TOPS ELPO-01 EL PIONERO

A few years back, Ed Calderon was able to host one of his most famous training courses at TOPS Knives and took the time to be a guest on TOPS Daily Grind. During his time in Idaho Falls, there were many conversations about edged tools and weapons. Ed, along with Leo (TOPS’ president) agreed that a knife designed by Ed and produced by TOPS would be epic. This was the basis for the design that became El Pionero. It’s a simple design based on what is probably the most common knife type on the globe–a paring knife.
El Pionero has many other features that Ed has found to be useful on knives throughout his experience. The finger divot is a signature of his that he originally learned from his mother and is designed to make it easy to know where the edge is oriented based on where that divot is felt, but also helps when extracting a knife that has been stabbed into something and may be somewhat stuck. The false edge aids in stabbing as well. The Kydex sheath is low profile, and easily customized by the end user to be worn in multiple configurations.

SPECS:
Knife Type Fixed Blade
Overall Length 7.63″
Blade Length 3.38″
Cutting Edge 3.13″
Blade Thickness 0.090″
Blade Steel 1095 RC 56-58
Blade Finish Tumble Finish
Handle Material Tan Canvas Micarta
Knife Weight 2.9oz
Weight w/ Sheath 4.1oz
Sheath Included Yes
Sheath Material Black Kydex
Sheath Clip Multi-Position Spring Steel
Designer Ed Calderon