Vulcan bit me!

D

dennis75

Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Messages
820
recently got a SOG Vulcan folder, and yesterday it stabbed me, pretty bad pinch and bleeding, the works.....

had it in my backpocket, even close the side to prevent opening. fumbling to get it out of my pocket and the tip found its way into my thumb, bled like crazy :eek:

i found out that the blade hadn't even opened from the handle, but just that taking hold of the knife with little force is enough to drive your thumb into the tip in the closed position

thing is i noticed: when closed the tip is only 'shielded' in the handle, within the extended liners-part at the butt actually, by a mere 2mm margin (!). it's almost inevitable to feel the tip while closed. i think this is a design flaw, which is very unfortunate since all the rest of the knife is truly awesome

try this if you handle one: hold it upsidedown (tip up, as if clipped to pocket), closed, feel with your index finger at the extended liner, with the 'sog'-name cutout, and feel between those liner parts. that's the tip rubbing your finger. do it hard enough or 'just right' (just wrong is more like it.....) and you'll ge stabbed

i mean c'mon SOG! only a mere 2mm of tip enclosure while closed? that's just way too little. the fact that the knife also has a smooth arc-lock and carries tip-up doesn't actually help this problem.

are there any tricks to solve this, apart from grinding down the blade a centimeter.....? :(

i was really psyched when i got the knife, cool assist flipper, great grip, nice droppoint recurved swedge blade, but this is really somewhat of a bummer. i'm now scared of drawing this knife from the pocket..... :o

regards,
denn
 
My vulcan was sitting right next to me while i was reading your post. While i haven't had a problem with it, you are right...the blade is extremely close to the end of the liner. I was actually rubbing the tip of the blade while reading the end of your post while it was fully closed. I could even open the blade by pulling on the tip. Not really complaining though just noting the fact.
 
hi bonez, glad someone else notices it too, so it's probably common on all Vulcans

can i ask how long you've owned your Vulcan and how often you use it? more specifically, which pocket do you carry it and how do you draw?

also, in regard to the ArcLock, how do you close an ArcLocked SOG? do you use index, middle or thumb finger to disengage the rollbar, or both fingers, or otherwise? just wondering what's the proper way to close an ArcLock folder, since this is my 1st one

tia for any sugg's

denn
 
dennis75 said:
try this if you handle one: hold it upsidedown (tip up, as if clipped to pocket), closed, feel with your index finger at the extended liner, with the 'sog'-name cutout, and feel between those liner parts. that's the tip rubbing your finger. do it hard enough or 'just right' (just wrong is more like it.....) and you'll ge stabbed
Click to expand...

Hell, you are right, I didn't notice it probably because I've got Vulcan only for a short time now, but it's definitely a nuisance. It is gift for my father, so I won't be trying to solve this, but I guess some kind of cover on those two liners would be ok. Just a small thin sheet of plastic to cover the most exposed area I'm thinking... We'll see. But anyway thanks for the warning! I know that Vulcan can bite pretty hard from my own experience;)
 
My first Arc Lock knife too. I've had the knife since Sunday. I usually use both thumb and index finger. As for carry. Front right pocket sitting on the outside of the pocket. Don't really pay attention to drawing it. Pretty sure i just slip my thumb down along the side and pull it out.
 
I noticed this too on mine. I ran my finger down the back sog emblem part where the point rests, but i was unable to have any contact with the blade, even when I tried to squeeze my pinkey finger in there. It may just because I have large hands, but it is pretty impossible for me to hurt myself on that part.
On a seperate note, I close my vulcan using my thumb and index finger on the arc lock studs and a quick wrist movement. Just be careful. The first day I got my vulcan I was closing it with some force, and the tip of my ring finger was slightly in the way of the blade as it was closing. The blade took a fillet of my finger about 1/4" across, lots of bleeding. lesson learned. :D
 
spencetron said:
I noticed this too on mine. I ran my finger down the back sog emblem part where the point rests, but i was unable to have any contact with the blade, even when I tried to squeeze my pinkey finger in there. It may just because I have large hands, but it is pretty impossible for me to hurt myself on that part.
On a seperate note, I close my vulcan using my thumb and index finger on the arc lock studs and a quick wrist movement. Just be careful. The first day I got my vulcan I was closing it with some force, and the tip of my ring finger was slightly in the way of the blade as it was closing. The blade took a fillet of my finger about 1/4" across, lots of bleeding. lesson learned. :D
Click to expand...

you probably have big hands then. in closed position i can actually catch the tip of the blade with the nail of any finger and pull the knife out of the handle with my nail. scary
 
If you have ever held any of the SOG assisted openers, then closing the arc-lock will be easy. I use my thumb (right handed) to pull back the arc lock, then use my index finger to push the blade closed. As for the tip poking too close to the butt of the knife, YES! I have poked both hands several times while testing it out as either right or left handed carry (born left handed, but taught to use right, go figure). It has ended up on my right side front pocket and hasn't poked me in a good amount of time (a month). Still a great knife, real thick for a folder and feels indestructable with the VG-10.
 
The almost exposed tip is a big design flaw. Wait till you've had it a few years, and have run it thru the Sharpmaker a few times. The tip will become more and more exposed. If you can pick the tip with your fingernail new, well, you can imagine down the road...I own small Buck folders that I can't use anymore because of this same problem.

This is sad news to hear, as I was going to purchase one for myself for Christmas.
 
Unfortunately, you all may have something here. The point should be shielded just a bit better. The solution may be just a slightly larger shield (with the SOG words on it). Maybe 3 mm would be more appropriate.

As far as the point becoming more exposed with sharpening, it would take a lot of sharpening. It is something that is common with folders. I had that problem with carbon steel skinning knives that I literally sharpened two or three times a day when in use. Even then they would still last me a couple seasons before I replaced it.

That aside, I really like the design of the knife. The fix would probably be a larger shield and a slightly longer handle. You'll still have the point problem after long term sharpening which for me would take a long time with the hardness of the steel.
 
SPXTrader said:
The almost exposed tip is a big design flaw.
This is sad news to hear, as I was going to purchase one for myself for Christmas.
Click to expand...


spxt, don't let my observations on this knife cause you to not buy it for xmas. i mean, apart from 'the issue' it's an awesome SOG folder. in fact, i like it a whole lot

a lot of the Vulcan reminds me of the Al Mar SERE 2000, which also is a great knife which i've always favored much, but i must admit that this SOG is definitely way better and cooler

it's comparable to the SERE2000 in that it is......:

-tip up, low pocket carry
-strong built
-similar weight and bulk
-similar size
-same steel
-same smooth action

however, the Vulcan is a clear winner for me, because......:

-1 oz. lighter than the s2k
-assist-flipper, =cool and handy
-thicker blade (recurved droppoint, semi-spearpoint)
-even smoother pivot action
-more ambidextrous (arc instead of liner, and finger cutouts handle left+right)
-stronger lock (think this arc-lock is actually stronger than the sere's liner)

so.......get one. it just might bite every now and then, but i've discovered that chances of being bitten can be reduced by carrying this folder in the middle of the pocket, instead of to one side, which actually increases the chance of getting pinched on the draw

long story short: it might be a somewhat flawed design, bit it's def. a must-have SOG-folder. definitely!
 
dennis75, I appreciate your comments, and I agree 100%, Let me preface this by saying I own a Trident TF-1 (acceptable, but a bit overpriced when compared to similar alternatives) and a Seal Pup and Seal Pup Elite (both are excellent knives for the money). OK, back to the Vulcan...not actually handling one, it seems like a great knife. Hell, I buy about 90% of my knives without holding them first, unless I get a trip to Bluefield, VA and time for a three hour browse thru NGK.

But since the revelation of the tip problem, I'll wait for SOG to offer a fix. As I said in my earlier post, this is a basic design flaw and someone at SOG should have caught this and made a fix before the first one left the factory. If it's been noted this quick on an internet forum, the designer's prototype or QC should have caught it. I love my little Bucks, and because of this same problem, I won't carry them anymore.

However, this being said, I hope Chris or someone else at SOG is listening. From the pics on SOG's site, it appears some modifications on the little metal shield with the SOG cutout need a slight tweaking. Once corrected, I'll get one. But I can't justify buying one now knowing there's a problem.

If you can post some pics of the tip and your fingernail, that would be great. Thanks again.

SPX
 
I wanted to thank everyone for their comments on this. I had not noticed it before and I have brought this to the immediate attention of our engineering department. I'll let you know what the status is sometime this week.

Thanks
Chris
 
that's nice Chris, don't forget to mention the mini-vulcan as well while you're at it, since i'm gonna buy that one too early next year ;-)

denn
 
I have talked with our engineering department and they are looking at adjusting the blade so that it does tuck into the handle a little more. I tried a couple samples here is the tip is very close to sticking but it seemed like it would be hard to cut yourself on it. The only way I could get my finger to remotely touch it was if I really tired and it was definitely not a motion that I would normally be doing while holding the knife.

As of right now the Mini Vulcan is not in production so this should not be an issue at all with that knife.

For dennis75, if you feel uncomfortable with the knife let me know and I can see about getting it fixed or replaced for you. Send me a PM and we can go figure out what to do.
 
I think the part about poking your finger comes from a quick subconcious hand motion to grab the knife out of the pocket, it is in this that sometimes I poke my finger, now I just have to think twice before I reach for it. Glad to hear you guys at SOG are listening :).
 
The preception of something "sharp" also comes from the edges of the guard (with the SOG letters) that cover the point. It is a little sharp, but it does not actually cut you.
 
like to add one more issue, related to the biting tip thing...

when closed, the edge touches the inside Zytel of the handle and creates a slit inside the zytel. i started to notice this when everytime i opened the knife, there seemed to be a slight amount of black plastic on the edge, mainly on the recurve's belly

might just be my vulcan, but thought i'd mention it anyway

denn
 
dennis75 said:
like to add one more issue, related to the biting tip thing...

when closed, the edge touches the inside Zytel of the handle and creates a slit inside the zytel. i started to notice this when everytime i opened the knife, there seemed to be a slight amount of black plastic on the edge, mainly on the recurve's belly

might just be my vulcan, but thought i'd mention it anyway

denn
Click to expand...

Good call, I just looked inside the handle of my Vulcan in the light and there is a little slit where the blade seems to have made itself a "bed." It doesn't do the black chipping thing, but that might have been something I missed when I first bought it. The slit on mine is visible only If I look for it, other wise it doesn't seem to be too much of a threat.Thanks for bringing this up, J.
 
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