More 2010 Shot Show SOG stuff

[J-sews]

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.  

[Grant Lamontagne]

Unicorn is a working title that probably (most likely) has nothing to do with the tool itself.  I wouldn't be expecting to see something with one horn and a hoof pick any time soon!

Def

[cliosguy]

me like those Swedges any info about price?

[hawkchucker]

Yup a Second Gerber company in the works.

[Magnus]

ok, correct me if i am wrong, but I always thought that stainless steel axes or machetes were a really, really bad thing?  something about a tendency to shatter.

[hawkchucker]

Well kinda. It all comes to the heat treatment. You want a low rockwell on ax. But stainless isnt really that great.

[Magnus]

It reminds me of this

[Freudian Frog]

It's possibly fine on a hachet as long as the heat treatment is fine and the design is able to distrubute the shock well.

I'm likin' those Swedges!

But the entrenching tool is totally a poop shovel.

[Anthony]

The shovel isn't great looking or bad looking IMO...just a folding shovel like the one Gerber puts out.  I never liked the triangle handled ones and prefer the straight handled ones like the Glock shovel...better for swinging

[PyroJames]

Oh wow, I like the look of the Swedge line.

EDIT: I just checked SOG's website and here's what they have in terms of MSRP for the Swedge line:

Swedge I - $155 (the bottom one in Bob's pic)
Swedge II - $165 (middle one in Bob's pic)
Swedge III - $175 (the top one in Bob's pic)

[PyroJames]

It reminds me of this

LOL, that's a classic. 

[peterxyz]

the folding entrenching tool is totally the gateway SOG tool - idea gift for small nephews and nieces along with a castle-shaped plastic bucket !!

[jzmtl]

Oh wow, I like the look of the Swedge line.

EDIT: I just checked SOG's website and here's what they have in terms of MSRP for the Swedge line:

Swedge I - $155 (the bottom one in Bob's pic)
Swedge II - $165 (middle one in Bob's pic)
Swedge III - $175 (the top one in Bob's pic)

I was thinking those are pretty nice till I saw the price. 

[J-sews]

the folding entrenching tool is totally the gateway SOG tool - idea gift for small nephews and nieces along with a castle-shaped plastic bucket !!

 

[Witmen]

Oh wow, I like the look of the Swedge line.

EDIT: I just checked SOG's website and here's what they have in terms of MSRP for the Swedge line:

Swedge I - $155 (the bottom one in Bob's pic)
Swedge II - $165 (middle one in Bob's pic)
Swedge III - $175 (the top one in Bob's pic)

I was thinking those are pretty nice till I saw the price. 

I thought they were nice till I noticed they are AUS 8,  The price wouldn't be horrible if they used a better steel.  Why is almost everything SOG makes made out of AUS 8? 

[Woz]

Why not?
Come on dudes, AUS8 is a really good high quality blade steel. So is 440C.
Those steels have been considered being the "Supersteels" some years ago and lost this position too fancy D2, VG10, CPM S30V etc. Now the Trend goes to CPM S90V, SGPS (Fällkniven) and others.

As much as I like my VG10 and "better" blades, I still think they´re trendier but not really that much of an improvement. Yes Sirs, those newer steels AEE great, but it does not make 440C or AUS8 worse. Benchmade and Boker still make great 440c blades, and SOG really knows how to treat the AUS8. The AUS 8 blade of my Twitch XL gets crazy sharp, keeps a pretty good edge for a long time and is rust resistant. So why should SOG use a more expensive trendy steel if they get the very best performance out of the AUS8? Compared to my VG10 SOGs the AUS8 is very close.

I do not really care if my blades are S30v, 154CM, VG10,SGPS,440c,AUS8 or anything else as long as the manufacturer knows how to use and treat the steel. An old Spyderco, Boker or any other brand is still a good knife, even with the older steel. Sometimes maybe even better than a newer one...

[jzmtl]

I don't mind 440c/aus8, I mind aus8 selling at the same price as vg10/s30v.

[Benner]

Why not?
Come on dudes, AUS8 is a really good high quality blade steel. So is 440C.
Those steels have been considered being the "Supersteels" some years ago and lost this position too fancy D2, VG10, CPM S30V etc. Now the Trend goes to CPM S90V, SGPS (Fällkniven) and others.

As much as I like my VG10 and "better" blades, I still think they´re trendier but not really that much of an improvement. Yes Sirs, those newer steels AEE great, but it does not make 440C or AUS8 worse. Benchmade and Boker still make great 440c blades, and SOG really knows how to treat the AUS8. The AUS 8 blade of my Twitch XL gets crazy sharp, keeps a pretty good edge for a long time and is rust resistant. So why should SOG use a more expensive trendy steel if they get the very best performance out of the AUS8? Compared to my VG10 SOGs the AUS8 is very close.

I do not really care if my blades are S30v, 154CM, VG10,SGPS,440c,AUS8 or anything else as long as the manufacturer knows how to use and treat the steel. An old Spyderco, Boker or any other brand is still a good knife, even with the older steel. Sometimes maybe even better than a newer one...

That part is the problem.  Why should "we" be paying money on AUS 8 when other companies are selling the newer "superior" steel at the same, and frequently lower price?

[Benner]

Seems Jzmtl beat me to it.

AUS 8 is a fine steel, but for the prices SOG currently go for, I expect better steel.

[Witmen]

I don't mind 440c/aus8, I mind aus8 selling at the same price as vg10/s30v.

Exactly,  I never meant to bad mouth aus 8.

I like the look of the swedge line.  But even at 50% off I'd still never buy one.  Just because even at that lower price you can buy so much more knife then these.  Has SOG seen what other company's offer customers in knives?  I have no idea what they are thinking,  or how much credit they give their customers.  But basically every knife SOG makes is overpriced and doesn't compare with other manufactures offerings at all.

[Woz]

Don´t get me wrong, I know the prices are way too high on these new SOGs. But I do not think the newer steels are any better than the older ones. They are better in SOME parts, but no steel is really "better" in total than others. H1 is brilliant in rust resistance, but edge retention is average. D2 takes a lousy edge, but keeps it forever (not my word, quote from bladeforums some time ago), VG10 is nice whne it comes to sharp, durable edges, but it is not outstandig in any discipline that makes a good knife steel....

I really think
AUS 8
VG10
154CM
440c
N690

are pretty much the same. One might be better in one part, but none is really outstanding. Just think of:

edge retention
sharpness (small carbides)
rust resistance
flexiblity (so it won´t break)
ease of sharpening...

and tell me the one steel that outperforms all other steels in all these categories. Good heat treated AUS8 will outperform standard VG10, good VG10 will outperform average AUS8. It is not the steel, but marketing that makes VG10 "better". Still, I like all my knives, but I know it is not only the steel that makes them great, but the combination of ergonomics, innovation, durability, quality, materials and design. Think of it guys, Vic uses "lousy" steel, but who would blame them?

[Santos]

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.  

'Let us pray its sogs answer to the wenger ranger and mtech chopper http://www.redlinegti.com/forum/images/smilies/eusa_pray.gif