My First VULCAN!..first SOG Folder that blew me away!

Yea the Buck 186 came with both a leather sheath and a removable "ciip" shaped like the scale.
That weas late 80s in 1987. My Bucklite folder from 1985 only came with a nylon sheath.

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So which Vulcan is your favorite? I really dig the tanto but haven't pulled the trigger. Also, is there a comparable folder in size to the mini Vulcan that you know of? Thanks!
 
What do you think of that fixed blade? Was going to go after them but there are much nicer SOG fixed blades...As for which is my favorite that is easy!...either mini or full size tanto! Both are san mai VG10 and both came razor sharp out of the box. The drop points need sharpening. Closest knife size wise I can compare to is the mini Griptilian. The handle of the mini Vulcan is a touch fatter in the center and a good bit longer as the tanto is a true 3 in blade. vs the mini Grip which has a blade nearly a quarter inch shorter. Between the two the SOG has far better ergos, has a good heft to it with its un skeletonized steel liners, has a superior blade shape and construction(san mai VG10) and I am going to actually say I do indeed believe the Arc Lock is superior to the Axis. I love how the Arc lock bar sticks out a couple mm more on each side than the Axis. Working the lock is sooo much easier than the Axis. There is zero lock rock in any of the 4 Vulcans I bought. All 4 were in perfect condition. For the price of a standard Griptillian you can get either mini or full size tanto Vulcans which are just flat out superior to the griptillian. Ive got and have had many grips none of them rise to the level of feature value that the Vulcans do.

If you were on the fence about getting that tanto Vulcan its time to get off of it and buy one. The San Mai VG10 blades are on the Tanto Vulcans only the drop point Vulcans are just pure VG10. The grinds on the tanto Vulcans are done by hand to boot. Large Tanto Vulcan
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mini tanto Vulcan
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Together
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the Vulcan is the most kick ass knife for the price I have seen since my first Benchmade 710. I am VERY surprised these are not much more popular! Then again SOG makes most their money off the doo doo they sell off the rack at Wal Mart so they just dont push their upper end stuff so...
 
The fixed Blade Vulcan was discontinued a couple of years ago. It has a blade design that people seem to either love or hate, but I think
there is at least one or two reviews on youtube. The blade is sold VG10 and the handle is the same highly ergonomically comfortable design as the folders. About the biggest drawback that is often said about it is that SOG packaged it with a leather sheath rather than a
kydex one, which with more suited to it's "tactical" styling. Yes, there are nicer SOG fixed blades. I know because I own most of them.
The Vulcan folders, as well as all the other Seki made SOG folders are manufactured by G.Sakai, the same company that made the knives for Al Mar and Spyderco until they switched to Moki a few years back. The quality of these folders are top notch, and really remarkable that SOG continued to have thes made in Seki Japan, even though they switched nearly all of their fixed blades to Taiwan
production. In order to continue making them in Seki despite the high Yen exchange rate over the last 10 years, SOG had to cut corners where it could. That explains the GRN handles which usually draws a negative comment from those use to to G10 scales. These Seki SOGs are also overlooked because so many people have had unsatisfactory experiences with SOG's lower priced folders and believe (and spread the misimpression) that all SOG folders are bad.
 
KenHash said:
These Seki SOGs are also overlooked because so many people have had unsatisfactory experiences with SOG's lower priced folders and believe (and spread the misimpression) that all SOG folders are bad.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY! My first Vulcan purchase was at my local army/navy store. Wasn't looking to buy one and REALLY wasn't looking to buy a SOG. I had dealings with the flash, aegis, etc. and they weren't what I would consider good experiences. Those knives are OK, but not anything I'd want to own. As far as the WalMart models, well they're just plain crap. But, when I was looking through the BM's, ZT's and such at said army/navy store, the Vulcan caught my eye. I asked if I could check it out. All it took was one deployment of the blade and I was hooked. It opened so smooth and effortlessly. The blade struck the stop pin and I immediately said "I'll take it".

The point is, If I hadn't taken a second to hold the Vulcan, I would've never considered buying it. I know there are a lot of models out there from various companies that would possibly cause a similar reaction, but SOG is a very well known company and has a homerun in the Vulcan. Oh, and here's a good idea.......Make more SOG's with the overall quality of the SEKI models!!! I know they have found a niche in the low-end, uneducated buyer's market. That seems to keep them afloat finacially. But, they need to develop new, higher-quality mods instead of this buncha horse crap contained in their 2015 lineup. Keep it up SOG, you're headed to the sub-Gerber class of knives.
 
my first experience with SOG was a made in Taiwan Seal Pup I got at a Dicks Sporting Goods store and quite honestly that cheap little Seal Pup blew me away. I couldnt believe how good it was for how little I paid for it! So I know SOG makes some amazing fixed blades. THEN I Fd up and bought a doo doo Trident at my local Walmart. What a piece of crap! I doesnt even have steel liners! I could snap the knife in half if I wanted to. Lock rock all over the place loose handle scews etc. Then after reading some good online reviews on the Flash II I bought one at my local Lowes and it was the same story more doo doo. More really dangerous toys than actual working tools. Last straw was the Twitch II just more lock rocking doo doo. Thing is these big box stores cant keep all this SOG doo doo in stock! Once Gunnys face was all over everything SOG sales went through the roof! Hell the new Acme Camillus stuff is ten times better than the sub $100 SOG stuff!

SOG has proudly taken rank with Gerber as maker of really dangerous toys marketed as knives. SOG has got to be raking in record profits off this doo doo they stuff on big box store racks. I decided to give SOG one last chance since I have never read a bad Vulcan review. I am very happy I gave SOG that last chance! I love the fact the Vulcans come in nice SOG boxes instead of cheesy blister packs. Hell I think the Vulcan is SO good that it actually made up for the horrendous experiences I had stepping in SOGs doo doo toy knives.

Ill likely have the last two Vulcans by the end of the coming week. Can someone tell me if the mini clip point Vulcan is assisted or not? Or if there is a manual and assisted version? It seems that may be the case or a lot of online retailers are just not putting up the correct info for the same knife. Until I find that out Vulcan #5 will be the full size black tini clip point Vulcan. Have 6 knives coming next week may as well make it 7 lol. Still a couple of weeks in and my very high opinion of the Vulcan has not changed. It is one of the best and baddest knife purchases I have ever made. The Vulcans will never leave my collection. They also poop all over any Griptilian.
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All Seki made SOG folders are not A/O or auto.
Those are "Assembled in the US".

BTW, I can open all my arc-lock Seki folders, either with thumbstud or wrist flicking, faster than my A/O Blurs.
 
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give this baby a try also. Another seki SOG that has a piston lock. Smaller than the vulcan, but a cool, quick blade for sure
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Hmmm....oh yeah? Was going to try the Pentagons and spec Elites next but Ill take you up on your suggestion. Just bought the last 2 Vulcans to complete the collection so its gonna be a couple weeks till I can afford to lol
 
Understandable. The Toothlock was my first REAL blade. It's the one that started me down this dark road, though the Vulcan is really the one that lit a fire under me to start collecting blades like mad. Grats on the new fleet of Vulcan btw :thumbup:
 
Ty. That toothlock looks pretty interesting just watched a couple of YT vids on it and I can get it pretty cheap! May just have to do a double order get a toothlock and a Pentagon Elite. Will have the last 2 Vulcans tomorrow...
 
uh oh! Having to send back the min tini Vulcan for an exchange! Blade to off center! No biggie where I got it from has a great exchange policy Im sure Ill have its replacement by the end of the week. Will have the large tini and mini plain clip point tomorrow. Am still loving this new SOG adventure....
 
and then there were 5! This completes my Vulcan collection for now. Got a refund for the small tini clip point and used it on a Pentagon Elite 2 which I will have Monday. Cant wait!
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