Care & Feeding for Your New TOPS Knife

Congratulations on your receipt of a TOPS, Tactical OPS Products Knife!

We have taken great care to manufacture and hand-finish this knife. In order to keep it in the finest condition, we have made a list of some general good care tips which would apply to any quality tool or knife.

1. Coating: Many of our models have a coating of an Epoxy Hybrid Base with Polyester, which is electrostatically applied and baked on in an oven. It is industrial strength and the toughest material we could find. We also use Cerakote, which is another high quality coating. From time to time, the Saw Teeth on the top of some blades may lose small pieces of the coating. This is NOT a problem, as the sharp abrasive angles of the teeth are made to cut hard, and the coating will in fact come off the edge eventually.
2. Steel: We use 1095 HC Alloy Steel, 5160 HC, 154CM, ATS-34, 440C and sometimes other high quality steels in our production. With all knife steels (including stainless), there may be a tendency for small rust spots to appear, particularly if not wiped dry or maintained well with oil. We pre-treat each blade with high quality oil before shipping to prevent rusting. In the normal course of use in the field, it is wise to wipe off your cutting edges when you're finished using the knife. When you return home, to camp, or when putting your knife away for a while, another coating of oil keeps it ready for your next field trip.
3. Sheaths: We offer Kydex, nylon, or leather sheaths depending on the model you choose. The Kydex sheaths and most nylon sheaths are individually molded for your knife. They are not made to fit other models or types of knives. Some leather sheaths will work with multiple models, but not all. If during use your Kydex sheath becomes dirty inside or out, we suggest the following; remove the knife and run warm water through the open end of the sheath; the bottom has a drainage hole. If the outside of the sheath becomes dirty, a combination of soap and warm water usually does the trick. After washing, allow the sheath to dry completely prior to replacing the knife. For nylon, do not fill the sheath with water. Do the best you can to get the dirt or grit out of the inside with towels using a thin straight object like a ruler. Leather should be maintained as you would any other real leather product.
4. Sharpening: Heavy field knives used for chopping do not necessarily require a razor edge. We do put the best working edge on the knives. Should you require a new factory edge in the future, we are happy to do it free of charge for you. Please contact us prior to shipping.

Please enjoy your knife! We enjoyed making it.