SOG Vision?

M

My Darn Snake Legs

Joined
May 4, 2005
Messages
7
I have been in the mood to buy a new knife recently and this one reminds me a bit of my old BM Stryker. Same sort of blade, but with a ti handle. Can you keep any sort of grip on it, or is it just too slick? I found it online today for ~$100 on closeout.

What do you think?

-Mike
 
Ti Vision is a great knife IMO, but it's not very popular because it's only available part serrated. A move by SOG I'll never understand.

If SOG made one in plain edge I would own at least one, probably two.

As for grip retention, any blasted titanium handle is going to be a little slick at times. I don't think this is a problem 99% of the time, but you may need to get one to try it out and see. Chris Reeve has been very successful with the Sebenza so plenty of people like the Ti scales.

The blade grinds on the knife are really well done and overall the knife looks like a piece of art work, I can't speak highly enough about the design, just those damn serrations .... :barf:
 
Why the hosility toward serrations? I understand that they aren't great for offensive purposes since they tend to get hung up in things, but if I want to cut non-people stuff they are damn handy.
 
Not a hostility toward serrations, just a preference.

The hostility is directed toward SOG for not giving the consumer the choice and only offering one option. It's also probably the main reason the knife never sold well.

Do a search here for "serrations", you'll find about a 90/10 split on people who don't like vs like them.

Serrations will actually benefit you in a defensive situation because they offer more cuting edge and will cut through materials faster. If I were looking for a knife to be purely a self defense tool it would probably be serrated.

For finesse cutting, slicing and most utility work they are not necessary. Cutting rope is about the best utility purpose they serve.

I could go on but your original question was not about serrations ;)
 
I haven't tested the Vision enough to be 100% confident, but from the testing I've done, I'd say the Vision is a top-class knife, very well-executed. The main obvious issues I have are that I don't like partial serrations, and I don't like tanto blades -- but SOG never met a fad they didn't like, so there it is. Put a plain-edge blade with a different blade shape (a clip point or modified wharnecliff would be great), and SOG would have a competitor to any good 3.5"-bladed knife out there.

I wish more people had SOGs so we could hear how the arc lock holds up, but it seemed to hold up fine on mine.

Joe
 
Joe Talmadge said:
...how the arc lock holds up
Click to expand...
This was heavily promoted using the industry buzz word of the time of "1000 pounds" however while it may be very strong in slow loads, when I impacted mine it just fell apart, far more readily than on a decent lock back. Stable under torques though.

SOG is heavily "tactical" in nature, even the name has its roots there, hence the tanto, sabre grinds, serrations etc. . While serrations and such might not be favored on the forums, in general they are well recieved, though I prefer other patterns to SOG's.

-Cliff
 
I used to own a SOG Vision and a SOG Night Vision (G-10 Handles instead of Titanium). This is one great knife, it has an ARC lock which is similar in some respects to Benchmades AXIS lock. The ARC lock works very well and the lock up was very tight. The knife itself feels very good in the hand and with just a flick of the thumb the blade flies open smoothly.

I too am not a big fan of serrations and that is one reason that I got rid of the knives. I would say that either version is right up there with any other high end production knife on the market today.
 
What is the advantage of the Arc (or Axis) lock over a good liner lock? I remember when the Axis was first introduced the guys at my local knife shop really liked it, but I didn't play with it enough to become proficent with it. My BM stryker is a rock solid liner lock that I can easily open/close it with one hand. Is it just a preferance?
 
Cliff Stamp said:
This was heavily promoted using the industry buzz word of the time of "1000 pounds" however while it may be very strong in slow loads, when I impacted mine it just fell apart, far more readily than on a decent lock back. Stable under torques though.
Click to expand...

Cliff, when you say you "impacted" yours, what did you actually do? Spine whacks, or something more? I spine whacked the hell out of mine; I think that might have introduced a tiny bit of blade play, but no other problems. Remind me what you did with yours, and I'll run out to the garage to give it a try if it makes sense.

Joe
 
Can't speak to the Vision, but I'm a fan of my Mini X-Ray Vision. I find the size of the blade perfect for daily utility, and like the blade-to-handle length ratio. My particular sample has a very quick, smooth action, and the arc-lock seems to lock up well for my purposes. I agree that the arc-lock seems to allow the knife to fly open quickly with a minimal flick; as smooth as my higher-end folders, and faster than my assisted.

I especially like the DEEP carry, top-mount pocket clip SOG includes w/ the Mini X-Ray; sits very low in the pocket w/ only the clip visible. One person in my office assumed it was a pen in my pocket. All of this said, it does not seem to have a very robust frame, and I've seen a test on the 'net that seemed to confirm this. I also am not a huge fan of the zytel scales, although they are checkered to look like a fairly good approximation of G10. I'd just assume pay for the G10, though. Just my $.02. Thanks for the opty to chime in.
 
Batoning, it isn't what I would call a weak lock, I would chose it readily over the liners and integrals I have seen, however compared to the better lockbacks it doesn't have the impact security. Locks are getting better faster and there are things you can do with folders now that you could not do a few years back so the standards are constantly being raised.

When Busse mentioned bringing out his folder awhile back his biggest competition was liner locks, it would not have been that difficult of a benchmark to eclipse. However if he truely wants to make a standout folder now in terms of strength and security he has some really high performance points to exceed, he has to outperform the lockbacks and compression from Spyderco and the Axis from Benchmade.

-Cliff
 
I used to have a pre-Arc-Lock Vision and was very impressed. I still regret selling it. Who's selling them for $100? THat's a great deal.
 
I have my hands on an X-ray vision I've had for six months.
i can tell you is i have put it to hard work, I've never been dissapointed.
i like the serrations for bossing around stubborn boxes, keeping it sharp ment a quick slice through what ever i liked (various ropes, plastics, papers and a few meats). Most of it's use is done at my work (meatcutter/stock jerk :( )
The lock is 100%, but it has opened when I have dropped it.
The blade has a bit of play (I suspect that is from me being too rough with it)
The serrations are practical for my uses, mostly quick sawing.
I find the blade pretty beefy and that adds some confidence (maybe naive)
The finish is slightly coming off but I'm one of those guys who likes it that way

I've had to adapt my style a bit to compensate for the tanto angle but thats all I could say that was a bother.

I hate hate hate the clip. It looks fine and works but I can't get the bugger off! I wouldn't trust a good blade to a simple clip anyway, always in a sheath on the belt.

When a NKP/sheeple Says it's a scary knife just say you aren't a scary person. Cause you will get that reaction.

I'll keep buying folders, when i find a new one as tough and solid as the SOG I'll replace it. Till then My SOG is doing a good job.

Hope that helps
 
cpirtle said:
Ti Vision is a great knife IMO, but it's not very popular because it's only available part serrated. A move by SOG I'll never understand.
Click to expand...


SOG actually made a few plain edge ti Visions. I got one directly from SOG a few years back. They may still have some.
 
Nathan S said:
SOG actually made a few plain edge ti Visions. I got one directly from SOG a few years back. They may still have some.
Click to expand...

Yep, they were coordinated by Ron for the forumites based on extensive requests for a plain edge. They made either 50 or 75 of them and you had to buy at full MSRP.

I even asked my dealer to try and buy one direct for me so he could sell it to me at his regular markup but they would not do it.
 
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