Thoughts About SOG Knives?

I have a SOG northwest ranger 2. so far I can't fault the knife itself, but the sheath is a bit shoddy.
and to be fair, I've heard of a few other companies where thier sheaths have let thier knives down (mora spring to mind)
 
cramsey3006 said:
I don't know about AUS8A steel stock but I know that 440C costs more than 1095 does, but people have no problems with $150-$200 "factory" knives made from 1095? (Don't get me wrong, 1095 is my favorite steel).
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GOOD QUESTION! I have always wondered myself how that works. Either the price can justify the cost of the materials or it can't. It doesn't change the quality or usability of the knife either way, but it debunks the 'better materials for the price' argument.

In my limited experience. Sogs come out of the box with bladeplay, which will not get better or worse. Other knives from other manufaturers come out of the box solid, but have the same amount of bladeplay within a month or two of hard or non-box/paper/apple use. If your a collector your going to hate Sog, but my used (under 100 dollar) spyderco's have just as much bladeplay as my used (under 100 dollar) Sog's.

my 0.02
 
the high end folders [spec elite & pentagon elite] in vg10 have been excellent for myself. not quite as good as b.m. or spydie but not trash.--dennis
 
Owned three of their products. Overall I give them a D-

The Trident I had would not lock. I had the blade collapse on my hand. To add insult to injury ( no pun) I sent it back to be told nothing was wrong. If I put any side pressure on the blade it would unlock.

The Pentagon Elite is just about the same pos. Its falling apart. The thumbstud falls off, the unlock lever button is stripped out , keeps falling off.

The multitool is ok. The stupid covers come off to easy, its heavy and bulky, hard to access tools, the exposed gears like to snag and cut things when closed.

SOG...........no more
 
i have one of the SOG trenchhawks and its a well made tool the fisrt time i used i bumped into a door frame and it fell out of the holster and cut cean through my pair of week old redwings
 
I dislike their folders because they feel flimsy to me. Their designs are good, but I just cant justify buying something that feels crappy in hand. In retrospect, the griptilian feels cheap, but it doesnt have inherant flimsiness, it feels solid. I also dislike the fact that anywhere that SOG can put their logo, they do. I think they even have a blade that just repeats SOG SOG SOG in a pattern over and over. I have never used any of their fixed blades, but I think I would go kabar in the same price point.
 
My latest SOG is a Vulcan Tanto and I defy anyone to tell me it is a weak knife. My Aegis and Visionary II are also great knives. None of my SOG folders has exhibited any blade play and I have been trying to get them to fail.

I guess it is really each to their own, but I for one like the design of SOG folders and will be adding more to my EDC rotation.
 
What about the Tomcat 3 specifically. I'm looking to buy one tonight so feedback appreciated!
 
I have a multi-tool Powerlock. Great tool.

The hit-or-miss quality of their folders has kept me from getting an Aegis which I'm definitely attracted to.
 
Be careful if you decide to buy a twitch 2. The one i purchased was tight to open and after limited use refused to open. I sent it back to SOG and it was repaired. It works fine now but Kershaw is the brand I prefer for folders.
 
I owned an Aegis once. It wasn't a horrible knife, but you can do better for the price. The AUS8 doesn't hold an edge very well, and mine had tons of blade play. Assisted opening is a pain in the ass for me, too. The blade shape, pocket clip and ergos were good, though.
 
I have only owned one, a Trident I got recently in a trade. I like it just fine. I have no problem with AUS-8, it's one of my favorite steels. The heat treat seems just fine to me. It takes and holds a very sharp edge. The lock mechanism works fine on mine, albeit a tad hard to close when it gets close to all the way closed (this may just be a function of the lock, not a defect). The blade locks up nice and tight in all directions, the ergonomics are terrific and it's nice and light. I like the reversible, super deep carry clip as well.

As I said, this is just my experience based on one Trident. Based on all of the negatived feedback here and other places, I would probably never buy one.
 
My Flash II has worked flawlessly for the past two years. An Aegis I purchased a month ago I returned within the week.
 
SOG = Meh. Fine enough but a little overpriced for what you get. I've only owned 2 SOGs - a Blink and a Twitch and they both came out of the box with QC issues. I've not purchased any since...its been a couple years now so maybe its better. Either way, for the money I want better steel. I have no problem with AUS8 from Cold Steel, who has fair pricing and great QC.
 
I have the sog seal pup. I like the design, but like you, I don't like the steel. I would be careful shopping from them because while someof their stuff is probably great, some of it is not. They use Aus 8 A LOT and that kinda bugs me. I guess it could be worse though. However, as long as you take care of the steel it should remain good and intact.
 
I returned my SOG Flash 1 & 2 plus an Aegis becuase the Flashes wouldn't open all the way w/o getting stuck and the Aegis was kinda chintzy and felt loose, like some old rattle trap. :barf:

One thing, they sure figure out a lot of ways to get their logo on a knife. Kudos for that. :thumbup:
 
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