Top Gear
Top-Gear Knives is a family-owned online retailer and self-described New Zealand's oldest e-commerce knife store, selling 1,000+ folding and fixed-blade knives, multitools, sharpeners, and outdoor cutting tools from world-class brands to outdoor enthusiasts and professional users.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersNorth Shore, New Zealand
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Top Gear does
Top-Gear Knives is a privately held, family-owned online specialty retailer headquartered in Te Puke, New Zealand, operating exclusively through the e-commerce platform www.top-gear.co.nz. Founded in approximately 2004, the company self-identifies as New Zealand's oldest online knife retailer and has operated for over 20 years with a headcount of 1-10 employees. The technology stack is a CMS-tool-based storefront with Stripe credit-card processing, Afterpay buy-now-pay-later integration, and 256-bit site encryption; no native mobile app is offered.
The core offering is a curated catalogue of 1,000+ knife and cutting-tool SKUs spanning folding knives, fixed blade knives, multitools, fishing knives, axes and machetes, karambits, knife sharpeners, and knife storage. Inventory is sourced factory-direct or via authorized distributors from world-class brands including Browning, Victorinox, Opinel, Gerber, SOG, Ka-Bar, Civivi, Helle, Schrade, Leatherman, CAT, Lansky, and others. Unit prices range from under NZ$50 for entry-level folders to NZ$400+ for premium multitools. Top Gear differentiates on authenticity (no counterfeits), product breadth, and same-day shipping for orders placed before noon on business days, with courier delivery throughout New Zealand and international shipping available subject to customs restrictions.
The business model is direct-to-consumer transactional retail: one-time product sales through the e-commerce storefront, with no subscription, licensing, or recurring revenue component. Customer segments include outdoor enthusiasts (hunters, fishers, campers, EDC users) as the primary persona and professional users (butchers, chefs) as a secondary segment. Distribution is purely online; there is no brick-and-mortar presence or click-and-collect. Marketing relies on the storefront itself supplemented by periodic email promotions. Revenue bands are not disclosed, but the 1-10 employee footprint and bootstrapped family-ownership structure indicate a small specialty retailer rather than a scaled operation.
Top Gear firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Top Gear
- Legal name
- Top-Gear Knives
- Website
- https://top-gear.co.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Top-Gear Knives is a family-owned online retailer and self-described New Zealand's oldest e-commerce knife store, selling 1,000+ folding and fixed-blade knives, multitools, sharpeners, and outdoor cutting tools from world-class brands to outdoor enthusiasts and professional users.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Top Gear industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Knife Retail
- NAICS
- Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)
- SIC
- Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware (3420)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hunting & Shooting Specialty Knife/Tool Retail (CRAMAKAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sporting Goods & Outdoor Inventory-led Online Retailers (CRAFADAJ)
Keywords
Where Top Gear is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- North Shore
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Top Gear business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Product Sales: One-time product sales through e-commerce platform. Customers purchase knives, multitools, sharpeners, and accessories at listed prices. Payments processed via Stripe (credit card), direct credit, and Afterpay installment payments. The store offers over 1000 products across multiple categories including folding knives, fixed blade knives, axes, machetes, fishing knives, multitools, karambits, and knife storage solutions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard retail pricing for all products |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Top Gear product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Top Gear is New Zealand's oldest online knife retailer, offering over 1,000 products spanning folding knives, fixed blade knives, axes, machetes, knife sharpeners, fishing knives, multitools, karambits, and knife storage from world-class brands such as Browning, Victorinox, Gerber, SOG, Ka-Bar, Opinel, Civivi, Helle, Schrade, and Leatherman. The business operates as a web-based direct-to-consumer storefront with same-day shipping and factory-direct sourcing to ensure genuine, non-counterfeit products.
Product overview
Top Gear is New Zealand's oldest online knife retailer with over 20 years in business, offering a diverse range of quality knife products. The product portfolio centers around folding knives and fixed blade knives as core offerings, complemented by specialized categories including fishing knives, multitools, karambits, axes & machetes, and knife sharpeners. The company stocks world-class brands such as Browning, Victorinox, Ka-Bar, Opinel, Gerber, Civivi, Helle, Schrade, Leatherman, SOG, and many others. Additionally, Top Gear offers knife storage solutions and accessories including sheaths and knife rolls. Payment options include credit card via Stripe, direct credit, and Afterpay buy-now-pay-later service.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Folding Knives A diverse range of folding knives from multiple world-class brands including Browning, Elk Ridge, CAT, Civivi, Gerber, Honey Badger, Ka-Bar, Remington, Opinel, Outdoor Edge, Smiths, SOG, Swiss Army, Tac Force, and Walther, for everyday carry, outdoor recreation, and tactical use.
- Fixed Blade Knives Fixed blade knives for hunting and outdoor use from brands such as Browning, Elk Ridge, Gerber, Helle, Ka-Bar, Mora, Muela, Schrade, Smiths, SOG, and Victorinox, targeted at hunters and outdoor professionals.
- Axes & Machetes Outdoor cutting tools including axes and machetes for bushcraft, land clearing, and outdoor applications.
- Knife Sharpeners Quality knife sharpening products including whetstones, diamond sharpeners, sharpening systems, and accessories from Edge Master, Lansky, Sharpal, and Cold Steel, for knife maintenance and edge care.
- Fishing Knives Specialized filleting and fishing knives from brands like Elk Ridge, Gerber, Outdoor Edge, Mora, Kershaw, Victory, and Victorinox, for anglers and fishing enthusiasts.
- Multitools Multi-purpose tools from CAT, Gerber, Leatherman, SOG, and Victorinox featuring various functions including pliers, knives, screwdrivers, and saws, for everyday carry, outdoor use, and tactical applications.
- Karambits Curved blade tactical knives including models from Benchmark, Elite Edge, Tac Force, Rite Edge, Z Hunter, and Red Schrub, targeted at tactical and self-defense users.
- Knife Storage Knife storage solutions including leather knife rolls, nylon knife rolls, sheaths, and pouches from Victory and Taurus brands, for organization and transport of knife collections.
Companies that use Top Gear
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Top Gear technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Top Gear partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Top Gear competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Knife Center: US online knife specialist focused on consumer and collector sales of folding/fixed knives and sharpeners; same online-direct model and overlapping brand portfolio as Top Gear.
- Knivesandtools: Long-established online knife and multitool specialist based in the Netherlands with a comparable direct-to-consumer catalogue covering folding, fixed, multitools and sharpeners from many of the same premium brands — highly analogous business model to Top Gear's online-only specialist approach.
- Blade HQ: Largest US-based online knife retailer offering an enormous SKU range across major brands (Benchmade, Spyderco, KAI, etc.) — directly comparable e-commerce model and category breadth to Top Gear, albeit at vastly larger scale.
- Knifewear: Canadian specialty knife retailer (and Japanese kitchen knife specialist) emphasising curated selection, education content and expert staff — comparable 'expert-driven specialty knife retailer' positioning to Top Gear despite product mix differences.
- KnivesPlus: Family-run US online knife and sharpening retailer with a long operating history — analogous owner-operator D2C model and overlapping brand set to Top Gear.
- True North Knives: US online retailer specialising in outdoor, hunting, tactical and survival knives — directly comparable inventory and customer-targeting to Top Gear's outdoor enthusiast segment.
Emerging players
- Lansky Sharpeners: US-controlled-angle sharpening systems brand sold through its own DTC site and retailers; Top Gear already stocks Lansky systems, so it overlaps in category (sharpening) while competing for the same edge-of-the-shelf real estate.
Broad incumbents
- Victorinox (direct): Swiss knife manufacturer that runs its own global DTC stores alongside authorised retailers including Top Gear; competes asymmetrically by owning brand, IP and inventory rather than reseller economics.
- Hunting & Fishing New Zealand: New Zealand's largest outdoor/sporting goods retailer with multi-store presence and broad hunting/fishing assortment that includes knives — competes for the same NZ outdoor enthusiast spend but as part of a much wider category mix.
Regional players
- Hunting & Fishing Australia: Australian outdoor and sporting goods chain with knife category — not a domestic competitor to Top Gear but the natural cross-Tasman peer addressing the same outdoor enthusiast customer profile.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Top Gear social profiles
Digital presenceTop Gear financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Top Gear leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Top Gear funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Top Gear M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Top Gear
What does Top Gear do?
Top Gear is New Zealand's oldest online knife retailer, offering over 1,000 products spanning folding knives, fixed blade knives, axes, machetes, knife sharpeners, fishing knives, multitools, karambits, and knife storage from world-class brands such as Browning, Victorinox, Gerber, SOG, Ka-Bar, Opinel, Civivi, Helle, Schrade, and Leatherman. The business operates as a web-based direct-to-consumer storefront with same-day shipping and factory-direct sourcing to ensure genuine, non-counterfeit products.
Is Top Gear a public or private company?
Top Gear is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Top Gear founded?
Top Gear was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Top Gear based?
Top Gear is headquartered in North Shore, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Top Gear make money?
One revenue line is on record: product Sales.
Who are Top Gear's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Knife Center, Knivesandtools, Blade HQ, Knifewear, KnivesPlus and True North Knives. Lansky Sharpeners is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Victorinox (direct) and Hunting & Fishing New Zealand. Hunting & Fishing Australia is listed as a regional player.
Does Top Gear have an API?
No public API is recorded for Top Gear.
What industry is Top Gear in?
Top Gear's product category is Online Knife Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAMAKAH, Hunting & Shooting Specialty Knife/Tool Retail, with a secondary code of CRAFADAJ, Sporting Goods & Outdoor Inventory-led Online Retailers. Its NAICS code is 459 and its SIC code is 3420.