controversy around SOG knives?

sogflash

sogflash

Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
1,595
I've seen some posts about SOG copying other knives. what exactly are they talking about?

what other critique do you have?

I'm not trying to start a raging debate or make anyone angry, I'm just curious about stuff in the knife community.
 
Yeah, if everybody does it, its ok ;)
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sogflash said:
I've seen some posts about SOG copying other knives. what exactly are they talking about?

what other critique do you have?

I'm not trying to start a raging debate or make anyone angry, I'm just curious about stuff in the knife community.
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The controversy comes from some of SOG's recently released knives. Folks on here noticed some uncanny similarities between some of SOG's new designs and several well-regarded knives from other makers (ex: The Sogzilla, which looks exactly like the Spyderco Endura 4).

There are a few threads out there on it already, but that's the gist of it.
 
For me, it's Gunny that has soured me on SOG. I don't buy from any company that is using Gunny to pitch their product.
 
Their knives are marketed as "tough" and "for military use" bs. Their knives are overpriced and come with bladeplay from the factory.
 
The other posters nailed it. Some of their recent models are almost direct copies of other companies' well-established designs, and their attempt to project a "tough", "military grade" image in their marketing -- the Gunny endorsement, the names and descriptions of a lot of their models, etc. -- is pitiful given the frequently shoddy quality of their products, especially the folders.
 
My problem with SOG isn't necessarily with their designs or the orgins of them but the excecution and QC of their products both of the SOG folders I own ( Aegis, Trident ) are of very questionable quality and have mediocre fit and finish as well as blades that are a bit on the soft side ( this is for AUS-8 which I'm generally fond of ) all in all I won't be purchasing anyof their folders in the future.
 
Mooseyard said:
For me, it's Gunny that has soured me on SOG. I don't buy from any company that is using Gunny to pitch their product.
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Yeah the Gunny [or is it Dummy?] makes me gag as well. The "Ask the Gunny" section in Tactical knives magazine is almost enough to make me stop buying it. [It's interesting when you learn that an actor ,in real life, is every bit the idiot he portrayed in his most famous role as the bootcamp sargeant , in 'Full Metal Jacket']
Having said that, I think the accusation that Sog copies everyone is not true. In fact Sog seems to go out of their way to come up with offerings that are quite unique. The Brent Bashara designed Swedge trio , for example, are a departure from what most other major companies offer.
Their new "Slim Jim" knives are also a little different. The new sheaths they've come up with for their Tactical and Fast hawks are also unlike any I've seen from other companies for their hawks.
In any case I really don't care if someone supposedly "copied" an idea from someone else. If I like the product and I can afford it, I'm gonna buy it. I don't have any money invested in any knife company.
 
There are die-hard fans of SOG here on BF, and more power to them. If they are happy with their SOG knives, then God bless them. But most members (myself included) think they are gimmicky and cheap. That's all there is to the "controversy" in a nutshell.
 
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ooitzoo said:
I happen to like Gunny. What's your beef with him?
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He's just a little o er the top...that's all. Most high quality companies are quite understated, crk for example. Gunny endorsing a product is the exact opposite of that. Put it this way, crk would NEVER ask gunny to promote the sebenza...
 
the sogzilla does look a bit like the endura.

would it bother anyone if it didn't have an oval thumb hole with a cutout, just a thumb stud? because at least it's oval and with a cutout, and not a perfect round hole.

I believe I've seen someone post that you can't patent a hole. it was a discussion about benchmade knives with opening holes.
 
I don't care as much about the controversy as I do the quality. IMO the quality of their knives have gone down hill since the late 80's-early 90's.
 
ooitzoo said:
I happen to like Gunny. What's your beef with him?
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It's not a "beef" but he's a caricature, a human cartoon character. Plus his endorsement implies that the product endorsed is military or military grade, which I think is an affectation that I want to avoid.
 
Hey, Gunny likes Kiku Matsuda knives back off. I bought a SOG S1 Bowie back when they were still made in Seki Japan, mine is SK-5. I bought it because I heard they were switching to AUS-8. I'm glad I did.
 
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