Why do knife snobs hate SOG???

RevDevil said:
Well, I think you really need to own and use other knvies before making a statement like the bolded one on top. You are comparing apples to peanuts. ZT/KAI and Spyderco have a long history of high quality cutlery. Such a sweeping statment like the one you made can trigger an extremely heated discussion, especially if you haven't had the chance to use more than the knives from each company you've mentioned only 1 knife of each to compare. You need more data, the sample size is non-existent. ;) There are some heavy duty threads in the SOG forum on one particular topic that did not sit well with the knife community specifically. Try a search in the forum, look for "Sogzilla", 211 posts long.
Personally, the only AUS8 blade I would buy at this point in time is manufactured for Cold Steel. SOG makes decent fixed blades, and they have an amazing line of excellent fixed blade knives, their folders...not so much. YMMV
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watching Law & Order U.K., are we?
 
Nothing but bad experiences with their overpriced folders. Their AUS8 is good stuff but paying up to 100 dollars for it when I can get an M4 Grip or something like that.... nah. The Seal Pup is an outstanding combat utility knife, but again-for AUS8 and molded plastic handles, and a seriously crappy sheath, they want upwards of 70 bucks for them (That was back when I purchased my three-nowadays they're made out of AUS6 and you have to spend more like 100 dollars for the SEAL PUP Elite to get AUS8....) I think they need to be more realistic in their pricing.
 
Not a knife snob here but I dont like SOG designs much, compared to Spyderco and Benchmade. Only one I had was a Flash 1, it had blade play and hated the lock mechanism rattled. Tightening the pivot affected the speed of the knife, and overall just felt plasticky and cheap to me.
 
Not a knife snob here, but SOG knives are too expensive for the materials used.
 
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RevDevil said:
Nah, I got a flashback from a statistics class in college ;)
I didn't know there was a L&O U.K. - I'm going to have to search for that. Thanks for the tip :D
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it's on BBC America; it's not too bad. Jamie Bamber (Apollo on Battlestar Galactica) is one of the detectives. it stays true to the L&O formula; i like it better than SVU. it's only into its 3rd episode.
 
I think many believe their steel and handle scale choices aren't up to par for their pricing. The same can be said for Benchmade's excellent but somewhat overpriced Griptilian line (Zytel handles, 154CM as the standard blade steel, almost $100 each). After trying them out, I actually like zytel now (if textured properly). It also makes knives weigh less and I don't believe it sacrifices any toughness of the handles.

Back to SOG, I owned a SOG Flash II, but gave it to a good friend. I carried that knife over a year and loved it. Got a SOG Aegis afterwards. Love that knife too. I haven't ventured into other SOG models, but am considering the NW Ranger. Overall, I think SOG is a good knife brand.
 
I love the Flash 2. Whats not to like? Its lite weight and quick to deploy. I can always get a wicked edge on aus8. There is a lot of bravado around the forum and the peer pressure what to like or dislike is strong for the younger folk. I am not too cool to admit I carry a SOG one day and a Strider the next. I am thinking the big Vulcan looks like a hell of a knife. The more you actually use a knife the more you realize the name stamped on the blade isnt as important as the task at hand. Its a tool.

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I'm far from a knife snob, but SOG folders seem considerably overpriced to me. I was looking at the SOG Aegis at $60+ with AUS8 steel and comparing it with a Kershaw Blackout (with a slightly smaller blade) for under $50 with Sandvik steel (which I like). The decision to get the Blackout was real easy. And no other SOG folders appeal to me enough to even think about buying one.

And, in fairness, I have a SOG Ranger fixed blade with AUS8 that is very nice and an excellent value for the price I got it for. So go figure.
 
The first SOG I ever purchased was a Tomcat 3. I absolutely loved the look of the knife and heard the VG10 was a good steel. I paid full retail $199.99 and after about 2-3 weeks of owning it it developed some minor blade play. I used it once or twice to cut open a plastic package, nothing that should make that happen. As the days passed the blade play got bad, and then worse to the point where I don't even take the Tomcat 3 out of my drawer anymore. I tried tightening every screw on the thing, and even took it apart and back together again. No change, I don't hate SOG but since the first and only knife I've had from them had issues I can't see myself buying one again. For $200+ I wasn't expecting that.
 
I know this sounds snobby, and I know not everyone can afford an expensive knife, but I see similarities between this thread and the other "why does everyone hate Gerber?" threads.

The OP of all of those threads own a string of low end knives, and probably has never touched/seen/used a knife that costs $100+.
 
Always have disliked their looks and feel in the hand. Tend to be over the top in tacticool looks as well. Finally, haven't seen too many great reviews of any of their knives. In other words, there are way more better fish in the sea :)
 
I'm a knife junky, and I have 100s of knives, ranging from Cheapo garbage, to high end customs. One of my favorites is a SOG Arcitech AO3 in Damascus, just amazing, and perfect F&F with a smooth and rock solid lockup

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I am not a snob but I never cared for SOG ...the material they use or their designs just don't appeal to me is all
 
I had the Flash 2 and thought it was just ugly. Never really liked it and didn't feel too bad when I lost it.

I now have the Aegis black handle, black TiNi blade. I do like the looks of the Aegis but it does have a very small amount of vertical blade play (and I have never cut anything except paper). I will keep the Aegis but I'm not interested in any other SOGs.
 
Have quite a few SOG's! I like them. But like everything you get what you pay for! My mini Vulcan tanto came shaving sharp but im not a big fan of all the zytel handles SOG uses! Wish they would get into using G10 or at least something other than plastic! I think that wud help improve their overall image! Have a SOG bluto which they swear has aluminum handles. But they sure feel more like plastic to me!? If youre not a fan of SOG buy a Creed and I think that might help change your opinion!!
 
I don't hate the line of SOG knives I just plain do not like them.! Everybody is different and like my BK's and Spderco knives better.
Enough said.*
 
"Why do knife snobs hate SOG?" asks the man who judged the value of his knife on aesthetics, and the way it feels when he plays with it?

What have you cut while gripping it's "thick handle", and for what duration?
 
My Aegis is my off side (left side) carry. My strong side (right side) knives get rotated, but NOTHING has been able to replace my Aegis for ease of deployment. I also like my Twitch II. Both were exceptionally sharp when I got them and have held their edges well. Nowadays, you will usually find a Spyderco or ZT on my right side though.
 
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