO BE DULL
I have a confession to make. See if this sounds familiar. I take meticulous care of the knives I use for everyday carry, hunting, and general woods wandering. I wipe them down with an oily cloth after use and I never let them get too dull. Seldom do I have to restore a damaged edge. Most of the time I simply touch up the edges of my pocketknives with a few careful strokes across the rough bottom of a ceramic coffee cup. That’s usually all that’s needed. I don’t use my knives as screwdrivers or pry bars. As a matter of fact, I still have the very first knife I ever owned, an old Boy Scout knife that was handed down from my older brother. The blades have a deep patina that comes with using carbon steel over the years, but the knife is very usable still.
