TOPS Knives

TOPS Knives, Inc. is a tactical knife manufacturer located in Eastern Idaho, United States. The company was established in December 1998 and is currently owned and operated by Leo Espinoza. The company primarily produces fixed-blade knives for military and law enforcement.^[1]

The company made national and international news in 2015 when Australian investigative journalists revealed that TOPS Knives' co-founder and then-owner, Michael Jon Fuller, was Michael Jon Hand, an ex-Green Beret and banker who had disappeared in 1980 following his bank's collapse amidst allegations of supporting Central Intelligence Agency operations.^[2]

History

TOPS Knives was created in December 1998. Several old friends from the Vietnam War era developed a concept based on their experience and disappointment with the knives they were issued during the war, and they sought to correct these issues of strength and durability.^[3] TOPS has manufactured their knives in Idaho since the company's establishment.^[4] TOPS Knives was founded by veterans and supports the Wounded Warrior Project and other charitable organizations.

TOPS Knives has over 200 knife models in production with many more that have are no longer made. One of the most well-known models is the Tom Brown Tracker Knife.^[5] It was designed by Tom Brown Jr. and was featured in the 2003 Hollywood movie The Hunted.^[6]

According to Idahoan and Australian investigative news teams, as of 2015, TOPS Knives was owned by its co-creator and former CEO, Michael Jon Fuller. Fuller, known previously as Michael Jon Hand, had disappeared in 1980 after a bank he co-founded, Nugan Hand Bank, collapsed amidst allegations of illegal activities and providing support for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. While TOPS Knives and Fuller admitted Fuller's past, they claimed Fuller had not gone into hiding but instead that Fuller left Australia due to death threats.^[7] In 2015, Australian television news program 60 Minutes tracked Fuller down in Idaho. Around the same time, Fuller had reportedly retired due to poor health, leaving Leo Espinoza at the head of TOPS Knives.^[2]^[8]

References

^ Roger Eckstine (1 April 2012). Shooter's Bible Guide to Knives: A Complete Guide to Hunting Knives, Survival Knives, Folding Knives, Skinning Knives, Sharpeners, and More. Skyhorse Publishing Inc. pp. 111–. ISBN 978-1-62087-309-0.
^ ^a ^b Stein, Jeff (12 November 2015). "New Chapter in Long-Running CIA Bank Mystery". Newsweek. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
^ James Morgan Ayres (8 July 2014). The Tactical Knife: A Comprehensive Guide to Designs, Techniques, and Uses. Skyhorse Publishing Inc. pp. 241–244. ISBN 978-1-62873-701-1.
^ Dave Alexander (Spring 2015). "A Cut Above". East Idaho Outdoors: 44–45.
^ "TOPS Knives Reviews". Best Knives Reviews. 4 August 2021.
^ "Steel Star Power of the BLADE Show". Blade Magazine. 18 May 2015.
^ "I'm not to blame for bank collapse: Hand - 9News". www.9news.com.au. 9 News Australia. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
^ "Australian Fugitive", Michael Jon Fuller statement Archived 5 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Fox Local News 8.

External links

Official website

[Eckstine2012-1] Roger Eckstine (1 April 2012). Shooter's Bible Guide to Knives: A Complete Guide to Hunting Knives, Survival Knives, Folding Knives, Skinning Knives, Sharpeners, and More. Skyhorse Publishing Inc. pp. 111–. ISBN 978-1-62087-309-0.

[Newsweek-2] Stein, Jeff (12 November 2015). "New Chapter in Long-Running CIA Bank Mystery". Newsweek. Retrieved 23 January 2025.

[Ayres2014-3] James Morgan Ayres (8 July 2014). The Tactical Knife: A Comprehensive Guide to Designs, Techniques, and Uses. Skyhorse Publishing Inc. pp. 241–244. ISBN 978-1-62873-701-1.

[4] Dave Alexander (Spring 2015). "A Cut Above". East Idaho Outdoors: 44–45.

[5] "TOPS Knives Reviews". Best Knives Reviews. 4 August 2021.

[6] "Steel Star Power of the BLADE Show". Blade Magazine. 18 May 2015.

[7] "I'm not to blame for bank collapse: Hand - 9News". www.9news.com.au. 9 News Australia. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2025.

[8] "Australian Fugitive", Michael Jon Fuller statement Archived 5 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Fox Local News 8.

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v t e Knives and daggers
List of daggers List of blade materials
Kitchen and table knives	Boning Boti Bread knife Butcher knife Butter knife Caidao Cheese knife Chef's knife Cleaver Electric knife Fillet knife Grapefruit knife Lame Mezzaluna Parmesan knife Pizza cutter Splayd Steak knife Tomato knife Japanese kitchen knives Deba bōchō Maguro bōchō Nakiri bōchō Santoku Sashimi bōchō Udon kiri Unagisaki hōchō Usuba bōchō Yanagi ba
Other knives	Aircrew Survival Egress Knife Athame Balisong/Butterfly Ballistic Ballpoint pen knife Bayonet Boline Bolo Boot knife Bowie Cane knife Ceramic knife Clip point Combat knife Commander Corvo CQC-6 Deba bōchō Diving knife Drop point Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife Gerber Mark II Ginsu Golok Gravity knife Guna Hacking knife Higonokami Hunting knife Husa knife Ivan's Knife Jacob's ladder Karambit Kard Kirpan Kitchen knife Kukri Laguiole knife Machete Mandau Marking knife Misericorde Mora knife Multi-tool Navaja Neck knife Nontron knife Opinel knife Palette knife Pantographic knife Parang Penknife Penny knife Pesh-kabz Pirah Pocketknife Phurba Putty knife Puukko Rampuri Resolza Sabatier Sami knife SARK Scalpel Seax Sgian dubh Sharpfinger Sheath knife Shiv Sliding knife Smatchet SOG Knife Straight razor Strider SMF Survival knife Swiss Army knife Switchblade Taping knife Throwing knife Trench knife Tumi Ulu Utility knife Verlängerungsmesser Warrior knife Wedung X-Acto Yarara Parachute Knife Yatagan
Daggers	Anelace Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife Arkansas toothpick BC-41 Bagh nakh Balarao Baselard Bichuwa Bollock dagger Cinquedea Dha Dirk Ear dagger Emeici Facón French Nail Gunong Hunting dagger Jambiya Jile Kabutowari Kaiken Kalis Katar Khanjali Khanjar Kris Kunai Liaoning dagger Mark I trench knife Microtech Jagdkommando Parrying dagger Poignard Pugio Push dagger Rondel dagger Seme Shobo Sica Stiletto Tantō U.S. Marine Raider stiletto V-42 Yoroi-dōshi
Manufacturers	Aitor Knife Company Al Mar Knives American Tomahawk Company Aritsugu Benchmade Böker Buck Knives Camillus Cutlery Company Cattaraugus Cutlery Company Chris Reeve Knives Chroma Cnife Clauss Cutlery Company Cobray Company Cold Steel Columbia River Knife & Tool Cuisinart Cutco Dalian Hanwei Metal Dexter-Russell Ek Commando Knife Co. EKA Emerson Knives F. Dick Fällkniven FAMAE Fiskars Gerber Legendary Blades Füritechnics Glock Ges.m.b.H. Imperial Schrade Ivan's Ka-Bar Kershaw Knives Korin Japanese Trading Company Kyocera Leatherman Mad Dog Knives Marble Arms Medford Knife and Tool Microtech Knives Morseth Muela Murphy Knives OLFA Ontario Knife Company Opinel Randall Made Knives Ranz Cuchillos Rösle Sabatier Shun Cutlery Slice, Inc. SOG Specialty Knives Spyderco STI Knives Strider Knives Thiers Issard TOPS Knives Tramontina Victorinox W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. Carl Walther GmbH Wenger Western Knife Company Wilkinson Sword Wüsthof Yoshida Metal Industry Global Zero Tolerance Knives Zwilling J. A. Henckels
Knifemakers	Rex Applegate James Black Tom Brown Jr. Blackie Collins John Nelson Cooper Jack W. Crain Ernest Emerson Jerry Fisk Bill Harsey Jr. Phill Hartsfield Gil Hibben Jimmy Lile Bob Loveless William F. Moran Ken Onion Ralph Osterhout Bo Randall Chris Reeve A. G. Russell Jody Samson William Scagel Mike Snody Robert Terzuola Michael Walker Buster Warenski Daniel Winkler
Associations	American Bladesmith Society Cutlery and Allied Trades Research Association Knifemakers' Guild
Category:Knives / Daggers