- Joined
- Apr 18, 2011
- Messages
- 487
I've been eyeing the SOG Vulcan for over a year, since I first handled the large model in a local surplus store. I held off on picking one up though because I couldn't choose between the VL-01 drop point and the VL-03 tanto point. I don't really like Americanized tantos because of the straight tip and the point interrupting the belly, but the mall ninja in me 
jerkit really wanted the reinforced tip and the San Mai laminate just for kicks.
Last month, I got the chance to pick up a VL-03 for a steal, which made up my mind for me. Still, the Americanized tanto point bugged me. Normally, I put my own edge on a knife as soon as I get it (I'm never satisfied with factory edges), but I didn't on the Vulcan both because I had never sharpened a recurve before and because I didn't know whether I wanted to try and preserve the tanto belly point or round it off. I found myself continually covering the point in the belly just to try and gauge what it would look like with a curved belly...and I finally bit the bullet and reprofiled the knife, scraping the belly point against a sheet of 120 grit sandpaper until I got the blade profile I wanted (took about 5 minutes) before sharpening it.
Here's a comparison photo. From top to bottom, the VL-03 tanto, VL-01 drop point, and my knife:
I'm pretty happy with the results. Now I've got the reinforced tip and San Mai laminate that I wanted along with a usable belly
. I'm curious though about which of the Vulcan models is more popular with others. Do you guys prefer the VL-01 drop point model or the VL-03 tanto model? What do you like and dislike about each?
jerkit really wanted the reinforced tip and the San Mai laminate just for kicks. Last month, I got the chance to pick up a VL-03 for a steal, which made up my mind for me. Still, the Americanized tanto point bugged me. Normally, I put my own edge on a knife as soon as I get it (I'm never satisfied with factory edges), but I didn't on the Vulcan both because I had never sharpened a recurve before and because I didn't know whether I wanted to try and preserve the tanto belly point or round it off. I found myself continually covering the point in the belly just to try and gauge what it would look like with a curved belly...and I finally bit the bullet and reprofiled the knife, scraping the belly point against a sheet of 120 grit sandpaper until I got the blade profile I wanted (took about 5 minutes) before sharpening it.
Here's a comparison photo. From top to bottom, the VL-03 tanto, VL-01 drop point, and my knife:
I'm pretty happy with the results. Now I've got the reinforced tip and San Mai laminate that I wanted along with a usable belly
. I'm curious though about which of the Vulcan models is more popular with others. Do you guys prefer the VL-01 drop point model or the VL-03 tanto model? What do you like and dislike about each?
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