My week with SOG

[Dunc]

For the last week I have been EDCing a Powerlock S60 and a Pocket powerplier S44. I certainly found it interesting as its very rare I carry anything other then Victorinox .At first I found it difficult because I was so used to the layout and handling of the Swisstool but I sooned warmed to the Sogs .

Pocket Powerplier S44

I choose this one because of the non locking tools which make it legal EDC in the UK . Its not exactly packed with features but this adds to its apeal making it lightweight and simple . Its biggest plus has got to be the pliers which angle slightly . They are very small and precise and most excellent for detail work . I have the basic model which has a plastic spacer in each handle that can be replaced whith certain tools from Sogs line .In time this may well happen .

Powerlock S60

This is a big fat multitool which feels very similar in the hand to the Swisstool when the pliers are deployed . But this is where any similarity ends .At first all I could find was its faults but as the week went on and as I started to use its different features I realised it has some very good features . I wont rattle on with a huge comparrison test as this has already been done to death over the years .

Good points

Pliers ...... Awesome , once I got used to them I loved them . Fast deployment , had no trouble cutting barbed wire and even done it quicker then the Swisstool and with more ease   A little difficult to hold large items in the jaws but its a good trade off to have the gears .

Phillips Driver .....  Very good and better then the Vics ones .

Awl ......  Very good again and very sharp . I wouldnt say better then the Swisstool but as good as .

File was nice as well and used it to square up the phillips driver on my swisstool .

1/4 inch socket adapter ..... Very handy to have one of these built into the tool  

Bad points

Scissors .....   What can I say ?    They Suck .....  Hard    Will cut paper and thin card OK but thats about it .

Knife Blade ...... Its probably just me but I'm not keen on plain/serrated blades . If your trying to cut something tough it snags on the serrations and because of the pressure your putting on it then slips of the plain edge and tends not to cut through the first time . Plus it single ground . It can take a good edge and it will cut so its not useless .

Inside opening tools ....... This is where it shows its age opening the handles to access the tools plus clumping . The world didnt end because of it and no one died but it is annoying when your used to the Swisstools quick access .

Handle covers ...... Whetever are they all about ? Yes they do help when cutting berbed wire etc. But they look such an after thought , two bent pieces of metal . They dont help tool selection either or using the ruler .


Conclusion
Well thats about it , I havnt got the chance to test the can opener or bottle opener or saw but will soon and I will post the results .I did like the SOG and would recommend it to anyone who wanted pliers first .The thing I like about the Swisstool RS is its curved serrated belt cutter which is usefull in first aid and the scissors for trimming dressings and bandages . The powerlock cant achieve either of these two tasks    But if the V-cutter works then I could replace the Scissors . I always have a SAK with me too so one with Scissors like the Climber and we could be good to go  
  I havent given up on the SOG yet  








The oner I wants in there somewhere but I cant see it


Barbed wire ? Not a problem


A few adjustments to the sharpmaker to get the angle right and shaving sharp results  


Dunc

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Great review mate , it more or less echoes my own opinions of the tool

[Dunc]

Great review mate , it more or less echoes my own opinions of the tool

Thanks  Just need to get my hands on a V-cutter now

Dunc

[Grant Lamontagne]

I guess that's my cue to toss in an S62 with the rest of the Meetup package?

Def

[Dunc]

I guess that's my cue to toss in an S62 with the rest of the Meetup package?

Def

I may have that covered  I bought a V-cutter component from Heinnie earlier .

Dunc

[Leatherman123]

Someone has to try out the serrated line cutter sooner or later!

[Dunc]

Heres a little update . The bottle opener works fine   See pic . The can opener doesnt work so fine   If you were in a really tight spot then yes you could get to your food .All I managed to do was make a mess of the can . I finnished it off with a Vic can opener . I would have taken a pic but my wife put it in the bin before I got the chance .



Dunc

[Smitty44]

Good report Dunk,my only disappointment was the gear cover when using the screwdrivers,loved the pliers.

[Dunc]

Good report Dunk,my only disappointment was the gear cover when using the screwdrivers,loved the pliers.

Yes I know what you mean . After I done the review I used the phillips to tighten a screw on our kitchen cupboards and I had to put quite a bit of presure on and they did cut in a bit  But I understand they have sorted this out with their latest tools so we cant really moan .

Dunc

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

That was one of my biggest grips too , it was just the lack of ergonomics that really put me off, which is a shame coz I was really quite impressed with the quality

[J-sews]

Handle covers ...... Whetever are they all about ? Yes they do help when cutting berbed wire etc. But they look such an after thought , two bent pieces of metal . They dont help tool selection either or using the ruler .

SOG needs to quit screwing around and make all the blades outside-openers. Lose the handle flappers once and for all.

[Spoonrobot]

Good to see you're branching out a little bit. 

I like SOG tools but I wish they hadn't changed the awl shape. The earlier models had an awl that was a smooth curving line instead of a hard angle right before the point. I've found it similar to a knife blade and it functions much better than the redesign. Their older files were better too. Similar to the Vic Spirit file, seems to be harsher on metals and wood but still fit for nails.

On the other hand, the fit and finish of the rest of the implements is significantly better than the earlier models.

You should try to scoop up a Paratool next. I'm a little cheesed off I waited this long to pick one up, it's a really fun piece.

Earlier on top:


Earlier on bottom:

[prime77]

Great right up and pictures Dunc. I really enjoyed it.

[hawkchucker]

Excellent report on the tool. SOG does seem to have the sleeper in the community it seems most have one but really it never seems to be rallied around. I only would change the knife blade on mine. I came to the same conclusion as you and find it horrible. HOWEVER SOG does make the most easily modded tool oout there for replacements.

[Leatherman123]

I can't believe how SOG is a knife company and they put single ground knives on their MTs! 

[Anthony]

Great review

I sometimes hesitate between my Powerlock and my Swisstool when I'm getting ready to put a tool on my belt in the morning, and I guess that's a good thing in regards to the respective tools' quality.  I mostly go with the SOG because I like the needle nose pliers and the Phillips that has a thinner shaft than the Swisstool (I find the SOG better for recessed screws). 

[Biru]

This may have been covered and I might have missed it, but do you find the exposed gears to be any bother? That and the inside-opening tools are my major gripes.

[Anthony]

The outside gears never posed a problem for me

It's hard to explain if you've never held one, but your hands find a way to use the tool without getting uncomfortable.

[Leatherman123]

Well, I can understand what Biru is talking about.. When using the screwdrivers and such the gears can dig into your palms. It is not painful but rather annoying. I am sure hardcore PowerLock users have gotten used to holding the tool a different way because of this..

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

This may have been covered and I might have missed it, but do you find the exposed gears to be any bother? That and the inside-opening tools are my major gripes.

Both those point's are what turned me off the whole Sog compound line

[Biru]

I DO like my SOG even though I seem to pick on it. It seems very well made and the implements are mostly well thought out. The scissors are pretty much like my Gerber Legend's "Fiskars" and are serviceable but nothing to go mad about. I'm going to try my SOG out this summer and see how we get along. I've never carried it because, frankly, I just couldn't get on with those gears. I was pondering just the point L123 made-that is, how the gears affect the use of tools other than pliers. Maybe carrying it more will give me some insight. I'm sure the plier tool ought to be something as it seems more substantial than my Wave or Supertool pliers.

Thanks, Bill.

[sjdep97]

The single edge grind is a mystery to me too. I've had a hard time trying to get mine sharp. I've tried the 30 degree bevel angle on my sharpmaker and haven't had much luck with that either. Any suggestions? Sure wish they would use a decent grind like Leatherman and Victorinox!

[Dunc]

The single edge grind is a mystery to me too. I've had a hard time trying to get mine sharp. I've tried the 30 degree bevel angle on my sharpmaker and haven't had much luck with that either. Any suggestions? Sure wish they would use a decent grind like Leatherman and Victorinox!

If you run a marker pen on the edge of the blade before you sharpen it you will see where the metal is coming off . 30 degree on the sharpmaker is way out for the SOG blade  Heres what I had to do to get mine right . Remember the marker pen it will really help you . I put a book under one end until the angle came right .



Dunc

[Dunc]

There is some really good replies in this thread , thanks   
  Yes the gears did dig into my hand . That gear cover plate they now have on the powerlock was a long time coming although this doesnt help us owners of the older version . I realised the importance of the handle covers today , I tried using the pliers without them and it was quite uncomfortable when putting alot of pressure on them . So the do work but just look crap . Function over form I guess .

Dunc

[Benner]

The exposed gears were the main reason why I got rid of my Powerlock.  It was far too uncomfortable to use IMO.

Great write up Dunc.