Pros: Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality
Cons: Pocket Clip
Great value and great action with a few minor flaws
I bought this knife for the great value of a D2 steal with axis style lock that is about a 3rd of the price of other premium axis lock knives. The steel is great, and overall, I like the knife but I think there are some minor flaws. #1, I don't think the design needs a flipper AND a thumb stud. The thumb stud doesn't work very well to open because of the location and kind of just gets in the way. Should have gone with just the thumb stud and lock action to open/close. #2, the flipper sticks out a bit too much and corners are sharp. Can catch on things and maybe rip holes in pockets over time. I also like to have it slightly re-designed with more purchase on the forward of the flipper near the choil when the blade is open. You can kinda get a finger up front there for fine work, but just not quite without risking possible cutting yourself. #3, the action on my particular knife was not as smooth as I have seen in online reviews/videos and it had a "hitch in the giddy-up". This is a small quality issue that will be particular to some knives and not others. I had to take it apart and file down a back corner of the internal blade tang slightly. #4 I didn't like the sharp jimping on the spine/flipper and would have liked it to be less aggressive and have a portion of the spine ground flat and sharp to possibly scrape or strike a fire-steel if necessary. This is more personal taste of the design really, because I know others like aggressive jimping and swedge designs on their blades, but personally, I would like it more like a simple bushcraft/camping knife. #5 the pocket clip isn't bad, but could be better. The tip stuck out too far from the handle and rubbed my hand wrong, so I got some needle-nose vice grips and bent it down. Better, but the clip still catches on clothes a bit and has a giant SOG branded logo on it. Not a deal breaker, but I probably would have had a simple wire style clip or smaller-non branded one. At least it is reversible. Overall, I think it is a great deal for the price. Good materials, good locking mechanism, sturdy build but still pretty light (see steel liners inside with swiss cheese holes in them. good engineering idea). The axis style lock is one of the best. Overall good finish on the blade and handle, though the action had a hitch spot in it. I am keeping it in my rotation for sure. I am just going to modify it a bit to my taste to make it a little better than it was from the factory.
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