Most of the 42 new items and variations in the SOG catalog this year were knives, but there were several new tooly items as well.
One is a smart looking hand ax called the SHAX. It is made from 420SS, weighs just over a pound, and is equipped with G10 scales on the handle which really felt nice. Availabilty should be sometime in March.
Another new offering from SOG is this folding saw. The blade locks open - and locks closed - by means of the rocker switch on the spine. I liked the 8-1/4" blade length, which is longer than my Gerber at home, and how easy it was to flick the blade open. (I'm imagining a version with a thumb stud or thumb hole in it to facilitate one-hand opening)
Best of all, the new saw should be available next month for just over $20
The new folding entrenching tool on the other hand didn't really catch my fancy. Its built well enough and all, but who uses such a tiny shovel?
Maybe somebody does, but not me.
Weight = 24 oz, price = $18.00, available = any day now.
Another line that caught our eye was a series of fixed blade knives called Swedge. I liked the little curved one the best (Swedge I) just because it looked the coolest. We're told these guys were designed by Canadian Special Ops instructor Brent Beshara. Steel is AUS-8, and blade thickness (not counting G10 scales) is about .156" (4mm)
Oh, and one final note: when discussing the new Micro ToolClip (
LINK) models with Spencer Frazer, he made mention of other SOG tools currently under development. No details were offered, other than the code name Unicorn Tool. (Okay, now THAT has me wondering!)
Good to see that SOG is not sitting on their heels when it comes to new tool programs.
