TOPS CUMA Kage: Exclusive Testing of the Brand-New Short Sword

The following on the TOPS CUMA Kage is from the October/November 2020 issue of Ballistic Magazine. Want to read the entire story? Grab a copy at OutdoorGroupStore.com.

The world of knives might seem a benign place to the uninitiated, but to hardcore blade carriers it is a universe of its own. The blade culture around the world is much larger than the gun culture simply because of accessibility and ease of use. Blades have played a part in civilizations thousands of years before the Chinese began tinkering with gun powder.

TOPS CUMA Kage Short Sword Testing

A good blade is worth its weight in gold to many and is not randomly chosen. One company that thrives in this area is TOPS Knives. TOPS has given us some fantastic blades over the years, and this year continued that tradition. The blade that caught my eye, however, isn’t a traditional knife; it is a sword.

The CUMA Kage is one of TOPS’ newest blades and, in fact, is a short sword. To the casual viewer, it might just be labeled as a machete, but that is far from the truth. The CUMA Kage is indeed a fighting short sword designed for close-quarters combat. While it can also be used for brush and other items, it screamed “fighting sword” to me. TOPS also gave me one of its new blades with a Ballistic “B” etched on it for some extra cool factor.

Watch my full test in the video above. Want to read my entire review? Grab a copy of the October/November 2020 issue of Ballistic Magazine at OutdoorGroupStore.com. If you are a full-blown blade nerd like me, or even just someone who appreciates quality, the TOPS CUMA Kage is worth a look at topsknives.com.