SOG Team Leader Survivor

Mistwalker

Mistwalker

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2007
Messages
18,679
Finally, someone made a solid handled knife with a real, functioning, non-directional wood saw on the spine that has a blade wide enough to work with in normal camping and survival type tasks.

I got this knife a little while back after checking it out on the SOG website. In taking a close look at the design of the saw, the blade geometry, and the specs I was pretty sure it would work well for collecting data for a personal project I am working on. In checking it out in the field and working on a couple of posts I put in the W&SS section I learned I was right. I was also so impressed with just how well it did that I wanted to share what I learned here.



The knife I am referring to is the SOG Team Leader Survivor. It is a full tang design that is made from .16 or 5/32 inch AUS-8 stainless steel. The blade is 5 inches long and the O.A. is 10.25 inches. The handle scales are textured Zytel.

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It comes in an ambidextrous leather sheath.

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It has a 3.5 inch section of very aggressive saw on the spine which is made of two rows of viciously sharp teeth and is self cleaning in all materials I have tried it in.

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The knife has a full flat grind. Because of this the knife is great for camp cooking and slices like a chef's knife. And is really good for cutting fuzzies.

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This full flat grind is also a big part of why the saw functions so well. It is true that the teeth are vicious but this grind means that the widest part of the blade is the very tips of the saw teeth. Because of this there is no friction from the sides of the blade rubbing the inside of the cut...the only hard contact is where the saw actually meets the surface being cut.

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The Team Leader was the only tool used to make this improvised bamboo canteen/container.

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I have tried the saw on a few different materials...bamboo,Schedule 40 PVC, and even some seasoned Hickory at my brother's house showing the knife to him. I didn't have the camera for the Hickory so I guess I need to reproduce that later.

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While it is very light weight it is also very tough for its size. I battoned it through a nearly two foot long by two inch diameter piece of hard, knotty, seasoned Hickory. The knife sustained no damage at all to the blade or saw teeth. I've actually done this a few times but the last two times I was at my brother's house without my camera...and using some of his firewood to show the knife's versatility to him.

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I've also used the area of spine between the tip and the first saw teeth to spark a firesteel and it worked really well.

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The saw spine on this size of knife is a bit of a trade-off, you cannot put your thumb far out onto the spine for more force in push-cutting, and the machining removes some of the mass likely contributing to its not being the greatest chopping tool. However I personally feel that the knife definitely lives up to its name and coupled with an axe, machete, or other large chopping tool it will make an awesome addition to my wilderness kit.
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Excellent review. You must have some really tough hands as the Team leader I have ( 20CV, no saw) has a downright painfull grip as designed. I love the knife and steel, and it's sharp and very well ground but the grip could use a bit of work.

I'd like to see more 20CV. It's an excellent steel, tough and wear resistant for a stainless high carbide fraction steel.
 
I admire your skills. But I would rather have a knife with a regular spine. I once owned a knife that had serrations on the spine and it is an accident waiting to happen. Pair that knife with a flat spine and a SAK One Hand Trekker and you will be Good To Go.
 
great photos.in 30 yrs.i believe this is the 1st straight knife that actually had a saw that trually worked.in previous tests i've read, the only saws that worked were the ones on swiss army knives. older guys such as myself would be well advised to wear gloves with a gripping area. the cheap ones with rubber dots sold in the grocery stores should suffice.
 
joebobx said:
man you do some really incredible reviews
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Thanks Joe, I'm glad you like them.



The Mastiff said:
Excellent review. You must have some really tough hands as the Team leader I have ( 20CV, no saw) has a downright painfull grip as designed. I love the knife and steel, and it's sharp and very well ground but the grip could use a bit of work.

I'd like to see more 20CV. It's an excellent steel, tough and wear resistant for a stainless high carbide fraction steel.
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Thanks Mastiff, I suppose after spending most of my young life in the woods fishing, hunting, and trapping for a living and then being a wood worker for more than 20 years I probably do have some tough hands. I think the handle is designed to ensure a positive grip even when muddy or bloody. I have actually considered sending the knife to a friend to put micarta scales on it, but I don't know if I will or not.

I haven't had a chance to check out the other version yet but I have been reading up on the steel and it looks really interesting. It should have a good edge holding ability. I would like to compare the two one day. According to the specs they have the same weight which surprises me.


Buffalohump said:
I admire your skills. But I would rather have a knife with a regular spine. I once owned a knife that had serrations on the spine and it is an accident waiting to happen. Pair that knife with a flat spine and a SAK One Hand Trekker and you will be Good To Go.
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Thanks for the compliment. For most uses I think I might rather have a plain spine myself....but this saw is amazingly functional and that earns it a place it my gear.

If we're going to enter the realm of "rather" I think I would like to have this saw on a larger blade...say something the size of the Jungle Primitive but with a flat or nearly flat convex grind, paired with a small knife like this with a plain spine. That would be my ideal combination in an actual long-term wilderness or survival situation.



DennisStrickland said:
great photos.in 30 yrs.i believe this is the 1st straight knife that actually had a saw that trually worked.in previous tests i've read, the only saws that worked were the ones on swiss army knives. older guys such as myself would be well advised to wear gloves with a gripping area. the cheap ones with rubber dots sold in the grocery stores should suffice.
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Thanks Dennis. Those are almost the exact same words I said, "finally a larger saw that cuts as well as the one on my Swiss Tool on a full tang handle!" The few good saws I have ever seen on knives were on hollow handled ones and I would much rather have a full tang and my kit in a pouch on the sheath or a pouch on my belt.

In all honesty I think it may have been designed for gloved hands...I just don't use gloves except in cold weather and the texture really doesn't bother my hands. It is just a conscious effort not to put my thumb out on the spine in push cuts in harder material. The guard actually does a good job at keeping the thumb off of the saw in a normal grip. The knife actually does seem to have a good bit of thought put into the engineering...it doesn't appear to be just thrown together.
 
what is the trick with the steel wool? in another section there is a lot about fire starters but the steel wool is the 1st time i've seen .info please.
thanks dennis
 
you can also rub a 9 volt battery on fine steel wool to start a fire.Everyone probably knew that though.
 
DennisStrickland said:
what is the trick with the steel wool? in another section there is a lot about fire starters but the steel wool is the 1st time i've seen .info please.
thanks dennis
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The heat of the burning metal from a firesteel (that's what the sparks are, burning hunks of metal) is hot enough to get the steel wool burning too. As soon as you see the sparks from the firesteel expand a little in the steel wool blow into it and it should flare. This may take a few sparkings and the finer the steel wool the better.


Blindeyes said:
you can also rub a 9 volt battery on fine steel wool to start a fire.Everyone probably knew that though.
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A lot of people know but not everybody. I recently did a post on using a cell phone battery, some fine steel wool, and some fatwood to start a fire. You can check it out if you like.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=681667


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I guess I will have to show my ignorance. What is fat wood? Also, didn't that steel wool get pretty hot when you were holding it? I guess your wife was not home when you were starting the fire on her back porch?;)
 
sourdough1938 said:
I guess I will have to show my ignorance. What is fat wood? Also, didn't that steel wool get pretty hot when you were holding it? I guess your wife was not home when you were starting the fire on her back porch?;)
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Fatwood is resin rich pine formed from settling sap when a pine tree dies standing. These threads may be of help.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=619903

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=671430



Yes actually it gets VERY HOT, that's why it's wrapped around a stick ;)



And actually no she wasn't home that day but it was my porch for 20 years before it became her porch :)


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And actually no she wasn't home that day but it was my porch for 20 years before it became her porch :)


thats funny
 
The Mastiff said:
Excellent review. You must have some really tough hands as the Team leader I have ( 20CV, no saw) has a downright painfull grip as designed. I love the knife and steel, and it's sharp and very well ground but the grip could use a bit of work.

I'd like to see more 20CV. It's an excellent steel, tough and wear resistant for a stainless high carbide fraction steel.
Click to expand...

I have the 20CV version which I like very much, but am now thinking of putting a TL-02 in my collection after this great review. As for the slabs, I sanded mine down a little to ease the roughness of them. It made holding the knife more comfortable without compromising grip, even when cleaning slimy game in the field. It looks the same as before, but the sharp checkering on the slabs is not so sharp.
 
Here's a little video I shot earlier when I was out messing around with some knives.

[youtube]uiItxDsDMFI[/youtube]
 
Nice review Mistwalker...i really like the Teamleader but i think the duratec version is abit expensive.

I dont know how practical the knife would be for my outdoor needs...i use a fixed blade and folding saw right now, and im getting an axe soon. That way i can combine depending on the weather and terrain. I gotta see if theres place for the aus 8 SOG somewhere.

Thanks for taking the time to post.
 
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