Choosing a Tracker
The Tom Brown Tracker family is a good place to compare TOPS designs. Its distinctive blade profile brings together sections intended for different wilderness tasks, including chopping, carving and other field cutting. Numbered versions differ in size: TOPS describes the Tracker #3 as larger than the #2 and smaller than the #1. This lets shoppers compare the same general design in different overall sizes. The Tracker is one option in a wider range of fixed-blade knives and folding knives, with blade profiles and dimensions that vary by model.
Steel and construction
Many TOPS knives use 1095 high-carbon steel, but the brand also offers other steels, and specifications are not shared across every model. TOPS states that it differentially heat-treats its high-carbon alloy knives: the edge is hardened to 56–58 Rockwell, while the spine is left softer. On 1095 models, this steel can stain or oxidize, so exposed areas need care. Blade coatings are used on some knives, but they do not remove the need to maintain the cutting edge. Selected Tracker configurations use 154CM stainless steel instead; TOPS has also described the Tracker #3 in that steel with a black Micarta handle. Check the individual model details for the exact steel, finish and handle material.
Company and coverage
TOPS was founded in late 1998. Its designs draw on experience from military, law-enforcement and outdoor fields. The company says all its fixed-blade knives are manufactured and hand-finished at its Rocky Mountain facility in the United States; that origin should not be assumed for every product type. TOPS lists lifetime coverage for defects in materials and workmanship on fixed-blade knives, five years for folding knives and one year for sheaths. The coverage excludes abuse and certain use-related damage.