New to knives..

[tytyguy]

Helllo all. I have had a recent interested in purchasing a knife or 3. I have been looking at many brands. I am curious of SOG is a good brand. I have been thinking about buying this knife but I want to make sure its quality because its quite expensive for my taste... http://www.knifestoreusa.com/sog-trident-tanto-black-tini/

Thanks

 

[flatblackcapo]

Sog makes a good knife but the arc lock (the locking system used on that knife) tends to develop up and down blade play.Not really a big deal but it bugs some people.I have had a few SOGs and they have served me well.Blade HQ has them at a better price and they are forum members.

 

[BladeChick777]

In my person experience, SOG's quality is really hit or miss. However all but two of the SOG's I've owned had very noticeable play. You're also paying a lot for the materials and steel they use, on top of not having the best quality, SOG for me is a no-go.

Spyderco has some excellent options in the same range in better steel and materials(Native, Delica, Endura, Squeak, Dragonfly, UKPK, etc).
Kershaw is another good brand for knives in that range with tons of options all over the board.

Good luck and welcome.

 

[Steel130]

In my person experience, SOG's quality is really hit or miss. However all but two of the SOG's I've owned had very noticeable play. You're also paying a lot for the materials and steel they use, on top of not having the best quality, SOG for me is a no-go.

Spyderco has some excellent options in the same range in better steel and materials(Native, Delica, Endura, Squeak, Dragonfly, UKPK, etc).
Kershaw is another good brand for knives in that range with tons of options all over the board.

Good luck and welcome.

Pretty much my exact thoughts.

 

[Maddogg774]

Welcome, outside of the Vulcan, which seems to be out of your price range, I would not recommend another SOG folder. I would look at cold steel voyager, lawman or recon 1.

 

[Goosey]

Welcome, outside of the Vulcan, which seems to be out of your price range, I would not recommend another SOG folder. I would look at cold steel voyager, lawman or recon 1.

Agreed, Voyagers are a very good value and Lawman is a nice design. You could also get a Spyderco Endura (which has better steel) for roughly the price of the SOG you posted.

 

[wvryn]

Gotta second the Voyager.

Ah, I remember the good old days. I started out like you, thinking $50 was pricey for a knife. Now I don't think twice about dropping $150 or more. The longer you're into them, the more you'll end up paying.

Since you're a fresh face to the world of blades, I'd suggest checking out Kershaw. They have some great knives for way under what you'd pay for that SOG.

 

[Maddogg774]

Kershawguy.com check out the kershaw blems like the blur.

 

[Okieblade]

SOG Vulcan is very nice!!

 

[NateReed]

SOG makes some good knives. I have had blade play in my Flash 1s, but not in my Aegis. The Trident is a good knife, but not a good first knife. I recommend getting a Kershaw Skyline first. Get used to handling a manual action before an assisted action. And trust me, after a couple months, 50-60 bucks on a knife will seem like nothing

 

[iamjeff6]

SOG makes some good knives. I have had blade play in my Flash 1s, but not in my Aegis. The Trident is a good knife, but not a good first knife. I recommend getting a Kershaw Skyline first. Get used to handling a manual action before an assisted action. And trust me, after a couple months, 50-60 bucks on a knife will seem like nothing

Exactly, I actually started "collecting" with a Flash II, then I got 2 Twitch II's, then I moved onto a Ritter Grip for x-mas and just yesterday I got my carbon fiber sebenza in.

Its crazy how you can start entry level and move up so fast...well at least for me it was, I guess im addicted.

 

[Oakengroves]

I've always associated SOG with gimmicky auto-assist folders that develop blade play, use sub-par materials for the price, and ride the leading wave of the "tacticool" movement. As some have mentioned, starting with a manual opening folder is usually a better idea as it allows you to become proficient at opening the vast majority of knives on the market (manuals).

For the same price as a SOG, you can purchase any number of Spyderco models, which use better steels and luck up better, entry-level Benchmades, or Cold Steel (which are the toughest beater knives on the market, hands down).

 

[d0nut]

The only SOG I've owned, the Twitch II, was quite nice. No play, razor sharp right out of the box, carried very well. No complaints.

I do agree though, that for the money, I think Spyderco and Benchmade are better buys.