TOPS Knives M1 Midget Knife (3.75" Black Plain/Serr) M1MGT-01

The blade itself is a cool design, fits nicely in the hand, very robust 1/4 inch full tang construction. Cutting edge was sharp, but the first thing I noticed about this knife was that the serrated portion was duller than a butterknife. Literally. I tried cutting some cardboard and all it could do was barely bruise it, could not make its way through cardboard even with a good amount of force. So the serrations are totally worthless. I thought maybe they just forgot to finish the knife at the factory. Nope! I called and they told me they were intentionally dull. That the designer, Daniel Certo, made it that way and the serrations are only for “aesthetics”. I couldn’t believe my ears. Aesthetic serrations on a knife. I asked if they could “finish” manufacturing this knife for me since in my opinion, it was not completed as it should have been. They obliged and while they were clear they could not guarantee my satisfaction, they would try to sharpen the serrations. They did, free of charge, it’s better now. Minus one star for intentionally nonfunctional serrations.

Then, the sheath. The kydex is at least twice as thick as it needs to be. The sheath covers almost half of the already very small handle making getting anything close to a functional grip on the knife when drawing pretty much impossible. Also, the belt clip is positioned at the thickest part of the knife, the handle, giving over an extra half inch or so to the overall width of an already clunky setup. I’ve had this knife for about a year and have never carried it due to the poor sheath design. I’m going to get a custom sheath that is more usable and see how that goes.

It would be a five star blade with a couple of easy upgrades. Sharpen the serrations and spend five minutes thinking up a better sheath design.

This blade is a beast, locks in real nice. I use it around the yard for small tasks, but the midget can handle larger tasks easily. Built tough as hell feels amazing. Great blade once again from TOPS.

This "little" blade is on my pack everyday. It's seen action from bushcrafting to food prep! The compact design fits snugly in my palm. The most knife you can get from three inches.