We just received another great story of how one of our knives helped free someone from a car accident.  This time it was the Twitch II, but having any knife one you would be a good idea.

Dear SOG Knives,

I want to say that the knife I purchased from AG Russell was literally a Life Saver!  This past Saturday, my fiancés family and I visited the AG Russell showroom. I bought a few knives for my collection, my fiancé bought a machete as an Xmas present, my in-laws discussed the zebra painting, and I was drooling over the SOG Agency and the AG Field Knife II.  Since the Agency and the Field Knife II are out of my reach during Christmas, I ended up discussing the Twitch II with the salesman.  I was really impressed with the one hand opening of the knife and how handy that would be when opening feed bags on the farm and cutting twine for lashing down cargo.  I was carrying a Victorinox Cadet, but I replaced it Saturday with the Twitch II.  As we left your shop, I clipped the knife to the inside of my pants pocket, but little did I know I would use it less than 24 hours later.

Sunday as we left NWA on I-40, a few large animals step in front of our car, and my fiancé swerved to keep from hitting the large towering animals in the road. The car spun out of control and we flew off the side of the interstate hitting a tree that spun my side (passenger) into 2 large trees. My right leg was pinned under the dash, as my pants had hung on something, and my seat belt wouldn’t unlock as the passenger side seat was sitting partly  on top of the center console. My right arm was pinned because the impact swung it up under me, but I used my left hand to retrieve the Twitch II knife from my pocket, opened it with one finger, and cut the seat belt. I then used it to cut away my pants leg that hung up under the dash.  If I would of not been able to get out of the car we would still be sitting there as no one was around us, we were way off down the embankment, the cell phone was busted, the front lights had busted out, it was really cold and we were wet from an exploded cooler.  By being able to free myself, I was able to disconnect the car’s power, and then I was able to pry open the busted trunk to retrieve a flashlight and a working cell phone.

We suffered a few cuts, some bruised ribs, a few bruises, a totaled car, but we survived. I’m grateful for our visit to the AG Russell Knife Shop and for the great products that they carry.  I will soon be placing a order for a Twitch II from AG Russell for my fiancé, who when I bought the knife was afraid I would injure myself with a SAT knife, but after our adventure I think she now see’s how handy the SOG Twitch II is in a desperate situation.

When I finally get in the position to buy the SOG Agency I’ll be placing my order from AG Russell. AG Russell and SOG have earned a customer for life!

Zachary Taylor

We recently received the story below from a loyal SOG fan and volunteer Firefighter in New York.  We think he did a great thing and are happy that a SOG knife was with him and able to assist.

To SOG,

My name is Zach S, I am a volunteer Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician in the Oceanside Fire Department (New York), and a proud member of South Side Hose Company #2.  I also work for a Long Island craft brewer.  But mostly I am a proud owner of a SOG Trident.  I purchased this knife while with my brother, a member of the United States Coast Guard, on his base. I saw the knife, and I made the purchase.I usually carry the knife in my pocket, to use for daily things, like cutting open boxes, maybe a piece of rope here and there, and anything else a knife can come in handy for.

On the morning of October 14th 2011, a little while after leaving work, I witnessed a horrific auto accident.  Immediately my training kicked into high gear as I watched one car slam into another on the parkway.  I was able to avoid colliding with the spinning cars and pulled my truck over to the side of the road.

As I assessed the scene I noticed that the driver of the Mustang was badly injured and needed to be extricated from the car.  Unable to gain any access to the car from the driver side I approached the passenger side of the car.  The windows were rolled up and the door was locked.  I pulled out my SOG Trident, with the blade still closed in the handle I used it to smash open the window.  I assessed the unconscious patient, and with the aid of a few other medics who stopped at the scene we were able to get her stabilized and prepped for extrication. I was then able to use the Trident to cut her seatbelt off.  The Rescue truck from the East Farmingdale Fire Department arrived and the brave men and women were able to cut the door off the car without injuring the patient, or myself (still in the back seat of the car holding spine stabilization). Photo attached below…

You never know how useful a tool is until you need it in the heat of action.  So I wanted to send you a little thank you note for making an amazing product.  I told my brothers in the firehouse about what happened, and about your great products, so Im sure you’ll have a few more lifelong customers. I know I am!

Thanks Again,

Zach S

Check out the picture below of the aftermath of the accident. If you have any stories while using your SOG knife please share them with us as we like to hear that we have been able to make a difference in someones life.

In conjunction with the new facebook layout we are making available some images that will work great as a header image and show your support for SOG knives at the same time. Feel free to download these images and use them as your new header.

To use one of these images, just download the image form the link and add to your facebook profile header.

If you do why not post a screen shot on our facebook page and you might just win a prize.

Vulcan Fixed Blade

SOG Bowie 2.0

SEAL Pup

SEAL Pup Elite

Creed

Aegis (Digi Camo)

Aegis

Flash II

SOG-TAC

Trident

Vulcan Tanto Folder

Every so often a SOG user will send in some pictures of their knife things that they use their knife for.  Ben was kind enough to send some pictures recently and a some info on them.  It sounds like Ben really likes his SEAL Pup Elite and has found some good uses for it.

My name is Ben and these are pictures of my catch after a day of fishing out on the Skagit River in Mount Vernon Washington.  There were 3 Silver Salmon and one Trout.    My Seal Pup is both my hunting and fishing knife, it guts any fish like it’s nothing.  My pup has been through a lot and still works perfectly; it has been dropped, submerged, frozen in the mountains, and has helped start many fires, I don’t even need a hatchet, I use my seal pup and a rock to chop most of my wood.

-Ben

Just came across this review of the Flash II on Backpack Gear Test. It is from a little over a year ago but all of the information is still valid.

Once again if you are thinking about the Flash II it is a great knife and you can’t go wrong with it.

Just got copy of a review of the PowerAssist multi-tool in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette from Sunday September 26, 2010

Read the review

Over the weekend we were informed about a nice review of the Aegis (AE-06) on comentakeit.com

Take a few minutes and read one users thoughts on this knife.

Just got word of a great review of the SOG X-Ray Vision on the Military Times website.  The X-Ray Vision has been in the SOG line for years and continues to impress with it’s simple design and outstanding functionality.  Here is a quote from the author

The SOG X-Ray Vision XV-71 is a well built knife with solid features, and a good blade.  I’ll be carrying this as my primary duty knife, which is about as good as a recommendation as I can give for an item.

If you have a few minutes give it a read and if you have any personal thoughts on the X-Ray Vision please feel free to share them.

Received over the weekend. Always nice to hear from our users and that they are enjoying their SOG products.

Hello and good morning!
Last week I ordered and received my second SOG knife, the Agency. Friday I went camping in Northern Arizona and must say the Agency was used and performed beyond expectations! My first SOG knife (that I still carry everyday) was the Seal Pup and is perfect for carrying everyday and out in the wild, but I wanted something bigger. The Agency was the perfect option. I just wanted to say thanks for building such great knives, I am a SOG devotee from here on out.

Congrats and thanks!

M.O.

Earlier this week we received a great review of the NW Ranger by Dylan Fletcher.  He does a great job of discussing the NW Ranger and giving some thoughts on its design and function.  Take a few minutes to read through the review and I think you will be impressed with the performance of this knife.

The Plain Edge SOG NW Ranger

We asked for it and SOG finally delivered.

By Dylan Fletcher

The SOG plain edge NW Ranger; Woodsbums rejoice. Wood beware!

Just about every knife nut out there that has perused SOG’s lineup is familiar with the NW Ranger. It has been a part of the SOG family for years and is a tested and respected tool. However, when it comes to the communities like bushcraft, woodcraft, whatever you want to call it, it had one specific flaw. All of the blades came partially serrated. For bushcraft guys, that’s a bit of a problem. The majority of the fine blade work they do is with the first couple of inches of blade and serrations make that area useless for anything but cutting rope, webbing, etc.

A couple of years ago, a picture from another country was posted on one of the popular knife forums. It was a picture of the Russian version of the NW Ranger, which was the only NW Ranger to be produced without serrations. The thread instantly blew up with people asking where this knife was being sold, why was the Russian version the only one without serrations, and would they be available in the U.S. As it turns out, the Broskies have slightly stricter laws than us when it comes to having a knife with teeth. Due to the laws, SOG had to produce a non-serrated version in order to meet requirements over there and get the knife in their market. To answer the last question, SOG marketing said that these knives were not available anywhere else. They were a limited run for that area only. Well that certainly didn’t stop everyone and their mother from badgering SOG to no end about producing a non-serrated version for the U.S. I think that now, a couple of years later, SOG had received enough encouragement and seen just how big the interest for this knife is in the U.S., and decided that it was time to give all these people what they asked for. The newly designed SOG NW Ranger in plain edge was introduced with the new 2010 lineup.

Here are the specs straight from SOG:

Blade Length:                       5.2″ x .150″

Overall Length:                    9.925″

Weight:                        6.2 oz.

Edge:                               Straight

Steel:                              AUS 8

Handle:                             Kraton

Finish:                         Satin or Black TiNi

Sheath:                             Leather

MSRP:                               $95.00

When I pulled this knife out of the package, there were two things I noticed right off the bat. The first thing I noticed was that this knife was stinking sharp. As with every knife any of us get, the first thing I did was the arm hair sharpness test. This sucker was shaving sharp straight out of the box. That’s always nice. It gives a good first impression.

This knife eats wood and just stays sharp.

The second thing I noticed was that this handle is unbelievable comfortable. Whether wet, dry, coated in oil, it doesn’t matter. That handle is grippy and comfortable no matter what. I just sat there, trying different grips on the handle for a good while and completely forgot about the sheath still in the box. That NW Ranger handle is a masterpiece of simplicity and makes the knife very intuitive in the hand. I will say though, the handle is so grippy that it does have a bit of a bite after extended use. When I say extended use, I mean anything over an hour or so.

The NW Ranger has been getting some serious workouts. This is a box full of wood carnage, wood chunks for small fires, and sectioned up fatwood. All compliments of the SOG.

Now it could be argued that a lot of the simple outdoor chores that one may use a knife for rarely take more than an hour. I’ve heard many times from outdoorsy friends of mine, “It doesn’t bother me. I never use my knife for that long in one sitting unless I’m doing arts and crafts.” They usually say this while trying to justify their love for an uncomfortable handle attached to an extremely visually appealing knife. On the other hand, it’s common knowledge that when a woods bum gets to carving, he has a tendency to lose all track of time, whittling crafts is an uncontrollable urge for every “woodsy”, and a simple project can turn into hours of chipping off little bits of wood. For long term use, this is definitely a gloved hand kind of knife. For me, this is a common thing though, and certainly not a drawback. I believe that there’s no such thing as a handle so comfortable you don’t need a glove for hours of fun. I recommend that everyone keep a simple glove in their pack for their strong hand. It doesn’t take up much space and, if used regularly when you know you’re going to be putting some time into a project, can make your various edged tool experiences much more comfortable and happier ones.

I unleashed the NW Ranger on some 2x4’s. After chopping, batonning, and carving until I ran out of steam several times, it was still sharp enough to slice paper.

The other features of the knife are a decent and well placed lanyard tube, thumb jimping on the spine of the blade in a useable area, and a substantial enough guard. The jimping on the spine is rough enough that it can be used to shave dry wood for a handy dandy little tinder bundle of wood fuzz. The blade as a whole is nicely done. It’s not too thick, not too thin, a good length for bushcraft and has a nice pointy tip on it strong enough from light drilling. The AUS 8 gives it a good amount of corrosion resistance. The guard has some grooves ground into it that I’ll touch on later.

I was very happy to see that this knife came with a very well done black leather sheath. While I know and enjoy the benefits of kydex and other quality plastic sheaths, I do still love a good old school leather sheath now and then. Right away, I soaked it with oil and laid a book on top of it to smash the belt loop down. That way, it won’t make the knife stick out when I wear it. My one issue with the sheath is the snap strap. I’d like SOG to pop a rivet through the sheath and loop to hold it in place. The space on the sheath that the snap strap goes through lets it move around a lot, so you have to hold it still while you unsnap it.

Another thing I love about this knife is how light weight it is. It’s one of those knives that just disappears on your belt. Being very light also adds to the intuitiveness of the knife in your hand. When you start working with it, it just becomes part of your hand, as any good bushcraft knife should. Overall, this knife is very well designed and it’s simplicity and comfort makes it a great user. Needless to say, I hate this knife and think it’s a piece of junk.

Using this knife to make a trap is oh so quick and easy. It's size, weight, and edge geometry make it great for carving and whittling.

As with any knife I review, I didn’t just take it for one outing and do simple tests over a weekend. I carried this knife for weeks and used it for everything I could think of from mundane chores like cutting up boxes at work, food prep and opening the mail, to making traps, prepping firewood, and building a shelter. It performed every task I threw at it just fine. The edge retention is good, it’s a strong little knife, and when it did lose its edge, sharpening it up was a breeze. Honestly, I don’t see how anyone who tries this knife out, as long as they use it correctly, could be disappointed. One area where it really shined for me was in fire prep. The blade length was great for batonning and splitting the hunks of wood and the edge made great fuzz sticks. I made at least ten fires with this thing and it was always quick, easy, and fun. Of course, when is making a fire not fun?

This knife is built to take a beating. No need to think twice about smashing it with a baton through all the wood you can find.

Now, unfortunately, it’s time to discuss the one part of the knife that I didn’t like. It’s not a big thing, but it does exist. The grooves that SOG cut into the guard might not have been the best idea. Again, if you’re not using the knife for an extended period of time, it’s no big deal, but if you are, you better wear a glove. When you’re really choked up on the blade, your index finger is right up against those grooves and rubbing on them as you do your fine cutting work. Those grooves make some nasty hotspots and will cause some serious discomfort. If I were in the SOG design department, I might suggest leaving those off the next run and just rounding that guard off a little more. So there it is, my one gripe. Even with this, I say all in all, this is a worthy woods bumming knife and knife nuts should give it a shot.

Keeping a simple glove for your strong hand in your pack or pocket is easy and makes a big difference in keeping skin on your hand and reducing fatigue.

For more information:
SOG Specialty Knives & Tools, LLC

6521 212^th Street SW
Lynnwood, WA 98036

888-405-6433

www.sogknives.com