SOG NW Ranger 2.0 vs. Cold Steel Recon Scout San Mai III

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Silverbullet951

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May 16, 2009
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Hello,

I'm looking for a good, tough stainless fixed blade to take hiking and for general survival. I have narrowed it down to two knives that I absolutely love the look and feel of. However, both come from companies that I am a little weary of. The knife has to be stainless as I want to take this one on my rainforest and river trips. Under $200 is also a goal!

I'm fairly well versed in knifemaking and general steel qualities, and am wondering if SOG's AUS-8 or CS's San Mai Laminate will hold up well with good edge holding and reasonable toughness. IF SOG has a really good heat treat, the AUS-8 could be great....if not then it could be pretty soft and crappy. No experience with the San Mai, though I understand it's center is VG-1 which should be roughly similar to VG-10 in edge retention.

I don't necessarily need a uber-bulletproof carbon blade since I don't really do much extreme battoning etc, just a great all around blade for the backwoods hiker. Looking to hear your experiences with either as well as possible other knife recommendations.


Specifications:

SOG NW Ranger 2.0
Steel: AUS 8
Blade Length: 5.2" x .150"
Overall: 9.925"
Handle: Kraton
Weight: 6.2 oz.
Sheath: Cordura
Price: $98.50

San Mai III® Recon Scout
Steel: VG-1 San Mai III®
Blade Length: 7 1/2"
Overall: 12 1/2"
Thick: 5/16"
Handle: 5" long. Kraton®
Weight: 12.7oz.
Sheath: Cordura
Price: $200
 
There are plenty of carbon steel knives that were made with the rainforest in mind. But if you're set on stainless, I know Bark River has a few nice knives in steels like 154CM.
 
AUS8 from SOG is very good and IMO slightly better than cold steels who is also known for good AUS8. San mai III though IMO has too high of a asking price for what your getting.

I'd also look at a Fallkniven S1 or A1
 
I'm normally not a fan of what SOG tends to have on offer, but I really like the looks of that NW Ranger
 
recon scout is all around better.......i have sk5 version and its excellent.......many pple trash cold steel.......but it has some of best knives for price........it performs better than most that bottom line........
 
lol......cold steel outperforms most other knives.....from my experience......sharpen it right(convex edge).....and thats all..........even aus 8 blades from cs i have hold their own......against knives 3x more expensive
 
boki_zca said:
lol......cold steel outperforms most other knives.....from my experience......sharpen it right(convex edge).....and thats all..........even aus 8 blades from cs i have hold their own......against knives 3x more expensive
Click to expand...

wat knifes do you have....... that costs 3x more than cold steel...... and isn't as good? that cold steel....... cost 3x more expensive...... than becker bk7.
 
I have el hombre folder from cold steel fully convexed..........not just edge...........would bet on it on any cutting task over most 3x more expensive knives......it cost me 50 dol.......and its strong too.....but thats just my opinion.......
 
meismjg said:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Equip2Endure#p/search/2/BJpkj_SRcY4

maybe this and the related videos can answer some questions for you.
But, if 200 is your budget you have a lot better options
Click to expand...

I actually watched that recently and that's one of the reasons why I was thinking about the NW Ranger. He summed that vid up by saying that it surprised him more than the other knives by it's performance and seemed to favor it....up against pretty good competition too.
 
i would buy fallkniven for 200............lol.........im just saying cold steel performs pretty good.Recon scout in laminated vg1 is similar to fallkniven..........almost same.........buy any of those
 
For non-stainless I'm an ESEE fan and plan on picking up a few of their offerings. I just want to stick with stainless for this application.

I was able to hold and play the NW Ranger and love the lightness of it. The kraton handle seems pretty nice and study, though I might end up grinding the notches off the bottom of the guard if I bought it. The Recon Scout is much more robust, and loses the small knife feeling due to the borderline ridiculous blade thickness. However, still feels great in hand.....Does anyone know if CS's San Mai is better in toughness/edgeholding than the AUS-8; and how does it compare with Fallkniven's laminates?
 
almost same as fallkniven.....better than aus 8..........way better than any sog knife for sure.........heard theyre made in same factory too
 
if you got money buy fallkniven.................there no mistake......if you like bowie shape go with recon scout in lam vg1.......its excellent knife
 
For me i go 1095 if i had to pick stainless I would go fallkniven. If cost a factor look at Mora I use A triflex its A 20$ knife with 200$ performance I here there stainless knives are just as good.
 
Thanks for all the info and suggestions! Anyone own either knife or have any problems with it? Anyone have problems with SOG's AUS-8 on a fixed blade?

Leaning towards the CS San Mai or Fallkniven at this point, though I don't really care for the rubber guard on the FallK. Love the CS Recon Scout guard!
 
I would think that the recon scout would be far more impressive than the sog especially in the San mai version.
 
IMO, you're looking at two totally different knives that would be used for different purposes. To me, the Recon Scout is compact chopper, while the NW Ranger is more of a general purpose blade.

I've NEVER heard anything bad about the NW Ranger. I love the design, If they'd put it out in SK5 carbon or 1095, I'd buy 5 of them. For doing all of the detail work that's popular in bushcraft nowadays, it's going to work better than the Recon.

Having said that, if I only have one knife, I want a bigger blade. Look at all of the native peoples around the world. They all use a big blade. The Recon is going to help get shelter up faster, it's going to help get a fire going faster, two of the most important elements of survival. I read a statement once "If your knife is not big enough to make fire under any circumstance, you need a bigger knife."

Yeah, you can survive with either of them, but the Recon will make it easier, IMO. Survival is all about doing stuff the easiest way.

If I was buying a Recon, I'd get the SK5 version instead of the San Mai. YMMV.
 
The Northwest Ranger is a very good knife and I like the Aus8 SOG uses better than Cold Steels'.
The sheath is flimsy. Needs more rivets in the belt loop and retaining strap. I just went and made my own anyhow.

Pretty nice general bush knife with good reviews. I bought 2 Satin ones. Good deal for around $50.
The Recon scout is a very robust knife but not something I'd want to carry all day long.San Mai version is way overpriced. Better off with the Fallkniven A1 for that kind of money .
 
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