SOG Tangle Fixed Blade Knife Review

SOG was founded with a specific mission. SOG is striving to be the creators of the most distinctive gear—gear made especially for adventurous people who like to “live on the edge.”

The company was also founded with a specific 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.

SOG has eight main values. The first is pride. This is described as “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.” The next value is innovation. This is described as “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.” The third value is passion, which is described as intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction. SOG says, “We are passionate about using leading edge technology to create the best products to meet and exceed consumer and customer expectations.” The fourth value is creativity, which is 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.” The fifth value is integrity, which is firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values. The company says, “We always try to do the right thing — for our consumers, our customers, our co-workers, and the global community.” Next comes accountability, or an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility for or to keep track of one’s own actions. SOG says, “We mean what we say… we do what we say… and we take responsibility for our actions.” Second to last is leadership, which is the art of motivation 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, which is of, relation to, or begin 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 SOG’s Tangle fixed blade knife.

The Blade:

The blade on this knife is made out of 9Cr18MoV steel. This is a high carbon chromium bearing steel that is very corrosion resistant. This steel is known to keep its cutting edge and has good corrosion resistance. Blades from this steel are easy to sharpen. 9Cr18MoV is one of the most popular knife steel sin the world and is a great value in terms of price and quality. This steel has been hardened to a RC 58-60 hardness level.

The blade has been finished with a hard case black coating. A coating blade has a few purposes on a knife blade. Of course, the first is that it is going to prevent corrosion. The coating is going to fight against rust because it creates a barrier between the steel and the environment. This means that the elements have to pass through the coating first, but that is not going to happen. Also, the coating can eliminate any shiny surfaces. This is a big necessity if you are ever in the field. You do not want any reflections to give your position away. The coating also adds a very sleek, black look. Next, a coating can reduce a drag during a cut. Also, a good coating can increase the wear resistance. This is for the same reasons that a coating increases the corrosion resistance. Of course, coatings do also have their disadvantages. For example, if they are not applied properly, they can create ridges or grooves where they were not applied smoothly. This can get in the way of how well the knife can actually cut. The biggest problem with a coating though is that sooner or later, they are going to come off. While you might think this is a purely aesthetic issue, you would be wrong. The beat up coating is considered even worse than bare steel. And, once the knife is partially gone, the coating will fail its whole purpose: the blade is going to rust, drag, reflect, and not look good while it does. Another issue with a coating is that sometimes the coating creates something called a “wire edge”, which reduces cutting ability and can make the sharpening more difficult.

The blade on the Tangle knife has been carved into a drop point blade shape. This is an all-purpose knife that really can stand up to almost anything. The drop point is also one of the most popular blade shapes that is used on the market today. The blade shape is formed by having the unsharpened edge of the knife run straight form the handle to the tip of the knife in a slow, curved manner, which creates a lowered point. It is this lowered point that provides more control while also adding strength to the tip. It is this tip strength that the knife has the ability to hold up to heavy use. In fact, it can hold up to heavy use so well that it makes a great blade shape for tactical or survival knives. The dropped point blade shape is so easily controllable, which allows the user to perform fine detail work. One of the reasons that this blade shape is so versatile is because of the large belly that it has. The large belly allows you to slice very easily. The drop point blade does have one disadvantage—because of the relatively broad tip, it is not going to be suitable for piercing. Of course, you need to remember that it is this broad tip that gives you so much strength.

 

The Handle:

             The knife is a full tang knife, which means that the handle and the blade are made out of the same piece of metal. This creates a stronger knife because there are no weaker points where the two pieces have been welded together. This means that the knife is less likely to break when in use. The metal is going to give you the same benefits that it gives to the blade.

However, what sets this knife apart is that the handle is wrapped in paracord. This is where the name “Tangle” comes from. Not only does the paracord add more texture, it serves plenty of other purposes. For starters, you can use this knife for emergency situations. This is because the inner strands of paracord are both small enough and strong enough to help close a wound. If you unwrap the knife handle and then take apart the paracord, you can use the inner strands as sutures. One of the other emergency purposes you can use this knife for is as a splint. Paracord is easy to use as a splint with only a t-shirt. Put the t-shirt under the limb and then lay out a hard object such as a walking tick to keep the limb stable. Afterwards, wrap the limb with paracord and tie a knot tight enough for a secure hold.

You can also use the paracord for a fishing line. Just as the sutures, remove the inner threads then tie the ends of the threads together using a knot at your desired length. Toss your line out and start fishing. This can come in very handy in a survival situation if you are ever desperate for food. Of course, there are more than 100 uses for paracord, so having a long strand of it wrapped around your knife handle just prepares you for the worst.

The handle shape itself is relatively simple. The spine angles from the blade to the butt of the handle in a straight line. There is not a very large finger guard, but with the grip that the paracord provides, you shouldn’t need one. There is a deep finger groove, which will allow you to have a comfortable grip on this knife. The handle has been skeletonized with each of the lines inside wrapped in paracord. The skeletonization keeps the weight down while also giving the knife a unique look.

 

The Mechanism:

             This is a fixed blade, which means that there is no mechanism on the knife. There are plenty of advantages to a fixed blade knife. For starters, the knife is going to be bigger and stronger. This is because the blade does not have to fit inside of the handle, so it can be longer and thicker. This makes it less likely to break because it can withstand more. Fixed blades are even more less likely to break because there is no mechanism. This means that you don’t have to worry about hinges, screws, or any smaller moving parts on the knife. It also means that the blade is going to be easier to clean and maintain. All you have to do is wipe down the blade and the handle and make sure the blade is dry before putting it in its sheath. You will also have to oil the blade occasionally. But this process is much simpler and less time consuming than a folding blade. Fixed blades also offer a superior survival tool because they are so big and strong and you don’t have to take too much time to maintain them. They can be used for more things than just cutting. You can use it as a first aid tool, a hunting tool, splitting wood, or just simply cutting.

Overall, this knife is going to be strong, tough, and versatile. Because of the paracord, you are going to be prepared for almost anything, including emergencies or unexpected situations. When you buy this knife, you are going to find yourself a new favorite knife.

 

The Sheath:

The sheath that comes with this fixed blade is made out of molded nylon. Nylon is a very common material. Nylon is tough and strong while also being resistant to rot and mildew. One of the other common materials that is often used is leather, which is extremely vulnerable to water. This is where nylon has its advantage to leather—nylon is not vulnerable to water. Plus, nylon is one of the more inexpensive materials for a knife sheath. This is going to keep the overall cost of the knife down.
Nylon does have its disadvantages. For starters, nylon does not last as long as leather or more modern materials would. Also, nylon is going to stretch over time. So while the sheath will still work, it is not going to be as snug as it always would be.

 

The Specs:

The blade on this knife measures in at 3.9 inches long with a blade thickness of 0.19 inches. The overall length of this knife measures in at 8.75 inches long. This knife is a heavier knife, weighing in at 5.60 ounces. This knife was made in China.

 

Conclusion:

             When SOG is talking about this knife, they say, “Its hollow ground drop point blade makes the Tangle perfect for most uses, sure. But you want to throw this knife, don’t you? Thanks to a full one-piece tang construction, you can. It’s strong. It’s balanced. It’s lightweight. It’s really only dependent upon your aim. Topped with a skeletonized handle – wrapped in 7 feet of paracord – and paired with a molded sheath and belt loop clip, you have yourself a convenient tool ready for anything. Carry it wherever you go.” This knife has actually been discontinued since its release, but BladeOps still has some in stock. Hurry and you will be able to get ahold of one of these Tangle knives.