Knife Review: SOG Revolver 2.0 Hunt Knife

The SOG Revolver 2.0 Hunt Fixed Blade Knife

SOG Specialty Knives, Inc. is a United States knife and tool manufacturing company famous for their reproduction SOG Knife from the Vietnam era. SOG manufactures a variety of knives other than the original military inspired designs, many designed for everyday carry. The company also produces a line of multi-tools.

The company was founded in 1986 by Spencer and Gloria Frazer and was inspired in its choice of name by the Joint Services Special Operations unit known as the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group or MACV-SOG who developed their own knife during the War in Vietnam.

Changes were made to the original design of the MACV SOG Fighter, like resin-impregnating the leather handle, utilizing thicker stock and new grind lines, Spencer and Gloria launched their product and company with a one-page, black and white ad in Soldier of Fortune magazine for the S1 Bowie, a replica of the SOG Knife used by the SOG groups operating in South-East Asia. They also produced the SCUBA/Demo knife, which is a replica of one of the rarest military knives to date (only 1 of the original 39 knives produced has survived till this day). Author Greg Walker considers knives such as these and many of the SOG models produced prior to the shift of production from Seki City, Japan to Taiwan to be the best knives SOG had ever made.

A second "maritime" version of the Bowie (S2) was made utilizing a black micarta handle and stainless-steel blade known as the Trident.It was decorated with the US Navy SEAL emblem as opposed to the Special Forces Crest found on the Bowie. The original S1 and S2 classic bowies were manufactured for SOG by Ichiro Hattori of Seki Japan until 2006. The other models were manufactured by Kinryu Corp. also of Seki until 2007.

OG Specialty Knives manufactures an array of tools available for military personnel and casual outdoor users. SOG also makes several other military style knives including a tactical switchblade which is only available to military/law enforcement personnel. SOG has developed fixed blade knives for survival and outdoors such as the Tech Bowie as well as folding knives, many of which feature assisted opening technology such as the Aegis, Twitch and Trident. SOG also manufactures multi-tools including the Paratool, PowerLock, and PowerAssist.

Many of SOG's folding knives and multi-tools are made or assembled in the United States, with the higher priced folders being made by G.Sakai in Seki City. The fixed blade models that were originally made in Seki are now made in Taiwan. Some of SOG's lesser priced tools, such as the Fusion line are manufactured in Taiwan or China.

SOG says, “Forged out of tradition, hardened in the field, honed for you. So, whether you're protecting others or leading an epic hunting expedition, tackling one of life's everyday challenges or facing your most extreme conditions yet, lead the way with SOG.”

Today we will be discussing the multi-blade Revolver 2.0 Hunt Fixed blade.

The Blade:

The blade on the Revolver 2.0 is made out of 8Cr13MoV steel. This is a Chinese based steel that is from the Cr line of steels. The top of the line is the 9Cr formula, with 8Cr shortly behind. 9Cr steel is better than AUS-8, but 8Cr is about even with AUS-8, maybe even a little behind it. 8Cr13MoV steel is going to get the job done. It is resistant to corrosion, but not extremely resistant to corrosion. It isn’t hard and it isn’t soft. Really, it sits right in the middle of the spectrum. The biggest advantage that it boasts is its cost. This is a fantastic budget steel. It will get the job done and it isn’t going to raise the cost of the overall knife. It also isn’t going to compare to the newer steels or the super steels that you might encounter.

The two separate blades on the Revolver 2.0 have been finished satin. The blade has been finished with a satin finish, which is the most common blade finish that you are going to find in today’s cutlery industry. The finish is created when the blade is repeatedly sanded in one direction with an increasingly fine level of a very fine abrasive. The most common material used to create this finish is a fine sandpaper. This process does a few things. The first is that it shows off the bevels of the blade. The second is that it shows of the fine liens of the steel. These two characteristics are going to give the blade a traditional look that cannot be found with any other blade finish.

Another reason that the satin finish offers such a classic appearance is because it falls in the middle of the luster-spectrum. You are going to find plenty of finishes that are more reflective than the satin finish, as well as plenty that are more matte. This also means that the satin finish is going to cut down on glares and reflections slightly. The last major benefit that the satin finish offers is that it does work to increase the corrosion resistance of the blade ever so slightly. The satin finish is going to effectively hide a good amount of the scratches that do occur with use. This knife has been created to be taken on heavier duty adventures, so you will need all the help you can get in maintaining the appearance.

This SOG actually comes with two different blades. The first blade has a casual upsweep to it, which does create a raised tip. However, the belly is massive on this, and the upsweep is going to give you even more surface area when it comes to the belly. The more surface area you have, the easier it is going to be to slice. Plus, this is a hunting knife, so you know that you are going to want to excel at slicing with at least one of the blades.

To further add to the benefits of this blade, it is a plain edge. This is going to ensure that you get cleaner, smoother cuts, which will keep the meat in good shape on your game.

The second blade is a lot more extreme. This one does not actually have a point, instead, the end of the blade is flat. This blade is designed to act more like a saw, because the entire “belly” portion is completed with tick and sharp serrations. These serrations will help you either saw through thicker materials, such as ropes or branches, or it will let you tear through softer material. The serrations are going to make this second blade harder to sharpen, but it will also need to be sharpened less often because of the serrations.

I would say that the biggest advantage of this second blade is that it does have a gut hook. This is a medium-sized indent on the spine of the blade that has been sharpened. This allows you to use it as a hook and “un-zip” things with it. The gut hook is perfect for hunting and fishing.

With the two different blades, there is almost nothing that you won’t be able to do with this knife.

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is made out of GFN with a rubber-overmold. The handle is black and orange, which is perfect for your hunting knife. This material is a thermoplastic material that is known for being cheap, but also nearly indestructible. It is so tough and durable because all of the nylon fibers are arranged haphazardly throughout it. This means that no matter which way the handle is stressed, it is not going to start to break apart. This handle material is similar to G-10, carbon fiber, and even Micarta. However, those material do suffer from being brittle because their fibers are arranged in a single direction.

The GFN has also been textured roughly, which is going to provide enough texture that you don’t have to worry about you hand slipping, even when the circumstances get messy or wet.

The only drawbacks to this handle material are that some people do feel like it has a plastic-y feel to it and they don’t feel that it is as sturdy as other materials would be. GFN also is not going to provide as much texture or grip as G-10 would.

However, SOG knew how important the grip would be, so they added in a rubber over-mold. This is going to ensure that you have a more solid grip in nearly any weather or environment. The sides of the handle have been completed with jimping, giving you more control over your cuts.

The Mechanism:

This is a fixed blade, which means that there is no mechanism on the knife. The handle and the blade are connected with no hinge. To cover the blade, you put it in a sheath, instead of folding it into the handle.

Some benefits of a fixed blade are that they are easier to care for. This is because the blade is thicker, which means that it is going to be less likely to break. Also, all you have to do is wipe down the blade and handle and it is clean. You don’t have to worry about the innards getting junked up because there isn’t access to the innards. A fixed blade also makes a superior outdoors knife because it can do a lot more than just cut. It is going to be strong enough to be used as a general utility tool in the field.

The Sheath:

The sheath that comes with this knife is a black leather sheath with a belt loop attachment. Leather is definitely known as one of the more traditional materials that sheaths are made out of. Leather is known to be rugged, tough, and strong. This is not going to break apart the way that plastic does. And, if the stitches happen to come undone, you can easily re-sew them. Leather is also going to provide a custom fit for your Revolver 2.0 once it has been broken in. Not only that, but it is going to be completely silent. You will be able to pull the Revolver 2.0 in or out and not have it make a sound. This is idea for those outdoor lovers that don’t want to disturb the wilderness. It is also perfect for hunters who don’t want to scare away their potential game. Lastly, when cared for, leather has an incredible aesthetic. When taken care of correctly, it is only going to look better with age.

Of course, leather is also going to have some disadvantages. The first is that it is not a waterproof material. If it is exposed to water often, it can dry out, which will lead the leather to crack. Leather is also not heat resistant. The same thing is going to happen, the oils can dry out and cause it to crack. Luckily for us, a simple oil occasionally is going to make the leather last longer and age a little better.

The Specs:

The blade on this knife measures in at 3.2 inches long, with the handle portion measuring in at 4.6 inches long. This means that the overall length of the Revolver 2.0 is going to come in at 7.8 inches long. This knife does weigh in at 4.4 ounces, which is a little bit heavier for a smaller knife, except that it does have the double blade.

Conclusion:

The SOG Revolver 2.0 Hunt fixed blade knife offers the user the unique ability to change the blade with the push of a button--by pressing the locking button on the handle, the blade rotates on an axis to reveal either a upswept clip point skinning blade or a double tooth saw with gut hook. This dual threat is perfect for the hunter, archer, fisherman or sportsman in your life.

This knife is currently in stock at BladeOps, but the quantities are going super-fast. This is a fantastic knife to have on your next outdoors adventure, so click here to order yours now.