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TOPS Follows up Tanimboca Puukko with Mini Sequel

July 31, 2020

TOPS has another new blade out: the Mini Tanimboca Puukko. This one follows in the footsteps of the full-sized Tanimboca Puukko, but the major reduction in size completely revises what sort of tasks the knife is made to accomplish.

With a blade length of 3.63 inches, the original Tanimboca was by no means an enormous knife; it followed the traditional puukko format pretty closely in that regard. However, the Mini takes off a full two inches of blade length, turning the standard puukko drop point into a stubby little slicer. Like it’s bigger brother, the Mini’s Scandi styled blade is made from the TOPS-standard 1095, with a 90 degree spine that can be used for fire starting if need be.

For lots of us, a knife this small might call out to be used as a fixed blade EDC. But designer Goran Mihaljovic actually spec’d this one to be a detail-oriented whittler. The bushcraft skillset is an expansive one, and while lots of the cutting jobs associated with it require mid- to large-sized knives, there are many others for which a small blade is ideal; and those are the ones that the Mini’s whittle-friendly profile is tuned to tackle.

The tiny handle is unassuming and guardless, providing a blank canvas for whatever kind of grip is necessary. The scales are black canvas Micarta, deviating from the tan ones on the full size Tanimboca. TOPS is providing the Mini with a fitted leather sheath designed to be worn around the neck; a break-away cord lanyard is included as well. The whole package (sheath and knife) weighs 2.6 oz. – significantly less than the original Tanimboca on its own.

The original Tanimboca Puukko released in 2017. It was the first TOPS design from Goran Mihaljovic, a Serbian knife maker who lives and works in the Amazon jungle. Mihaljovic turns out a variety of custom fixed blades, made by hand in his forge.

The Mini Tanimboca is available now.

Knife in Featured Image: TOPS Knives Mini Tanimboca

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