Spectacular SOG Knives

Something interesting about SOG knives is that they actually began in Vietnam. There were members of a highly classified US special ops unit who all carried a special combat knife for their jungle missions. It wasn’t until 1986 when Spencer Frazer founded SOG Specialty Knives, he wanted to reproduce and design this original knife. He commemorated that bowie knife model and then went on to produce a full line of knives and tools. Lots of these knives have been field-proved by US Special Forces. Some have received the Navy SEAL choice knife. These knives are reliable, durable, and trusted. They can be used from hunting, self-protecting, or even just your everyday knife and you know that your knife will stand up to the challenges that you throw at it.

 

The Trident:

The blade on this knife is 3.75 inches made out of AUS-8 steel. This steel has a coating that helps resist rust. SOG has produced many variations of this knife, so you can get the coating in a few different options: A Black Tini or a satin finish if that is what you want. This steel is a perfect hardness, because it holds an edge for quite a while and then is easy to re-sharpen when needed. The hardness of this knife can stand up to safety missions or work as a utility knife. You can get this blade in a full straight edge or a combo edge, whichever you prefer. Some bonuses about having serrations on your blade is that they can help cut through materials such as rope or branches. Plus, if you are using this knife as your everyday carry knife, serrations making cutting through cardboard a breeze. The thickness of the blade is .13 inches, which can seem to be on the thinner side. However, because it is a folding knife, if you added any thickness, you add weight and bulkiness, neither are ideal for a perfect folding knife. The blade sports a clip point silhouette and has a spring assisted opening mechanism. On the blade is an ambidextrous thumb stud which helps opening the blade easy and quickly.

The handle on this knife is made out of glass-reinforced nylon scales with a rubber over mold and you can get these in many different colors. Some of those colors being black, digital desert camo, tiger stripe camo, and a few other camo patters/colors. The locking system on this knife is a Piston Lock, which is similar to Benchmade’s locking system. Something about this knife that many people don’t like is the pocket clip; it isn’t reversible, it isn’t as long as many people would want, and it does have an awkward flair at the bottom. However, this is really the only complaint that people have, so don’t get turned away because of the pocket clip.

The overall length of this knife is 8.5 inches and the closed length is 4.75 inches long. The knife weighs 3.6 ounces. Something unique about this knife is that if the spring breaks, the knife can still open and close. If this does happen, you will end up with a manual folder, but that is a huge bonus.  Find all our Trident SOG knife models here.

Pros of the Trident:

• The coating on this knife helps resist rust, even if the knife ends up being submerged in water for long periods of time.
• You can get the blade coated in two different coatings, depending on your preference.
• The edge on this knife is held for long periods of time and is easy to sharpen.
• You can get a straight edge blade or a combo edge blade.
• You can get the handle in many different colors.
• If the spring on this knife breaks, the knife will still open and close, you will just have a manual folding knife.

Cons of the Trident:

• Many people have complaints about the pocket clip.
• The blade is a little on the thin side.

 

The Twitch II:

The blade on this knife is 2.65 inches long made out of AUS-8 steel. The steel is then treated with a “cryogenic heat treatment” which is done by slowly reducing the blade temperature to -300 degrees Fahrenheit and then slowly bringing it back up again. This treatment improves the strength and the sharpness of the steel. This blade is crazy sharp, which makes cutting a very easy task. Just like the Trident, you can get this knife in either a plain edge or a combo edge. The blade also will come in gray, black, or rosewood. Because of the lock back mechanism, the blade can be held securely in either the open or the closed positon. The knife is an assisted opening knife, which makes it easy to open with only one hand. To close the knife, you push the lock bar and then fold the blade down, which is usually a two-handed operation. But, with lots of practice, it is possible to achieve this maneuver one-handed, making life a little easier.

The handle on this knife is made out of Anodized Aluminum 6061-T6. SOG has created many different designs for this knife, and you can get the handle in a variety of different colors. Some of these colors are gray, black, digital camo, and a unique wood handle. This handle material gives you enough grip for lighter tasks and work, but the material might make heavy duty tasks a little bit trickier. The handle features a very strong pocket clip. The sturdiness of this pocket clip actually requires a firm push onto your pocket or a firm pull off of it. However, the pocket clip is not reversible, which does turn off some people.

SOG outdid themselves when they re-designed the Twitch to get this updated version. This knife is an extremely high-quality knife.  The overall length of this knife is 6.2 inches long and the closed length of this knife is 3.55 inches long. It isn’t too expensive, but it isn’t cheap. The price is worth the quality that you get, especially if you are using this knife for your everyday carry.  Find the entire line of SOG Twitch II knives on our website here.

Pros of the Twitch II:

• The steel has a cryogenic heat treatment, which improves the strength and sharpness of the steel.
• The blade is crazy sharp.
• You can get a straight edge or a combo edge.
• You can get a variety of different handle colors.
• The pocket clip is very strong.
• Not too expensive, especially for the quality that you get.

Cons of the Twitch II:

• The pocket clip is not reversible.
• To close the knife, you will have to use two hands until you get practice in.

 

The Flash II:

The blade on this knife is 3.5 inches long made out of AUS-8 steel which is a good quality Japanese steel. Like I said, this steel is good, it does hold its edge well, it is easy to re-sharpen, but it isn’t great. To make up for the quality that it is missing, some of the Flash II versions are coated in a Titanium Nitride. You can get this blade in a partially serrated version or a straight edge version. Like the two previously mentioned knives, this is also a spring assisted opener; it boasts SOG’s Assisted Technology which is just a very fast spring assisted opening mechanism. The blade sports a drop point shape.

The handle on this knife is Zytel, which is a fiberglass-reinforced nylon. This material is a little easier to understand if I call it a reinforced plastic, because that’s really what it is. The handle comes in a ton of different color options. The Zytel material is a light material, so you don’t have to worry about your knife weighing you down. But, it doesn’t feel like a cheap material, it feels sturdy. This handle is frameless, which makes the weight of the knife go down quite a bit. Plus, without the metal frames, when you are carrying this weight in cold temperatures you won’t have to worry about the metal freezing your hand. The handle sports a deep carry pocket clip and SOG’s deep carry pocket clips are at the top of deep carry pocket clips. Some people think that this clip is a little bit too tight, but it does loosen up as you use it. This handle is a comfortable shape to hold, so you can use it for long periods, but it isn’t the most comfortable handle that you’d be able to find.

The overall length of this knife is 8 inches long and when the knife is folded, it is 4.5 inches long. The knife weighs 3.1 ounces. This knife has a poor reputation of being just for beginners and not something that most knife connoisseurs would want, but this is a fantastic knife. The reputation is wrong. This is a durable, reliable knife that won’t let you down when you need it. Don’t overlook this knife–find all the Flash II SOG knives here, in stock and ready to ship.

Pros of the Flash II:

• The blade has a coating to help improve the hardness and durability of the steel.
• Comes in a straight edge or a combo edge blade.
• The Zytel handle is a lightweight material yet it still feels sturdy.
• The handle is frameless, so you don’t have to worry about excess weight or freezing metal on your hand.
• The handle comes in a variety of colors.
• Has a deep carry pocket clip.

Cons of the Flash II:

• Because the handle is frameless, it does lose some of its durability.
• Is known for being just for beginners.
• The AUS-8 steel is not the highest steel choice.

 

The SEAL Pup:

This is a fixed blade knife with a blade that is 4.75 inches long. It is made out of AUS-8 stainless steel that is powder coated adding more corrosion resistance than it would have originally had. At the broadest point it is 1.125 inches wide and the thickness of the blade is .19 inches. You can get this knife in either a plain edge blade or a combo edge blade. If you get the combo version, it has 1.5 inches of serrations and the rest of the edge is a plain edge. This blade is crazy sharp, even right out of the package.

The handle on this knife is a glass-reinforced nylon. It sports finger grooves and has a small guard. This guard is important because of how sharp the blade actually is. The handle has extreme texture all around it except for the front of the handle and the finger grooves. You will have extreme grip even when it is wet or dirty. You’ll have grip in almost any situation. Another unique thing about this handle is that it doesn’t retain heat or cold, so you can use it in any weather.

The sheath of this knife is made out of reinforced Nylon that has a Kydex insert to hold the blade. The sheath sports a pocket that seal with Velcro, so you can keep any small survival instruments in it, such as a fire starter.

Overall, this knife is 9 inches long and weighs 5.4 ounces. If you are looking for a fixed blade, this one is going to meet all of your expectations and then some.  Find all the SOG Seal Pup variations here.

Pros of the SEAL Pup:

• The steel has a powder coating that adds to its corrosion resistance properties.
• You can get this in a straight edge or a combo edge blade.
• The blade is extremely sharp.
• The handle has perfectly designed finger grooves.
• The handle has a finger guard, which you do need because of how sharp the blade is.
• The handle has great grip.
• The handle doesn’t retain heat or cold.
• The sheath has a pocket to keep a small item in.

Cons of the SEAL Pup:

• The steel on the blade doesn’t hold an edge as well as other steels would.
• The choil is very small and can injure your finger if you put your finger there.

 

Conclusion:

SOG is a fantastic option for any of your knife needs, but they excel at tactical knives because the original knife was designed from a knife that a Special Ops group used. With so many spectacular knives from this brand, it can be hard to choose the best one for you. I compiled this list of the four best SOG knives out there–you can find all the SOG knives on our website here–in stock and ready to ship.