The new for 2025 TOPS knives are here, and it’s hard not to start with the X16 Ginunting. This downright imposing chopper is descended from a Filipino farming implement and designed by Adam Boyce.
The Ginunting is nearly two feet in total length; more than half of that length is comprised by the 15.75-inch blade. To describe it in general terms, we might reach for the phrase “macro hawkbill,” because the Ginunting has a tremendous, arching, talon-like blade. Even those among us without much experience in the bush can envision the ease with which something like the Ginunting would be able to slash through undergrowth. And while TOPS has several different steels in regular rotation these days, they have opted for 1095 carbon on the Ginunting – a perfect fit for a large and in charge outdoors user like this.
Nothing too ornate going with the Ginunting’s handle: just plenty of space and a finger groove under the guard – probably a good call, as it will keep the user’s grip locked in place even in high impact swings. The scales themselves are made from TOPS’s trademark Big Hunk o’ Micarta, and will stand up to use and abuse just as well as the 1095 blade. The Ginunting weighs a bit over 2 lbs. on its own, and comes with a full length Kydex sheath for carry.
This is the first TOPS collaboration for Adam Boyce, who is a licensed Martial Blade Concepts instructor in addition to a knife designer and maker. In fact, Boyce was an alternate for an episode of Forged in Fire: Knife or Death, which is where he first got to considering the historical ginunting as a blade concept worth exploring in a modern production context.
The X16 Ginunting is available now, and is one of several brand new TOPS knives on shelves. More coverage to come!
Knife in Featured Image: TOPS Knives X16 Ginunting
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