SOG History: the Midnite Tiger

N

New Pig Hunter

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Dec 4, 2002
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As I mentioned in the "other" SOG history posting, Mr vjb.knives sent me a couple of catalog pages.

SO..... this thread will be about the Midnite Tiger.... and since I don't have that catalog page in front of me, I'm hoping my spelling of "midnite" is the same as used by Mr SOG in his promo material (as seen in the catalog page).

Many folks know that way back when, Tigersharks were made with a carbon steel blade. And the Midnite Tiger is simply a carbon steel Tigershark that has been gun-blued.

Now I'm lucky enough to have purchased a carbon steel Tigershark a couple of years ago (Thank You BobbyB !!). Well, shortly after that, someone mentioned the Midnite Tiger and I got the bright idea to try an at-home gun-blue. Here's the story about that:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=242089

Anyway, I'll get this thread going, but it will take a few days for me to get my editing & posting act together with The Picture.

Cheers,

Carl
 
Here is a scan of one of the ads from the Cutlery Shoppe catalog in the Fall- Winter of 1989. The MidNite Tiger was an Exclusive item for the Cutlery Shoppe. The Cutlery Shoppe used to have some great knives like this made exclusively for them from many different manufacturers including SOG, Gerber, Al Mar, Cold Steel and others. Many of them are getting very big $$ on the collectible market. They had Gerber make them a Mark II that ran $70 through the early 1990's adn can get over $400 now. The MidNite Tiger is very rare and I doubt if nearly as many of them were made.

Regards, Vince


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/vjbknife/tiger.jpg
 
That's the picture !!!

THANK YOU !! THANK YOU !!

I wonder if any of those are floating around somewhere, or if they're all locked up in collections somewhere.
Or if they're simply on some back shelf, forgotten and unused and collecting dust. THAT would be a crime.

Cheers,

Carl
 
They have not had the TS in a Leather sheath for probably 10 years.

I doubt if they kept any sheaths for that long.

Vince.
 
Guardrail said:
Anyone know if that leather sheath is orderable from SOG?

Cheers!

Guard....
Click to expand...
When I left SOG, there was a box of a couple dozen available. Certainly worth checking.
 
Thanks Ron, I sent SOG an email and we'll see if they can turn any up.

New Pig Hunter,
I'm not necessarily shopping for a new leather sheath. When i saw the one with the Midnight Tiger it got me thinking and I realy liked it.

Cheers,

Guard....
 
There were two different leather Sheaths that were suuplied with the TS. In addition to the one shown in my photos they had a later one that was pointed at the bottom like the SogTech Sheath in my photos of it.

Vince.
 
There were only three sheaths for the Tighershark. The first is the original leather sheath shown in Vince's photo (this is the sheath that I referred to in my prior post). The second is the nylon sheath SOG used for years on most of their fixed blades. The third is the Kydex sheath used in recent years.

Most of these sheaths have had small revisions during their tenure (such as the "groove" on recent Kydex sheaths).

This progression of sheaths was similar for most of SOG's knives over the years. The Trident (fixed blade) and SOG Bowie were ones that followed their own path.

There were some accessory sheaths over the years.

In the very early years, SOG had a simple, rugged, ugly (OK, that's probably in the eye of the beholder) nylon sheath with leather parts. It had no curves, being very rectangular. The nylon parts were a very coarse weave. I'm not sure these were used for more than one year, or might have been an accessory (or turned into an accessory). I think there were two sized of these. The one I know for sure was a large one the size of the Tech I and SEAL Knife. Then I think there was a smaller one the size of the Tech II.
 
Guardrail,

I might be crazy enough to trade my well-used Tigershark leather sheath for something suitable you have.....

Lemme know....

Cheers,

Carl
 
There were two distinctly different Leather sheaths for the Tiger Shark as I metioned in the earlier post. I can get photos of the 2nd type but it may take a while. The 2nd leather model was pointed at the bottom and I have owned one like it before it is basically a scaled up version of the SogTech Sheath. The first was squared off as shown in my earlier post. Then there was a cordura model like the earlier S2 Tridents came in with the leather SOG logo tab on it. And for regular production models the most recent is the Ill fitting kydex model. Some of the Midnite Tigers I have seen were sent in the standard square bottom leather model and some were supplied in a cordura model that was more HD than the other cordura sheath and also had a Bianchi type belt clip on it very similar to the Gerber BMF sheath. I have seen all of these versions with new in the box from SOG Tiger and Midnite Tiger shark knives. That's two different Leather, two different Cordura and one kydex.

Regards, Vince.
 
I was wrong on two things I stated here lately:

1. I don't think the Tigershark came in a cordura / Nylon sheath like the early S2 trident. I thought for sure I had seen one like that but I could not find it in any old catalogs.
2. The Midnite Tiger was not an exclusive to the Cutlery Shoppe because I found it listed in a catalog from a wholesaler that I used to deal with back in the 1990's. I believe that is why some of them came in a Leather sheath and the ones from the Cutlery Shoppe came in a cordura sheath by Blackie Collins with a Bianchi belt clip.

Here are a few more scans of old SOG stuff. Notice that the Tigershark in the B&W scan has the pointed leather SOG sheath I have owned them with that sheath as well as the squared off leather model.

Also shown are the Nite Tech and a few other cool but long discontinued SOG's.


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/vjbknife/SOGa.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/vjbknife/SOGb.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/vjbknife/SOGc.jpg
 
Awesome pics!! Always nice to see the old stuff. Wish SOG would bring them back. All those Carbon Steel versions would be awesome. I especially like the Night Tech. Would go well with my SK5 Shark. :D

Heber
 
Hey Vince,

Don't worry, I don't feel you're arguing.

As I said, there where three sheaths generations the Tigershark through the years and that they have had "small revisions during their tenure." This would include how the bottom of the sheath is shaped, among other things.

Of note on your pictures.
  • Image "SOGa":http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/vjbknife/SOGa.jpg The SOG Tech II (upper right corner) is the odd nylon/leather sheath I described in an earlier post...quoted here:
    In the very early years, SOG had a simple, rugged, ugly (OK, that's probably in the eye of the beholder) nylon sheath with leather parts. It had no curves, being very rectangular. The nylon parts were a very coarse weave. I'm not sure these were used for more than one year, or might have been an accessory (or turned into an accessory). I think there were two sized of these. The one I know for sure was a large one the size of the Tech I and SEAL Knife. Then I think there was a smaller one the size of the Tech II.
    Click to expand...
    I actually described it pretty good from memory!
  • Image "SOGc":http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/vjbknife/SOGc.jpg As pictured in this photo, the Tigershark did come with a "cordura/nylon" sheath which was the second generation of Tigershark sheaths. That was an early incarnation of the nylon sheath. The main nylon sheath is the one pictured below. Those were issued as the standard for years and I sold them as replacement accessories for those wanting another one or to upgrade from the early leather sheaths.
The variation in each generation of these sheaths (such as the shape of the bottom of the Tigershark sheath) comes from many possible scenarios. Change in sub contractor. A better design idea. Make it similar to other model sheaths.
 

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Incredible pictures, incredible history lessons !!!!!

Fantastic !!!!!

That style of cordura/nylon sheath (Tigershark thumbnail picture in Ron's post above) is what I have for my Tech II, and I like it plenty !! What is really neat about mine: 2 straps around the handle to keep the knife secure.

Cheers,

Carl
 
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