We are doing a running change on the Desert Camo Trident folder.  We just go the first run of the new handles in and  they are going out this week.  Take a look at this and let me know what you think.

I don’t know if everyone knew this or has seen the latest issue of Field and Stream, but the SOG Mini Vulcan won a Best of the Best award for 2008.  Check out the article in the September 2008 issue of Field and Stream or read it online.  Here is a excerpt of what they had to say about the Mini Vulcan.

This is a super little knife. Its 3-inch blade, with a recurved edge, is made of VG10 steel and is held open by the SOG Arc-Lock…

Everyone at SOG is very excited about this and we are happy to be in the same standing as the other winners for 2008.

I just posted a video to youtube of one of the prototype Aegis knives.  This is my first video and the lighting is not that great but you get the point.  Also, I did speed it up a little but I think you get the point.

We are currently in the process of uploading all the new product information to the SOG website. In the meantime if you can not wait to see everything online a PDF of the catalog has been uploaded for your enjoyment. The file is about 10 MB in size so give it some time to download.

To download the catalog click here .

I know it has been a little while since I last posted a teaser image for you.  So in order to get everyone excited about upcoming items I now present you with the latest SOG teaser image.  Let me know what you think.

Jake with multi-tool.org posted some nice images on flickr comparing the SOG PowerLock wire cutter and the SwissTool. Here are his comments and some pictures.

The wire cutter on SOG’s new PowerLock is wider and has a much better edge than the wire cutter on most other multi-tools. I was able to cut lamp cord with it whereas most other multi-tools make a mess of finely stranded wire.

This photo shows the SwissTool Spirit jammed on lamp cord (right panel). I can actually suspend the SwissTool Spirit by the wire. It didn’t take a lot of force but I did have to pry the SwissTool Spirit jaws apart. It had just mashed the wires rather than cutting them (left panel). The clean ends were cut with the new SOG PowerLock.

I just wanted to let everyone know that the SOG Kilowatt knives have begun shipping and they should be showing up in stores in the next two weeks.  If you have ordered one your wait is coming to an end.  We are very happy with this knife and think that it will be a great seller.  Any questions or comments let me know.

We have just updated the 2007 catalog with some of the upcoming new products in it.  Such as the Visionary and Mini Vulcan.   If you want you can download a PDF of the catalog (~10 MB).

So I guess I have let the most recent teaser post sit long enough and let suspense build. I read though all the guesses and most people were close to being correct.

Mr Skillz was the first person with the closest answer:

Well, the handle is definitely the same as the X-ray Vision’s.I’m guessing its a new blade shape, possibly a drop point or spear point, but built on the foundation of the X-ray Vision. It could just be a new tweaked design of the X-ray Vision, with a higher grind, shortened swedge grind, and a plain edge ti-ni coated blade.

And for his extremely close guess he gets a prize.  I’ll be sending a micron to him this week.

The actual answer is below (more…)

Mr. Matsuda is one of the foremost hand grinders in the world and resides in Gifu, Japan. Always pushing the envelope, he has conjured up some of the most unusual grinds that incorporate hollow, flat, and convex shapes……all in one knife. Spencer and Kikuo collaborated to produce an interpretation of both of their design styles. Kikuo was asked to interpret SOGs design philosophy. SOG was challenged to utilize Kikuo’s skill in a novel way. We think the marriage of ideas has produced something truly unique.

More info on Kikuo and his knives 

We have coined the name ‘reverse collaboration’. This is where a manufacturer works closely with a custom maker to create a collaboration of ideas. The custom maker actually makes the knife for the manufacturer. In our case the knife is limited to 50 pcs. By using the manufactuers brand and tapping into its distribution, the custom maker reaches a larger audience. This allows him greater sales and name recognition. For the manufacturer, the relationship also can expand the visibility of its core products by generating interest and publicity (and maybe winning a Blade magazine award). There is also an advantage in developing new technology or ideas in working with the custom maker. Lastly, if successful, the knife can evolve to the standard collaboration, where the manufacturer produces the combined design in volume and at a significantly lower price.