Has anyone had any major problems with SOG?

Steel130

Steel130

Joined
Sep 17, 2010
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I have been looking at getting their NW Ranger 2.0 and the Tsunami. Both seem like good deals for around 50 bucks. Just wondering though if you have had any problems at all. I like my Sog Seal Pup Elite just fine. Also is a plain edge a flat ground edge?
 
A few throws

broke.jpg


I know it's not a "throwing knife", but i've thrown A LOT of knives, 100's actually, never had one break in half after a couple sticks. Looks like kill bill lied.
 
SOG is tho only major knife company I categorically won't touch anything from. People seem to like their multitools and bowies well enough, however some of their knife designs have built-in weak points, for no other reason than placing a brand-name cutout onto the blade... (Their throwing knife set of three, for example. And I can't quite recall, but I've heard a few bad things about their hatchets as well)

Coupled with their unethical and blatant (though changed enough to remain "legal") theft of a Spyderco flagship design, along with a few scattered reports of unsatisfactory fit and finish, and/or warranty service, and I would much rather just spend my money on a company more primarily focused on the true art of craftsmanship and customer satisfaction.

If you like a SOG, though, go for it. People should carry the knife designs that they like, regardless of outside opinions. :thumbup:
 
Own a flash one.. no problems per sei, I just don't like it very much.

I also own a Seal pup elite which I happen to love. I like their fixed blade designs, but there are too many other brands I'm interested in at the moment.
 
Also had a Sog Flash II.

Back when I thought Nutnfancy was THE expert on knives.... *facepalm*

Sold it within a month and switched too kershaw...

Sticky arc lock... AUS-8 couldn't hold an edge worth a damn at work... Lotta side to side blade wobble... clip screw wouldn't stay tight enough to prevent clip from having play. Bleh, just glad I sold it used for the same price I bought it.

Edit: To the guy throwing his knives... well every non-throwing knife that is thrown will snap eventually. Steel that is hardened to this extent can't take the forces exerted by it being smacked into a tree. That's why you see 99% of throwing knives made out of soft 420J stainless at a very low RC hardness.
 
As a long time SOG user, never a single bit of trouble with any of them. LOVE THE northwest ranger.
 
I destroyed a Twitch 2 by taking it apart while closed, all of the pieces shot all over the place, but that was my fault. I went and bought another because it didn't feel right to send it in for repairs after I broke it. My second had the spring break after a year or so, SOG replaced it and sharpened it for me. Haven't had any other problems with their knives.
 
ElectrikHellfire said:
I owned a SOG Flash II and a Trident. Both seemed flimsy and had a lot of blade play.
Click to expand...
+1 My first, only, and almost certainly last SOG was a Flash II, and it's easily my least favorite knife I've ever owned. Flimsy-feeling handle, terrible ergos, and tons of blade play. :thumbdn:
 
wolffbite said:
Edit: To the guy throwing his knives... well every non-throwing knife that is thrown will snap eventually. Steel that is hardened to this extent can't take the forces exerted by it being smacked into a tree. That's why you see 99% of throwing knives made out of soft 420J stainless at a very low RC hardness.
Click to expand...

Glad someone said it.
 
I really like my Northwest Ranger and Seal Pup Elite. For the OP ; plain edge usually means without serrations and not necessarily the type of grind. You could have a plain edge knife flat ground , convex ground , Scandi-ground , etc , etc.
I like only specific knives from certain manufacturers. I do not regret getting the above blades and actually where pretty impressed by them so far. The other SOG fixed blades seem overpriced to me. Great multi-tools they make Imo. NONE of the folders SOG makes appeal to me .
 
Looks like the blade play on the flash series is pretty commom...

I think SOG knives are too expensive for the materials and designs, just my opinion though...
 
I like the Flash 1 knife that I have. Yeah it has blade play that gets a bit looser over time (you can loctite though) but I like having this knife for small EDC tasks. Especially the Flash 1 with the black coating. It is probably the greatest IMO for discreet EDC chores in "hostile environments" (liberal public university in California).

Anyway, the most major problem I noticed was blade play. Other than that SOGs tend to look really tactical or tacticool (but still functional).
 
I've beed more disapointed by sog than any other knife co. After my experience I think of them as the joke and not worth even looking at the pictures.
 
The only SOG knife I have been truly dissatisfied with was a Flash II. I had a couple and used them hard for work. The worker bees tend to walk off with them.

I like my Seal Pup Elite. I intend to buy the new NW Ranger (plain edge). I have the old partially serrated NW Ranger. It was in fact the first or second SOG knife I bought. Hard to remember as there have been quite a few.

The ones I really like are; Mini-Vulcan, Access Card 2.0, Twitch II and Twitch XL, Seal Pup Elite, Field Pup, Tech I and Tech II, and a non serrated Tiger Shark.

I don't think you will go wrong with the new NW Ranger if you already like SOG blades. If you don't like them, there is no convincing you otherwise.
 
I have a SOG folder and it's easily the worst knife in my collection. Weak construction, flimsy blade, and a shitload of blade play. The blade steel (AUS-8) sucks too, in my opinion. Doesn't hold an edge. :thumbdn:

I've handled other SOGs and they didn't seem too great for the amount of money you're paying. Nice looking knives, sure... but I can do better at that price point. I don't like the steels they use and the prices they charge for them.

A lot of their designs are "tacticool" and that turns me off from the entire company as well. I just can't take them seriously.

And then there was that whole issue a while back about them quite blatantly ripping other companies designs off. Eh...

Wow, I didn't mean for this post to be so negative. Sorry SOG!
 
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