question for seal/seal pup/pentagon/nw ranger owners

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
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I was just wondering how much use you give your blade, and what for, and how you find the edge retention on SOG aus-6...Thanks
 
I use mine hard. They cut everything from rope, seatbelts,firehose, to small trees and cleaning wild game while out in the woods. Edge retention is usually pretty good but all of my Sog knives have been reprofiled since the factory angle sucked.
 
I dont care for the stock angle on my seal 2000's or my Tigersharks. The angle on my field pup and autoclip were good. I sharpen freehand on DMT diamond stones so I dont know the exact angle. It is about half or less of the original angle. I found they get a lot sharper and hold that sharpness a lot longer when they are re-angled.
 
Ashtx thanks alot I know you are a devored sog fan I've only had my seal pup for a little while but it feels like a solid knife..I'm looking for a commercial made outdoor knife, The seal pup might do the trick (but I'm concerned about the edge holding up after an extended stay in the field) field pup also looks nice...
 
Mine do real well in extended stays in the field. It doesnt matter what I carry or where I go I always put my 6" DMT diamond coarse,fine, and ultra fine stones in my pack. I also edc a DMT diamond butterfly sharpener (DMT dia-fold) that is fine on one side and ultra fine on the other. These things fit in your pocket and are hardly noticable. They could make the complete difference in a survival situation. If I didnt like the way they held up I would sell my Sogs and bash them every chance I could. The size of the seal or field pup is more of a disadvantage in a survival situation than the edge retention of these two. OBTW if you like the seal pup you will really like the field pup. The grip is a little small but man it gets sharp and holds it very well. The field pup is one of my favorite knives for field dressing deer and hogs. I never go anywhere without a stone since a dull knive is as usefull as an icepick.
 
The size does not really concern me as I usually also have a machete or an axe with me in the field The knife would be primarily used a s asmall to med sized fixed blade...I like the looks of the field pup alot but I've only seen pictures of it. I've heard the blade is kind of thin, My med size knife would also be my fishing/dive knife (one of the reasons I originally chose the seal pup) however with a different sheath the field pup might work too I suppose.
 
Interesting three questions.

How much use do you give your blade:

Blade? "Blade" is singular. ;) I have several Pentagons and they have different uses. One is a trainer/ "beater". I bought it used, in "so-so" condition, and have no reluctance continuing to use it for tasks where it may get damaged.


What for:

It's been used for everything from recently removing jammed nylon web out of a snowblower, a lot of rope cutting over the years, to regular use against cloth/wood/rubber cutting targets. The point saw some abuse before I got it and has taken a bunch of dings since then. It's funny Ashtxsniper mentioned reprofiling, I've had to "re-point" mine twice already. I was shocked when I first saw the Extrema Ratio Praetorian (top model) because my redone point is almost line for line identical. I suspect they "invented" it the same way I did. :p


Edge Retention:

AUS-6 isn't a bad steel. It's not ATS-34 or D2, much less any of the "miracle" steels like INFI. I'd have to run a side-by-side test to give a truly accurate estimate on edge-retention. That's more Cliff Stamp's forte than mine; here's his page on AUS-6.
 
I also changed the edge geometery on my 2k. However I find that with an accute angle it would chip pretty easily. I have since tried to put a convex grind on it, and it seems to have lasted quite a bit longer than before. I only had it for about 2 weeks.

So far I've,

Made stakes for the garden
Made a couple walking sticks for hikes
cut up carpet to line the bottom of ice-fishing boots
split kindlings for fire
cut up a full size roasted pig into serving size last night for chinese new years.

That's about it for now. I find that the new grind really makes a huge difference in edge retension.
 
I'm curiuos to how the blade will hol up to regular camp chores...food prep, cord cutting, light whittiling (anything more than tha is reserved for an axe unless tshtf in which case I'm sure it will perform) without reprofiling??? any experiences are welcome...the reviews I read before purchasing this knife where awesome...several people claimed to give this knife hard use across a variety of tasks without needing to resharpen...This sounds to good to be true and I'm sure it is, just trying to get a realistic perspective.
 
Reprofiling just allows a sharper and longer lasting edge. I am not saying the edge isnt any good since most of mine were shaving sharp out of the box. I have just got so to where I sharpen by feel only and so I angle all of my knives the same.
 
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