Cold Steel MH versus Sog NW Ranger - Any owners out there?

Vulthoom

Vulthoom

Joined
Jul 21, 2001
Messages
5
Hi,

I have, for some time been considering buying a Cold Steel Master Hunter, but have been recently swayed by the apparent superior quality of the SOG Northwest Ranger.

Unfortunately the UK is not exactly over-run with walk-in knife stores (particularly in my area)and I have not had an opportunity so see it in the flesh.

The only reservation I have about the NWR over the CS Classic Hunter is the sheath seems to be "ballistic nylon" rather than rigid kydex. How safe is the SOG sheath? I have visions of lying in a crevasse with five inches of steel buried in my leg...... :(

Are there any SOG owners out there who can enlighten me?

Many thanks
 
I don't know that SOG is better quality than Cold Steel. I do know that I hate partially serrated blades. I own a Master Hunter and I love it. Another option might be th Fallkniven S1 - It is offered with two different sheaths I believe.
 
Hey Vulthoom....

The days of unsatisfying sheaths are over my friend. Alot of knives can now be ordered with a Kydex sheath, if Ron doesn't have a OEM Kydex rig for your NW then a custom sheathier in synthetics such as myself certainly can make that a reality.

I have knives dropped shipped to me all the time,, outfit the knife with Concealex and send it on it's way...

You have at your fingertips several of the best sheathmakers in the world.Take advantage of that..:)

ttyle

Eric...
 
I haven't owned either knife but I have looked at both in stores and am most impressed with the SOG Northwest Ranger. In particular it has a metal guard, whereas the Cold Steel knife has just a rubber guard integral to the handle. If you like knives with good metal guards, the SOG is a good choice.
 
I forgot to mention that I do own a SOG Dessert Dagger and the fit and finish is first rate. It did come with a kydex sheath, although the fit was awfully tight. Kydex is a tough material but there can be problems with the fit being too tight or too loose.
 
I own both and they are both good knives, but I would give the edge to the CH Master Hunter. The reason is that the SOG has a partially serrated blade, which I don't find to be as useful as a plain edge, especially in that as the SOG has a thinner blade it could be the better slicer. You might also look at the Spyderco Moran. Cheerio!
 
The fingerguard on the Kraton grip of the Master Hunter works well for its purpose, keeping your hand from sliding up onto the blade; I'm not sure a metal fingerguard would be any better. Kraton is superb for offering a good grip under extreme conditions, such as cold, wet, or slippery conditions as when field dressing game. SOG uses a stainless steel, I believe, which would offer better corrosion resistance, but the MH in Carbon V would hold an edge better and be easier to sharpen. The MH is also available in AUS8 stainless, which is a pretty good stainless steel that takes an excellent edge and is relatively easy to sharpen.
 
I think the SOG also has a krayton handle, or something similar. Just the guard is metal. Maybe the Cold Steel knife IS better for skinning game. I collect knives more to look at than to use and I like the fit and finish of the SOG fixed blade knives. I just couldn't see parting with my Dessert Dagger, even though I have never used it for anything other than occupying a niche in my collection. Although I have read in these forums that from a practical standpoint SOG knives perform well for knives made of 440A steel.
 
I have a Northwest Ranger and it's a very nice knife....BUT it somehow never makes it into my pack when I'm headed out. I'm not such a fan of the half serration since the strongest whittling leverage can be found on that part of the blade that is serrated and should be plain edged. I'd probably carry it a lot more if it had a plain edge....

It's very comfortable in the hand and seems well balanced, and the grind is nice and thin for a good, sharp edge....
 
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