Tanimboca Puukko
You won't be able to put it down
Puukkos are a style of knife originally developed in Scandinavia. Through the years, they have remained largely unchanged. Characteristically, they are Scandi ground knives with thick, round wooden handles. Most do not have a finger guard, which allows the person using it to get their hand as close to the cutting edge as possible. This gives the user very precise and controlled cutting. Its simplistic design is both useful and intuitive and has definitely withstood the test of time.
To make the Tanimboca Puuko, TOPS has teamed up with Goran Mihajlovic. Goran is originally from Serbia but grew up in Germany. He has lived in Colombia now for the last 20 plus years. He owns a nature reserve called Tanimboca that houses hundreds if not thousands of species of plants, animals, and insects. Throughout his entire life, he has been a knife user and enthusiast. In recent years he has begun making knives at his forge in the Amazon jungle. He prefers Puukkos for their ability to perform well at a large variety of cutting tasks.
The TOPS version of his design mixes traditional elements with TOPS’ style. It has the classic Puukko blade with a very slight clip point. The spine is ground to 90 degrees for scraping tasks. Well-rounded Tan Canvas Micarta handles with red liners honor the traditional style. The knife sits deep in the leather sheath. Add a breakaway chain or paracord and it can easily be worn as a neck knife when needed. Once you get your hands on the Tanimboca Puukko, you won’t want to put it down.
Knife Type | Fixed Blade |
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Overall Length | 7.75" |
Blade Length | 3.63" |
Cutting Edge | 3.50" |
Blade Thickness | 0.130" |
Blade Steel | 1095 RC 56-58 |
Blade Finish | Tumble Finish |
Handle Material | Tan Canvas Micarta |
Knife Weight | 5.1oz |
Weight w/ Sheath | 7.6oz |
Sheath Included | Yes |
Sheath Material | Brown Leather |
Sheath Clip | Belt Loop |
Designer | Goran Mihajlovic |
- Surprisingly, my favorite knife
- I’ve owned this little Puukko for almost 2 years now and it has become my “Go to” blade. I also own several high end knives in different “Super steels” , but every time I head out to the woods I just gravitate to this knife first. The sublime simplicity of the design deserves the kudos and accolades of its many fans. To the staff and designers at Tops Knives…..I salute you! (Posted on 11/4/2023)
- Mini Beast
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I bought this knife to be used to complete my survival training with Creek Stewart, I beat the crap out of this knife! I did everything with it including baton chopping smaller pieces of firewood! For the finer jobs this knife has very good control making figure seven cuts, figure 4 deadfall traps and it’s great at feather sticking wood! I have carved spoons and various woodcraft tools for the camp! This knife performed flawlessly at everything! The sheath is very good looking, built like a fine holster! I took it in to TOPS to be sharpened cause it looked like it had been through hell and came back looking pretty! I am proud to wear this knife wherever I go!
(Posted on 8/24/2023) - nice EDC knife
- Never had a TOPS knife before but I like a Puukko . after reading other reviews I bought it wow this knife fantastic. I got it from amazon. I cane believe I got this quality for the price just get one . my only complaint I wish they had a kydex sheath. you won't be able to put this knife down. (Posted on 8/9/2023)
- Favorite Knife of All Time
- I’ve been carrying the TOPS Tanimboca Puukko for a little over two years now and to say that I am impressed with this knife is a severe understatement. I am amazed with this knife. I rave about it to anyone that will listen to me. The neutrality of the handle is perfect; it is comfortable to hold in any grip and the micarta stays grippy when my hands get wet. The size is just right; that sweet spot that allows it to be a champion of all camp tasks. It carves intricately, slices through hides like a razor, and can still baton through small sections of firewood. The leather sheath is quality and you don’t see that enough from manufacturers. The 1095 steel performs wonderfully and is easy to maintain in the field. I usually just strop it using my belt and honing paste. I’ve only had to sharpen it a handful of times after I’ve damaged the blade being careless. The grind on mine has become a sort of “scandi-vex” over time and I feel like it is performing better than ever. The spine is great at shaving down wood and striking a ferro rod. I’ve even used it with a piece of chert to start a percussion fire. In my eyes, this knife truly shines in crafting. I love using this knife to make bow drill sets. The integrated socket in the handle works wonderfully and saves me time putting the set together. I’ve used this knife to carve deadfalls, whistles, spoons, bowls, tent stakes, pot hangers, frog gigs, fishing poles, and so much more. If I’m ever in the woods, this puukko is with me. I love this knife. If I could only have one knife for the rest of my life, this would be the one. (Posted on 8/28/2020)
- Fantastic knife
- Wasn't sure about this pukko but I took a chance. I am so glad I did. This is my new bushcraft knife. Excellent carving knife makes feather sticks like nobody's business. My only criticism is the sheath but t (Posted on 6/2/2020)
- It’s awesome
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Don’t think about it, just buy it.
I’ve just used it to carve an axe handle from ash, was excellent in place of a drawknife and was better than a chisel for detailed work. To be honest, every time I started using a tool I ended up using this instead as it did a better job. It was still shaving sharp at the end of it too.
One small hot spot and that was it.
I love this blade, I have no downsides to it at all. The sheath is a lovely piece in its own right, sits very comfortably on my belt and holds the Tanimboca very nicely (Posted on 11/22/2018) - Spine not true 90°
- "Almost" a perfect mid size knife. The spine they claim to be a 90° spine is a joke. I tried sparking a ferro rod with the spine as it came from the manufacturer with no success. Barely can get a spark. Had to grind my own 90° and now it scrapes showers of sparks very well. Also in my opinion the edge should be a full scandi without a micro bevel. I would not put the word puukko in the name since real puukko knives have a full scandi. Either way knife still works amazing and I recommend buying it. (Posted on 10/15/2018)