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

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

Read other articles:

Botucatu Futebol Clube

Football clubBotucatuFull nameBotucatu Futebol ClubeFounded1996Dissolved2010GroundEstádio Acrísio CruzCapacity5.500 Home colours Away colours Botucatu Futebol Clube, usually known simply as Botucatu, was a Brazilian women's football team, from Botucatu, São Paulo state. History On February 16, 1996, Botucatu Futebol Clube was founded by Edson Castro after an invitation of the Federação Paulista de Futebol Feminino (São Paulo State's Women's Football Federation), which was the organizer ...

 

Ottawa

För andra betydelser, se Ottawa (olika betydelser). City of OttawaVille d'Ottawa Huvudstad Ottawas stadskärna. Flagga Motto: Advance Ottawa/Ottawa en avant Smeknamn: Bytown, Capital City, The NC Land  Kanada Provins Ontario Höjdläge 70 m ö.h. Koordinater 45°25′15″N 75°41′24″V / 45.42083°N 75.69000°V / 45.42083; -75.69000 Area 2 790,22 km²[1]  - tätort 501,92 km²[2]  - storstadsområde...

 

Basharat Peer

Basharat PeerLahir1977Seer Hamdan, Anantnag, Jammu dan Kashmir, IndiaKarya terkenalCurfewed NightSuami/istriAnanya Vajpeyi Basharat Peer (kelahiran 1977) adalah seorang jurnalis, penulis naskah, pengarang dan komentator Kashmiri. Ia berasal dari Kashmir dan sekarang bermukim di New York City.[1][2][3] Referensi ^ The Wail of Kashmir. Indian Express. 30 November 2008. Diakses tanggal 14 May 2010.  ^ Fineprint: Curfewed Night, a memoir on Kashmir. CNN IBN. 16 Novem...

Depresi (psikologi)

Untuk kegunaan lain, lihat Depresi (disambiguasi).Artikel ini memberikan informasi dasar tentang topik kesehatan. Informasi dalam artikel ini hanya boleh digunakan untuk penjelasan ilmiah; bukan untuk diagnosis diri dan tidak dapat menggantikan diagnosis medis. Wikipedia tidak memberikan konsultasi medis. Jika Anda perlu bantuan atau hendak berobat, berkonsultasilah dengan tenaga kesehatan profesional. Seorang gadis duduk sendirian di tangga dengan bonekanya terlihat sedih dan terabaikan Depr...

 

Ambleteuse

Commune in Hauts-de-France, FranceAmbleteuse AmbeltuweCommuneVauban's Fort Mahon and the river Slack in AmbleteuseLocation of Ambleteuse AmbleteuseShow map of FranceAmbleteuseShow map of Hauts-de-FranceCoordinates: 50°48′37″N 1°36′26″E / 50.8103°N 1.6072°E / 50.8103; 1.6072CountryFranceRegionHauts-de-FranceDepartmentPas-de-CalaisArrondissementBoulogne-sur-MerCantonDesvresIntercommunalityTerre des Deux CapsGovernment • Mayor (2021–2026) St...

 

Motherless Brooklyn (novel)

1999 novel by Jonathan Lethem For the film based on the novel, see Motherless Brooklyn (film). This article needs a plot summary. Please add one in your own words. (February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Motherless Brooklyn AuthorJonathan LethemCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishGenreDetective novelPublisherDoubledayPublication date1999Media typePrintISBN0-385-49183-2OCLC40723751Dewey Decimal813.54 21LC ClassPS3562.E8544 M68 1999 Motherless Brooklyn is a...

Leeds Civic Trust

Voluntary organisation and registered charity Leeds Civic TrustShop and offices at 17–19 Wharf StreetFormation25 October 1965; 58 years ago (25 October 1965)TypeRegistered charityRegistration no.2742348[1]Legal statusCompany limited by guarantee[1]PurposeCivic societyHeadquarters17–19 Wharf StreetLocationLeeds LS2 7EQDirectorMartin HamiltonChair of TrusteesJane TaylorPublicationOutlookStaff 3Websiteleedscivictrust.org.uk Leeds Civic Trust is a voluntary o...

 

Ковариация

Ковариа́ция или корреляционный момент c o v ( X , Y ) {\displaystyle \mathrm {cov} (X,Y)} случайных величин — в теории вероятностей и математической статистике мера зависимости двух случайных величин. В теории вероятностей и статистике ковариация является мерой совместной изменчивости ...

 

Henning Hamilton

Swedish count and civil servant (1814–1886) CountHenning Ludvig Hugo HamiltonBorn(1814-01-16)16 January 1814Stockholm, SwedenDied15 January 1886(1886-01-15) (aged 71)Amélie-les-Bains, FranceEducationUppsala UniversityOccupation(s)Count, politician, government official, authorPolitical partyJunker PartyMovementConservative Count Henning Ludvig Hugo Hamilton (16 January 1814 – 15 January 1886)[1][2] was a Swedish count, politician, government official and author. His f...

Roman Picisan (film 1980)

Untuk kegunaan lain, lihat Roman Picisan. Roman PicisanSutradaraAdisoerya AbdyProduserTommy IndraDitulis olehEddy D. IskandarPemeranRano KarnoLydia KandouIta MustafaTino KarnoSuti KarnoGeorge RudyRenny SudiroPria Bom bomDorman BorismanFrank RorimpandeyNani WidjajaRahayu EffendiKaharuddin SyahMangara SiahaanPenata musikCandra Darusman dan Guruh SoekarnoputraDistributorTiga Sinar Mutiara FilmTanggal rilis1980Durasi92 menitNegaraIndonesia Roman Picisan adalah film drama romantis Indonesia ...

 

Baden-Powell Trail

Hiking trail in British Columbia, Canada Baden-Powell TrailA Trail Marker on the Baden Powell TrailLength30 mi (48 km)LocationVancouver, BCTrailheadsHorseshoe Bay in West VancouverUseHiking, Backpacking The Baden-Powell Trail is a rugged but well-maintained 48 km hiking trail, that traverses from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Deep Cove in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was named after Robert Baden-Powell, Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the world Scouting Movement...

 

2012 Reform Party presidential primaries

This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: 2012 Reform Party presidential primaries – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) 2012 Reform Party presidential primaries ← 2008 2012 2016 →   Nominee Andre Barnett Buddy Roemer Party R...

Amblin Entertainment

Halaman ini berisi artikel tentang induk dan perusahaan film. Untuk anak perusahaan produksi film, lihat Amblin Entertainment. Untuk anak perusahaan produksi televisi, lihat Amblin Television. amblin entertaimentJenisJoint ventureIndustrihiburanDidirikan16 Desember 2015; 8 tahun lalu (2015-12-16)PendiriSteven SpielbergKathleen KennedyFrank MarshallKantorpusatUniversal city, Amerika serikatWilayah operasiseluruh duniaTokohkunciSteven Spielberg(direktur)Jeff Small(CEO)Holly Bario(direktur ...

 

مايكل أوكرلوند ليفيت

مايكل أوكرلوند ليفيت (بالإنجليزية: Michael Okerlund Leavitt)‏  معلومات شخصية الميلاد 11 فبراير 1951 (العمر 73 سنة)سيدار سيتي مواطنة الولايات المتحدة  عدد الأولاد 5   إخوة وأخوات ديفيد أو. ليفيت  مناصب حاكم يوتا (14 )   في المنصب4 يناير 1993  – 5 نوفمبر 2003  مدير وكالة حماية الب...

 

إنيد غونزالفز

يفتقر محتوى هذه المقالة إلى الاستشهاد بمصادر. فضلاً، ساهم في تطوير هذه المقالة من خلال إضافة مصادر موثوق بها. أي معلومات غير موثقة يمكن التشكيك بها وإزالتها. (يوليو 2019) هذه المقالة يتيمة إذ تصل إليها مقالات أخرى قليلة جدًا. فضلًا، ساعد بإضافة وصلة إليها في مقالات متعلقة بها. ...

Санта-Мария (каракка)

У этого термина существуют и другие значения, см. Санта-Мария. «Санта-Мария» исп. Santa Maríaранее — La Gallega («Галисийка») Реплика «Санта-Марии» в Фуншале, Португалия Служба Класс и тип судна Трёхмачтовая каракка типа нао Владелец Коса, Хуан де ла Изготовитель Сантандер Сп�...

 

فيلايكس (إسبانيا)

  فيلايكس (بالإسبانية: Felix)‏[1]   - بلدية -    فيلايكس (إسبانيا) فيلايكس (إسبانيا)  خريطة الموقع تقسيم إداري البلد إسبانيا  [2] المقاطعة المرية خصائص جغرافية إحداثيات 36°52′07″N 2°39′28″W / 36.8686676°N 2.6576842°W / 36.8686676; -2.6576842 [3]  [4] المس...

 

Artois

A region of northern France. For other uses, see Artois (disambiguation). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Artois – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Government of ArtoisGouvernment d'Artois1764–1790 FlagLocation of Artois in F...

Chromium

This article is about the chemical element. For the web browser, see Chromium (web browser). Chemical element with atomic number 24 (Cr)Chromium, 24CrChromiumAppearancesilvery metallicStandard atomic weight Ar°(Cr)51.9961±0.0006[1]51.996±0.001 (abridged)[2] Chromium in the periodic table Hydrogen Helium Lithium Beryllium Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon Sodium Magnesium Aluminium Silicon Phosphorus Sulfur Chlorine Argon Potassium Calcium Scandium Tit...

 

History of banking in the United States

This article is part of a series onBanking in theUnited States Regulation Monetary policy Banking charters Credit union Federal savings bank Federal savings association National bank State bank Lending Credit card Deposit accounts Checking Money-market Savings Certificate of deposit Account insurance Federal Deposit InsuranceCorporation (FDIC) National Credit Union ShareInsurance Fund (NCUA) Payment and transfer Check clearing Check 21 Act Electronic funds transfer (EFT) ATM card Debit card ...