Your opinion of sog knives please

Im in the military and not many people own Sogs benchmad is a much more comon brnd of folder its mainly benchmade and spyderco and cheapies that about all i see when it comes to folders, every once in awhile people have a custom blade. tactical is reall just aword that gets thron around anything that gets the job done is tactical your grandfathers used kabars and bowies to fight world war 2 and in their pocket was a slipjoint. in vietnam the SF guys and the lrrps and rangers and infantry carried the buck 110 folding hunter it was the origional tactical folder. sog knives are no more tactical that spyderco or benchmade or any other high end manufacturer


for a folding tactical knife in the same vein i reccomend the benchmade barrage http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=BM580S within your price range and a much higher qualit of steel and imho design i mena this is a much better knife for the price than anything sog puts out plus it has the lifesharp warranty. im not one to sing the praises of axis lock but seriously this is a great buy compared to an aus-8 SOG knife with questionable quality and a lesser handle material.

Unless your willing to pay more then its a toss up between strider and hinderer for top tactical folder


as for fixed blade get a RAT they are within your price and have the best warant in the business also ontario and becker make solid carbon steel blades at an affordable price.

If your willing to pay top dollar for fixed id say get a busse.
 
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I have a Trident Tanto that I spent about $70 on. It has a lot of horizontal play (which is fixable) and a little bit of vertical play. For $70 the knife should not have any play.
 
There are some SOG knives I own that are pretty darn good, in particular the Tsunami. It's been DQ'd for years now, but it's a very well-made fixed blade. I also have a SEAL 2000 that seems fine, only it's so big I haven't had occasion or need to use it.

I have a couple SOG folders. The Pentagon Elite II(?) is really big, it has a 5" blade. It's not very comfortable in the hand for me; the thumb studs can hurt, and the stop pin seems too tiny for such a large, heavy blade. But I haven't had any problems with it; but then again, I haven't used it much due to its size.

I haven't bought any SOG knives for several years now, so I can't comment on any of the newer models. I like the old Tsunami a lot, but have never carried any of my SOGs long-term, other than a Cross-Cut multi-tool scissors I used to carry years ago. I eventually went back to carrying my Leatherman Micra scissors tool instead of the Cross-Cut.
Jim
 
I have had SOG knives and multi-tools for years that have lasted and performed well.


My X-42 Field knife is outstanding. The Paratool and Powerlock are both awesome.

The Pentagon Elite(arc lock version) has been a wonderful knife also.

The Seal Pup is just about bulltproof and I will be in the family for generations.

I think they are a good company and sell good stuff.
 
All of my SOG's are performing just fine (so far). But I hear their customer service is poop! :barf:
 
I have never quite understood this forum's disdain for SOG. I've had and do still own a few SOGs, both fixed and folders. All of them have always met or exceeded my expectations and served me quite well. SOG's AUS8 is done very very nice and always comes shaving sharp.

As far as play in their folders I can tell you that I've never had any blade play right out the box. However, I must be honest and admit that my Trident does in fact have some minor lateral movement now. That being said, this particular Trident was my EDC at work for a while and it has been through the wringer. I work in construction and when I say used and abused, I mean used and abused. For the amount of hell I've put it through this is one tough and rugged little knife. The assisted opening mechanism still snaps the blade open as fast as day one. For the $70 bucks I paid for this knife I have gotten more than my money's worth. In fact, I liked it so much I bought another one!

Now I can't truthfully tell you about their warranties or customer service level because I've never dealt with them. But isn't the fact that I've never had to deal with their warranty department a good thing?? Also, when you see alot of people talking bad about this knife or that knife, always ask them how long they EDC'd it...or even if they've ECD'd it.

Anyway, that's just my opinion. Would I go with SOG again? You bet. But I'll also be the first to tell you there are definetly other options out there as well. Good luck!

Here's a pic of the Tridents. The tigerstripe version was my EDC for a while and has been sharpened many times as you can probably tell. Still an awesome knife and can slice with the best of 'em.

tridents.jpg


Plus, you have got to check out SOG's Aegis folder. This is one wickedly handsome knife. A great video review of it here (starts at about 3:45) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB-gkFmixoY
 
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jonnyt16 said:
I have never quite understood this forum's disdain for SOG. I've had and do still own a few SOGs, both fixed and folders. All of them have always met or exceeded my expectations and served me quite well...
...Plus, you have got to check out SOG's Aegis folder.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with everything you said. My Aegis is a user and it's yet to fail me! - plus it's super light for its size!
 
IGotStabbed said:
Why does SOG use AUS8? I don't mind it, but they charge the same price as similar knives in 154CM.
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True...and Im not a steel snob. I like all kinds of steel and AUS8 is ok. I have several different brand knives that use it and it doesnt hold an edge to my liking. I would even prefer 440C and its not spendy stuff either but better in my opinion. I agree with the following assessment. Plus, if you want a tough ass knife that can cut like no tomorrow then get a Scrapyard, less money too.



"Summary : AUS-8A falls almost directly inbetween 12C27 and 13C26 in regards to C/Cr composition at 1100C and thus the hardness and corrosion resistance would basically be an intermediate step in that progression. However the carbide volume fraction is much higher so the edge stability is lower while the wear resistance is enhanced. It also related to 8C13CrMoV in a very similar way that 12C27 compares to 13C26. However in general, in most knives it is ran very soft so it tends to function as more of a tough knife than a cutting tool. Benchmade Knives may change the perception of AUS-8A as they are hardening it 60 HRC. "
 
aus-8 is i believe a japanese copy of 440B if i understand correctly. meanwhile i picked up a boker trance that had an aus-8 blade an FRN side scale and an ss framelock it was 35 bucks so why does a sog cost twice as much? ive handled them and the seal pup is a nify desig but i just dont see whats so speacial about a sog that maes it worth twice the price of a similar knife.
 
razorsdescent said:
aus-8 is i believe a japanese copy of 440B if i understand correctly. meanwhile i picked up a boker trance that had an aus-8 blade an FRN side scale and an ss framelock it was 35 bucks so why does a sog cost twice as much? ive handled them and the seal pup is a nify desig but i just dont see whats so speacial about a sog that maes it worth twice the price of a similar knife.
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This doesn't make sense...you are comparing a folding knife to a fixed blade.
 
Man, there is some serious dogging on sog about blade play! my trident though is rock solid and flies fast... I have a griptillian which everybody loves but im not really a fan because of the blade play, no matter what i cannot get rid of it. My friend had a lightfoot that he paid an absolute fortune for which had play also, lots of it and it was considered acceptable... kinda wondering about the double standards
 
I also do not understand the overall "disdain" for SOG products on this and other forums. I have quite a few SOGs and each one has been excellent. The only SOG blade that I have not liked was the Flash II and I have owned several. So I must not dislike them too much. They are work knives for me. My Flash II's have each had some blade play, but it was not excessive.

I am particularly fond of the Mini-Vulcan and I really like the new Access Card 2.0. The Blink and Twitch II are quite good for EDC, and my general purpose beater fixed blade for the woods is a Seal Pup Elite with a plain edge. I have not owned every one of their models, but I have owned enough to form an overall good impression. The Field Pup is an excellent woods knife for small game, survival, general camp knife, or a first fixed blade for a young outdoors type who Dad does not want to give a $200 knife to for them to beat around or not take care of it.
 
jonnyt16 said:
This doesn't make sense...you are comparing a folding knife to a fixed blade.
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whoa there slow down buddy. i was comparing the trance to their folders such as the aegis:

Specifications

* Blade Length: 3.5"
* Overall Length: 8.25"
* Weight: 3.1 oz.
* Edge: Straight
* Steel: AUS 8
* Handle: Zytel


Same stuff the trance is made out of but twice the cost.


i was simply stating that the seal pup was an interesting design
 
I find that of the newer SOG's, I prefer ones made in VG10. You can put a hair popping edge on them if you choose to and the edge lasts.

If I have any complaints at all, I think the price is about 10-20% too high.
 
I paid too much for my Pup Elite ($70). The sheath fell apart and it's not covered under warranty. It took some time, but I finally convinced SOG to send me the most recent cordura version. I just checked out several folders, Flash II, Trident and a couple others. The Flash II had tremendous blade play. Looked as though the only thing working as a blade stop was the Zytel handle.:( I once had a Magnadot that would do nothing but rust.
Personal opinion. SOGs are too pricey, the Arc lock is a copy of Benchmades Axis lock. I don't mind AUS 8A but SOG can't seem to figure out weather it's AUS 8A/AUS 6A or 440C/440A. Sog used to market the AUS 8A assited openers as "Made in America" when in reality they are only assembled here.
One of the customer service reps seemed to even worship Spencer Frazier. S.F. is a business man not a knife maker.
 
I've owned 3 SOG folders and had blade play on 2 of them. After some emails and calls to customer service, I unloaded them on the bay. I won't touch another SOG folder and would hesitate to get a fixed blade.

ps. If you buy a SOG, keep the receipt and be prepared to fax a copy to them. The warranty only applies to the original purchaser and they wanted proof I was the op.

I can find a similar knife for probably cheaper and with better customer service. That is why SOG is on my "dont buy list".
 
I don't like their designs or reputation. I will never buy one and would suggest the same to anyone I know
 
razorsdescent said:
whoa there slow down buddy. i was comparing the trance to their folders such as the aegis:

Specifications

* Blade Length: 3.5"
* Overall Length: 8.25"
* Weight: 3.1 oz.
* Edge: Straight
* Steel: AUS 8
* Handle: Zytel


Same stuff the trance is made out of but twice the cost.
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Well there buddy you just about answered your own question with the specs right there. The Boker Trance has a 2.75" blade where the Aegis has a 3.5" blade. That's a whole 3/4" more blade you get with the SOG. And on top of the SOG being a much bigger knife, it actually weighs less than the Boker! Further, the Aegis comes with SOG's assisted opening device which snaps that blade open wickedly fast. The Boker Trance does not have this (and from what I hear, the "flipper" thing it has is totally worthless). Finally, the black TiNi finish on the Aegis is much more handsome and the styling overall leaves the Trance in the dust. Any more questions?
 
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