Knife Review: SOG Aura Hunting Knife

The SOG Aura Hunting Knife

SOG has a mission to strive to be the creators of the most distinctive gear. Gear made especially for adventurous people who like to “live on the edge.” They also have a vision. SOG's mission is to design and create gear of the highest quality, distinction and value that delivers what consumers need- and in order to do so, always defining the leading edge of technology.

Next comes their eight values. The first of the eight is pride: delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship. SOG says, “We have pride in our products and in the way in which we conduct business with our customers, co-workers, and consumers.” Second is innovation: a creation (a new device or process) resulting from study and experimentation. SOG says, “We leverage our innovation as a competitive advantage by creating and manufacturing products that meet consumer needs better than the competition.” Third is passion: intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction. “We are passionate about using leading edge technology to create the best products to meet and exceed consumer and customer expectations.” Fourth is creativity: the ability to produce through imaginative skill. SOG says, “We use our creativity to produce results – from developing products, to improving processes, to delivering our message to both customers and consumers.”
Their fifth value is integrity: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values. They say, “We always try to do the right thing -- for our consumers, our customers, our co-workers, and the global community.” Sixth is accountability: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility for or to keep track of one's own actions. They say, “We mean what we say... we do what we say... and we take responsibility for our actions.” Seventh is leadership: the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. SOG says, “We are all leaders in our area of responsibility, and we are deeply committed to delivering continuous improvements with a focus on results.” Last, but not least is sustainability: of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged. SOG says, “We seek to preserve the environment by using recycled/ recyclable materials and minimizing waste in all that we do.”

Today we will be discussing the SOG Aura Hunting Knife.

The Blade:

The blade on this knife has been made out of 7Cr13 stainless steel that has been hardened to a 54-56 RC level. This is a good entry-level, rust-resistant stainless steel. It is made in Asia and does offer the user a good value. However, when being compared to higher grades, this steel does tend to be softer and require more frequent sharpening to maintain the best performance, but it will hold an edge adequately. This steel is really there to get the job done and that’s about it. It is going to do what you need it to do, but it is not going to excel at anything it does or offer you anything that is too much extra. Really, the biggest advantage when it comes to this steel is that it is going to be a good budget level of steel. There are some budget steels that really aren’t worth the money and then there are some that are going to hold on pretty well. This steel falls into the second category. While it is not going to excel, this knife is going to be durable and dependable—exactly what you want from such a large fixed blade.

The blade on this knife has been finished satin. The satin finish is the most popular blade finish that is in the market today. This is because it does offer a very traditional blade look that is not going to go out of style any time soon. Not only does it give the knife a very sleek look, it is also not expensive, and does offer some other advantages. Some of these advantages include how it cuts down on glares, reflections, and even increases the corrosion resistance levels that the steel was going to provide. This finish is created when the manufacturer repeatedly sands the blade in one direction with an increasing level of a fine abrasive, which is normally a sandpaper. The finer the sandpaper that is used and the more even the lines, the cleaner that the finish is going to look. This finish is really used to showcase the fine lines of the steel while also showcasing the bevels of the blade.

The blade is mostly a basic drop point, however, there is a guthook on the spine, perfect for field dressing whatever it may be that you caught.

The spine is not quite as straight as a typical drop point, because it does have a slight divot at the beginning of the spine. After the divot is where you will find the guthook, which is a sharpened indentation that acts as a hook. This hook allows you to really tear things open cleanly. After the hook, the spien does angle downward, giving the classic dropped point that has many benefits. The first of the benefits is that you are going to have more control over your blade wince it does have a lowered point. This is ideal for a clean field dress, ensuring that you do not ruin any of the meat by piercing into an organ.

The other big advantage of the point is that it is still a broad point, like you would expect with a drop point. This gives the blade more durability and strength, meaning you can easily use this hunting knife for more than just hunting.

That being said, the broader point is going to reduce some of your piercing capabilities, since the point is not going to be as fine or sharp as needed. All in all, though, most people do not feel that this is a big enough disadvantage to make the drop point any less valuable. It is still a fan favorite, it will still get the job done, it is still one of the most versatile blade shapes that you can come across.

The last reason that the Aura Hunting Knife has such a fantastic blade is that it sports a very large belly. This added surface area makes slicing a breeze, which will come in handy with a lot more than just your hunting needs. The blade ensures that while this is a stellar hunting knife, it is an all-around great outdoors knife.

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is made out of Zytel and rubber. Dupont.com says, “When the goal is reducing weight, improving strength, enhancing durability, increasing thermal performance, simplifying processing, or all of the above, Zytel^® HTN high-performance polyamide resin is a logical choice. These high-performance resins are available in specific grades that sustain high strength and stiffness over a wide range of temperatures, chemicals and moisture exposure.

Zytel^® HTN can replace metal parts that must withstand high temperature tolerances (such as engine cooling, handheld devices, and non-halogenated connectors), while reducing total cost and weight through parts consolidation.” The material is also going to offer stiffness, high strength, excellent creep resistance, broad temperature toleration, fatigue resistance, while also being versatile.

This material is going to give you a fantastic grip, even in wet or messy conditions. The handle does not have a finger guard because the blade has one for you. The handle has fantastic ergonomics that are comfortable and easy to hold on to for long periods of time. There are thin grooves running down the length of the handle that will provide the texture that you need for tougher tasks. The handle spine and belly bulge out to fit inside of you hand comfortably. There is also a lanyard hole carved into the bottom of this blade, which is ideal for camping. You will be able to keep this knife close by you without it getting in the way. You can also wrap the lanyard around the handle before gripping it to add an extra layer of texture and grip.

The Mechanism:

This is a fixed blade knife, which is ideal for a hunting knife or outdoors fixed blade such as this one. This is because fixed blades are stronger and bigger because the blade does not have to fit inside of the handle. This usually means that the blade on a fixed blade is going to be twice as long as the blade on a folding knife.

Fixed blades also are not prone to breaking. One of the reasons for this is because there are no moving parts on a fixed blade, but another one is because the blade and handle are so long and thick.

Because there are no moving parts on a fixed blade, they are easier to maintain. This is because you do not have to worry about eh hinge as you do with a folding knife. The cleaning is also going to be much easier—all you really have to do is wipe down the blade and handle and oil the blade occasionally. You will want to make sure the blade is dry before placing it in its sheath.

The Sheath:

This knife comes with a nylon sheath as well as a carbide sharpener. The nylon sheath is one of the more commonly used knife sheath materials. They are often compared to leather, because they are very common and have been around for longer periods of time. Just like leather, nylon sheaths are known for being tough as well as strong. However, nylon does take the lead because they are resistant to rot and mildew as well as not being as vulnerable to water as leather sheaths are. As we all know, leather’s biggest enemy is the sheath or the water. Next, nylon sheaths are not easily scuffed or torn because of how durable the material really is.

Of course, the sheath material is going to have its disadvantages. For example, nylon sheaths are not going to last as long as leather sheaths are. Plus, the longer you have a leather sheath, the better your knife is going to fit in it. When it comes to nylon, it is almost the exact opposite. Nylon sheaths get stretched out over time, which means that while the sheath will continue to work, it is not going to give your knife a snug or secure hold. In some cases, the sheath will get so stretched out that it is much safer to just go out and buy a new sheath

The Specs:

The entire length of the knife comes in at a solid 10 inches long, which is definitely a massive knife. Like we earlier talked about though, fixed blades have the capability of being larger and staying sturdy, which is why they make such great outdoors knives, or hunting knives, like this SOG Aura. The blade itself measures in at 5 inches long, which is still pretty massive. The size of the blade will help when it comes to those tougher tasks of field dressing a larger animal. The Aura hunting knife weighs in at 5.4 ounces.

Conclusion:

The SOG Aura Hunting knife is based on the original bowie knife created back in 1838 by Rezin Bowie. Made with utility, ergonomics and comfort in mind, the Aura has a high impact and tough glass reinforced polymer handle with an overmold that gives you non-slip comfort. A small blade design change from the Bowie eliminates the big clunky cross guard and gives you a great place for your finger which provides lots of control over the blade. Similar to the SOG Camping knife, the Hunting knife comes with the guthook for field dressing your catch. It also comes with a carbide sharpener in the unscrewable back of the handle, just in case you need to field sharpen the sharp and durable edge of the Aura.

This knife is currently in stock at BladeOps, click here to get yours today.