Dano
Stockton, Ca

Jun 04, 2020

Pros: Ease of Opening, Blade Material, Overall Quality

Cons: None

Beast of a Knife

Like my Headline said this SOG Kiku XR is A BEAST! Amazing design and hefty construction makes this the pride of my collection. Not your tiny light weight EDC but a "Manley Man's Knife" I have recommended it to all my friends and family. GREAT KNIFE!

Dean
RI Unfortunately

Oct 25, 2023

Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Ease of Opening, Handle Feel, Handle Material, Lock Ease of Use, Lock Type, Overall Quality, Pocket Clip, Weight

Cons: None

LOOK WHAT I DID... SOG KIKU XR LTE RADICAL

So... like every review here says, this is a truly outstanding knife that does NOT get it's fair share of accolades, except from those that own one. It is by far the best knife in my large collection. My personal SOG Kiku Radical is totally customized and made from both a Kiku XR AND a Kiku XR LTE. It has the linen micarta scales and satin Kiku blade from the XR, BUT it has carbon fiber liners from the LTE and a ceramic bearing kit with hardened stainless washers. It's lightening fast to deploy and still retains the feel and sound of a stock knife with significantly reduced weight. Now here's the stuff they don't tell ya... The SOG XR Bar lock is NOT like any other bar lock on the market ( ie Benchmade or Spyderco). When you pull back on the XR lock, it stages the blade, meaning it causes the blade to pop out. Also, if you let go of the lock it retacts the blade into the fully closed position. NO OTHER BAR LOCK DOES THIS. It allows lightening fast deployment and retract when you get your timing right, and you will play with this for hours on end. One could call it a fidget knife, but this feature is actually quite functional. NEXT, This knife has 3 distinct ways of deploying the blade: 1, Flipper tab. 2, Flicking open while pulling back on the bar lock and 3, Finger flick hole (which is the only form over function thing on this knife- the hole is smile shaped and doesn't fit your thumb or finger very well). LASTLY, this is the only knife I've ever owned that has an incredible sound which changes depending on how you deploy the blade. Using the flipper tab for deployment gives a normal snap of complete lock up as the blade contacts the stop at open position. The coolest sound IMHO comes from flicking the blade open while pulling back on the bar lock. If done correctly, it sounds like pulling the bolt back on a nice rifle. No other knife I have does this. When deploying the blade via the thumb hole, you get a more metallic sound like when putting a clip into a Glock. There is a staggering amount of clever design going on here which none was overlooked. KUDOS TO KIKU!

Ken
Long Island, NY

Mar 10, 2021

Pros: Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Weight

Great EDC

SOG did not disappoint with this model. Perfect size for an EDC. The linen micarta scales feel great in the hand and take on their own "personality" over time. The unusual blade shape is useful for a multitude of tasks and maintains its edge well. The action is quick and smooth and, with the XR lock combined with the flipper, you'll find yourself fidgeting with this for hours. Just a tad heavy for an EDC but I'm getting used to it. Highly recommended!

Rick
IL

Dec 02, 2021

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Pocket Clip

What a BEAST!!

I'll sum it up in simple terms. This Kiku feels like it's going to jump out of my hand and beat me up! If you want a beast of a working knife, look no further. SOG gets a big A+ on this one.

David
Ardmore, Al

May 19, 2021

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Practically perfect in every way

A very handsome knife with a good balance of heft and ergonomics. The handle fits my average-sized hands quite nicely. The blade spine offers a generous 1.375" of jimping which extends 0.7 inches onto the liners at the pivot allowing for a wide range of secure thumb placement options. The clip does it's job nicely while remaining unobtrusive during use. The handle is comfortable with a variety of grips. Fully grasped with my thumb wrapped over my index finger, the handle nestles comfortable into my grip without feeling tight or crowded. With the thumb moved to the jimping on the spine for heavier tasks, the grip remains firm and comfortable. Choking up into a grip pinching the blade with thumb and forefinger for more precise work, my fingers easily find their place as if it was made for them. The blade deploys easily with a swipe at the ample flipper tab or by sliding the lock back and allowing gravity to do the rest. The stylish thumbhole in the blade is not as functional as those on my Spydercos, Biblio or even my Pilar. Not really an issue for me as I only ever flip it open. Upon receipt, there was a small amount of side to side play in the blade when open and opening wasn't super smooth. I snugged up the pivot screw and applied a little lubrication to the pivot and lock bar and those issues disappeared. The blade is a wicked sharp slab of CTS-XHP steel which I became enamored of after getting my Chaparral. Sharpening might be interesting but for my Sharpmaker. Overall, it's an excellent knife.

Matthew
Mineral Bluff, Ga

Mar 22, 2020

Pros: Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Weight, Handle Material

Awesome EDC

So the pros of this knife in my opinion is that the overall quality is great. The design is attractive and functional. My hands fit the handle well; I have large hands. The edge has a nice toothy edge on it for working tasks, or you can easily strop it to a polish. Some things to know about the blade is that the recurve is hollow ground and that the belly of the knife has a flat grind, both have a secondary edge. The only cons I can think of which is strictly picky based on preference is that the knife only comes with green micarta handle scales and it’s a bit too heavy for any loose pocket. If you carry this knife make sure it won’t flop around. My favorite part of this knife is the XR lock. It is easy to open one-handed, and several ways to deploy the knife. This knife is worth every cent. If you are on the fence about buying this knife, just buy it with no regrets.

Tootall
NJ

Feb 27, 2020

Pros: Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Great EDC knife for the size

I bought and then received this knife about a week ago and have been carrying it about every day since (and since I have a number of pocket knives and generally switch between them every day or every other day that's saying something). My only point of improvement (but I wouldn't qualify it as a complaint) is it could have a little more detent to help the blade fully open even easier. Right now you have to give it a good push with the flipper or you have to sometimes follow it up with a slight wrist snap depending on the angle of deployment. Other than that, the handle has very nice grip, the blade is highly functional and sharp right out of the box, the XR locking mechanism is spot on, the deep carry pocket clip needed no "adjustment" to have the right balance of grip and release and the ramp jimping is functional. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase this knife.

Joem
Houston Texas

Jun 07, 2021

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Everything is Great with this Knife

I carry this knife every day. Fits in my front pocket nicely. It was razor-sharp out of the box. I always test sharpness by shaving a small area of hair from my hand. The balance is nice and the blade flips out with ease.

Brando
NYC

Feb 17, 2023

Pros: None

Cons: None

One of my favorite EDC’s in my Collection

I liked virtually liked every aspect of this knife, so much so that I purchased even the Carbon Fibre version which is not to much different but a bit lighter if that’s what you like. This knife is part of my EDC even if I’m carrying another knife I’m also carrying my beloved SOG Kiku as a back up. My only criticism is that I think the SOG knives could be a bit sharper out of the box, could be a result of the Multi grinds. You will be very pleased with this great collaboration.

William
Reading Pa

May 28, 2020

Pros: Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material

Cons: Weight

Little disappointed

Overall a decent attempt....but the blade has poor asymmetrical grinds and needs to be sharpened. It will not cut a piece of paper. The handle and locking system are great but why so dull out of the box? Side note, the pivot had to be tightened due to side to side blade play. Had higher hopes on this one.