TOPS Knives
{{Short description|American Knife manufacturer company}}
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.{{cite book|author=Roger Eckstine|title=Shooter's Bible Guide to Knives: A Complete Guide to Hunting Knives, Survival Knives, Folding Knives, Skinning Knives, Sharpeners, and More|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8iCtTOM1_G8C&pg=PT111|date=1 April 2012|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Inc.|isbn=978-1-62087-309-0|pages=111–}}
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.
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.{{cite book|author=James Morgan Ayres|title=The Tactical Knife: A Comprehensive Guide to Designs, Techniques, and Uses|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lx_nBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT13|date=8 July 2014|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Inc.|isbn=978-1-62873-701-1|pages=241–244}} TOPS has manufactured their knives in Idaho since the company's establishment.{{cite journal|author=Dave Alexander|title=A Cut Above|date=Spring 2015|pages=44–45|journal=East Idaho Outdoors}} 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 [https://www.chicagoknifeworks.com/tops-tom-brown-tracker-2 Tom Brown Tracker Knife].{{cite web|url=https://bestknivesreviews.com/tops-knives-reviews|title=TOPS Knives Reviews|work=Best Knives Reviews|date=4 August 2021 }} It was designed by Tom Brown Jr. and was featured in the 2003 Hollywood movie The Hunted.{{cite web|url=http://www.blademag.com/blog/steve-shackleford-blog/steel-star-power-blade-show|title=Steel Star Power of the BLADE Show|work=Blade Magazine|date=18 May 2015 }}
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.{{cite web |title=I'm not to blame for bank collapse: Hand - 9News |url=https://www.9news.com.au/world/i-m-not-to-blame-for-bank-collapse-hand/82344957-e42b-433a-bc15-853df448fb24 |website=www.9news.com.au |publisher=9 News Australia |access-date=23 January 2025 |date=11 November 2015}} 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.{{cite news |last1=Stein |first1=Jeff |title=New Chapter in Long-Running CIA Bank Mystery |url=https://www.newsweek.com/michael-hand-cia-heroin-nugan-hand-australia-393576 |access-date=23 January 2025 |work=Newsweek |date=12 November 2015 |language=en}}[http://www.localnews8.com/news/kifi-top-story/australian-fugitive-michael-jon-fuller-statement/58681730 "Australian Fugitive", Michael Jon Fuller statement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705180502/http://www.localnews8.com/news/kifi-top-story/australian-fugitive-michael-jon-fuller-statement/58681730 |date=5 July 2018 }}, Fox Local News 8.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|http://www.topsknives.com}}
{{knives}}
Category:Knife manufacturing companies
Category:manufacturing companies based in Idaho