I always was skeptical about small survival knives too, till I saw what Bear Grylls does with his small knife. I hate to admit to being influenced by one of those TV shows, but I really started to see the advantages of such a small but sturdy knife. When you use a branch as a baton you can hammer such a short but thick blade deep into wood and cut just as thick branches as you could by chopping with a big and heavy knife.
@TrangleC I think that`s going to take more energy. I don`t actually know for sure, though.I might want to try it out someday to make sure. I just like to have a big chunk of steel on my person than a little one, even if they do add a bit of extra weight. I`d rather use an axe or a saw to fall wood, especially the latter. You`re talking about "if," and only if that fails on me, or the unlikely (for me, a non-LE/military civilian) situation in which I have no choice but to use a knife.
@plumbingoni The Bravo has a black blade and the is a sharpened portion on the back of the blade as well. This makes the Bravo have a more versatile in the sense of having a secondary edge in case the the primary edge gets damaged. But it makes the Bravo less versatile in the sense that certain cutting/gripping tecniques are impossible because you cannot place your fingers on the back of the blade where it is sharpenned.
Damn, what a tough little bulldog of a knife.
beaker126 3 months ago
excuse me, Bob. Does this come with any literature? :)
NorwegianKnifeDude 3 months ago
Too small to be a primary and too big to be a back up. Someone tell Tops to stick with tactical knives.
hohldk 3 months ago
@hohldk
I always was skeptical about small survival knives too, till I saw what Bear Grylls does with his small knife. I hate to admit to being influenced by one of those TV shows, but I really started to see the advantages of such a small but sturdy knife. When you use a branch as a baton you can hammer such a short but thick blade deep into wood and cut just as thick branches as you could by chopping with a big and heavy knife.
TrangleC 3 months ago
@TrangleC I think that`s going to take more energy. I don`t actually know for sure, though.I might want to try it out someday to make sure. I just like to have a big chunk of steel on my person than a little one, even if they do add a bit of extra weight. I`d rather use an axe or a saw to fall wood, especially the latter. You`re talking about "if," and only if that fails on me, or the unlikely (for me, a non-LE/military civilian) situation in which I have no choice but to use a knife.
potatoheadhaoy 3 months ago
Hi are there any differences between the XCEST alpha and bravo ? That survival kit looks very good , love TOPS.
Great review aswell.
plumbingoni 3 months ago
@plumbingoni The Bravo model is the same except the knife has a black blade.
wwwknivestowncom 3 months ago
@wwwknivestowncom Cheers thanks for the info
plumbingoni 3 months ago
@plumbingoni The Bravo has a black blade and the is a sharpened portion on the back of the blade as well. This makes the Bravo have a more versatile in the sense of having a secondary edge in case the the primary edge gets damaged. But it makes the Bravo less versatile in the sense that certain cutting/gripping tecniques are impossible because you cannot place your fingers on the back of the blade where it is sharpenned.
nextexhale 3 months ago
I dont mind having nylon or cordura sheaths but I hate velcro! Button snaps are the way to go. my wife sews button snaps on for me. : )
HMFIC31 3 months ago
This is an excellent back-up knife. It seems it would make a good urban knife too. Have you tried to us it to pry anything?
Uriel1816 3 months ago