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SoG Flash 1 or Spyderco Tenacious?
- Thread starter British Bushcraft
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2009
- Messages
- 1,910
At this price point, I'd have to agree with get both.
Did you really mean Flash 1? The Flash 2 is the larger and more comparable to the Tenacious.
The main appeal of the Flash is the extremely light weight, also the assisted opening. Both the 1 and 2 are neat knives. While not "feeling" very heavy duty, the 2 holds up pretty well. There is a vid of someone useing a 2 to baton wood and it held up better than I would have expected in that rather inappproprate test.
If light weight and size are most important then the Flash is probably the better choice for you.
If I had to pick between the two for general EDC, the Tenacious would get the nod; overall better bang for the buck.
Did you really mean Flash 1? The Flash 2 is the larger and more comparable to the Tenacious.
The main appeal of the Flash is the extremely light weight, also the assisted opening. Both the 1 and 2 are neat knives. While not "feeling" very heavy duty, the 2 holds up pretty well. There is a vid of someone useing a 2 to baton wood and it held up better than I would have expected in that rather inappproprate test.
If light weight and size are most important then the Flash is probably the better choice for you.
If I had to pick between the two for general EDC, the Tenacious would get the nod; overall better bang for the buck.
- Joined
- Feb 29, 2008
- Messages
- 1,525
I have owned a couple of tenacious and persistence. I have never owned a flash 1 but have owned a few flash 2s and put them all to good use. Both are good knives but I hate the steel used on the tenacious, I do however love AUS8 and find that flash 2 is for sure a user and holds up well and is easy to re sharpen. I do love spyderco, but in this case I'm voting SOG. If you want to go another way I highly recommend the Kershaw OD-1
Background:
I know this is an old thread, so this is not for the OP, but for anyone searching. This is one of only a few threads that I came across when comparing these two knives. They are popular choices because of the price and are both in the same price range. The flash II is more popular in stores and I think Wal-Mart even sells them.
I have both knives in half serrated and am posting for the benefit of those looking to compare.
I have had and still have several flash II's and one Spyderco Tenacious. I have carried both for extended periods as an EDC in tough use, so thought I would add my experience with them. I currently carry the flash II and a SAK, but carried the Tenacious and SAK for about a year and still have it and prefer it in the woods. I have carried Benchmade's, but they are a little expensive and I fear loosing one. I fly the airlines a lot on spur of the moment notice and have given several knives includin at least two Flash's to TSA having no time to go back and store/ship it or something. I gave one to some Mexicans doing drywall work in the terminal in front of TSA screening rather then give it to TSA. I try to keep a knife in my desk, boat, backpack, and a couple of cars. So more expensive knives haven't been indicated for me.
SOG Flash II
Pros:
Assisted opening. Get it past 5 or 10° with light pressure on the thumb and it snaps open. Great one handed operation, even if injured. A little more wow. or cool, factor then the Tenacious.
Light weight. Feels quite a bit lighter then the Spyderco. Perhaps even less then substantial (personal preference).
Size of the Blade. I like this size knife for EDC.
Lock up is solid, as far as staying open/not closing. There is a little slop though when open in both directions. I have never tried to tighten it up. I have never worried about it closing on me in use.
Safety. You can lock it so it wont open in your pocket.
Easy to sharpen.
Made in USA
Con's:
Slop when open. Not bad, but not as tight as the Tenacious.
I have had it come open in my pocket a couple of times in active situations. It wasn't locked when this happened. Pretty scary. I knew it was open, or partially open; in one case when I reached in my pocket and cut a fingers, and two other times when I felt the point sticking into the front of my hip. In the later two I stopped moving and then moved real slow until I got it folded back up and under control. Front pocket, bad place for an open knife. For some reason a Benchmade Barrage assisted open has never come open in my pocket. Of course the Benchmade is a great knife, but at twice the cost or more. I think the flash lacks a tendency to stay closed. Better spring assisted knives have more force toward closed until you pass the point where it springs toward open. It's not like the safety is a plus, so much as it is needed, because of the tenancy to come open if the thumb nut is bumped in the pocket.
Safety will come off or turn on in pocket. Further aggravates above problem.
Steel is softer then Tenacious and doesn't hold an edge nearly as well. Easy to ding the edge. Supposed to be AUS-8, 56-58 Rockwell (same hardness as Tenacious's Chinese 8Cr13MoV, but I perceive all three Flashes to be softer than and not hold an edge as well as the Tenacious based on use and response when sharpening ). The 8Cr13MoV sounds better when sharpening too. Ha. But that may be due to the heaver construction of the whole knife.
Have broken 2 belt clips. SOG replaced them for free though. There is a place on there web sight for this.
Fairly complicated to disassemble if needed to clean. Goes with the territory for an assisted.
Spyderco Tenacious:
Pros:
Solid construction. Feels better then the Flash in use (in the hand).
Good blade steel. Better then the Flash II IMO.
Good lock up.
Size of the Blade. I like this size knife for EDC.
Easy enough to open with either hand.
The belt clip is more durable then the Flash. The Flash clip breaks at one of the multiple 90° bends.
Cons:
Difficulty closing with one hand: I am not a big fan of liner locks, but I like them much better then no lock. You can get your thumb caught and sliced in the blade trying to close it with one hand. Not a problem with two hands using the other one to control the blade closing, but with a bolt lock on the side you never need to get your finger under where the blade goes.
Heavy (this is not a big thing for me, but it is noticeably heaver).
I would say not having a safety, but not having a safety is not a problem for an unassisted opening knife.
Made in China. But, quality and steel is very good in the case of this knife, so Made in China" is more about ethics and politics then quality in this case.
Summary:
I like both knives for different reasons.
I give the edge to the Tenacious for the Blade design & hardness, build construction, and belt clip. Opening is good and easy but requires moving the blade all the way open, or a strong flip on a well broken in knife.
The Flash II is lighter (may be good or bad). I like the bolt action lock better, mainly for ease of closing with one hand, and the spring assist opening it great. The flash has more pzazz.
Both knives are about the same price 30 to $45 at the time of this post, with the Spyderco starting on the lower end of the overlap price range and the Flash topping out the range.
A cross between these with the Spyderco blade design and steel, assisted opening and an axis type lock like the Flash, would be real cool. Better then either one IMO. My Benchmade Barrage is the best of both worlds or better, and I like it better (who wouldn't), but too expensive for EDC for me.
Conclusion:
I have to say the Spyderco Tenacious is the more practical choice and probably a better choice for most applications.
Who ever said get them both, I would have to agree with that.
Hope this helps someone decide.
I know this is an old thread, so this is not for the OP, but for anyone searching. This is one of only a few threads that I came across when comparing these two knives. They are popular choices because of the price and are both in the same price range. The flash II is more popular in stores and I think Wal-Mart even sells them.
I have both knives in half serrated and am posting for the benefit of those looking to compare.
I have had and still have several flash II's and one Spyderco Tenacious. I have carried both for extended periods as an EDC in tough use, so thought I would add my experience with them. I currently carry the flash II and a SAK, but carried the Tenacious and SAK for about a year and still have it and prefer it in the woods. I have carried Benchmade's, but they are a little expensive and I fear loosing one. I fly the airlines a lot on spur of the moment notice and have given several knives includin at least two Flash's to TSA having no time to go back and store/ship it or something. I gave one to some Mexicans doing drywall work in the terminal in front of TSA screening rather then give it to TSA. I try to keep a knife in my desk, boat, backpack, and a couple of cars. So more expensive knives haven't been indicated for me.
SOG Flash II
Pros:
Assisted opening. Get it past 5 or 10° with light pressure on the thumb and it snaps open. Great one handed operation, even if injured. A little more wow. or cool, factor then the Tenacious.
Light weight. Feels quite a bit lighter then the Spyderco. Perhaps even less then substantial (personal preference).
Size of the Blade. I like this size knife for EDC.
Lock up is solid, as far as staying open/not closing. There is a little slop though when open in both directions. I have never tried to tighten it up. I have never worried about it closing on me in use.
Safety. You can lock it so it wont open in your pocket.
Easy to sharpen.
Made in USA
Con's:
Slop when open. Not bad, but not as tight as the Tenacious.
I have had it come open in my pocket a couple of times in active situations. It wasn't locked when this happened. Pretty scary. I knew it was open, or partially open; in one case when I reached in my pocket and cut a fingers, and two other times when I felt the point sticking into the front of my hip. In the later two I stopped moving and then moved real slow until I got it folded back up and under control. Front pocket, bad place for an open knife. For some reason a Benchmade Barrage assisted open has never come open in my pocket. Of course the Benchmade is a great knife, but at twice the cost or more. I think the flash lacks a tendency to stay closed. Better spring assisted knives have more force toward closed until you pass the point where it springs toward open. It's not like the safety is a plus, so much as it is needed, because of the tenancy to come open if the thumb nut is bumped in the pocket.
Safety will come off or turn on in pocket. Further aggravates above problem.
Steel is softer then Tenacious and doesn't hold an edge nearly as well. Easy to ding the edge. Supposed to be AUS-8, 56-58 Rockwell (same hardness as Tenacious's Chinese 8Cr13MoV, but I perceive all three Flashes to be softer than and not hold an edge as well as the Tenacious based on use and response when sharpening ). The 8Cr13MoV sounds better when sharpening too. Ha. But that may be due to the heaver construction of the whole knife.
Have broken 2 belt clips. SOG replaced them for free though. There is a place on there web sight for this.
Fairly complicated to disassemble if needed to clean. Goes with the territory for an assisted.
Spyderco Tenacious:
Pros:
Solid construction. Feels better then the Flash in use (in the hand).
Good blade steel. Better then the Flash II IMO.
Good lock up.
Size of the Blade. I like this size knife for EDC.
Easy enough to open with either hand.
The belt clip is more durable then the Flash. The Flash clip breaks at one of the multiple 90° bends.
Cons:
Difficulty closing with one hand: I am not a big fan of liner locks, but I like them much better then no lock. You can get your thumb caught and sliced in the blade trying to close it with one hand. Not a problem with two hands using the other one to control the blade closing, but with a bolt lock on the side you never need to get your finger under where the blade goes.
Heavy (this is not a big thing for me, but it is noticeably heaver).
I would say not having a safety, but not having a safety is not a problem for an unassisted opening knife.
Made in China. But, quality and steel is very good in the case of this knife, so Made in China" is more about ethics and politics then quality in this case.
Summary:
I like both knives for different reasons.
I give the edge to the Tenacious for the Blade design & hardness, build construction, and belt clip. Opening is good and easy but requires moving the blade all the way open, or a strong flip on a well broken in knife.
The Flash II is lighter (may be good or bad). I like the bolt action lock better, mainly for ease of closing with one hand, and the spring assist opening it great. The flash has more pzazz.
Both knives are about the same price 30 to $45 at the time of this post, with the Spyderco starting on the lower end of the overlap price range and the Flash topping out the range.
A cross between these with the Spyderco blade design and steel, assisted opening and an axis type lock like the Flash, would be real cool. Better then either one IMO. My Benchmade Barrage is the best of both worlds or better, and I like it better (who wouldn't), but too expensive for EDC for me.
Conclusion:
I have to say the Spyderco Tenacious is the more practical choice and probably a better choice for most applications.
Who ever said get them both, I would have to agree with that.
Hope this helps someone decide.
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