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 owned by Michael J. Fuller and operated by Vice President Leo Espinoza. The company primarily produces fixed-blade knives for military and law enforcement.

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. TOPS has manufactured their knives in the United States, specifically in Idaho since they were founded. 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. It was designed by Tom Brown Jr. and was featured in the 2003 Hollywood movie The Hunted.

Tops

Tops may refer to:

TOPS may refer to:

Knife

A knife (plural knives) is a tool with a cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with most having a handle. Some types of knives are used as utensils, including knives used at the dining table (e.g., butter knives and steak knives) and knives used in the kitchen (e.g., paring knife, bread knife, cleaver). Many types of knives are used as tools, such as the utility knife carried by soldiers, the pocket knife carried by hikers and the hunting knife used by hunters. Knives are also used as a traditional or religious implement, such as the kirpan. Some types of knives are used as weapons, such as the daggers used by commandos or the switchblades used by 1950s-era criminal gang members. Some types of knives are used as sports equipment (e.g., throwing knives).

Knife-like tools were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools. Originally made of rock, bone, flint, and obsidian, knives have evolved in construction as technology has, with blades being made from bronze, copper, iron, steel, ceramics, and titanium. Many cultures have their unique version of the knife. Due to its role as humankind's first tool, certain cultures have attached spiritual and religious significance to the knife.

TOPS

Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock (railroad cars) owned by a rail system. It was originally developed by the American based Southern Pacific Railroad and was widely sold; it is best known in Britain for its use by British Rail and its successors.

Early development

The Southern Pacific Railroad was ahead of the pack in its embracing of technology. In the early 1960s it developed a computer system called “Total Operations Processing System”, or TOPS. The purpose was to take all the paperwork associated with a locomotive or railroad car - its maintenance history, its allocation to division and depot and duty, its status, its location, and much more - and keep it in computer form, constantly updated by terminals at every maintenance facility. On paper, this information was difficult to keep track of, difficult to keep up to date, and difficult to query, requiring many telephone calls. Computerizing this information enabled a railroad to keep better track of its assets, and to utilize them better.