Spencer Frazer

Now more than 20 years in the making, SOG Specialty Knives & Tools, Inc. has become known for its innovations and ingenuity in the cutlery industry, thanks in large part to its founder and chief designer, Spencer Frazer. Whereas most companies collaborate with custom knife makers to help envision products, Spencer is the sole creative force that keeps SOG ahead of the game.

Born in 1955, Spencer was a creative kid with a great curiosity for how things worked. As he got older he gained an affinity for knives and axes while in the Boy Scouts; but it wasn't until much later that this interest would be channeled into actually creating knives and tools.

After graduating from UCLA as a math and science major, Spencer started his own company in the professional audio industry, designing a whole new style of speaker systems. "I learned to work with many different materials as I built models and prototypes." Spencer went on to work in the aerospace defense industry in the Top Secret Black Projects Division as an R&D tool/die and model maker. "I saw things there that I still can't talk about." At about the same time, Spencer became involved with the modern art movement, learning about scale and color while meeting with top artists. He went on to work in product development of toys and consumer products.

All of these experiences came together when Spencer saw his first Vietnam SOG Bowie. "The knife was magical in how it felt and looked. You could see the history as well as the functional aspects of the knife." This spawned the start of SOG Specialty Knives & Tools, Inc. to reproduce the mystical knife. "We started the company by having to sell a one-knife line at the very high end of $200 retail."

SOG is a true innovator in the cutlery industry, having won many industry awards. It was one of the first companies to be synonymous with a high-tech modern image. "SOG was the first company to produce a sculptural faceted folding knife with the Tomcat. We were the second company to produce a folding multi-tool with the Paratool. We are the only company: to use compound leverage in our multi-tools (the only way to miniaturize power), have adjustable lock-on clips on our folders (AutoClip), employ one of the strongest locks in the industry (Arc-Lock), use exotic BG-42 steel cost effectively in production knives, and had the first automatic opening multi-tool in the world (SwitchPlier). We're now producing a whole new line of Assisted Opening Knives (Flash series, Blink, Twitch and SOG Trident)." These are just a few of the landmarks that Spencer has achieved for SOG.

"I look at our products and design them to be functional and comfortable to use, as well as aesthetically pleasing. If I don't like them or wouldn't use them, they don't make it into production. We don't settle for ordinary. We never did, and we never will."

Today, SOG is distributed and sold throughout the world. Law enforcement, military, and industrial customers, as well as outdoors enthusiasts, have come to rely on SOG products under the most adverse conditions. SOG and Spencer are definitely creators of extraordinary tools and blades.