Got my Tomcat II... WHOA!

Rival

Rival

Joined
Dec 29, 2001
Messages
101
Although my pictures do very little justice to this extraordinary piece, I made two pictures of the new knife... For comparison I placed the biggest folder I have next to it - the SERE2K... And I thought the SERE was a tank :eek:

http://home.earthlink.net/~bogdan01/SERE_Tomcat_01.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~bogdan01/SERE_Tomcat_02.jpg
Tomcat2.jpg


That is one hell of a blade...
 
They are a very stout knife. Fit & finish is usually very good too.

Just make sure to empty your pockets before swimming, they double as a boat anchor. ;)
 
Wow,
Thats a nice knife.Love the blade profile and the wood inserts.Great looking peice.It's a keeper
 
Tomcat II!!! Oh man I've been out of the SOG world for too long. Is it available in their standard tactical version as well with the kraton handle instead of wood?

Did they change anything else besides the thumbstud, the blade looks to have a slightly different profile....
 
Looks good. Are they still using AUS-6 though or have they upgraded the steel as well?
 
Is it available in their standard tactical version as well with the kraton handle instead of wood?
Click to expand...
Yes, and the blade profile IS slightly different. It is still AUS6.
 
That is a beastly knife for sure...

I have a few questions, that hopefully someone can answer:

How is the action? Smooth, gritty, jerky?

Any comments on the cutting formormance? .2 is pretty thick for a blade that small, I would think.

How about the fit & finish? It looks pretty good in the pics.

What is SOG's warranty, and what does it cover? I have asked this before, and could not get an answer for some reason.

TIA
 
I wish they would have used a better steel.

As far as customer service goes SOG is outstanding. Our own resident SOG employee, Ron, really takes care of people.
 
There's a thread on SOG's AUS-6 here http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=195528&highlight=AUS6+SOG

SOG's AUS-6 is a higher quality AUS-6 that is heat treated to Rc 56-57... I find that SOG's AUS-6 is a step up from AUS-6 you usually find on most blades. It can take a very sharp edge, it's very tough, extremely resistant to rust, and very easy to maintain.

Don't get me wrong, I am happy with VG-10 that I have on my EDC, but I am quite happy with SOG using AUS-6 on their Tomcat. It is a superb steel for blade of this thickness and geometry.

Oh, someone asked about the action on the knife... It is HEAVY. I mean it is very smooth, but it takes a considerable amount of force to open it. Do NOT expect to be able to flip it open with a flick of a wrist. It has a strong, .2 inches thick spring on the lockback... And look at the size of those thumb studs - that's not for no reason.

Fit/Finish? Outstanding for a production knife in that price range. Think custom.

Warranty covers everything for life, for the exception of intentional abuse. Don't plan to break a 486 processor with the knife - that might damage the tip slightly.
 
Rival,

Thanks much for that information, it's a help for sure.
Also, that's great news about the warranty, but why is it not posted on the SOG website?
I just get nervous when I can't get actual written/posted warranty information from a Company.

Where are these Tomcat II's available from, and how much are they?
 
You can read about the SOG's lifetime warranty on their site:
http://www.sogknives.com/warranty.htm

I just checked the web for you, and I can not find the Tomcat II for sale anywhere... But I will tell you this - since SOG does not make the original Tomcat anymore, you can call any company that offers the original Tomcat and make a request for Tomcat II... It would be too much to pay the retail on the SOG's site... Their site still shows the original Tomcat eventhough they already replaced it with Tomcat II on production lines.

Oh, and if you going to order one, keep in mind they make two models, the one with Kraton handle, and the one in cocobolo.
 
Rival,

Thanks, again, for that information and link. I had thought I thoroughly searched SOG's website for warranty information, and I also posted on knifeforums, in the SOG forum, asking about the warranty.

After reading about the warranty on SOG's website, I think I will pass on buying SOG products...It's the part about "as determined by SOG" that is especially troubling.

The warranty also does not cover abuse...why make a blade .2 thick if all you will cover is cutting, as anything else most certainly constitutes abuse of a cutting tool, such as a knife? Or .28 for that matter, like the Trident?

The Tomcat II does look nice, and I might change my mind, but right now I'm surely nonplussed over the warranty coverage, and lack of specific terms, conditions, and coverage.
 
mikemck,
Go over to the SOG Forum and, when Ron, (moderator and warranty manager) returns, ask him about the warranty.
I have never had an issue.
The abuse clause means they won't have to replace Cliff's Recondo;).
Ask, I think you'll be satisfied.
Rob
 
Hi Mikemck,
Originally posted by mikemck
After reading about the warranty on SOG's website, I think I will pass on buying SOG products...It's the part about "as determined by SOG" that is especially troubling.

The warranty also does not cover abuse...why make a blade .2 thick if all you will cover is cutting, as anything else most certainly constitutes abuse of a cutting tool, such as a knife? Or .28 for that matter, like the Trident?
Click to expand...
I'm sorry for the delay in responding to you, but I've been a bit tied up (between being out of town and in the hospital). Fortunately, someone forwarded this link to me, allowing me to more easily find it.

SOG Specialty Knives maintains a very liberal lifetime warranty policy that is either more inclusive than or on par with all major quality knife manufacturers. The only exclusions to warranty on a SOG product would be in cases of neglect (like allowing a product to rust because it was left out in the woods for several weeks) or abuse (such as throwing, hammering on, running over with a car/tank, etc.). The "as determined by SOG" basically means, "as determined by Ron." Yes, I make the final determination on all warranty voided situations. Our warranty policy always falls in customers’ direction, unless I’m 100% positive that neglect or abuse was the cause of why the knife was sent in.

Now for "insider information." We sell a lot of knives. So, how often do I declare the warranty void on a product? About six times a year. And in those instances, the knife owner knows that they did something stupid and was sending it in more in the hope that we could do something, rather than demanding that we do something. Now, when we get to this point (again, not very often), we always try to continue to service the customer. What I will do is something like replacing the knife with one of our "seconds," offering 40% off a replacement knife, or find some equitable scenario to assist the customer in not being completely disappointed (this is not part of our written warranty policy and is subject to change; but from this, one should see how far SOG wishes to go to please their customers). Occasionally, a customer will be disappointed/angry, but I can probably count those occasions on one hand since I've assumed "command" (going on five years).

If you have any specific questions, please let me know.
 
Ron,

Thanks much for the information concerning the warranty, and customer relations. I have read about many very satisfied SOG customers, and have read many of your posts as well, and had no doubt that you personally do not hesitate to go above & beyond for a customer.
While I would still like to see SOG's warranty rewritten to more accurately reflect the true nature of customer service issues, I will be on the lookout for an SOG Tomcat II, as it does look like an excellent knife.

Again, thanks much.
 
i really like the look of that knife, I was considering it myself a few weeks ago in fact, the do a version very similar with a drop point blade i think too. sogwinder 2 i think it is and the sogwinder 1 is a smaller version. I really liked the look of the tomcat however as i was looking for a high quality lockback but in stupid old england we arent allowed knives over 3 inches so it would have been pointless to buy it as i couldnt carry it! I have a fallkniven A1 coming in hte morning :D i know this is >3ins but its not really an EDC, although if i could i probably would....
 
My whole 'problem' with the warranty issue was this:

What if Ron, for whatever reason, leaves SOG? I fully understand that Ron is a great guy and will go the extra mile for the customer, because that's the kind of guy he is, but let's face it, most people are just not up to those standards.
I am, but me and Ron are not your run of the mill people :D

Seriously though, even as it is written, SOG's warranty is not really any more prohibitive than most other warranties, and SOG seems to make a great product with excellent quality, so the whole thing is probably a non-issue anyway.

That Tomcat II is really a great looking knife, and I am on the lookout so I can try one out for myself.
 
If you read our warranty policy along side similar quality production knife manufacturing companies, you will find very little difference (with a couple standouts).

Regarding my personal administration of SOG's warranty policy, I received my directions from Mr. & Mrs. Frazer (SOG's owners) and administer warranty as they have directed me. The "liberalness" in that I administrate warranty is in the "flavor" (if you will) that they have ingrained in me. If by chance I'm no longer here, my replacement will receive the same instructions (and "flavor") I've received and work by.

I hope you understand that as long as you treat your knife with respect and it breaks, you're perfectly fine...period...no problems. The only people that will have issues with our warranty policy are those who abuse and neglect their knife and demand a new one. Our policy is there to protect us in the event someone does send back something that is adorable. There is no rewriting of our warranty policy needed. Issues are clear relative to defects in craftsmanship or materials and clear relative misuse, abuse, improper maintenance, or alterations of the product.

If anyone is interested in more explanation or to give me a specific warranty scenario that you’re thinking about that concerns you, drop me an email and I’d be glad to help you out.
 
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