New SOG’s

Hello everyone. I check this forum now and then and it’s been fairly slow for a while. I actually picked up two of SOG’s newer knives recently.

For a bit of my background, I’ve been off and on these forums for maybe 15 years. My first “good quality” fixed blade was a Seki SOG Pentagon. I also have an original Seal 2000 and a Seki Tech 2. SOG was the first quality knife company that I ever got really interested in. That was in the late 90’s. As many here, I’ve seen SOG go through some ups and downs, and a lot of cheap designs. I have several arc lock Seki folders and a Trident folder (not the new Trident AT XR) that I honestly feel was a waste of money when I bought it on clearance at Walmart for $25. The lock and blade play on that are horrible.

Moving forward to today, I just picked up a Pillar and a Pentagon XR. The one statement that sums these knives up is that this looks like the start of a new better era for SOG. The Pillar to me seems like a top quality full exposed tang Seal Pup, but made out of a primo steel. The Pentagon XR, though made in Taiwan, has the same solid feel and lockup as any one of my arc lock folders. I’d venture to say the blade is even more solid because it rides on ball bearings that result in less blade play than nylon washers. Now I did get these both on sale for roughly 25-30% off, but I think they’re well worth it, so far. Oh, the Pentagon XR even has the liners recessed in the G10 handle scales. It’s a nice touch!

I’d like to post some pics, but I’ll need to figure out how to post. It’s been a while since I last did!

In short, I think SOG is headed in a much better direction than they have been for the last several years.

 

To add to my collection of new SOG’s, I just got a Seal XR for Christmas! It’s a tank, opens smooth, and has solid lockup! While the handle is pretty much Zytel with steel liners, there is little to no flex, and the the ergonomics are good. I much prefer the comfort of this handle over flat G10 slabs that some companies use. Even the Pentagon XR has contouring machines into the G10. Here’s a pic of both.