Buck Knives 0650BKSTP TOPS/Buck Fixed Blade Black Tactical Knife

This review is for "Buck Knives 0650BKSTP TOPS/Buck Fixed Blade Black Tactical Knife" (aka "Nighthawk 650)Buck has a long reputation of making good knives and their new version of the Nighthawk does not disappoint. With a 6 1/2 inch long blade and a black rubber grip wrapped around a molded nylon handle, the knife weighs ten ounces. The blade is black oxide coated 420 High Carbon stainless steel. The top of the blade is 1/4 inch thick but the blade tapers to a fine and very sharp edge. The knife is not as heavy as other thick bladed knives like the Becker BK2 and Schrade SCHF9, and while the sharp point and thin cutting edge may not stand up to heavy abuse as well as those knives, the thickness at the top of the blade makes it feel like it will last well. Balance in the hand is excellent and the grip fits well. This lighter, sharper knife might be better suited to defense purposes than the heavier knives, but it seems a nice compromise between weight and durability. A “survival” knife needs to address both bushcraft and defense purposes and this knife does both.The inner sheath is a black plastic pocket that holds the knife loosely (consider shimming it out to retain the knife in the sheath when upside down) and the pocket is surrounded by heavy duty black nylon with MOLLE straps, a snap down strap to hold the knife in the pocket, a small outer pocket for something like a firestarter, a wide velcro belt strap, and a leg lanyard.Note that there are two versions of this knife: the 650 has the 6 1/2 inch blade and the 655 is a shorter version with a 4 7/8 inch blade.

WELL!.....After a delay in shipping this knife finally arrived.I will keep it short and sweet.Not what I expected,horrible sheath and bad black oxide finish.When I cleaned the factory oil off knife the black oxide kind of just wiped off with oil leaving a dull scratched looking USED KNIFE LOOK.Despite the bad cosmetic look I kind of like this knife.It has a great handle and grip.I am sure it can hold up to any damp or wet conditions forever.Very nice thick hard blade and sharp and pointed real well.Great feel in grip.Not what I expected but its a keeper for me.Just something about this NAVY SEAL REJECT KNIFE that tells me it will last a lifetime and wont let me down.Cant wait to put it to the test in any conditions.

Really, it's perfect. Excellent balance, terrific Black Oxide finish, grip is 100%. Alot of people don't like the sheath, however it is actually as nice as it could possibly be, with extra heavy guage Paracord, and a pocket for sharpening stone/device. The seeming "looseness" within the sheath is simply to preserve the finish, and when snapped in, is more than secure. The price is definitely right, and the craftmanship is as good as it gets, with the "Forever Warranty" to back it up. Very Nice.

As the satisfied owner of a Buck Nighthawk already (655 "short" model) and being somewhat familiar with TOPS knives but not owning one, I decided to take a chance on the Buck TOPS Nighthawk. What's not to like about a $60 USA-made fixed blade from a proven manufacturer? Does the TOPS collaboration improve upon the original? Well, "improve" may not be the right word. The differences are minimal. Between my existing short Nighthawk and the standard-length TOPS version (model 650) the changes are mostly aesthetic: black grips, no serrations and "utility notches" on the TOPS vs. olive drab grips, partial serrations and a solid blade on the short 655. The textured grip inserts and overall handle shape are functionally identical and excellent, offering comfortable cutting in any number of positions. The blade, which came liberally oiled from the factory, has the exact same shape as the non-TOPS Nighthawks, but with the addition (or is that subtraction?) of the utility notches. Although I can't say that I've ever been in a situation where this feature would have been useful to me, that's not to say that it could never happen. While this is not the knife I would grab for chopping firewood or other hard materials, the notches are far enough back that I don't *think* the rigidity of the blade should be compromised, but I can see where some people would prefer a solid blade. Regardless, that sums up the differences in the knife itself. The blade is still Buck's typical 420HC, which is a fine choice in this price range but not as durable as what would be found on similar TOPS-built blades. Of course, there's a significant price difference to consider, so if you want a "real" TOPS knife, expect to triple the price.Actually, there is one more TOPS contribution here, and it's the sheath design. I have seen this sheath style offered with TOPS' own knife builds on their website, and it has a variety of carrying options for belt, leg and MOLLE rigs, as well as a small integrated pouch. It is better than the awful sheath on my old Nighthawk, but is of similar Chinese manufacture (Couldn't include a better USA-made sheath?) and is nowhere near as secure as sheaths from Gerber, CRKT and other manufacturers in terms of blade retention. A plastic sheath insert keeps the blade only loosely in place when carried point-down, while a single snap closure halfway up the length of the handle keeps it from sliding out. I have no personal need for upside-down wear from a MOLLE vest, for example, but I would not trust the sheath in that capacity. Furthermore, there is a slight amount of wiggle when moving, which I do not care for. So, the carry options are numerous, but the sheath construction negates some of the benefits.Aside from criticisms about the sheath, this is a worthy successor to the previous Nighthawk series, and an immediate favorite of mine. Buck's suggested retail price was $116, which is too high, but for around $60-70, it's hard to go wrong. There's also Buck's lifetime warranty to take into account, as well as their sharpening service, which is currently $6.95 and includes return shipping. Not bad. No regrets here, and I look forward to many, many years of use.

Fantastic butter knife out of the box! Will certainly need some work to put worthwhile edge on this beauty. I like the way the knife rattles in the sheath. I am certain that will come in handy someday. Best attribute is the handle/grip. Can't imagine what I could do to make this thing slip. I wear L/XL gloves and this handle is the perfect size for me.

This is one of Buck's entries into the fixed blade "tactical" genre of knives. The usual Buck quality and shaving sharp out of the box. I bought it mostly because I like to collect Buck knives and also because I liked Buck's design over other mfgrs who are heavily into the tactical market. The knife fits your hand well and has good balance. Also doubles well as a large hunting knife with a blade length of 6.5". The rubberized handle makes it easy to hold onto if your hands are wet or covered with blood which is critical in a hunting knife....you don't want it slipping out of your hand and cutting yourself. This is available in two versions with the shorter version having a 4-7/8" blade length.