SOG Team Leader

[Horn Dog]

I have had my Team Leader for a while. I like the blade shape and it looked to be a great all-around field knife in a new super steel. Today I did some notching, slicing, and baton chopping with it, along with some similar knives from Swamp Rat, Scrap Yard, and Al Mar.

I also took along the SOG Revolver, just for fun.

All these 5" blade knives are about 3/16" thick. The Al Mar uses S30V, the Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard use 52-100 ball bearing steel. And the SOG blade is made of the new super steel, Duratech 20cv at Rc 60. The Swamp Rat Ratmandu has micarta scales, the Al Mar SERE has Nylon scales, and the Scrap Yard Scrapper 5 has a molded textured handle of Resiprene C.

All the knives notched and sliced well, and all survived batoning through green hardwood with no edge damage.

And it was faster and easier to baton through the wood that to saw through it with the saw blade on the SOG Revolver.

But I must say this: The Team Leader is the most uncomfortable knife I have ever used. Ever. It would be a worthy match for the others if SOG would just get rid of those horrendous green pine cone feeling scales. I own quite a few SOGs, but that prickly Zytel has got to go.

 

[johnu2]

Good observations and nice clear pictures :thumbup:

 

[Horn Dog]

Thanks, Johnu2. I was hoping to get a comment or some encouraging news from somebody at SOG. Is that trolling? Anyway, I like SOG knives. I realize that micarta scales would up the price, but the Team Leader isn't excactly cheap, is it? I wish they would have some optional scales made up (smooth) for those of us who use the knives bare handed. I guess I'll have to do it myself, but for a knife that pricey, it should come with a decent handle. I wonder if the designer has ever actually tried to use the TL for any length of time? I like the design a lot, but those scales are the worst I have ever felt. On my 440C version, I just sanded the Zytel smooth, but a classier option would be nice.

 

[johnu2]

Chris at SOG might not be around to respond for a while since according to his blog on the SOG website, he'll be at the OR Show and AG Russell Knife Event. I don't think it would be considered trolling, they would most likely value user feed back

That looks good! Do you find it comfortable with the handles sanded down?

 

[Horn Dog]

Chris at SOG might not be around to respond for a while since according to his blog on the SOG website, he'll be at the OR Show and AG Russell Knife Event. I don't think it would be considered trolling, they would most likely value user feed back

That looks good! Do you find it comfortable with the handles sanded down?

Well, it's a lot better than it was, even if it is a bit funky. I work with my hands all the time, so I don't think they are all that sensitive or tender. Those nasty grooves on the tang are still there. Why do some manufacturers extend the tang beyond the scales? They should be flush, and the handle should be smooth, unless you just like pain.

 

[Chris@SOG]

I just saw these posts. I can provide some answers to you.

For us the reason the tang sticks out from the handles is because they are molded separately and then attached the knife. For the knives in the images above the handles are attached to the tang and then shaped to the final design as one piece. This is what give you a smooth handle.

As for the texture of the handle. I don't think is going to be much changed for this knife. However if we do make another knife similar to this that would be the point when we can modify the handle texture. I am passing this feedback along to engineering.

 

[Horn Dog]

Thanks for the response, Chris. The Team Leader is a useful knife with a good blade designed to slice and pierce. I think it would be a great knife if it had a more comfortable handle. I realize that for Navy Seals or other hard core military use, secure grip has priority over comfort. I also understand the need to keep production costs down by not having to hand sand the scales flush with the tang, but as the Al Mar SERE Operator shows, a molded smoother handle can be manufactured to fit fairly flush with the tang. As far as using Zytel for the scales, I have no problem with it as a handle material. But the green pine cone textured mold you're using now needs to be destroyed and replaced ASAP, IMO.