Last week we covered the new TOPS Sidekick Diver, a production model that originated as a winner in the Idaho company’s annual employee design contest. Well, it turns out that the contest had two winners, with the Snake River Rescue sharing the crown with the Sidekick.
Interestingly, although it comes from a different designer – Jon Garcia – the Snake River Rescue is, like the Ana Espinoza-designed Sidekick, a dive knife. But the differences between the two pieces highlight the fact that, even in a more specialized sub-genre like this, there is plenty of room for different approaches. The Sidekick was sinuous and sleek, while the Snake River is beefier and bigger overall, with a blade length of 5.5-inch and a profile that is wider and wilder, configured as a tipless American tanto.
While the main two edges are plain, there is a serrated spinal element on the Snake River Rescue, specially designed for chewing through fibrous materials, be they net, rope, or even plant matter. The entire blade is coated, which is always a good choice for something that will be working primarily underwater, and the blade steel is once again, as it was on the Sidekick Diver, N690Co.
The Snake River’s handle is chunky and almost perfectly symmetrical – the frontal finger guard is extended and curved downward. The scales are slabs of yellow/black G-10, offering higher visibility than the average TOPS Micarta scale sets; and they provide clearance for the extended pommel on the butt end, which can serve as both a general impact tool as well as a tank tapper in specifically maritime roles. There is a Kydex sheath included, and the Snake River Rescue weighs 10.9oz. outside the sheath.
It is available now.
Knife in Featured Image: TOPS Snake River Rescue
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