I’ve used my PE12 for about nine years now. Chopped frozen trees that had fallen in -5 degree winters. Chopped up dozens of other trees blown over by high winds. Countless firewood processing. And never had a problem. I remember the controversy over a particular blade that a fellow broke while batonning a very large, very hard piece of knotty wood. I’m pretty sure he was trying to break it. But TOPS replaced it, and then changed from a ffg to a sabre grind. Unnecessary imho, but they did it anyway.
@jessr.24902 жыл бұрын
I can tell that the weight distribution is quite different, but as soon as I saw that blade shape I immediately thought of the Matt Graham knives. Basically if seems to me like the heavy chopper version of that concept, if you will. Awesome review, man. You’re one of my heroes for what you’ve accomplished with this channel, both in terms of the channel quality and what it lets you do for your family life. Over the last couple of years I have often found myself wishing that I could develop a channel as well produced and well received as you have. Keep up the great work, Aaron!
@eyeofthetiger41842 жыл бұрын
G'day Jess, yep those Matt Graham leaf designs immediately came to mind too. Like a straightened kook, lol. Cheers Duke.
@richardhenry19692 жыл бұрын
Funny you didn't think barong
@eyeofthetiger41842 жыл бұрын
@@richardhenry1969 Spot on mate, couldn't think of the term.
@mikeborrelli1932 жыл бұрын
It looks very much like a modernized take on the WWII Smatchet..
@metalm49102 жыл бұрын
And the World War II smash Shetty was a redesigned modern version of the World War I bolo knife made by Springfield Armory neither of the two are cheap or easy to come by I own two of the World War I Bolos very Hefty solid knife as far as the smash Shetty goes the ones I have seen are far outside my price range smash Shetty that is just what I call it by the way I would love to own one
@jmc80692 жыл бұрын
Aaron, thank you for your review. I have had the Tops Power Eagle for a couple of years now. I also have a Tops El Chete. Both are well made and "Top" quality. I like that all Tops Knives are made here in the USA. One or both of these are available when we camp with friends. I think that the El Chete is used more than the Power Eagle. I have routinely hacked through 4, 8, and 10-inch deadfall in both Aspen and Various conifer trees, mainly beatle kill deadfall. These knives work great. I think that I like the Power Eagle better than the El Chete personally. You cannot go wrong with either blade. The El Chete comes with a better Kydex sheath. Thank you and god bless you and your family.
@arctodussimus6198 Жыл бұрын
I held the El Chete once, but I didn’t need it because I like my Power Eagle 12 better. I got it in 2013 with the full flat grind. It was my first (of many) TOPS knife. I’ve chopped up trees that were frozen in -5 degree temperatures with no trouble. And I like the way the 5160 sings when you use it. 😉
@whimpihastarobbi57002 жыл бұрын
That transition from the painting back to the video blew my mind. Well done friend. Truly inspiring, Whimpi, Indonesia..
@hiramhaji78132 жыл бұрын
The saber grind has and always will be the workhorse grind.
@WhispyWoods.2 жыл бұрын
Powerhouse video for sure. I love your knife reviews. And look at you pronouncing junglas like a pro ❤️
@stalwart2632 жыл бұрын
It’s a Smatchet!
@gideonstactical2 жыл бұрын
Love that smash up.
@charlescollier72172 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the update, Aaron. The Power Eagle is a great blade - arguably one of the best choppers out there. For me though, the weight and weight distribution make it less useful, because I'm dealing with tropical rainforest vegetation, so I need a big blade to be more machete than chopper. I just got one of the updated SP5's with the 1075 steel for that exact reason - it's lighter in weight and more nimble than even some of its sibling blades from Ontario. Side note - they're still rocking that adjustable snap design on their sheaths.
@PerceptionVsReality3332 жыл бұрын
For the environment you're in a Latin style machete would be more ideal.
@charlescollier72172 жыл бұрын
@@PerceptionVsReality333 Yes. Or at least, something with those characteristics - thinner, lighter, more nimble. That issue of fatigue is a REAL problem if you've got to carve through jungle for hours.
@jimsiress96872 жыл бұрын
Reminds me of a chainsaw blade without the chain, at first glance 🤔 Gotta be a one of the beast like wilderness choppers.
@VisionWords2 жыл бұрын
Looks like a great chopper. Thanks for the review!
@Don-ql2xs Жыл бұрын
Ok, I owe you a thank you ! Now this is a must have ~ looks great for a fighting Bolo withs realates to it many uses But thats just what I can see from here till I get mine
@gideonstactical Жыл бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
@Don-ql2xs Жыл бұрын
Oh I just finished my first week with power eagle and Im totaly stoaked !!! Works really great for many jobs ~ Iv been choping ice snow to melt drinking water and going through kindling like butter great tool !!! Another thanks !!
@SOMNIOHM2 жыл бұрын
This VS Storm Vector!!!
@panagiotissoufliotis65582 жыл бұрын
Great review, but i don't like them either. I know......haters now adjust their sights......but i will defend again the choise of my Becker BK9.
@joshuagenovese362 жыл бұрын
Thanx for sharing brother.. one day I need to get my hands on one . 👌 Awesome ,and Love Saber Grinds
@adnanmaharaj3242 жыл бұрын
I've always liked this blade, it's a great chopper.
@sixxfreak582 жыл бұрын
Looks like a revised Smatchet.
@James-ke5sx Жыл бұрын
It reminds me of the Ka-Bar Reinhardt kukri blade shape
@scubasteve94492 жыл бұрын
Great review. That’s awesome they put a saber grind on it. Definitely going to check this one out for my chopper collection.
@tolerhousecookies692 жыл бұрын
Honestly the top's power eagle is a pretty good heavy duty machete knife hybrid like I got myself one it does pretty much things I wanted to do like cut wood take care of some heavy brush and a little bit of bamboo but it does it but also I love your videos bro 🤘🏻🤘🏻🔥🔥
@gideonstactical2 жыл бұрын
Thanks brandt have a good weekend.
@christamu22 жыл бұрын
One among many positive things I can say about Tops is their factory edges are outstanding.
@aselrahc2 жыл бұрын
Hey, I have that same PICO camp chair, got it for Christmas last year! Love it! ;)
@fredcourtney032 жыл бұрын
I have the el chete and love it but end up using my old condor machete for machete tasks. The el chete is a powerhouse, but clearing undergrowth will wear me out quickly. Great video
@gideonstactical2 жыл бұрын
Ya that is the one draw back to big thick choppers.
@BOOSTEDLASER2 жыл бұрын
@@gideonstactical BY FAR THE BEST TOPS EVER MADE IS THE : TOPS BASECAMP PARNG. I HAVE TESTED THEM ALL GREAT PRICE ALSO ( FOR A TOPS) AFTER I GOT IT LOWERED 50 BUCKS TO CURRENT PRICE SEMPER FI GUNNY *IF YOU HAVE TIME....THINKING OF GOING RV LIFE. 30 FOOT OR SO. IS IT WORTH IT? ANY BRIEF TIPS OR TRICKS? SEMPER FI GUNNY **GET READY, BAD THINGS HAPPEN SOON
@brianf96192 жыл бұрын
Great Job , as Usual 👍 That is definitely an Awesome Choppa , but at $230 without a Kydex sheath is really steep , if it was CPM- 3V I'd jump on it though ...👍🖖
@clintonlewis12612 жыл бұрын
Looks like a good knife, nice review 👍.
@gideonstactical2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watch hope you have a good weekend.
@John-gu7jq2 жыл бұрын
Great review. I agree the sheath, and whatever that knife was, is a bust. As soon as they make it with a kydex sheath I will add it to my kit. Would love to see you review the TBS Grizzly Buschcraft Survival Knife - Military Model. Keep up the great work!
@thomascrook87572 жыл бұрын
I have one of the tbs military grizzly there great blades
@Bigdaddyslasher2 жыл бұрын
Looks similar to the 1917 bolo
@trailwalker192 жыл бұрын
definitely a large blade not to be messed with. I can't think of anything where I would use this tool, prob an axe for firewood, but who knows...
@hillbillyfromtheswamp62232 жыл бұрын
I'll gladly keep my Junglas. Good video though.
@pennsyltuckyreb98006 ай бұрын
The Junglas is great, but it always bothered me a knife that size and weight didn't have a more forward, blade heavy balance. IMO, once a blade starts cresting into the 9"+ length range, I found I prefer a much more front heavy profile.... like my khukuris. This TOPS PE 12 is what the Junglas should have been.... but I still love my Junglas as well. The Junglas would be even better with a tapered tang to bring that balance point further towards the tip. And the tip is too skinny (a common place the Junglas snaps). Tapered tang. Beefier tip.... I have a GGK 12" Super Fast Full Tang Khukuri that is a thicker quarter inch spine at its thickest point but is still lighter than the Junglas. The Khukuri easily out chops my Junglas despite the Junglas having more mass and weight. Now, the GGK SFFT model of khukuri has a much finer, convexed hollow grind edge that's not as heavy abuse as the Junglas.... (it's more of a fighting/hunting khukuri than wood chopping khukuri), but that forward weight and shape makes it the much better chopper. The straight edge Junglas doesn’t penetrate as deep.
@hillbillyfromtheswamp62236 ай бұрын
@@pennsyltuckyreb9800 I've put my Junglas through the ringer and never had the tip snap. Didn't ever consider it snapping. I get what you're saying though.
@pennsyltuckyreb98006 ай бұрын
@@hillbillyfromtheswamp6223 Mine hasn't either but it's a known thing with the Junglas, especially if you're in below freezing Temps. There's also a video of a guy significantly bending a Junglas blade edge chopping some thick hardwood tree. (To be fair, it's a ridiculously massive tree stump. Not something you'd normally tackle with a knife) That said, it's still a beast of a blade, no doubt. If I absolutely had to choose just one blade to cover all bases of survival.... food prep, hasty shelter building, animal processing, moderate wood processing, etc... I'd still probably choose the Junglas just because the straight edge is a bit more utilitarian to deal with and easier to quickly field sharpen. And the handle is great too.
@Wideranger2 жыл бұрын
I do love Tops but I am always a bit concerned about the handles. No jokes about your large sized hands but sometimes this can be a deal breaker for me if I think it isn't going to fit properly. You were certainly making quick work of those branches. One to add to the watch list.
@jkukurugya2 жыл бұрын
I grew up in PA, if you're able to, stop by Ohiopyle, it's beautiful up there & I'm sure you guys would enjoy it.
@gideonstactical2 жыл бұрын
I filmed this a while back, we are in South Dakota now. But will have to checkout next time.
@eyeofthetiger41842 жыл бұрын
G'day Aaron, well, that's certainly a beast mate and looks like a shipload of fun to use. Since I always carry a saw, main thing for me is to have a proficient splitter.....tick. Due to the weight though, its more of a car camping tool rather than a trail tool IMO. There is value in having sheath pockets for a (proper, lol), small knife, stone, ferro rod etc; to make for a one stop shop; but of course it does add even more weight to the package and if lost, you've lost those extras too. Cheers Duke.
@PerceptionVsReality3332 жыл бұрын
The way that sabre grind starts out very thin makes it look like it would snap close to the handle with enough force.
@gideonstactical2 жыл бұрын
No It’s still got quite a bit of girth around the neck, plus the quarter inch thickness gives you plenty of strength.
@metalm49102 жыл бұрын
It's basically a modern version of the World of War 1 Bolo knife made by Springfield Armory around World War I I do own and love several tops knives but I think I will stick with my original World War I bolos I own 2
@leeweisberg40452 жыл бұрын
Great video keep them coming!!
@gerardvanengelen90012 жыл бұрын
I like this blade for wordprocessing. Nice review.
@promiscuous57612 жыл бұрын
Thank you.
@vladledesma3765 Жыл бұрын
51/60 Damascus Steel & 1/4 " thick full tang blade ; it's in the Specs that's what sells ?
@JS-ym8qi Жыл бұрын
Wowwwww soo cool!!!
@jimzee69542 жыл бұрын
Probably added that little xl item because TOPS can't sell it lol
@EduardoGarcia-fj2uc2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the video. Looks great 👍👍
@scottcetnar80433 ай бұрын
Aaron. Love the Tops knives. So, in your opinion, I am torn between the Power Eagle and the Storm Vector as a chopper. What are your thoughts?
@gideonstactical3 ай бұрын
The power eagle is the more practical design. And I would argue a little bit more durable. The storm vector is very wicked and a little bit more precise but has a very thin tip.
@mikecurtis25852 жыл бұрын
Very nice great blade!!
@nicks07fu2 жыл бұрын
Do you think they strengthened it up with the saber grind because of the switch from 5160 to 1095 ?
@gideonstactical2 жыл бұрын
Could be but I know they were running into some issues with some FFG versions breaking under really hard abuse.
@davidking76062 жыл бұрын
I wonder how this would compare to a Becker Reinhardt?
@jonathancupp36862 жыл бұрын
The little knife looks like it would make a good sticker scraper, but I cannot see anyone finding many stickers in the woods. I totally agree they should give us a small bushcraft knife instead, but the big boy is totally bad ass. Just love it, even though I have never handled one. I should have gotten that instead of my Condor Village Parang, although my parang is much better now that I have made a beefy micarta handle for it. The wooden handle broke while batoning. Great videos brother, keep it up! Your videos are so much better than the guys that simply sit at a table and tell you how good a knife is when you can tell it’s brand spanking new and has never been used!
@eyeofthetiger41842 жыл бұрын
G'day Jonathon, sticker scraper, hahahaha, I'm with ya mate. I do reckon the Village Parang is a great choice. Personally I went for the molded plastic handled Bushcraft Parang, yes it's plastic, and yes it does pay to regularly maintain the 1075, (if i remember rightly), but I've beaten the absolute hell out of it on Aussie hardwoods and it's taken on all comers. I certainly dont think you'd be disappointed with the Power Eagle, may well be superior to the Condors, ultimately depends on your MO and personal preference I guess, but the Condors offer fantastic bang for buck IMO. Cheers Duke.
@jonathancupp36862 жыл бұрын
@@eyeofthetiger4184 yes, I do like my parang, but the Tops looks way cooler.
@eyeofthetiger41842 жыл бұрын
@@jonathancupp3686 Haha, fair enough mate, cant disagree there. I meant to compare the weight, but got side tracked, did you ?
@jonathancupp36862 жыл бұрын
@@eyeofthetiger4184 the parang is definitely heavy enough to take care of my needs. I just like the look better and want to try it out. I do not spend a ton of time in the woods. I just like to split kindling for the house with it. It also comes in handy to take the smaller branches off the trees I take down. My balance is not as good as it use to be, so I don’t like using my chain saw to take them off. Once I get all the small stuff out of the way with the parang, there is much less to trip over when sawing up the logs for fire wood.
@eyeofthetiger41842 жыл бұрын
@@jonathancupp3686 No worries Jonathon and thanks for the reply, put's it more in context for your particular circumstance. As it turns out we've similar needs and wants for good hand tools and yep not sure I'd trust myself either with a chainsaw these days, lol. Good luck to you in your endeavors. Stay safe mate, even sharp . hand tools can bite. Cheers Duke.
@LegionTacticoolCutlery2 жыл бұрын
AWESOME!!!
@michaelbrunner66542 жыл бұрын
Great review
@gideonstactical2 жыл бұрын
Thank you Michael
@vpsaline20 күн бұрын
PowerEagle vs Yacare10.0?
@kydd6662 жыл бұрын
I'd like to see the power eagle go up against the becker bk9
@eyeofthetiger41842 жыл бұрын
Sure mate, throw in Condor Bushcraft Parang and Terava Skrama too. Cheers Duke.
@random_eskimo_in_the_rockies Жыл бұрын
@@eyeofthetiger4184 Come on, be fair: Putting the Skrama up against anything in a chopping contest (unless it says 'Gransfors Bruk' on the handle) is like putting Superman in a weightlifting competition. ;-)
@eyeofthetiger4184 Жыл бұрын
@@random_eskimo_in_the_rockies Hahaha, fair enough mate. Got a bit carried away there. I actually prefer a BK-9 for pack carry. Cheers Duke.
@EDCandLace2 жыл бұрын
You need to send it to a professional sharpener like my self and let someone put a proper chopper edge. I would reprofile setting a flat v bevel and in the last higher grit stones ever so slightly covex the cutting bevel. Edges like that on big choppers in tough steels we can take them down to 15dps and have excellent edge stability.
@grovesy3332 жыл бұрын
Best off just convexing it
@JohnThomas-wi3dl2 жыл бұрын
that thing looks like GREEK monster
@richardhenry19692 жыл бұрын
My kabar cutless machete will do everything I've seen here. The big difference is I paid $50.
@HarveySpectre4152 жыл бұрын
I tend to prefer ESEE dsigns over TOPS most of the time, but TOPS still makes a great product. I literally cringe every time I'm looking at something and I see it comes with a nylon sheath though. That will almost always make me pass it up and move on to something else. If I'm spending $230 on something, I'm just not looking for spending more to have a sheath I actually like made. Especially in this case I'm literally baffled. That ALRTXL retails for like $50. TOPS doesn't seem to know what it's even for so I don't know if they're just trying to get rid of stock or what, but they easily could have put that into a better quality sheath so I think this was an especially big miss there.
@michaelkraus41352 жыл бұрын
I ALWAYS LUV Your Videos !!!
@rexedgeh2 жыл бұрын
no longer use your gw-5510?
@jeh9662 жыл бұрын
Does tops has a 12inch Bowie knife?
@gideonstactical2 жыл бұрын
Not that I’m aware of.
@TheJohn932262 жыл бұрын
You served in the armed forces as well?
@gideonstactical2 жыл бұрын
No just an average joe 👍
@kelvinwilliams69992 жыл бұрын
Filipino barong shape.
@kevinschmith93792 жыл бұрын
Nice metaphor Olympic swimmer
@jimlahey56232 жыл бұрын
You definitely should start sing more often 😅
@gideonstactical2 жыл бұрын
Ask and you shall receive lol 😂
@eyeofthetiger41842 жыл бұрын
G'day Jim, don't encourage him mate, lol. Cheers Duke.
@The4cp2 жыл бұрын
Why? My wallet! Why?
@tolerhousecookies692 жыл бұрын
Also good morning
@EduardoGarcia-fj2uc2 жыл бұрын
Look beautiful but it's too expensive for the price and task the condor Bushcraft parang do the same. Again thanks for share the information.
@bossmodus50202 ай бұрын
No
@greekveteran27152 жыл бұрын
Leather, even Kydex, isn't my go to choice for an outdoors knife. Morakniv and Fallkniven sheaths, are the best I've ever had. You people, that don't agree, I bet in most cases, you either never use a knife wher it had to be used, or you just carry it on a camping trip, where you don't use it much, or have time to take care of it. What I mean, is that the main use of my filed knives, is wild edible gathering. You can't use a kydex, when you collect edible plants from the ground, be cause you have to completely clean the knife, before resheathing and that's when I collect a plant, ever 1 to 3 minutes. Imagine, if I had to stop, clean the knife to reasheath it, so that no mad, dirt or moisture got into the sheath. With Morakniv sheaths, you just resheath the knife as it is and you only have to clean it once, after you get home, or your camping spot etc. That's an advantage, the Nylon hseath provde too. However I'd rather have a simple sheath, like those the Fallkniven and Morakniv knives come with. PS, same goes for collecting mushrooms, or doing any other kind of job in the field, where you have to unsheath and resheath the knife, more than once, in a small ammount of time period.
@harvesterbladeco2 жыл бұрын
Although harvesting is great, most outdoor knives aren't used for that purpose.
@greekveteran27152 жыл бұрын
@@harvesterbladeco Even though harvesting was just an example, it's hunting and other uses, that those sheats excel at, for the reasons I mentioned. Also In Greece harvesting wild edibles, is the number 1 use for an outdoor knife . We got a huge variaty of plants and herbs we usually go after, almost in every chance we have. It's in our tradition.
@harvesterbladeco2 жыл бұрын
@@greekveteran2715 Yes, you do good work. However, just like the knife is the video, most Americans use their knife as an axe and don't know real outdoor knife use.
@greekveteran27152 жыл бұрын
@@harvesterbladeco That's a marketing trend, that was advertised via KZfaq. who 's using a knife to fell a tree, or splits his firewood for th ewinter using a knife? It's either chainsaws, or a spliting axe the main wood tools we use allover the world. As also saw, for pruning. The only time a man uses a bladed tool, to cut wood, is the clans that still live the traditional ways in the jungles, where they use machetes. That's not an opinion that's facts, isn't it? An axe is an axe, no knife can do what an axe can. It's just marketing, to sell more knives.
@harvesterbladeco2 жыл бұрын
@@greekveteran2715 I understand that. Big thick knives sell more than thin bladed mora like knives with polymer sheaths because of marketing