SOG PowerDuo

[rdub934]

The SOG PowerDuo is a quality folding knife with the versatility of a plier based multitool. SOG has all the means to make this a raging success based on their vast experience in the field of knife making. SOG’s compound leverage pliers provide unmatched power among multitools, and allow for one hand access to boot. I won a black PowerDuo during one of the many MTO 7th anniversary giveaway contests (thanks again!) and put it through the trials of my work and home tasks for a few months.

The main handle houses all the firepower of the PowerDuo. The opposing handle is a mostly hollow channel that houses the plier head. It does have some plastic towards the end to allow for a degree of comfort while in use.





The knife is great and is the true center point of the tool and the feature that the rest of the tool appears to be built around. It features slow, gradual lines and in fact has a slight re-curve to it. It has a nice big cut out that allows OHO. Unfortunately, the thickness of the scales make it difficult to access the blade and the unlocking mechanism is positioned far enough back on the tool that one-hand closing is difficult as well – unfortunate.





The pliers are of the same type as those featured on the bullet proof Pocket Power Plier, but this tool features more gear teeth than the PPP allowing for easier OHO and plier operation. Not that it is difficult on the PPP, but it is worth noting.



The scales are plastic and feature little raised dots that provide a lot of traction while working with the tool. There is a slight bit of daylight visible between the scales and the frame, but it is not concerning as they are solidly in place.



In one of the scales are tucked a pair of tweezers and a toothpick. Neither of which are anything special, in fact the tweezers are pretty flimsy.



The PowerDuo features a 3 dimensional Philips, a medium screwdriver/caplifter, and a can opener/small screwdriver. All three have pretty good reach and are pretty close to being in-line with the center of the tool while in use. All three have A LOT of play while locked but are still incredibly difficult to unlock.

There has been some concern about the can opener being unusable due to the size of the scales and the location of the implement in the middle of the tool. However, I have not had any difficulty in this regard. I have not noticed the scales making contact with any cans I have opened. It doesn’t hook up to smaller diameter cans easily, but it is not difficult to open cans.







The medium screw driver/caplifter works well. It fits screws and opens bottles with ease.



The Philips driver leaves a lot to be desired. As most of the tool is painted black, with the exception of the plier head which I believe to actually be black oxide, the implements do not have well defined edges, and the Philips really suffers because of it. The rounded edges do not allow the already “cam-out happy” Philips to stay in screws well.



In use, the PowerDuo is marginal, at best. In the multitool game, normally, more size = more capability. The PowerDuo is fat as mud but is missing a lot. It fills the hand nicely but the spine of the knife is noticeable when using the drivers. The implements work to varying degrees, but unlocking the tools and knife requires enough pressure to render your thumb pad tender after repeated use. The small implements wiggle a lot - no worry of failure but it is annoying. Even the handles have a lot of wiggle, though the actual plier head is solid. The knife is great and it came out of the box shaving-sharp. The tweezers are too flimsy to be useful and I don’t use toothpicks much, though I guess it works. The painted black finish looked nice out of the box but it does flake off with use.

In conclusion, based on the tool set, I believe the PowerDuo fits in a similar category as the Leatherman Skeletool or Gerber Octane. However, the PowerDuo is very large and heavy and does not have a pocket clip. It comes with a sheath, but the overall package on your belt is more cumbersome than the much better equipped Leatherman Wave. Decent ergonomics, better than the Skeletool anyways, and the pliers and knife are amazing. Unfortunately, everything else about this tool misses the mark. The PPP is more capable, easier to use, smaller, and lighter.

Pros:
Great pliers
Great knife
SOG warranty

Cons:
Big and heavy
Sloppy tool lockup
Difficult to unlock everything

[rdub934]

BTW, this is my first review! Please be gentle.  Lol

I figured reviewing the tool is the least I could do to give back to the forum after winning it in a giveaway.

[Lynn LeFey]

No need to be gentle. The review was excellent.

Most important, in my opinion, is an honest appraisal of a tool, and I felt I got it from this. Good first review, and I hope to see more as time (and new tools) allow.

[AimlessWanderer]

Great review mate 

It's just a pity that the tool isn't as good as your write up on it  So really what you're saying is that it's a Skeletool on steroids, so much so that it's complete with the supposed steroid related appendage deficiencies 

How frustrating/uncomfortable are the gears compared with the PPP when using the drivers? Although in fairness the answer to that won't sway me towards getting one to be honest. I think that if I want a big knife that happens to have pliers and drivers, I'd reach for a Buck X-Tract, or maybe a Wenger Ranger.

Thanks for the insight - great job

 

[3rdpig]

Great job, thanks!

I've got one coming, it will probably be here today or tomorrow.  I put off getting one due to all the bad reviews, but I finally gave in.  I'll be interested to see if my findings mirror yours. 

I'm going to try hard to compare it to the Skeletool and Octane where it may do favorably, and not the Wave or Spirit where I suspect it will fail hard.  It's too bad Sog didn't put out more effort, it's a form factor that I think I'd like.

[CanadianLMfan]

 
 

[enki_ck]

No need to be gentle. The review was excellent.

Most important, in my opinion, is an honest appraisal of a tool, and I felt I got it from this. Good first review, and I hope to see more as time (and new tools) allow.

+1 on everything Lynn said. Very good review and I hope to see more of them.

[rdub934]

Great review mate 

It's just a pity that the tool isn't as good as your write up on it  So really what you're saying is that it's a Skeletool on steroids, so much so that it's complete with the supposed steroid related appendage deficiencies 

How frustrating/uncomfortable are the gears compared with the PPP when using the drivers? Although in fairness the answer to that won't sway me towards getting one to be honest. I think that if I want a big knife that happens to have pliers and drivers, I'd reach for a Buck X-Tract, or maybe a Wenger Ranger.

Thanks for the insight - great job

 

The PowerDuo is a little more comfortable. Although, I have never had a problem with the PPP I can see what people are talking about. Thanks for the feedback/question 

Great job, thanks!

I've got one coming, it will probably be here today or tomorrow.  I put off getting one due to all the bad reviews, but I finally gave in.  I'll be interested to see if my findings mirror yours. 

I'm going to try hard to compare it to the Skeletool and Octane where it may do favorably, and not the Wave or Spirit where I suspect it will fail hard.  It's too bad Sog didn't put out more effort, it's a form factor that I think I'd like.

I hope you like your PD, but in that comparison it comes in a distant third, IMO.

I wish SOG would try again, but use the PPP as the starting point and just tweak it a bit to put it in-line with the Octane and Skeletool. Keep the customizability, add a pocket clip, OHO knife, and outside access tools. Honestly, I don’t even want locking tools - I like the way the PPP is. That would OWN the pocket tool segment, and be legal in UK, etc...

[rdub934]

No need to be gentle. The review was excellent.

Most important, in my opinion, is an honest appraisal of a tool, and I felt I got it from this. Good first review, and I hope to see more as time (and new tools) allow.

+1 on everything Lynn said. Very good review and I hope to see more of them.

Thanks guys! I plan on reviewing all of my tools. I just need time to photograph them 

[3rdpig]

Great job, thanks!

I've got one coming, it will probably be here today or tomorrow.  I put off getting one due to all the bad reviews, but I finally gave in.  I'll be interested to see if my findings mirror yours. 

I'm going to try hard to compare it to the Skeletool and Octane where it may do favorably, and not the Wave or Spirit where I suspect it will fail hard.  It's too bad Sog didn't put out more effort, it's a form factor that I think I'd like.

I hope you like your PD, but in that comparison it comes in a distant third, IMO.

I wish SOG would try again, but use the PPP as the starting point and just tweak it a bit to put it in-line with the Octane and Skeletool. Keep the customizability, add a pocket clip, OHO knife, and outside access tools. Honestly, I don’t even want locking tools - I like the way the PPP is. That would OWN the pocket tool segment, and be legal in UK, etc...

I'm not a fan of the Octane, the useless phillips and the flimsy build were a complete turn off to me.  The PD would have to be pretty awful for it to come in behind the Octane, at least for how I rate multitoools.  The Skeletool at least has a solid build and somewhat usable drivers, but the only niche it fills for me is the tool I carry when I don't think I'll need a tool.  And that's a niche that, to be honest, I'm happy filling with a SAK.

But I agree, Sog dropped the ball and what's worse, they don't appear to be interested in picking it up again.

[rdub934]

^^^ I feel the EXACT same way about the Skeletool. Hahaha The tool I carry when I don't think I will need a tool.

[3rdpig]

So what are your plans for the PD?  Are you going to carry and use it, sell it or just stick it in a drawer and forget it exists?  Lord knows the latter was what I've been doing for the last dozen years with tools I buy and either don't like or just can't find a niche they fit.

I forgot it's Columbus day, so no PD in the mail for me until tomorrow!   

[rdub934]

I haven't decided yet. I don't think I will carry it much, if at all. I was thinking of letting my Wife have it for purse carry, but I want her to have something... better, Lol. That may tell you something! I have strong "collecting" urges but I do hate hoarding things. I may end up selling it, but have not yet decided.

I am interested to hear your opinions of the PD.

[3rdpig]

My PD arrived in the mail today.  Initial impressions are good, it's a pretty tool, nice and shiny and the clear scales give it a high tech, industrial appearance.  The dotted scales give a good grip and feel.

A closer inspection quickly takes the shine off this tool.  Let's start off with the bad things, most of which were already noted by Rdub934, so I'm just agreeing with most of what he posted in his excellent review.

The scales look cracked around both screws on the large end and the scale on one side near the large has a gap between it and the steel liner.  Ok, that's not that big a deal to me, but it shouldn't be there.

Next, the knife blade (more on it later) has a LOT of play when locked out.  And I mean a lot of play, both side to side and up and down.  I bet I can move it 3mm up and down and 6mm side to side at the tip.

The knife lock release is in kind of an odd place and it's kind of awkward to get to without partially opening the pliers, but it can be done.

The phillips bit, while not as bad as the Octanes, is every bit as bad as you mentioned in your review Rdub.  It's too rounded and takes way too much pressure to keep it in a screw.  Since the tool can be easily disassembled, I may see if I can replace it with something else.

The flat driver bit is ground every bit as bad as the one on my Royal Crown SAK knockoff. It's chisel ground, way to sharp and it's rounded.  That I can fix on a belt sander.

Same with the small flat driver on the can opener.  It's bloody round!  What's wrong with the Chinese and with Sog's inspectors?  Round flat drivers suck.  Not sure if there's enough material there to fix that.

There's some play in the lockup of the tools.  It's annoying, but no where near as annoying as the knife blade play.  The thing is, it doesn't need to be there.  The reason it's there, IMO, is slack to allow for sloppy tolerances in machined parts.


Now for the good.

I like the pliers, they seem well designed for this kind of tool.  Fine on the tip with a good sized gripping area, a good sized cutter area with hard wire cutters.  They pass the stranded wire test with flying colors.  They're ground perfectly, the ends match up and I like the way they're chisel ground to be flat on the side that's closes to the handle.  They're a little tight right now, but that might be a good thing.  And they've got Sogs geared power multiplier.  I gripped a piece of 3/8" mild steel round stock with them, it held it easily in the jaws and as hard as I could squeeze.  And it's a good think the gears are there, because you're not want to going to squeeze these too hard because of the sheet metal edges.  C'mon Sog, everyone else has left that behind but you.  The plastic bit helps, but it's not a replacement for rolled edges.

I like the knife blade. It's thick, sturdy and has a good shape and grind and it's actually been sharpened acceptably.  It's a good knife blade, with a little work and a little less play it would be even better.

The can and bottle opener both work according to Rdub, that's good enough for me, but to be on the safe side I'll pop the cap off a couple of beers later.  Can't be too careful. 

I found every single screw on it loose, about 1/4 turn from finger tight.  And it soon became apparent why.  When you tighten them, even to the finger tight point, the tool becomes very stiff, and not just the pliers, all of it.  Again, having to leave things loose in order for a tool to work is a sign of sloppy machine tolerances on the individual parts.  Some are too tight, some are too loose so you just leave them all lose because that way it passes the equally sloppy inspection.  If it opens and closes, it passes.  Yuk.

I know you guys hate it when someone starts railing on the Chinese, but this is typical Chinese export garbage.  I've seen it on knives, shop equipment, small motorized equipment and machine tools.  If they're made from decent materials they can be vastly improved with some time and elbow grease, but I'm willing to bet, had Sog done their job, that 3/4 of these tools would have been tossed in the reject bin, and possibly all of them, before they ever left the factory floor.

To me this tool's quality is below that of the Octane, and that's saying something because I personally think the Octane is crap.  It's not even in the same postal code as the Skeletools quality (or the MP400, which I like) which, at least on mine, is very good.  Say what you will about the Skeletool's design and function, the materials and build quality are near the top.  Maybe not at Victorinox level, but close enough to make me happy.

So, since I didn't pay much for this fine example of how not to build a quality tool, I intend, at least for now, to keep it and try to improve it.  Just by tightening the screws at the knife pivot I can take 80% of the play out of the blade, but then of course it becomes hard to open easily.  So as soon as I get some free time I'm going to take it apart and polish all the mating surfaces and see what the shims are like and try to reshape/replace the phillips and flathead drivers.

And who knows, maybe I'll break it trying to fix it and send it back to Sog with a piece of my mind (from the part I don't use), that's what I did with my first Octane.

 

[Gareth]

Good reviews gents.

[3rdpig]

Let me give you guys an example of low grade garbage parts that I typically see on the off brand Chinese exports that have no oversight by US or UK companies.  How it wound up on a Sog is another story...or a PR nightmare.

Take a look at the the red circle marked 1.  This is the rounded edge on the back of the knife that the back spring rides along.  It had a bad spot in the steel that couldn't be completely machined out.  So instead of rejecting it, the machinist just passed it along to the assembler who put it in a tool then sent it to their QC department (assuming they even have one) who passed it.  You can easily feel this spot when you open or close the knife blade.

Now take a look at the circles marked 2 and 3.  This is what locks the knife blade in the open position.  The backspring (3) drops into the notch (1).  Look at the rounded edges and rough corners.  This is why there's so much up and down wobble in the knife blade.  Not only are the edges rough and rounded, but they're not even square.  It's pitiful and sad.

Nothing like this would ever pass a QC inspection even at a Chinese company like Sanrenmu who makes decent quality items.  And anyone in the US or UK who even passed this on to a QC check should be fired.  But here it is on a production tool, and one that's fairly expensive at that.

Utter and total failure, not only of the individual who created these parts, but on the QC inspector for passing them and for Sog for shipping it. 

Any company with a shred of self respect would recall every single one, apologize profusely and offer refunds or replacements for something of decent quality. Then fire everyone involved in letting it get out the door to customers.  Then fire everyone involved in their PR department who's supposed to be listening to customers and responding to their needs.

And this is just one example.

[detron]

3rdpig,  sorry you ended up with this crap to deal with.

[Syph007]

Well thought out and worded comments and its appreciated! 

I dont think much of most chinese manufacturing that involves steel.  Electronics etc for sure.  But those arent durable goods either.  I dont see much of anything of quality that lasts long coming out of there.  I bet 95% of our landfill was made in china.  Throw it out, buy another... thats what we are supposed to do to be good little consumers.  I dont like it.  Its pretty near impossible to live without buying something made in china but I sure avoid it if at all possible. 

It's too bad as this tool is a good concept.  Just horrible execution. 

[3rdpig]

3rdpig,  sorry you ended up with this crap to deal with.

I bought it knowing I had a good chance of finding a cheaply made, Chinese tool with little or no quality control.  I was hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.  Fortunately I only paid about half the current price on Amazon for it.

Not sure what to do with it now, I really like the design and layout.  Sog could have had a real winner, at least IMO, had they had their manufacturer produce a quality tool.  As it is, it's a black eye.

I may disassemble it and see how much I can improve it, some polishing, reshaping and shims might make it a decent tool, assuming the steel is decent. 

[3rdpig]

Well thought out and worded comments and its appreciated! 

I dont think much of most chinese manufacturing that involves steel.  Electronics etc for sure.  But those arent durable goods either.  I dont see much of anything of quality that lasts long coming out of there.  I bet 95% of our landfill was made in china.  Throw it out, buy another... thats what we are supposed to do to be good little consumers.  I dont like it.  Its pretty near impossible to live without buying something made in china but I sure avoid it if at all possible. 

It's too bad as this tool is a good concept.  Just horrible execution.

While the Chinese manufacturing process isn't up what we expect, they are absolutely capable of producing a quality engine, tool or knife.  The problem is that for export they usually don't.  And it's our fault for accepting it because we want the lowest price we can get.

I've got a friend who owns a small manufacturing business, they make a certain kind of small pump for evap coolers.  He turns out quality pieces that will last for around 10 - 15 years in normal use and cost about $40.  6 or 7 years ago his competitor went to China to have pumps made, they can sell them for $10 and they last 2 - 3 years....assuming they even work out of the box. But the stores sell them like crazy and eventually my friend was forced to get cheap ones from China too.  That's our mindset, and it's made the Chinese manufacturers what they are today.

Not sure what Sog's original intentions were, I'd like to think it wasn't just to stamp their name on a POS and make a quick buck, but their silence on the issue makes me think the worst. And they know they're a POS and yet they keep selling them.

[AimlessWanderer]

Not sure what Sog's original intentions were, I'd like to think it wasn't just to stamp their name on a POS and make a quick buck, but their silence on the issue makes me think the worst. And they know they're a POS and yet they keep selling them.

 

The fact that these were reported as truly awful when they were released, followed up by not much better now, all without any reported comment/apology/statement of intent from SOG does make me think they've consciously decided to move to peddling pocket gimmicks rather than making proper tools.

On one hand it's very disappointing, I have really liked some of their tools in the past (Toolclip and PT-510). On the other hand it's not altogether a shock. The primary purpose of the company is making money not making tools, and if they've decided the Western production costs vs price customers are prepared to pay, aren't working for them - it's sub-contract and/or re-badge or simply don't bother.

I'm sure they'll still sell plenty of these to people who don't know better. Let's face it, I'm sure the Dewalt/Stanley/Snap-On rebadged crap multitools have lots of customers, and if SOG are primarily after profits it might make sense right now for them to move out of "tools" and into the "cheap garbage" market. If I had a market full of customers who just wanted to pay less and less while costs are rising more and more, I might just do the same ...

[dks]

Instead of blaming the Chinese for the product, as it usually happens when people, especially in the US, buy a bad product the blame should be placed on SOG.
I said it before that the idea that the "bad" Chinese tricked the innocent an pure US manufacturer, who has no idea what he is selling is total rubbish. I do not think the Chinese are out to destroy the US manufacturers that are their customers.

Have you heard many complaints for the Chinese products made by spyderco or A.G. Russell ? Do you consider these products to be made with bad or inferior steel?

The Chinese will make any product to the specifications asked.

SOG ordered a lower grade product, SOG is happy with the quality of that product and SOG has not asked the manufacturer to change or improve it.
This is the product they ordered; they have not been tricked by a dark force. They are happy with the QC for that product. They are happy with the steel of the product. They are happy with the design and execution of the product

If I get bad food in a restaurant I will blame the restaurant, not their food supplier. It is their problem to get me the right food ingredients from the right people, and taste the food before serving it to me.

I have Ganzo products and they are much better quality. I have bough bad QC and steel tools from many countries, including western countries, and the Chinese were not to blame.

If the SOG was sold for $20 then nobody will complain too much. However at the price they are selling it it is overpriced.

I am currently currying a Gerber Dime, with several issues. I blame Gerber for the issues not the manufacturer in china.

[ducttapetech]

Well said!

sent from my mobile

[3rdpig]

Instead of blaming the Chinese for the product, as it usually happens when people, especially in the US, buy a bad product the blame should be placed on SOG.

There's enough blame to go around, first to the the person who ground that part, saw that it was crap, and passed it on anyway.  Then to the QC department who either doesn't exist or doesn't care that the tool is filled with crap parts, then to Sog for seeing the parts are crap and shipping it to customers anyway, then not doing anything about it when reports come in that the tool is crap.

And possibly the most to blame are the consumers who demand that they get the cheapest thing they can get despite the simple fact that it won't do the job as well, or last anywhere near as long as one that's more expensive.

I deal with a lot of Chinese made items, and while they're not fully to blame for the cheap junk that has a name like Sog, Gerber, Stanley or Winchester on it, they are to blame when they flood our markets directly with the no name or off brand junk.

And to be honest, I'm mostly pissed at the Chinese because they are capable of making decent items, I've got a couple of Sanrenmu knives, not one of them costing over $20, and they're quite nice.  I've got a couple Chinese made firearms, which again are quite nice.  They can do it, they just choose not to.

And in the end, I'm just pissed at everyone involved and ranting.  I'll get over it, but that won't make me like it any better.   

[dks]

Being the weirdo that I am I use my powerduo and my dime a. Lot. Why? I consider them damaged goods so I do not feel quillty and really they serve me fine.

[Syph007]

Being the weirdo that I am I use my powerduo and my dime a. Lot. Why? I consider them damaged goods so I do not feel quillty and really they serve me fine.

Haha thats actually a funny point.  Tools that arent dear get used and abused since well they arent dear.

[3rdpig]

I like it! I now have a new niche, "Tools I carry on days when I don't care if I lose or break tools".

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

[Goatlord666]

Very good review.Actually, I'm sold. Thanks for breaking down the review based on the implements and the overall use factor. That's also great news about the Can Opener actually functioning in the way its expected to. I'm getting this as well.

 as for 3rdpig's review...always a pleasure to read. tough and strong words are used tastefully to stress out certain points that really matter with a good amount of manly humor. I was just waiting for a reason to really dive into this trap... and based on the strength of these reviews it shows that there's a big hit or miss factor in play. I am convinced that it is worth the gamble

[Cupboard]

There's enough blame to go around, first to the the person who ground that part, saw that it was crap, and passed it on anyway.  Then to the QC department who either doesn't exist or doesn't care that the tool is filled with crap parts, then to Sog for seeing the parts are crap and shipping it to customers anyway, then not doing anything about it when reports come in that the tool is crap.

And possibly the most to blame are the consumers who demand that they get the cheapest thing they can get despite the simple fact that it won't do the job as well, or last anywhere near as long as one that's more expensive.

I deal with a lot of Chinese made items, and while they're not fully to blame for the cheap junk that has a name like Sog, Gerber, Stanley or Winchester on it, they are to blame when they flood our markets directly with the no name or off brand junk.

And to be honest, I'm mostly pissed at the Chinese because they are capable of making decent items, I've got a couple of Sanrenmu knives, not one of them costing over $20, and they're quite nice.  I've got a couple Chinese made firearms, which again are quite nice.  They can do it, they just choose not to.

And in the end, I'm just pissed at everyone involved and ranting.  I'll get over it, but that won't make me like it any better.   

If you're only paid to produce goods to a low quality, you'd be stupid to go against your low quality product spec at direct cost to you when that's not what your customers wanted...

[3rdpig]

If you're only paid to produce goods to a low quality, you'd be stupid to go against your low quality product spec at direct cost to you when that's not what your customers wanted...

So in your mind it's better for a business to do exactly what a customer wants, even if it will reflect negatively on themselves, their business, their industry or their country?

I'm self employed and have owned and run multiple businesses and that's not how, nor has it ever been how I do business. I will turn down any client who wants shoddy work.  ANY client.  They get my best or they go elsewhere.  To me that's personal integrity and sound business practice.

I've got a suggestion.  Try to hire Metro to produce a low quality Skinth.  What do you think his response will be?

NO company has to produce low quality crap.  They choose to do it, just as they can choose not to do it.  Just how all discerning customers should choose NOT to do business with anyone or any business who does.

Just my opinion.