Are SOG Fixed Blades Really Practical?

C

Confederate

Joined
Sep 5, 2005
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I thought it was love, but it turned out to be infatuation. She was so gorgeous that I could just sit there and stare at her. But the more I got to know her, the more I realized she lacked something. So did her sisters to a large degree. The first that caught my attention was the SOG Agency. It's not only sleek and deadly, the beautiful titanium nitrite finish took my breath away. Ever see the finish on a mint Colt Python?

The blade is long and the balance near perfect. But the stacked leather handle is slippery. The same was true of the SOG Super Bowie. The stacked leather handle also is huge and difficult for many to grasp. The best of the three I bought was the little SOG Tech Bowie. The finish wasn't as nice as the Agency, but it had a great Kydex sheath and a black Kraton handle. It's the most practical knife, in my view, and balances very well in the hand; however, for the money, a Ka-Bar tactical knife may be a better choice. Still, the Tech Bowie has grown on me; the other two, not so much.

If any of you have used any of these knives, please post your experiences here. I'd especially like to see how the Agency works in a real world setting. (I don't use mine as I'm afraid of marring the finish. Besides, this is primarily a good defense knife, and frankly I think there are better...such as Cold Steel's OSS or the Ka-Bar Large Heavy Bowie.)





[video=youtube;ilLhHZy6rPM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilLhHZy6rPM[/video]


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I like the SOG Agency and I like the price of about $140. I have many times thought about getting one but the reason I do not get one is....

First, it is made in Taiwan. This reason is not the complete killer of not getting one but it is something that matters to me.

Second, for about $40 more I can get an American made Black Jack 1-7 made of A-2 steel which is a much better steel than the SOG.

The SOG Agency is a very nice looking knife but why get it when I can get a better copy of the Randle Made 1-7 Fighter that Black Jack sells.
 
Yes, the Blackjack knives look great, but the overall design of the knives (Randall 1-7) is, by today's standards, not exactly state of the art. The SOG Agency wouldn't be my first choice if I had to use a knife for self defense. I bought it for its looks, but let's face it, if there was a national emergency and I had to grab a bugout bag and take off, the Agency wouldn't be my first choice to be in that bag. There's no way a knife like that can top a Ka-Bar Large Heavy bowie or Ontario Marine Raider, or even a Cold Steel Rajah II. The Agency also is not a great utilitarian knife. It, and the SOG Super Bowie, are great lookers, but there are better choices if you have to pick one to use in a plane crash, or put in a bugout bag.

The only exception would be the Tech Bowie, which is in my bugout bag. The Buck Hoodlum is another great one for a bugout bag, as well as a few of the Cold Steel FGX knives (especially the Skean Dhu). For outdoor use, there also are certainly better and more practical knives than the SOG Super Bowie.
 
I must say I find the SOG Agency is much more aesthetically pleasing than the Blackjack 1-7. Something about the proportions...
 
A semi-serrated SEAL Pup has been my workhorse outdoor knife for the last few years. Skinned several deer and hogs, no problems with holding an edge, rusting, or chipping. The Aus-6 is a great steel for the price. Having moved up to other makers, the SP is still my go-to boat knife when fishing saltwater-rust resistance is fantastic!
 
I have a Tech Bowie or its predacessor. Two sizes actually (Tech I and Tech II). I like the Seal Pup Elite for an all around field knife but not for hunting. The Agency is one that has always caught my attention, but I am sort of past that stage of my knife life and I have others that fill that niche. No use spending the money for an Agency just to toss it in my knife "box" to gather dust. I have never been a big fan of stacked leather handles and yes, they are slippery if you get blood on them. But they are a traditional very functional handle.

Someone mentioned Blackjack. I like (and have) both the 125 and 1-7, but the 1-7 is a little big for me. It is much like the Agency.
 
I think they are knives and not door breaches/cement block breakers first and foremost. Most are classic designs and IMO look great. Not sure why they wouldn't be practical
 
I think that if they had had good Kraton handles, or grips, back in the 60s, that there would have been no need for stacked leather. The Tech Bowies are terrific knives, and if I could get the Agency with Kraton grips, I'd have no complaints. As for the leather sheaths, okay, yes, Kydex is better; however, leather ages very well and adds to the character of the knife. Leather isn't ruined when exposed to wind and rain, but it weathers.

The Agency is sleek and its finish is what attracted me to it. I bought it really having no idea what I was going to do with it. It sells for about $140, shipped, but while the knife is sleek and beautiful, functionally it's not great. If I'm going down in a forest or jungle in an airplane or helicopter, what am I going to choose, an Agency or a Ka-Bar Large, Heavy Bowie that goes for about $55, shipped? The Agency can be said to be more of a combat knife, but if a soldier is sporting it in a Vietnam jungle, chances are it's going to be used pretty much for everything a knife is going to be used for. The same can be said of the Randall or the Blackjack, both of which are in-demand knives.

So why do people buy this type of a knife? Beauty? Nostalgia? Or do they find them functionally useful? That's what I'm getting at. What does this knife do better than just about any other?
 
I just wish The Creed was American- made, i'd buy that any day.
 
AUS-8 is considered to be high carbon stainless and it rates fairly high among users. It's not the highest carbon stainless out there, but many people like it. It sharpens like a champ (when heat treated properly) and holds an edge decently. I haven't tested the SOG's AUS-8, but I can say that Cold Steel has outstanding heat treat. I've used their 440A knives and they're incredible. Most 440A blades I've used are garbage, though. I've also used S30V Spydercos that I didn't much care for at all. I love blisteringly sharp edges and, even more, easy to sharpen blades. AUS8 isn't the greatest steel in the world, but it suits me just fine.

If the leather handles survived the wet jungles of Vietnam, they should hold up to anything. People seem to like them. Carbon 1055 steel can be difficult to maintain rust wise, though BreakFree CLP does a good job of protection. So there are probably distinct advantages to stainless.
 
Confederate said:
I think that if they had had good Kraton handles, or grips, back in the 60s, that there would have been no need for stacked leather.
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I HATE Kraton; it starts to degrtade into a kind of "gunk" after a decade or two.
Give me stacked leather, wood, G-10 or stag any day over that rubbery stuff.:thumbup:
 
The aging of Kraton is important since knives should last a long time if you take care of them.

I think the sleek profile and longish blade is what attracts me to the knife. I don't own one, so I can't comment on using one. I have used the Seal Pup Elite a fair amount for a year or so after they first came out and I liked them. The handle didn't appeal to me, but it worked. I generally prefer a leather sheath, but kydex works for some things. I wish there were two options. I have both the nylon and kydex sheaths for my Seal Pup Elite.

I don't own any knives with a stacked leather handle. My Dad had one for many many years and it aways held up unless you let it get wet/moldy.
 
Micarta is one of my favorite grip materials. I can't speak intelligently about Kraton, but if anyone has any problems with it, I'd like to hear your experience. Does the material today the same as the Kraton a decade ago? And is it wear, exposure to sun or air, or does it break down over time?

I have a Cold Steel Tanto Lite and an OSS, both with Kraton grips. I don't use them much, but I love the feel of the grips. I know that the old style diving equipment (facemask, snorkel, fins) would harden and crack when exposed to the sun. New materials have pretty much negated that problem. I've had Pachmayr grips on a number of my handguns, and they haven't broken down with time. My SOG Tech Bowie's Kraton grips feel great in the hand, but if the Kraton is not durable, its use on knives could definitely be a minus. The banded leather on the SOGs don't seem to be super durable; however, if they proved themselves in the jungles of Vietnam, apparently they're tougher than they appear.




Cold Steel Tanto Lite has a long Kraton grip.
 
I really like the look of the sog bowies and the Agency.The problem I see with them is that in that niche market of combat-knife they have A LOT of competition and many for a loss less cash.

Every Kabar(Even the D2 model is cheaper)

coldsteel oss,recon scout(I've actually seen these for under 100$),recon tanto,etc,

Ontario Sp1 and 6
 
Poleaxe said:
The problem I see with them is that in that niche market of combat-knife they have A LOT of competition and many for a loss less cash.
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True, not many are as beautiful though. The "classic" SOGs are really good-looking knives...

sog-agency-knife-main-wallpaper-poor_fish-ebay.jpg


It's too bad most of their more modern designs seem to be absurdly ugly...
 
I have a pup elite as my go-to knife. I wrapped tennis racket tape on the handle for more traction.
 
One of the things that's irked me more than anything is the quality of the TiNi finish. On the Agency it's fantastic! But on the Tech Bowie, it's unremarkable. On the Super Bowie it's okay, very attractive, but not up to the Agency's standard. I also like the Creed, but it's too expensive. I'm not going to spend $150+ for a knife I'm going to be hacking away at sappy trees with. It's got AUS8A stainless steel, which is a better knife steel. Why use this knife when I can use an Ontario Marine Raider with good carbon steel?
 
I've got one of the Vietnam SOG knives that I bought before they started making their knives in china. I have the SK5 version from Seki. First time I opened it I thought it was going to cut my eyeballs it is so sharp. I don't care much for most of their new stuff, cheap materials, made in china, just meh.
 
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