TOPS B.O.B. Knife Review: The Fieldcraft by Brothers of Bushcraft
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- This knife review features the Fieldcraft by Brothers of Bushcraft (made by TOPS Knives).
This knife is a tough, beast of a knife in a compact package. I put the "TOPS B.O.B." through a lot of work in order to form my personal opinion about this knife. In this video, I go over the basic specs of the knife and include several close-up views to help give you a good idea of what this knife is all about, but I also use the knife in the field (actual use).
Looking at the specs alone, it might seem that this blade would be overbuilt for some of the smaller tasks, but in hand, the knife is very easy to maneuver and work with. During my review process, I made sure to attempt several of the finer detail tasks-even attempted some spoon-carving (please don’t hold my lack of spoon-carving skills against me)-and it handled them all much better than I expected. The micarta handle scales on this knife feature a bow drill divot, so of course I had to put that to use as well.
As a comparison, I found the TOPS BOB to be similar to to the ESSE 5 from ESEE Knives. I’ve used the ESEE 5 a lot (both here in Arizona as well as in my earlier days in Alaska). The two knives have plenty of differences, but they are both in the “combat beast of knife” category. However, while I do like the ESEE 5, I found that even though the TOPS BOB is slightly smaller than the ESEE 5, it still performs many of the same tasks just as well while having the advantage of tackling those smaller tasks with greater ease.
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Thanks! Your attention to detail and understanding of this knife is much appreciated.
Thank you, John! I’m glad the info was helpful. And your “super thanks” is very much appreciated.
Great. Thanks
Good video thanks.
This one may very well be the best Tops B.O.B review and field test! Thanks mate!
Thanks, OutThere 79! I appreciate that.
Great review eh ! I picked up the knife the other after watching your review up here in Canada 🇨🇦 it’s pricy but well worth the money in my books.
And it’s nice to see a review based on real use and not some collector standing on his deck
Awesome! I'm sure you'll be happy with the knife. And thank you for the compliment on the review--Using the knife for real use is one of my biggest priorities when doing these reviews.
Well done!
Thanks!
Excellent. Review.
Thanks, Joe! I appreciate that.
Very informative and experience based review. That is how a review has to be. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Klaus!
Great video review! One of the best reviews I’ve seen!
Thanks, Michael.
Good job Ryan! I do like the Tops Bob as well, I reviewed it a while ago. Interesting you said a "modern scandi" , very true. Only a modern scandi is 0 degrees originally they would have been slightly comvexed. Thanks for sharing brother. Wade
Thanks, Woodswalker.
Very well done! You definitely put that knife to work!
Thanks!
Out of all the reviews you explained the grind with absolute common sense, a great review man. I've thought about getting one for a long time, I also like their Brakimo but that handle is so thin. Your review has actually changed my mind now about getting one of these BOBS.....The 1095 sounds excellent, I'm not to bjg on these expensive knives with super steel. By the time the steel pays for the tools use its a waist IMHO, I'd much rather strop a $100 knife after a good outing than sharpen a $300 cause it finally got dull after a year LOL its much funner😉 Call me weird.
As for 154CM I have the Ontario Blackbird NO THANKS horrible steel for sharpening its a nightmare esp for making the grind your own style. That knife took FOREVER to convex and even now I'm not totally happy with it but it does cut good.
Thanks for the great review😉
Thanks! I haven't used the brakimo, but it has a lot of similarities with the BOB. I think I'd still go with the BOB. It's really surprising how compact and light the knife feels for beings such a beast of a knife when it comes to performance.
That looks like a beautiful knife, great video too. Good luck with the channel, subscribed 🤠
Thanks for watching, and for subscribing!
Excellent point presentation!
Thanks, Christopher! I’ve been thinking about changing my knife review format a little so that there’s less talk from me and more of just close up shots, field use, and some specs here and there-kind of a straight and to the point, visual sort of review. What are your thoughts on this? Would you like this sort of format or do appreciate the points that I chime in about?
Nice review. Seems it would be hard to use the bottom of the knife to start a fire using a Ferro Rod compared to using the edge of the knife. Nice feathering too. Overall nice knive. Thanks for sharing
Instant subscription, great video, skilled woodsman, should be more popular
Thanks!
Do you have a military career?
Of course, no annoying intro, appropriate cinematography, practical testing, logical explanations
I served 4 years-Marine grunt (infantry assaultman)
It was an honor to serve. Thank you.
Great review! I agree with everything you said. I have had a BOB for three years and still love it. The lanyard hole is also a bullet extractor, if you want some gun powder for fire (22 caliber/.223/5.56). Don't waste your time practicing with the Shango notch for fero rod striking. It doesn't work well enough to waste time on.
Thanks, csh 62. And thanks for pointing out the extra use for the lanyard hole!
I got one of those for a survival course and got the dangler sheath. First day out I found the leather dangler that holds the sheath dangling with no sheath or knife. Never found it in the woods looked for hours. Stick with the kydex.
No!!! That's a super sad story! But at least you learned something, right? I like danglers, but I don't trust dangler attachments that have any sort of quick release/easy on (and off, unfortunately) function. I'm testing the Genesis by LT Wright right now and it has a sheath with a dangler option, but it's held together a threaded piece of hardware that has to be unscrewed from the leather in order to remove it--which I really like. Still, you can't beat kydex in terms of retention.
Adventure Ryan to make it more fun just before I found out the knife was gone my silky pocketboy saw shattered into 3 pieces on the first sapling I tried to use it on lol. At least I had a Mora garberg as a knife backup.
Sounds like a solid string of bad luck. Glad you had the Mora to back you up!
My son bought me a bark river Gunny in Kentucky for hunting,field dressing Deer and other game.I need a good camp knife.👌
How do like the gunny? I haven’t gotten my hands on that one yet.
@@AdventureRyan The BR Gunny is in CPM3V the edge is super sharp out of the box.I like it so much I asked my son to order the BR Bravo1.The leather sheath is so well made it took me four weeks to get the knife in fully...gradually day by day to form the sheath around the knife.I'm used to using Scandi knives eg.Helle Mora martini Eka,i collect knives as well as using them.I love the Mora Garberg, I have two one stainless other carbon.I'll be studying the Top's Bob before I purchase it.Stay safe my friend,thanks for your reply.👍
I really appreciated your review. As for describing this blade... I wonder if the grind is a hollow grind verses a flat grind. It looks concave to me. I can appreciate the convex edge too. I wonder if users can reproduce that edge when needed. Most people I know can reproduce a flat edge. I wonder if the maker includes any written information and maybe comments on the edge geometry.
As for 1095 vs 154 CM... I wonder if it is more brittle than the SS. I would be interested in seeing a side by side comparison... maybe include an intentional dulling to see how they compare on resharpening. Also I wonder about prying with the tip. I’m not saying that you should destroy something intentionally so any kind of useful idea of prying to see how they compare and hold up.
Overall, I really appreciate your attention to all of the knife attributes. Well done!!! Good shots of use!!
Thank you!!!
Thanks Jeff. And from what I can tell, the first grind angle is not hollow--it feels pretty flat to me. And then the final edge is a convex--which is perfect for what this knife was designed to handle.
And yes, it would be interesting to do a side by side comparison between the 1095 and the 154cm. I'm not sure I'll get the chance though because I'll be giving this knife away to one of you (subscribers to this channel) very soon.
The tip, as you can see by some of the close ups in the video, has a lot of steel supporting it. It's a very sturdy tip and should be able to handle quite a bit. But the most I did with it during testing was digging/prying at a mostly rotted log in search of tinder (so it was fairly soft wood). I like to have a strong tip on a knife, but the only prying I ever do with them is in soft wood (either looking for tinder or for bugs--AKA protein). Within the scope of wilderness living/survival, bushcraft, or camping, I just don't see a reason for aggressive prying in hard wood or other material--so I don't do very extensive tip tests. If it was knife designed for military use--I would definitely abuse the tip to see what it could do--because that's exactly what ends up happening in country--you use what you have to do what you need to do.
Regarding the tips: NO... HECK NO... I am not advocating any kind of destructive testing or abuse... As you mention... what would you use it for and then demo that... I'll be trying to win it. If I win a second one (154 CM) then I'll do some testing. Grin.
Tops knives 1095 is anything but brittle they do a differential heat treat on most of their knives and the spines are dead soft so no point trying to square the spine cause it won't hold an edge for striking a ferro rod. Also the edge lasts longer on a tops than on an esee. I have compared both companies several knives from each side by side, and you can definitely tell a difference. Not a huge difference but still noticeable
Dutch bushcraft knives really beat the stuffing out of the 154cm version of the Bob
Hold the knife one one place and pull the ferro rod across the scallop.
I prefer holding a knife or scaper in one place and moving the ferro rod most of the time as I believe it gives me more control.
YMMV!
Good video.
Thanks Mikee!
Excellent video my friend,would the tops Bob be a good hunting knife for field dressing Deer and rabbits out hunting.Stay safe.
It might not be your favorite field dressing knife, but it will get the job done. This might not be worth it to some, and they'd be happier carrying a separate knife that's dedicated to field dressing. For me, I like to keep the contents of my pack somewhat minimal, with each item serving more than just one purpose. That's kind of what the B.O.B. represents--it covers a wide range of tasks and, in my opinion, does it quite well.
Excellent video my friend,im buying the Bob,could you recommend a good seller.Stay safe👍
I’ve bought a lot of my knives through TheKnifeConnection.net-Quick shipping, good selection of the types of knives I use, and the customer service is great.
really really enjoyed this review !! subbed!
Im torn between this knife and a few others, im looking for an allaround knife for camping / hiking/survival do you have any recommendations for a knife you would pick as your favorite all around knife ?
Thanks for subbing and for watching. As far as recommendations, that’s a tricky question. The design of a knife needs to function well for the tasks you regularly perform when you’re out. Those tasks change depending on where you are and what you’re doing. So what works well for me, might not work well for you. That being said, the Fieldcraft by TOPS (that I reviewed here) is a very versatile blade that can handle a surprisingly wide range of tasks. The ESEE PR4 (I have a review on that one as well) is another one of my go to knives. I’m in Alaska now, but in the desert, I found I didn’t need a very long blade most of the time so it was usually the ESEE Izula 2 or the LT Wright Next Gen that came with me. What are some of the other ones you’re looking at besides the TOPS BOB?
@@AdventureRyan Thanks so much for your reply , i have been looking at the Esse 6 , BOB , and tops brakimo and also the mora garberg but it seems kinda cheap compared to the others . i live in Canada and usually am camping in forests and rivers / mountains
Everyone has got so caught up on super steels. 1095 holds a great edge.
Well said, 205 JAB. There are some amazing steels out there, but that doesn't mean the old stuff is worthless or that the new stuff is even necessary.
Well said..
On top of that the edge is easy to maintaine out in the field.
It also rusts like shit
I want to buy a Tops Fieldcraft , but i think i will choose 154cm instead the 1095.
But the 154cm is thicker than the 1095, the sheath are the same?
Many thanks
"It doesn't have the same bite...." duh if you hack away it's not going to be razor sharp. You need a bevel on a bevel then once you wear the the razor edge or "refined burr" away for carving or skinning you still have a bevel that isn't rounded. It's all in the sharpening and polish and bevel(s). So many civilians/soldiers/police are greatly skilled with a blade. Give them a wet/oil stone,not carbide/diamond and they will round the edge 90% of the time without a sharpening system. Retempering sharpening and polishing takes more years of practice to do "on the fly" than it takes to use the blade you are utilizing. Great review overall.
Maybe I wasn't clear enough in the video, but the reason I brought up the fact that the blade's edge lost a little of its bite after all the "hacking away" wasn't because I was surprised the blade got used, but it was to point out how little the edge was actually effected after all the work I put it through. It was still a sharp and functional edge, and was only in need of a little touching up. This is important as it is a credit to the type of steel but also to the geometry of the grind. Also, with all the "super steels" going around and the lack of real field use, I think it's important to point out the amount of abuse a simple high carbon steel can put up with.
I am looking to buy one of these knives but I am confused over one thing. Some sellers are listing an overall length of 9.75" and others are listing 10". Are there two versions of this knife with a .25" length difference or is it the same version being measured differently? Thank you for any help.
I'm not aware of a 9.75" version. The specs shown on the website for TOPS KNIVES list the knife at 10" as well. The Fieldcraft does come in a variety of handle options and two different steel options, but obviously none of that changes overall length. There is the "Fieldcraft 3.5" that is a scaled down version of this knife, but it has an overall length of 8.25."
@@AdventureRyan Thanks for the quick reply Ryan! This knife is being sold all over Amazon and eBay in both lengths and I think that they are actually the same knife. My guess is that some are measuring from the tip of the blade to the end of the handle and not including the 1/4" lip at the base of the handle.
@@hurry2014 That was one thought I had as well--that they're not measuring that exposed steel at the end (which doesn't really make sense since it's part of the overall length). There are also rip-off versions of various knives available (especially on ebay), so be careful with those as you don't want to end up with an imitation. I purchased mine through TheKnifeConnection.net --they have pretty fair pricing on most of their knives and they've proven (at least in my personal experience) to be a trustworthy knife dealer.
@@AdventureRyan Good point. Thanks, I'll check them out.
Great video I was wondering if u could do a follow up video of the PR4 I love my pr4 and there is not a lot of reviews on it
I really like the PR4 as well. I recently did a comparison video between the PR4 and the ESEE 4, but a while before that I did a video specifically on the PR4--did you get a chance to see that one? I put it through a variety of tasks over three separate days--it was kind of a different style of review than the one I did for the TOPS BOB--basically I just kept it on me as my go to blade during those trips and made note of how it performed--so it was kind of a review. Are you wanting a more in-depth review--something more like what I did for this video? Also, there's a possibility you'll see another PR4 related video in the future because I might have a chance to test out a prototype of some after market scales that TheKnifeConnection.net is working on.
Adventure Ryan yes I seen both great comparison video
So you would like to see a more in-depth review of the PR4? Is that what you're suggesting?
Adventure Ryan that would be awesome
@@AdventureRyan yes!!! The style you used for your bob review is an awesome mix!!! I have both the bob and pr4 also use the tops Baja 4.5 sometimes
Great review man. What are your thoughts, after having used the 1095 version, on the 154cm version they offer now? Longevity wise? Thanks
Thanks for watching, bkdesignr. Personally, I would only go with the 154cm steel if the benefit of corrosion resistance was my highest priority for a knife. 1095 high carbon steel is going to be able to take a beating and keep on going. The 154cm will perform well also--it's a good steel--but you usually sacrifice a little of that toughness by going stainless. Out of the two options, 1095 just seems like the right fit for this kind of knife. And it really doesn't take much to maintain high carbon steel--obviously, it's very easy here in the desert, but I've used high carbon steel in the rain and snow of Alaska as well and I've been able to keep up with it just fine. Hope that helps.
Adventure Ryan roger that man, good call. I'll pick one up soon I think!
Nice review. Do you prefer high carbon or stainless steel?
I tend to prefer high carbon steel over stainless steel for most uses even though stainless has some obvious benefits. My favorite feature of this steel is that, in my experience, the edge will usually roll instead of chip--rolls can be straightened out easily, but chips have to be ground out. The downside to this is that you will need to sharpen or strop your knife more often in order to keep the edge sharp, but I'd much rather prefer that over having a blade that's too brittle to handle heavy use.
The other issue with 1095 high carbon steel is that...well, it's not stainless--so it can rust easier. But again, just a quick maintenance session at the end of the day is usually all it takes to prevent rust build-up.
Most high carbon steels are also less expensive too--which means you get more knife for your buck. It's cheaper, not because the steel is bad, but because its simple and doesn't involve as much to work with.
The stainless steel option for the TOPS B.O.B. is 154cm steel--which is good stuff and while it does bump the price up a little, it isn't too much more expensive. I haven't had the chance to test out the 154 cm version of the knife, but from what I know about 154cm, it should be plenty tough, hold an edge for a little longer than 1095, and also deal with moisture better.
Personally, I feel that unless you're going to be in a very wet environments or in situations where you're unable to do a little periodic maintenance, 1095 high carbon steel (especially with a good heat treat which TOPS seems to provide) is great stuff. If you end up getting a TOPS B.O.B. in 154cm--feel free to reach out to me and let me know how it handles.
What kind of oil would you recommend for this blade?
Here in Arizona, it’s dry enough that I can usually get away without any oil, but once in a while, I’ll coat it with a thin layer of food grade mineral oil before storing it.
@@AdventureRyan Thank you
The shango notch on the back of handle......
Chris at prepared mind did it as intended.....
Lay a log down, at the side of your tinder bundle...
Put the knife handle over the log over your tinder bundle,,,
Divot side down....
Put your knee or foot on the knife...
Pull fero rod up scraping the divot side of the shango notch,,
Sparks go down into tinder bundle.....
Thanks for the detailed instruction on using the notch. It really does work once you get the hang of it. I've just been using the spine of the knife for so many years that I just prefer it that way.
I use the spine at the tip also, but I modified the Shango notch to be much sharper and it throws Sparks now
Yo that's no a convex edge it's angled but if u take it to a stone I sweat and give it a try scandy grind with a convexed edge it will be the sharpest knife u ever have I have one and put a mirror shine on my scandy edge and angled parts of exsposed steel