Thoughts on Spyderco Tenacious & SOG Aegis

J

JakeInSF

Joined
Jul 14, 2015
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Hello All,

Wanted some opinions on Spyderco Tenacious & SOG Aegis as gift for non serious knife carriers. Giving these as an edc. Probably either won't get a lot of use but still wanted to know peoples opinions. Both knives ran around $42 per.

Appreciate the input.

JakeInSF

SOG Aegis
SOG.jpg

Spyderco Tenacious
Spyderco Tenacious.jpg
 
JakeInSF said:
Hello All,

Wanted some opinions on Spyderco Tenacious & SOG Aegis as gift for non serious knife carriers. Giving these as an edc. Probably either won't get a lot of use but still wanted to know peoples opinions. Both knives ran around $42 per.

Appreciate the input.

JakeInSF

SOG Aegis
View attachment 565424

Spyderco Tenacious
View attachment 565425
Click to expand...

As a gift, go for the Tenacious. It may help get someone into a great brand and is a decent knife for what they're getting, probably a better knife than what they would ever buy on their own. As to the Aegis, or any modern SOG, skip it...way overpriced for what they are.

A note on the Tenacious, and all the Chinese Spydercos...people love to talk about what great "value" they offer, they really don't. The materials are mediocre, the QC is questionable, and they aren't exactly cheap either. I love Spyderco knives, but I have no love for the Chinese cut rate line. Spend an extra $20 and buy a Delica or Endura made in Japan with VG10. Gift one to a non knife person? Sure. Buy one to really use much? No.
 
i like the aegis more. its a nice knife, but sog's quality control is hit or miss. if you are going to buy a SOG, make sure to ask the dealer to inspect the knife for you to make sure you get one with proper lockup and no play. a lot of SOG knives have play issues, but when you get one that is solid they are great.
 
I think the handle feels much cheaper on the Aegis. Being an assisted knife works against it in this case, in my opinion. It might have the cool factor when the person sees it and how fast it opens, but I don't think that really makes the best gift for a first EDC knife.

I like the tenacious, I own and carry one on occasion. I like the handle much better and I find the blade hole very easy to open the knife. Depending on if you think the person needs that much blade and the weight/size that comes with it, you might consider downsizing to the ambitious. You'll have a better idea of what the person would like, need, and use though.
 
I don't carry my Tenacious(s) too much because they have the green and blue handles, and I want to keep them in pristine shape. I like the Tenacious a lot, but not enough to buy a third "user".
The Aegis is my favorite light, full-sized knife.
 
John_0917 said:
As to the Aegis, or any modern SOG, skip it...way overpriced for what thete are.
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I completely disagree with this statement. There are plenty of currently produced SOG Knives that are well worth the cost. Advice based on vague blanket statements like this for any company generally aren't true and are best avoided.

That said, and on topic, the aegis is overpriced new unless you find a great deal. It will most likely have blade play. It is great for an extremely lite weight and thin blade knife but not anywhere near up to the harder use the tenacious will be.

I wouldn't really consider either in you situation. I would look at the Ontario Utilitac II or Rat 1. Less expensive and arguably better.
 
craytab said:
I wouldn't really consider either in you situation. I would look at the Ontario Utilitac II or Rat 1. Less expensive and arguably better.
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+1 :thumbup:

Or Rat 2. Any of these would be a better choice as a gift to a "non-serious knife" friend. All are arguably, safer, more durable, less costly, better ergonomics..... than the Aegis or Tenacious in this instance.
 
JeremiahWeaver09 said:
i like the aegis more. its a nice knife, but sog's quality control is hit or miss. if you are going to buy a SOG, make sure to ask the dealer to inspect the knife for you to make sure you get one with proper lockup and no play. a lot of SOG knives have play issues, but when you get one that is solid they are great.
Click to expand...

Only the SOGs with assisted open (SAT) have bladeplay issues. The SOGs that are made in Seki, in the same G.Sakai factory alongside
Delicas and Enduras do not have such issues at all.
 
I love spydercos, but prefer the aegis in this case. Great light edc blade if you like or don't mind assisted opening. Mine did have some blade play, but it doesn't affect function at all and someone who isn't a knife fanatic wouldn't even notice at all.
 
Eric@DLT said:
I think the handle feels much cheaper on the Aegis. Being an assisted knife works against it in this case, in my opinion. It might have the cool factor when the person sees it and how fast it opens, but I don't think that really makes the best gift for a first EDC knife.

I like the tenacious, I own and carry one on occasion. I like the handle much better and I find the blade hole very easy to open the knife. Depending on if you think the person needs that much blade and the weight/size that comes with it, you might consider downsizing to the ambitious. You'll have a better idea of what the person would like, need, and use though.
Click to expand...
I agree, the Tenacious is probably a bit big for non knife people. Consider the Ontario Rat 2
 
Thanks for the info fellas!

Some of yall have talked me into spending a bit more.

So guess I'm just going to end up giving a Spyderco Manix2.

Figure give something I would like to carry & be proud to give to someone else to carry.
 
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Get a Rat-1 or Rat-2
SOGs are overpriced for what you get. Out of the 10 or so I've seen, all of them had awful blade play and they feel extremely cheap compared to a spyderco or an ontario.

I carried the tenacious for about a year before I lost interest in it. It has a little blade play and its detent is weak and worn out so, it doesnt flick very well anymore. Its blade steel is fair for edc if you keep it touched up on a daily basis. I dont care for the handle size/shape. It feels too small and cramped when i grip it. It also takes up more space in my pocket and has less blade than Rat-1

Carried the Rat-1 for over 6 years (on and off when im not using something else) and it is without a doubt, one of my all time favorite folding knives!(IF it was made with all premium materials it would be my grail!!!) It has absolutely ZERO blade play from all the use I've put it through. Its detent is strong and it flicks open like its still new. Its blade steel is superior to the tenacious and the handle shape feels better in hand. I've handled 6 Rat-1 and 2's and they all lockup bank-vault tight!
You should really give one a try!
 
JakeInSF said:
Figure give something I would like to carry & be proud to give to someone else to carry.
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It depends on the recipient. To the average non-knife guy, a Tenacious or Aegis would be killer. I consider myself a knife guy, and still think both are awesome.
 
Giving a knife to a "non-knife person" usually ends up with one of the following results:

- They're like "Hey, thanks" and put the knife in a drawer or tool box, rarely or never seeing the light of day.
- They use it from time to time, maybe carrying it on a fishing or camping trip, perhaps appreciating the utility value if not the quality.
- It's a sort of gateway drug for them. They get curious, research the knife, and start taking a closer look at what else is out there.

Personally, I have gifted a variety of knives and multi-tools, and the results almost always match one of the scenarios I just mentioned. Between the Aegis and Tenacious, I think the Aegis has more "wow factor" and would get more initial attention, while the Tenacious would see more use as a true cutting tool. Either one is of sufficient quality and materials to be useful for most common cutting tasks, yet you're not out a ton of money if the recipient never develops a further interest in knives. I mean, my dad gives me tools from time to time, and I rarely sit around fiddling with them out of sheer enthusiasm, but they were still well-received and will serve a purpose sooner or later.
 
JakeInSF said:
Thanks for the info fellas!

Some of yall have talked me into spending a bit more.

So guess I'm just going to end up a Spyderco Manix2.

Figure give something I would like to carry & be proud to give to someone else to carry.
Click to expand...

I like the Tenacious, but I got one new for $20 with the green G10. I like the Centofante3 and Manix2 Lightweight more, and the PM2 more than those, and I don't know where the Ulize falls, but probably equal to the PM2. PM2 and Ulize are my favorites but pretty different.

Tenacious, Cryo G10, and oldest Presidio are my do anything folding knives that I don't mind damaging but they still work great. I still hesitate to stab a shiny $200 knife into sandy dirt to chop out dandelions over and over, or open a bag of concrete, etc.. maybe that's wrong, but I like to keep them shiny and sharp as long as possible.

The last gift knife I gave was a USA made Kershaw Blur tigerstripe tanto in Sandvik. That's a good knife to give someone, IMHO. $40 delivered for them on the auctions last time I checked - not even blems. QC is dead on from my four or five samples of different Blurs including two of those tigerstriped models.
 
Hey just want to echo what's been said above, saw that you're planning on a Manix 2 great blade certainly a step up from the one's mentioned. I would skip both the tenacious and Aegis for a Rat 1.
 
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