Are Sog knives even worth it?

Y

y53p

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May 11, 2022
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I was thinking of adding another fixed blade to the collection, looked at some Sog knives. They’re all made in Taiwan, they mostly seem to use Aus-8, which is a pretty bad, quite low end steel from what I know and with all this they are also quite expensive, I haven’t seen any of their fixed blades for under €100, and some of them like the Super Sog Bowie, come at well over €200, for a knife that is made in Taiwan and runs Aus-8.

Is there a catch or are their knives just overpriced tacticool rubbish?
 
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Aus 8 isn't that bad if done right.

Would I buy or recommend a current SOG? No. I think you can better for the same price point.

Depending on what you want the knife for, I would recommend a Terava Jaakaripuukko, Kabar, or maybe a Condor.

If you want, give us a budget and we will see what we can find for you.
 
shane45-1911 said:
There are hundreds of better knives for 100 Euros ($105 USD).

Sog is garbage at half that price.
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Yeah seemed pretty evident considering the steel used and place of production, I was curious if there is a reason why people even bring it up considering how bad their knives seem to be on paper.
 
SOG stepped up their game a few years ago. I owned a SOG Seal XR, and it was a solid knife for the price; I was happy with it. But in general my experience has been that there are better choices for the money.
 
gazz98 said:
Aus 8 isn't that bad if done right.

Would I buy or recommend a current SOG? No. I think you can better for the same price point.

Depending on what you want the knife for, I would recommend a Terava Jaakaripuukko, Kabar, or maybe a Condor.

If you want, give us a budget and we will see what we can find for you.
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€150 max traditional looking knife with satin finish and mid/high end steel.(already own a 119 if that’s what you might suggest)
 
y53p said:
€150 max traditional looking knife with satin finish and mid/high end steel.(already own a 119 if that’s what you might suggest)
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Few more questions.

1. Are you opposed to 1095, 1084, 80CrV2... type steels? Not sure what you consider mid/high end but those are tried and true for camping/hiking blades.
Btw, is this a camping/hiking blade?

2. Blade length range? 4-5"? etc

3. Keep in mind, many of us are in the US. Not sure on the VAT/customs/import rules of Europe.

There is always Mora in 14C28.
Lionsteel probably has some offerings.
Cold Steel SRK in 3V? Right at the top of your budget at $146 usd.
 
depends on which model and what ya find it selling for price wise.

Taiwan as a general rule makes mostly good products. this would be my least concern with a sog knife.

now with gsm taking over...expect warranty to collapse..like it did with cold steel. also expect a high probability of a cheapening up of the product line eventually.
 
I snagged a new Lionsteel M7 for under 150 some time ago. Seems you're a local, so maybe you can find a 7 or 5 in that price range.
 
1. SOG's fixed blades aren't what they were 1986-2006.
2. Aus8 is not the latest and greatest but HT'd properly it is a perfectly fine steel for a fixed blade.
3. Taiwan manufacture has gotten very good. I would choose that over China any day.
4. SOG's pricing is relatively high for what they offer. So there are many alternatives.

All that said, I still have and actually use fairly often the Seal Pup, an extremely light 5" knife that was (and still might be) used by the USN Seals BUDS school.
Aus8, rugged and very inexpensive (usd 65.00). Just make sure to grab a Taiwan made one, or an old discontinued Seki one.
 
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gazz98 said:
Few more questions.

1. Are you opposed to 1095, 1084, 80CrV2... type steels? Not sure what you consider mid/high end but those are tried and true for camping/hiking blades.
Btw, is this a camping/hiking blade?

2. Blade length range? 4-5"? etc

3. Keep in mind, many of us are in the US. Not sure on the VAT/customs/import rules of Europe.

There is always Mora in 14C28.
Lionsteel probably has some offerings.
Cold Steel SRK in 3V? Right at the top of your budget at $146 usd.
Click to expand...
Yeah I’d rather have a stainless steel, lower rockwell (max 58) so it doesn’t chip as easily, but still decent edge retention. Blade length is whatever, in the 5’-6’ inches range.

I had checked out a couple Moras, the Garberg stainless seems pretty interesting for its specs and construction quality. I’ve checked out Lionsteel but their fixed blades are all in the €200+ price range here, or they at least exceed the €150 mark, also the design is kinda bland to me. More of a traditional looking knife, with a guard and leather/wood/any material that isn’t plastic handle would do it.
 
If you're not willing to pay for the best: don't expect to get it.
SOG is... okay.
I have several and have no complaints with them.
But they are not my first choice: EVER!
Shop wisely.
 
The only SOG in my collection that I actually feel was worth the price is a Seal Pup I purchased at Dick's Sporting Goods about a decade ago. The price was high typical of that sporting goods chain, and they wouldn't come down despite it being the last one in the case and being discontinued from the store.

However, it was one of the last ones to come from Seki City. Very well done.

The rest have been less than mediocre and priced twice as high as they deserved.
 
There are SOOOOOO MANY knives to choose from its mind boggling.

Terävä is a good choice as mentioned above.

you will have to buy a sheath though.
 
I have a Toolclip from the Seki era that just will not die. I like it as much now as when I first bought it. If anybody out there has another one, PM me and I’ll buy it from you.

Only SOG I’ve ever owned.

Parker
 
If you don’t buy a Cold Steel* or a Gerber*, you may as well flush your money down the crapper.

*According to recent closed threads

I will not be buying any of the three however, do as others have said spend just a little more to get much better quality.
 
Rather than "Shopping Brands": why not try shopping for knives based upon their features and pricing?
I have found that blanket statements aren't always correct for all situations.
 
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