Since knife reviewsare rarely very long, I have three short SOG knife reviews for you guys. All three are considerably smaller than most SOG knives: The Twitch II, the Blink, and the Mini Topo. It would have been nice to review the Twitch I as well, and maybe even the Twitch XL, but I don't have those.... yet.
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Twitch II:
The Twitch II is actually a moderate sized knife. It isn't neccesarily short, but it
is rather thin. The Twitch series is named for the kick on the back of the handle that you can press to start to open the knife (the assisted opening takes care of the rest!) much quicker than using your thumb. It opens quick and locks sturdy, but it might be hard for people with big hands to hold on to the handle and press the kick while still keeping their hands out of the way.
Another thing is that, unlike most SOGs I've seen, the Twitch II's pocket clip is not reversible or even removeable. The blade can still be used ambidextriously, but the knife cannot be comfortably used with the left hand, nor can it be comfortably clipped to the left pocket. For "righties" however, it is comfortable to use, and the pocket clip isn't very pointy.
Pros:
Kick works well
Good, sturdy, small knife
Cons:
Only comfortable for right-dominant people with small hands
Not mentioned earlier, but the lock-back might be inconvenient for people who need to close their blades with one hand
Not mentioned, but the graphite handles can be hard to hold on to
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Blink
The Blink, at first glance, looks very similar to the Twitch line, but it is still considerably different. The Blink, for instance, doesn't have a kick, so the SAT must be commenced by the thumb stud. The Blink does, however, have the same locking system and safety as the Twitch series. Because it doesn't have a kick, the Blink is considerably thinner than the Twitch series. It is also shorter, but it
is wider. The blade is thick and robust, so this would be a good utility knife.
Another difference is te fact that, unlike the Twitch, the Blink has a reversible (and removable) pocket clip, so both righties and lefties can enjoy it. On the down side, it's small size makes it difficult to hold when using; I have relatively small hands and it barely has enough room for three fingers! It's small size also makes it hard to deploy the blade without a kick. Half the time mine didn't open all the way because I couldn't hold the knife without my hand getting in the way of the blade deploying
Pros:
Good, robust blade
Reversible pocket clip
Cons:
No kick
Small size makes it hard to open, nearly impossible with gloves
Small size also makes it hard to hold.
Not mentioned, but the graphite handles can be hard to hold on to
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Last but not least, a discontinued model called the Mini Topo. As you probably inferred from the name, it is a smaller version of the Topo Meridian. It looks like it has a one hand opening notch, but it is actually to open with both hands. After a while of using it, you may be able to open it with your thumb and littlest finger. It is the smallest knife I'm reviewing, and it probably isn't much bigger than a Micron, so you might be able to carry it on your keychain. This was likely SOG's assessment as well, because the knife has a huge lanyard hole, which would fit on a keyring. It is still long enough, however, so that you can fit three fingers on it to hold it.
The Mini-Topo's lock is interesting. It is technically a slip-joint, but there is a small switch on the back, about where a lockback release would be. It looks like the safeties on the Twitch series and the Blink, as well as many other SOG knives, and it does the same thing, even though it isn't an assisted opening knife. If you switch it up when the knife is closed, you won't be able to accidentally open it until you switch it back down (however, it definately wouldn't be easy to accidentally open!). If it is open, you can switch it up, and voila! A slip-joint is now a lock-blade!
Also, I almost forgot the clip! It is not removable or replaceable, but it is hard to notice because it curves like the handle, and covers almost the entire side of the knife!
Pros:
Can be a slip-joint or a lock-blade
Looks snazzy
Small enough to be on a key chain, but big enough to be easy to use
Very good pocket clip; sturdy and comfortable
Cons:
The locking system may be inconvenient for some people
Although easy to use for its size, it still is hard for people with larger hands
The small blade is only good for light to moderate duty
The pocket clip, although very comfy, is not ambidextrious
Not one-handed opening
Pictures hopefully later, along with more knife reviews!
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