TOPS is continuing its shrinking-down of famous models with the Lil Chete. As the name implies, the Lil Chete brings the famous big chopper’s design into a smaller – but not too small! – package.
Now we know what you may be thinking to yourself, Didn’t TOPS already release a shrunk-down El Chete?? The answer is, they did indeed, last year with El Chete Mini, which dropped the blade length all the way down to 5.5 inches – not small in the grand scheme of knives but, considering the proud papa had a blade north of 11 inches, a pretty significant drop in overall footprint.
The Lil Chete, actually, is not the lil’est in the lineup. Its blade length is 7.88 inches and, if you compare it to its predecessors, you’ll notice that the blade profile has been revised here: the grind is nice and high and the nose a bit bulked up. The blade steel remains the same, good ol’ 1095 – a rock solid choice for a chopper, even a svelter chopper like the Lil Chete, and the thickness is still on point – the point being a full quarter inch.
Given that even in this smaller iteration the Lil Chete is a full fat chopper, the handle is appropriately roomy, with the same general profile as the original. Micarta scales are attached onto the full tang handle, and for the other kind of carry TOPS has included a Kydex sheath with a leather dangler loop attachment. The Lil Chete, with the sheath, weighs 29.1 oz.
It is available now.
Knife in Featured Image: TOPS Lil Chete
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