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TOPS Releases Two Very Different Knives

June 28, 2019

TOPS let loose this week with the back-to-back releases of the Nata and the Bull Trout. These are two very different knives in terms of size, style, and purpose.

Nata

The Nata is another Western knife inspired by Eastern design. A nata is a machete-like Japanese fixed blade with a wide, squared-off blade. TOPS’s take amps up the dimensions, with a very wide 6.5-inch blade cut from .25″ thick blade stock. In a more traditional nata, you’d be likely to see a single edge grind, but TOPS gave theirs a standard V-grind. 1095 steel, sporting the TOPS Acid Rain finish, will stand up nicely to the high-impact chopping and hacking chores the Nata was designed for.

A canted handle but the blade forward for increased chopping power. That’s a feature seen on many traditional nata, but the handle design itself has been modernized: a series of three large grooves lock in the grip across multiple planes, burlap Micarta handle scales cover the full tang construction, and two large lanyard holes/fastening points are drilled into the pommel. The Nata weighs 21.3 oz. on its own and comes with a leather sheath for carry.

Bull Trout

Much smaller than the Nata, the Bull Trout accompanies that big chopper into the marketplace. The Bull Trout is the 2018 winner from TOPS’s annual employee-designed knives contest. The designer, Martin Murillo, drew up a knife that would be useful for his favorite pastime of fishing.

TOPS Bull Trout

The Bull Trout’s blade comes in at 2.75 inches; for the shape Murillo created a stout drop point ideal for prepping a catch as well as a slew of everyday cutting chores. In order to best suit the knife to outdoors and waterside use Murillo picked 154CM steel instead of 1095. The Bull Trout is a relative light weight, just a little over 3 oz. on its own and under 5 when taking the leather sheath into account.

Knife in Featured Image: TOPS Knives Nata

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