TOPS Tex Creek XL: Even Your Mom Will Want One! - Preparedmind101
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- Опубліковано 28 лис 2024
- (BONUS SEGMENT AFTERWARD) Preparedmind101 looks at the TOPS Tex Creek XL, a knife I had briefly earlier in the year but sent to Andy Tran of Innerbark Outdoors for him to review. The knife is nice enough that I traded into another new one for myself and it's not one I'll be selling or trading.
The only downside (as with most TOPS knives) for some people is the lack of a sharp 90 degree spine for the bushcrafters and some overly aggressive jimping. The fit, finish, balance, materials, and sheath are all excellent.
BONUS SEGMENT: Using Kindle Unlimited to download a lot of knowledge for little cost.
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I agree I've never been a huge fan of using the spine of the blade to strike a faro rod.
I agree! I cant strike a ferro rod on the spine of my Condor Alert, but I have a nice little pocket knife I keep attached to the sheath. It has a super sharp spine and strikes very well. I like it better than a striker because its a little bigger and easier to use if wearing gloves. And I have another cutting tool among my multi tool. TOPS are great knives whether they have a sharp spine or not.
HAHA Chris, you had a classic quote for the ages...."You are gonna die right? Use the freakin edge!". I love it. Common sense no BS logic!!
Its so true. I do however believe in a sharpener and ferro rod included in a sheath
Good review. Love your message on the striker. Practical, rational, well thought out. This is why I keep coming back for more of your vids.
Chris totally agree with ya I'm over the ferro rod strike thing I don't take this into consideration at all when selecting a blade, also agree the spine jimping is getting out of control, thanks for all the Tops reviews I recently got the silent hero, and wild hog hunter knives and am really impressed with Tops knives, I wanna add a tex Creek to the collection now and the brothers of Bushcraft with the leather sheath.
Thanks Chris ! Always fun to see you do stuff ! I am DONE with ferro rod scraping with my knife too!
Couldn't agree more on the reading as well. The Frontiersman by Eckart is life changing and really puts into perspective what we as men are capable of.
Eckert
Yep, I still really want that knife!
Even though I tend to use dedicated strikers most of the time, I do like the be able to strike my ferro rod with the spine of my knife, but I don't see why anyone would discount a knife simply because it doesn't come from the factory with a sharp 90° spine. All it takes is a sharp file, some abrasive paper & ten minutes for you to both make that spine as sharp as you want it and remove the coating from the spine at the same time. None of my top five favorite, most used knives came with a sharp 90° spine, but all of them -- the Tops Tahoma Field Knife, the BK7, Tops Brothers of Bushcraft Knife, the Mora Companion HD & the Tops Mini Scandi Knife -- now have uncoated spines with very sharp 90° edges.
All you need to do is cover the sides of the blade with a couple layers of masking tape (to prevent scratching the blade), chuck it up in a vise with just the metal you intend to remove exposed above the vise jaws (this allows you to use the hardened steel jaws of the vise as a filing guide), file the spine until you get it perfectly flat with 90° edges and then take some wet-dry sandpaper to it to polish it up a bit. (Wrap the sandpaper around the file.) That's all it takes; ten minutes and you're done! For me it's just not a big deal if a knife doesn't come with a sharp 90° spine. It's such an easy modification to make I just don't worry about it!
BTW, Chris, if you use a leather strop with green compound on your knives after you finish with the Work Sharp it makes them noticeably sharper!
I really like this knife, great lite chopper. Ive used it plenty for clearing out small willows and various regrowth around older survey evidence. Id say my only gripe is that it would be better for the chopping and fire making without that top swedge. Save the swedges for more soldier oriented blades. Though the sheath isn't super sexy, it works really well and rides comfortably. Its a real winner.
Agree 100% on the 90 degree spine opinion. Good video. Now my Mom wants one too!
Great vid Chris. I've been into knives for a long time now and been watching reviews of the different ones here on You Tube particularly your channel. The Tex Creek XL has been on my shortlist for a while now and finally bought it thanks to your review (and Andy Tran's).Keep it coming.
I feel like Spyderco has perfected the "jimping" process. Great video Chris 👊
Al Mar also has some great jumping on their knive... I have a Nomad & it's jumping is so good...
I bought mine from back when you first started mentioning it. I love mine. Beautiful and great quality blade. Thanks for the review.
100% agree with your take on the spine .
Thank you Chris for showing us many different, good knifes. Great video.
I like the new movement, just use the striker that came with the rod, or make/buy one.
couldn't agree more about the 90deg/ferro rod. push comes to shove people are going to do whatever it takes to survive. I could care less about an inch of damaged blade if my life is on the line, not to mention I'd still have another 4 usable inches of blade. Maybe even find smooth rock and see if I can't work that edge out..
Amen i have been telling people to attach a striker to their fero rods than to use their knife finally someone agrees with me
I like going back and re-watching the old reviews. Some of the older knives really would hold their own against the new ones.
Which got me thinking. It would be nice for you to have an interview with a Master craftsman of blade design, or do the explanation yourself of the different purpose based designs of the major blade types. Explaining how best to use them. Tanto(9"Tops Anaconda) Drop point, clip point, bowie/ belly, spear point(Tahoma field / Silent hero) . I'm sure that I'm missing some.
"Why not? Your gonna die, right?" This is why I watch this guy! Another great review. TOPS has an operator culture built in. Most operators wear gloves. I think the jimping reflects that.
Tex Creek XL isn't a tactical knife though.
You're right. I was just trying to offer a theory as to why the jimping is usually aggressive on their knives. They're just now making the transition from the bed liner coating look, like my street scalpel, crazy jimping, to more woods oriented stuff. My silent hero is that new path (market).
PREPAREDMIND101 My momma is more of a Jessica x kinda girl.
I agree
90 degree spines are essential with all blades, been saying this for years. Takes a few minutes to do just do it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and suggestions with me today, I appreciate it sir.....Ps Tops knives are overpriced 1095 blades, just not worth what they ask for their blades.
if you had to choose, which one? the tex creek xl or the silent hero?
In your honest opinion, between this and the bk7 which would u choose and why?
Chris, ditto on the ferro rod scrape deal...the presumption is that somehow we're gonna get stuck in the middle of nowhere, BUT Hey!...I only happen to have my best knife with me, and this here ferro rod, but damn....nothing else on me to scrape with,,,,geeze..
Been watching your channel for awhile. Great videos but I just had to respond to this one. Very down to earth and real, should do more like this in the future. Mentioned the Work Sharp but didn't push it. Mentioned the 90 degree spine but recommended always carry a back up(s), agreed. Mentioned the "green" tree but put the complainers in their place, lol. Molding the sheath with information how to and modding the carry, great. Even the reading at the end for those that can't get out all the time. Stay real.
Finally, someone said it. I wondered a year ago how long it would take for you to get sick of the same reviews. I hope you do well. I miss the long vids...
Only so many SKILL BASED things you can do. I'm not going to put on a Jason mask and beat them with a hammer. Or throw them or stab fake zombie heads. I could cut a hundred pieces of cardboard to test edge retention I guess. key thing is that is useful and not totally boring.
I think one of the next survival type knives I get I'll build a shelter and a fire with it. sounds like a solid test. if I can skin an animal to cook on the fire even better.
You've done well so far, keep adapting.
PREPAREDMIND101 I would love to see what you can accomplish in an overnighter with a ferro rod, your Leatherman Wave, and a canteen kit. I'm betting it goes well. Probably more of a summer project.
Thegood Guy you got some review vids we can watch, for free?
Michael StJohn I agree. I enjoy him because he doesn't play Dave Canterbury on UA-cam. He, like me and I'm sure a lot of this community, is constantly gaining skills and he doesn't take himself too seriously.
does it take much effort to cut with this knife? would you recommend this knife or the silent hero?
I own a SPEC Ontario SP-10 Marine Raider Bowie. Ive had it over 10 years. It is 1095 high carbon steel and is one hell of a chopper. I added some 1 1/4 runner o rings to the handle (your recommendation on the USMC KA-BAR). I dont know if you have ever held or used one but if you pick one up I'd love to know how it compares to a BK-9 and if the heat treat on the ontario blades is different now than back then. I currently own a BK-2 ive had for about 3 years now. Im a big boy so the blade thickness doesn't bother me at all. Any response is appreciated :)
my tactical tops are the tops ! i use the hacksaw blade that came with my ferro rod its solidly affixed its bomb proof.
All shit aside Chris .... I'm stuck on 1 of the 3 choices . 1. Tohoma field knife
2. Silent hero
3. Tex creek xl
For survival , bushcraft , bug out bag , and edc use which one would you buy ? Seriously
+Bass daddy 2014 Out of those three? Tahoma prob, followed by the Silent Hero if you can get it without the sculpted handles
I dont like what the ferro rod does to your knife i like what will said about the multitool saw blade it really works great
Awesome review Chris - love the longer vids and the woods stuff!
in your opinion, what is better, tops baya 4.5 or Tex Creek, thanks! Peter
Do you have a video on blade sharpening?
because of your going back to not needing 90 deg spines on all knives (passing over the phase you had a couple months ago), how does this affect the mods you deem necessary to take a BK-7 to jessica level?
Great design!
With all that dead brush and wind, I sure hope a big fire doesn't start from playing with those rods!
i loved mine
plan on getting another one eventually
with this knife can't you use the top of the tip to strike ferrorod? I never understand the argument for one knife option; to do all the requirements of survival or bushcraft tasks.
One of the other requirements a lot of the bushcrafty types have is that you must be able to strike a spark off of the blade with flint or another hard rock... if that is a requirement, it would stand to reason that the user knows how to make a flint striker, and that the same flint striker could also be used to strike a ferro rod. So if you have just the ferro rod even with no knife you should still be able to start a fire with the knowledge of how to make a flint striker.
Besides... if it is that important, how hard is it to make a flat spot on the spine yourself? Heck, even Dave Canterbury has a vid on how to do it if I remember right. If he did it, then it must be OK for us mere mortals to do as well, right? No need to knock a knife just because it doesn't have a sharp spine unless it is specifically advertised as a feature of the knife by the manufacturer.
I just think the grip could have been abit wider and longer on the xl.
The choil placement is good.
Looks like a good knife but I dont think Id get it cos the grip width
I know many dont like those black coatings on their knives, but anyone force a patina on their knife? I did with my Condor Alert and it turned out awesome! I just used apple cider vinegar.
Tell me in your professional opinion.
Which ones you'd perfer to take it with you for survival, not both but one.
Tops Tahoma or Tops Tex Creek XL?
Where can I get that jacket you're wearing? thx..
PREPAREDMIND101 How sharp are those jimping? Wonder if you could use them for the ferro rod since sometimes they get kinda sharp when ground out especially a smaller rod that fits between them maybe? Just wondering. Thanks.
nope. tried it.
have you thought about reviewing the ontario RD-6 bush (RBS-6)?
GREAT review Chris...outstanding knife!
I know you *said* it can't, but did you even (off camera) try to strike a ferro rod with the spine? It looked like it scraped bark pretty well, and in my very limited experience, if it does that then it will strike sparks pretty well also.
Just a thought/question, don't hate me lol.
Obviously. it did okay on the bark. not good enough to make fine tinder though. kinda-sharp isn't sharp enough for a ferro rod.
True. Also, still kinda related to the subject, I was thinking during the part of the video where you mention the WorkSharp. Does it come with a coarse enough belt to flatten the spine of a knife out well enough to where it would scrape bark/strike sparks well? I'm just asking, since I've never owned/used a WS before.
Great video as always, Chris.
kpw528 yes but the problem is you really need a 90° backdrop to lay the knife on. Only way to do it right and not look like crap is use a big one in a shop like my video where I made Jessica into the Bush Kraft 7. Its better to just use something else then screw up the knife. Especially since it has the BRW coating.
I agree with you on the 90 degree spine. I like Dave Canterbury a lot, but I don't consider his every word to be gospel. I also disagree with the sentiment of requiring a blade to be carbon steel for the purposes of throwing sparks with a flint. Flint and steel would never be my primary, secondary, or probably even tertiary method of starting a fire, since you not only need to carry a flint, but also some sort of pre-charred material, or dried chaga/horse hoof fungus. I am far from an expert, but is there even a field-expedient tinder that will take a spark that way?
Nice review. Great setup. Silent Hero is so hard to get, it might be an option. I do have XL-XXL hands by glove size though.
4got 2 add agree 101+% on M/tools stil use my GI PST all the time 2 poor 2 ever gitta more modern one did buy the g/kids LM sideclips which they carry always since kid's of today don't wear belts much 4 tool pouches! Great video & info TY alot! ;)
love that you tell it like is ! Good reviews informative and fun.
do a review on buck knives
late to this review (enjoyed!). after getting the ute (tops) had to have a bigger tops and the tex creek xl gets the nod--tops are like potato chips--hard to just eat one! thanks again....
You could just use a file to put a section on the spine that is sharper.
If I get s knife that doesn't have a 90 degree edge I just go the the file and put one on, don't care too muck on it looks it's gotta be functional
Awesome Chris thank you for the vid today!!
silent hero or tex creeks xl, which one do you guys prefer?
Your video openings should be the soundtrack of lawn mowers and ambulances.
I was planning on making a gag with the current opener but strip the "Transformers music" and add all those sounds instead.
Another nice blade Chris, great review and also good to know about the Kindle thing. For those that do not have a Kindle, there are apps for both Android and Apple phones ;)
Thanks Chris :D
Thank you, thank you on the jimping comments. People have to start speaking up. My fingers have fingerprints...subtle and effective traction, nature's perfection. Jimping should be more like fingerprints, and less like cheese graters.
Combining gear reviews with hunting and or camping would be great!!!!!
I would love to see some small game hunting stuff. With the cons, some pros is you will gain a larger audience, and teach more techniques for surviving.
One day someone will smarten up and start using a match striker style of jimping. That still leaves a 90 degree spine. And I can use my 10 big boxes of strike anywhere matches.
Chris you need a DC6 knife when they come out .
I agree. It's a big bad blade.
PREPAREDMIND101 review the sog ninja day pack sorry for spam btw
Jan 2015 .
Quick question, is the edge 90 degree edge? Just kidding. Couldn't resist.
Chris, where did you get your coat? (4:30)
For the love of God, where'd you get the cool jacket that you were wearing on your porch? I'm not the only one asking either lol, thanks, Lou
Where's a good place to get a larger rod?
My favorite one is from selfrelianceoutfitters.com.
So, when we gonna see that meat cleaver in action? Lol... Took the boys out today and did some carvings and made a little fire. Found out how much I like ferro rods more than mag bars! Especially if its windy. I said screw it and lit my feather sticks with my Zippo. Worked out great. Only time to use a ferro rod is if my zippo is dried up. Which is what I would do in any scenario anyway...
Awesome review sir
That would be great to see some PCP air gun action! Benjamin Marauder... or Airforce Condor SS... or Samatra 2500... or even a Benjamin Discovery. They all are good Rabbit & Squirrel & Starling medicine! Good Video
They are also all expensive as f***. I'll try and cozy up to those brands at SHOT Show. but most of my viewers will still think they are way too expensive.
Do you have any plans to do any esee videos in the future?
only the DC6
Young bushcraft wannabes fail to realize that the common everyday lighter IS the latest model of 'flint n steel'.. the gas/petrol is your tinder and yes some do it thru a battery. Wow! "But.. but.. big sparks are better!" .... Yes well unless it's really windy you can just light the end of a stick and use it to light parts of your kindling. Magic!!
If there was one knife you had to survive with what would it be
Jessica the Bush Kraft 7
Which do you like better, the Tex Creek XL or the Silent Hero knife?
Tough. Very differentknives. I'm told a new Silent Hero may be coming soon with a thicker handkerchief with no rocky Mountain tread. If so.... THAT knife is going to be right up next to Jessica. I swore not to name knives anymore, but that one may demand a name! I hate that Rocky Mountain tread.
PREPAREDMIND101 Yeah, I definitely agree about the handle needing to be bigger with a smoother surface. Actually, I got back into the whole bushcraft, campcraft, and especially, wanting the best knife possible from checking out one of your Jessica videos. Now, I designed my own knife and a knife maker I saw on youtube is actually making my knife for me. It's an homage to my Scottish ancestors and I'm naming it Claire (from the 'Outlander' - Scottish tv series), and I also do plan on naming other knives that I will be getting, as well. And this all started from me seeing that you named your knife Jessica! LOL You should just name your knives when and as you feel like it. I think it's cool!
01 Tool Steel. About 'Jessica'-sized basic all around campcraft style knife, with a sort of drop/spear point. No jimping though, with micarta handles.
Greg Letter The GSO-10 is definitely a cool large knife! Yeah, I see what you're going for with the tungsten steel piece. Good luck, with getting a GSO-10 someday and being able to pimp it out as a main chef/camping knife that you can light fires with!
Greg Letter Definitely sounds like a good idea to me!
What is up with Tops and their inability to make palm swell grips 🤔 Drives me nuts.
Nice knife
Great knife great company
Chris where do you get the butane insert from?
it's on preparedmind101.com in the fire section
Like the vid, agreed on the jimping, tone it down!
two big thumbs up on your ferro rod comments. use of a lighter is everyone's first go to. a ferro rod is second or even third. concentrate on a good lighter, magnifying lens, and then a ferro rod.
i dont like how the ferro rod puts burn marks on the blade you could probably even use your keys or something on a keyring
Oh man..thats great about using the edge of your knife on a ferro rod "Use the F**king edge..." that was just great
The thing that bothers me with any fixed blade is a swedge, I hate it. All it does is chew up your baton.
What the heck was that whistle screech that caused you to edit your vid??? That was fricken weird.
You can't go wrong with any of top's knives they are all quickly. I got a knife review you probably haven't thought of go one a wild hog hunt and kill it with your knife it's a blast.
Strike a Ferrorod with the Spine, do it or dont do it, but there is no reason for not putting a 90 degree spine orr part of the spine on the blade.
my mom would not want one, but i do!!
"Bushcraft Bob" ... LOL
i wish i could afford a tops
jack payne amazon is only 100 bucks
Tops has very fair pricing for what you get.
F.... striking the ferro rod, i totally agree, long live BIC. (be real).
Ppl that work with there hands like I do, appreciate heavy jimping bc my hands are so tough that i dont have light touch feeling left so bring the tank tracks on tops!
Man, this video was a great value! bubbalove
Hey there Chris this i HandH gear reviews gota say love the channel and I was wondering if you would mention our channel on yours
bushcraft Bob 101 I know that guy bah! hahahaha!
Are you now associated with Amazon, or was that your own advice with out *any pretext of payment* for saying it? I am fine with people making money through advertising, I just prefer when they directly say so. There may be some contract saying you can't do that I understand... but every other UA-camr I have seen advertising Amazon makes it understood in someway that they are under contract.
I am very happy that you pointed out how stupid the "one knife that I will completely trust my life with" mentality is. The best survival advice I know of is to:
a) don't be put in the situation in the first place
b) Be prepared. If you have a knife of this size on you, there is no reason to not have other out door stuff with you.
under contract? no. I have an Amazon store. I only found out about the Kindle thing last week and thought it was a good idea. There may be a way too get paid on that since there are incentives for people signing up for Prime and things like that, but I'm not sure. I stick to "If you were planning on it anyway, going through my store supports me and doesn't cost you anything different".
If I was, I'm sure they wouldn't want me annotating "cancel it if you aren't using it" like I did.
I don't do anything where money dictates what I have to say.
I believe it's illegal to get paid and not disclose that. FTC stuff.
Chris has an Amazon store set up for PM101.
I think a 90 degree spine is nice to have but if people want to be so picky and complain. Contact a custom knife maker and have them to design you the "perfect" knife. If you can't afford it then don't bitch.
I am truly getting tired of the "one tool option" crowd. There is no room in that logic for a ferro rod anyhow. That would be two tools. Three if you count the user....lol. I'm gonna get yelled at for that one, I just know it...lol. But seriously, use a proper striker like the pruner sharpener.
If it's that big of a deal, just put a 90 deg. spine on the blade after you buy it. If we can't figure out how to do that, we probably won't figure out what the 90 deg. spine is used for anyways.
I'm going to go broke watching all those knife videos, some people play the what game in till their just plain annoying all I ever had when I was kid was a folder and a lighter never really thought about carrying all this gear that we use now it would probably make some people faint