Visionary II

[Mistwalker]

While I am usually a fixed blade kind of guy, I do edc a folder as well because in town large fixed blades are impractical and in general really aren’t a good idea. I wanted one that is bit little larger than the one I have been carrying because of some of the things I have been getting into lately. Today I got in a new folding knife to check out, review, and then and carry while I am out looking for pictures for the urban thread I am working on. It is a SOG Visionary II, and from what I can tell so far it’ll be a good edc folding knife. I really do like the design, how well it fits in my hand, the razor sharp edge, and the very sharp tip. It has a blade length of 3 and 3/4 inches, and an over-all of 8 and 3/8 inches. I think the corrosion resistance of the VG10 blade, the stainless liners, and the Zytel handle should do very well here in this humid environment especially with as much as I sweat in the summer time here. This is one of the SOG knives that is made in Seki Japan.



It has a great grip.

The blade edge never comes in contact with any of the frame, only the Arc-Lock locking mechanism.

The Arc-Lock release mechanism is ambidextrous and easy to manipulate with thumb and forefinger.

The Arc-Lock both locks the blade open as well as holds tension on the blade to keep it closed but does not lock the blade closed, it can be flipped open pretty quickly if needs be, though I prefer not to stress the pins like that unless necessary.

 

[Mistwalker]

This knife is VERY sharp! It shaved hair easily, and then sliced into the skin of my arm.

It did well at whittling some wet pine…sliced through a half inch limb cleanly and easily in one cut. And cut some pretty thin shavings.

And it made very quick work of cutting through some bamboo that was cut a couple of weeks ago and is mostly dry. The majority of this point was made with one cut, and then just a couple of quick cuts to clean up the tip. Then I bored a couple of holes with the tip. So far I really like it, now to see how it holds up over time.

 

[ROBB]

Nice review and some great pictures.:thumbup:
I see the pivot screw looks a lot bigger that the Visionary1. Thats a plus, I never understood why SOG used such small screws on the 1 (its the same size as the clip screw). I hope you enjoy your Visionary. I always liked the design,(handle & blade shape), and the deep pocket clip is excellent IMO. I hope you don't have the problem with the blade hittng the backspacer like I did.

 

[Mistwalker]

Nice review and some great pictures.:thumbup:
I see the pivot screw looks a lot bigger that the Visionary1. Thats a plus, I never understood why SOG used such small screws on the 1 (its the same size as the clip screw). I hope you enjoy your Visionary. I always liked the design,(handle & blade shape), and the deep pocket clip is excellent IMO. I hope you don't have the problem with the blade hittng the backspacer like I did.

Thanks ROBB, if that's the case then I'm glad I didn't try the I. I was sort of wishing the pivot pin was just a little bigger on this one, or at least that the heads were a little bigger. I don't think I'd like a smaller one at all. With all of the space there is between them, if this blade EVER touches the spacer then something is broken....there is nearly a quarter of an inch between the edge and the spacer. I do really like how it feels in my hand and the aesthetics of it. I thnk it may well be the sharpest folding knife I have ever had, it's been a LONG time since I cut myself shaving hair off my arm. I really hope it stands the test of time for me...so far only three other folding knives have ever pleased me in over-all durability.

 

[Bet That Hurt]

You take great pictures Mistwalker and thanks for the review. I picked up a Visionary 1 about a month or so ago and man you are right about sharp. I was a little skeered of it for the first week or so, lol. I did think the pivot screw was small, but for me the VS-01 was a better size and so that issue became moot.

I believe there was an earlier thread discussing the backspacer issue and the SOG rep had responded that it was an early manufacturing issue that had been rectified. I looked mine up and down before I bought it and so far, so good.

I'll be interested to hear your ongoing impressions Mistwalker - I'll chime in with anything that comes up with mine as well.

 

[Mistwalker]

You take great pictures Mistwalker and thanks for the review. I picked up a Visionary 1 about a month or so ago and man you are right about sharp. I was a little skeered of it for the first week or so, lol. I did think the pivot screw was small, but for me the VS-01 was a better size and so that issue became moot.

I believe there was an earlier thread discussing the backspacer issue and the SOG rep had responded that it was an early manufacturing issue that had been rectified. I looked mine up and down before I bought it and so far, so good.

I'll be interested to hear your ongoing impressions Mistwalker - I'll chime in with anything that comes up with mine as well.

I thought the pivot pin on this one was a little small compared to the knife I have been carrying...but then I took the pin out of it and found out it only had a large diameter head...the pin itself isn't much bigger that the hex key used to remove it. I have carried that knife for almost six years and used it a good bit, but never really abused it, and have been pleased with how well it has held up. Looking at that pin I decided that apparently because of the physics involved the pin doesn't have to be a half inch in diameter to be tough enough to serve well. Though it wouldn't hurt my feelings any if it were a little larger, I have stopped worrying that the pin may be too small.

Lol, this thing is sharp...almost like a folding scalpel, I am unfamiliar with VG10 but I hope it has good edge retention.

 

[Goodspeed]

i got the SOG x ray vision mini! i guess its pretty much the same knife, outstanding in my opinion!