SOG Flash II vs CRKT M16 EDC?

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youstfu

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I've been searching around for a durable folding knife with good quality and the SOG Flash II and CRKT EDC (aluminum) caught my eyes. Both are well priced and have good reviews, but I can't seem to decide which one to get.




CRKT:
CRM16-01K.jpg

PROS:
-More durable
-Stronger lock (according to most people)
-Aluminum handle










SOG:
yhst-37315173526266_1965_9105751

PROS:
-Assisted open
-3.5 inch blade versus 3 inch
-More comfortable to hold (according to reviews)




Both are priced around $48 with shipping included, so do you guys have any input or recommend a different folding knife? I tend to ABUSE my knives by the way. I'm open to all opinions :)
 
I have a SOG Flash II which has been my "beater" knife for quite a few years. It is the knife I carry when I know I am going to be doing outdoor work and abuse and blade scratches are possible. I know some do not like the SOGs, but the one I have has held up to some very rough work and an occasional sharpening brings it back to life. I had a lot weed wrapped around my tiller's tines and cutting the weeds off and hitting the tine shaft did very little damage to the edge. I have the CRKT M21-04 and it too has held up, but I do not use it as much as the SOG. I like the Zytel handle on the SOG for its durability and the fact is won't scratch like the aluminum of the CRKT knives...
 
I have a LOT of knives, from cheapies to extremely rare. I make/repair/design knives.
I carry a SOG Flash 1 every day.
 
I have both, although my Flash II is the aluminum version. The CRKT M16 EDC is a very small compact knife. I got it on sale for $25.00 and IMO that's a fair price not the typical full price. I think the standard or large size M16's are a better buy.
I don't have any experience with the Zytel Flash II , but some here complain of blade play. My aluminum Flash II is very tight and well made. So I'd recommend the standard size M16 in aluminum or the aluminum Flash II.

If you want I can provide a pic of the EDC and the SOG side by side , just ask...
 
Thanks for all the opinions guys!


A side by side picture would be nice, even though I've already decided to get the Zytel Flash II. I'll be sure to give an in-depth review of it, since I didn't find one on this forum.
 
The Flash II used to be available from Amazon for $30 with free shipping. At the current price I would say there are better valued buys.
 
kel_aa said:
The Flash II used to be available from Amazon for $30 with free shipping. At the current price I would say there are better valued buys.
Click to expand...

Really? $30 with or without shipping? The cheapest I found was $40 with $8 shipping.
 
The Flash II is a medium duty knife. I have abused one for the last year and it is still going. It will be a lot better slicer, with the full flat ground blade, than the CRKT. It doesnt hold an edge the best but it gets really sharp really easy. It is also made in the US. I would recommend spending the extra bucks and get an aluminum handled one. The locks are a lot stronger in the aluminum ones over the zytel ones. Go for the Flash II.
 
I lost my flash II, but when it was still around we had a love/hate relationship. I loved it because it flips out fast and fun to use. The blade was very plain and boring but it cut pretty good. The lock was strong, but in the closed position it giggled around, which was very annoying. The pocket clip broke off, but it left a little stub that was good for opening beer bottles.

It was EDC, but that was because I'd rather beat up the flash than one of my better knives.
 
That is why I carry mine to beat up and not use my better knives.Funny the clip on mine broke off also.
 
I've EDC'd the Flash II for a couple years with the black TiNi coating and half serrated, , AUS8 held up well,keeps an edge o.k, rides low in the pocket like I like, opens fast, you can even open it with your pinky if you wanted to, Well to let you know how it stands up to abuse,... I have to admit to playing around/testing the knife to do some things that the knife was never intended to do, it was balanced pretty well center so I decided to throw it:rolleyes:, and that's where it picked up the blade play, a pretty annoying little wobble, blade held up, Zytel handle held up, it just got loose, I've even batoned the thing when I was splitting wood, still held up, although after opening it up several thousand times it did start to wear out the spring, other than that the knife shape is very versatile, looks good and is light enough not to make shorts sag that just have an elastic band around the waist, the blade's just a hair too thin for my liking today, I'd still give it a :thumbup: oh yeah the clip also started to dig into the handle, probably wouldnt happen to the aluminum handled one, although I don't know which is harder the clip or the aluminum:o
 
Wouldn't the aluminum scratch more than zytel though? I've had a black aluminum knife before and it scratched up a lot after a while. I don't really think I can justify spending $35 more just for an aluminum handle, unless it makes a huge difference. Is the blade play only when it's closed? If it's only when closed I don't really mind, but I need no blade play when it's opened and locked.

Should I get half-serration? I've heard serrations are harder to sharpen. Personally, I like a little bit of serration, but it seems 2/3 of the serrated version is serrated.




Thanks a lot guys, you all have been a great help :)
 
Lets put it this way I can force the lock on mine to fail with out using extreme pressure. It will fail because the handle flexes enough to let the blade force the lock up and then it closes. I don't think you wold have this problem with aluminum handles. Like I said I use mine hard but I wont buy another zytel handled model.
 
FWIW: the only complaints I've ever heard about the Flash II were from Zytel handles.

I've had my Flash II with Aluminum handles for 6 years, or so, and have NEVER had a single problem with it.

I've carried this knife every day and have used it very hard. The black coating on the blade is scratched up, and there are some scratches on the pocket clip.
That's the only problem with it. The spring still works great, the handles have never scratched (green aluminum handles), and the knife holds a very good edge.

I've never owned the M16 so I can't compare the two.
 
i've carried a crkt m16-13LE (a little bigger than the EDC) for years. however, i lost it this week and have been lurking around this forum, considering whether to get a different knife.

i've had no complaint w/ the crkt. the carson flipper allows it to open as quickly as needed, and with practice it can just "appear" in your hand, fully open and ready to go. once you adjust the blade tightness (easy to do w/o tools) you can have it fully open *without* a "snap" or "click" which you might get w/ the assisted opening knives.

OTOH, having a knife that's got my name (flash) on the blade would be |< [] [] |_ . . .

maybe i'll get both (i put them both on my amazon wishlist and have a birthday approaching).

i've been carrying a li'l swiss army pocket multiblade folder (in addition to the K.I.S.S. money clip) and it feels weird not to have something where my knife's s'posed to be.
 
I have a SOG flash II and it has been great for its use as a cc/general use knife the only complaint is the low carry belt clip since it makes manipulating knife harder but the clip is removable. I have the Crkt m16-12Z which is smaller and though I am not fond of liner locks it has surpassed my expectations and has been abused over the last few years and it is still functionable. THey are both good knives but I think the flash 2 is a little more versatile.
 
I do not know this for sure, but I think they have improved on the zytel handles. I've had mine for almost two years now. With the lock on it does not open. With the lock off it takes some pressure to open. I've even dropped it a few times, and I would say fifty percent of the time, or less, it opened up from hitting the ground. I carry this knife almost everywhere. It is not very heavy, but is still good for heavy duty.
 
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