TOPS El Pionero Red/Black G10 1095 Black and Red Cerakote Diablito Edition Fixed Blade Knife (3.38" Blade) ELPOL-01

This TOPS El Pionero wears its Diablito artwork in black and red Cerakote. Matte red and black G10 scales sit on a compact EDC fixed blade whose 1095 is ground thin for fine slicing behind a piercing point.

• Black and Red Cerakote 1095 Blade - Black Cerakote is engraved, revealing a layer of red which shows El Diablito from the Lotería deck. 1095 is a mid-grade carbon steel known for toughness and for sharpening back faster than most stainless. Being carbon, it wants oil and a dry wipe to protect against rust.
• Red and Black G10 Handle & Finger Divot - Layered red and black G10 gives the scales their marbling, and the surface reads matte to the touch. A palm swell runs into a rounded end at the rear, where an Ed Calderon finger divot reports by feel which way the edge is turned and adds more purchase than a straight handle otherwise would.
• Molded Black Kydex Sheath with Belt Loops & Pocket Clip - Molded Kydex holds the knife with firm retention and a positive click. Belt loops come fitted for belt carry, and an included spring steel clip can be mounted in their place for pocket carry.

The TOPS El Pionero

The TOPS El Pionero takes the shape of a paring knife, the most ordinary cutting tool in the world, and builds it as something meant to be carried and worked. Ed Calderon brought the idea to TOPS in 2021, after a course he taught at the shop in Idaho turned into long conversations about edged tools. The design keeps a thin profile, with a full tang running slim through the handle and a flat saber grind that leaves little steel behind the edge. It features a long swedge that narrows the spine so the point drives, and the rear divot, a signature he learned from his mother which makes edge orientation a matter of touch rather than sight. The knife handles both fine slicing and detail cutting, with a point that will go where a kitchen blade normally stops.