TOPS River Rat Review: a 2.75-inch Backup Blade That Cuts Like a Big One
November 6, 2026
The TOPS Knives River Rat looks like a novelty: a stubby blade on a handle that outsizes it. GAT Daily took it outdoors and came back calling it the backup knife you did not know you needed.
Key points
- Specs: 154CM steel at RC 58–60, cryo treated, 0.130-inch stock, 2.75-inch blade, 6.63 inches overall, 3.90 oz, full tang with black G10 scales, black Kydex sheath. MSRP $220.
- Grip: the rounded, thick G10 handle fills the whole hand, pinky included, and the sharply cut spine jimping holds the thumb better than any the reviewer has used.
- Cutting: the thick blade let him shave a branch into a pile of tinder in seconds and felt stout enough to chop through it.
- Carry: the sheath's metal belt clip has a two-step lip so brush cannot strip it off, and it rides well cross-draw or clipped to a pack.
Quick take
Not a primary outdoor blade, and GAT Daily does not pretend it is. At $220 it is not an impulse buy either. The reviewer's case is that it disappears on your belt and then does jobs a bigger knife would, which is exactly what a backup is for.
Read the full story at GAT Daily.