Rmd
Louisiana

Jul 11, 2021

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Solid Combat Knife

I recently received this from the Knife Center, shipping was excellent, Thank you. The knife itself is 5/5/ stars. It is well made. The blade could have been a bit thicker, put that is just my preference. Where I have an issue is the sheath. From a distance it looks great. Listed below are my issues. - Running along the center of the sheath is a very thin opening, it is, as designed, but I'm not a fan. Water and dirt will find a way to enter this opening. The sheath does have a drain hole at the bottom. - The top of the plastic sheath on both sides have gaps where the sheath should be tightly molded closed. - There is a black plastic secondary retention strap that is quite frankly cheap and not user friendly to try to close. When you pull the knife out it comes close to cutting the cheap strap. Thankfully its removeable. I'm taking that off today. One more thing, this strap is something I would expect on a Boy Scout knife not a $200 tool. I don't know what SOG was thinking. - Their UMS metal claws or straps were bent. I had a struggle to get them on my belt. I gave up and just used it on a pack where they did work better. - Final note their UMS is over engineered. More work is needed. - YouTube video or better instructions on how it should work would be helpful Heck I just wanted a knife sheath I could use on my belt with great knife retention. With this sheath configuration, be careful what you wish for. .

Will
Mountain South

Jul 21, 2022

Pros: None

Cons: None

Create your own edge project, and Sheath peculiarities

I had initially purchased the covert model, and found I liked the ruggedness of the design, so, I bought the larger version as well. My intention is to have a strong multifunctional blade with a spare edge so that if one side becomes dull, I can simply switch to the other edge. with the exposed metal of the handle I would still be able to baton, and the penetration capability of a dagger blade would be an added bonus in an extreme emergency. I've had a lot of experience with flat ground blades and prefer them for utilitarian uses. What is unusual about these knives is that they are not very sharp out of the box. I've purchased axes that had a more honed cutting edge. I very much value a razor sharp blade, especially on a military style model. The edge on this full size FX is in better form that what my covert was, and I've not had to completely re-edge the knife. After several hours with diamond, carbide, and ceramic sharpening tools, and as much on a strop with 4 grades of compound, so far... I have a knife that is not quite razor sharp, and hope that I will be able to achieve a nice mirror finish razor edge on this blade without the crazy amount of work I put into my covert version. The point itself isn't perfect, but it does have a strong diamond shape, and most importantly has the thickness and spine to be used as a dagger is intended. Given the quality of the workmanship on the knife I have a hard time justifying the cost. The sheath is overly specialized in its attempt to answer complaints over other poorly designed sheaths. The adjustable tension system I could do without. as well as the strap, and the UMS clip. I think they should be offered separately as a specialized sheath for those who want those capabilities. having eye rivets in the top of the sheath would be much more useful for most people. The clip on the covert sheath would not be bad at all on the full sized scabbard either in my opinion. Overall it is a good knife, but it is a project, and that is not something a person at this price point at this time in history is probably going to look favorably upon.

Brich
Tampa, FL

Apr 11, 2025

Pros: Blade Material

Cons: Blade Sharpness, Sheath/Scabbard

Ditto

I spent weeks with a spyderco duo hone trying to sharpen my FX. I never did get it to the sharpness that I like. The tip is OK, but the edges are just difficult. The sheath is also overbuilt and not as flexible as SOG might think. For this price point, I would expect small ergo issues to have been identified in the design phase and fixed. The final product should polished and vetted. I like the SOG pillar much more for all of these aspects.

Rascal
Utah

Mar 08, 2025

Pros: Blade Material, Finish, Handle Material, Materials, Sheath/Scabbard, Weight

Cons: Blade Sharpness, Overall Quality

like he said... it's a project.

Very expensive dagger... probably not ideal length, (would like to see at least 5") grip is pretty good but blade is dull as can be. This is a harder steel and you will have to put your own edge on BOTH SIDES. Sheath is a little cumbersome with that rubber wrap around portion. Taking the blade OUT is not a problem with the flip of your thumb IMHO so there's that... it's just a bit of a pain putting it back in and securing it with said rubber loop. I've got a SOF background to go with knife fighting and work in the medical field and know my human anatomy. You WANT razor sharp edges on your dagger. Once inside a body, you want to be able to create maximum damage and you do that by slicing everything you can on the inside of the body. Moving the tip back and forth and sliding along the bottom of a rib is ideal. (bottom of the rib is where the nerves and blood vessels are located). if you're willing and able to put razor sharp edges on this thing... i think you've got a pretty good dagger going for you. I believe the point on this thing is capable of standing up to your hardest thrusts against a ballistic helmet or body armor in a fight, whereas other cheaper daggers with less favorable/capable steel and thinner blade geometry will likely snap/break off. THAT and the slightly more favorable grip on this dagger are the only things it really has going for it when you're deciding to pay more for this dagger over something else. For example, the Cold Steel Wasp is longer and probably sharper but i can't vouch for that grip or tip... you just have to decide what is right for you based on what you require of your dagger.