A bevy of EDC knives graces the cover of our special EDC issue: the CRKT CEO, V Nives Killabite, Hogue Knives First Response Trauma Tool, TOPS Knives Mini Tanimboca Puukko and Gerber Knife Key Note.
CRKT’s CEO is a slender Richard Rogers design with the go-to lock of many EDC folders: a linerlock. For a small EDC in damascus blade steel with a miniature tactical feel, the V Nives Killabite fills the bill. The Mini Tanimboca Puukko is a neck knife that doubles as a small bushcraft model thanks in part to its flat-back Scandi-ground blade. The Hogue Knives First Response Trauma Tool is perhaps the most utilitarian in terms of EDC: a rescue knife. And finally, the Outdoor Edge MiniBlaze is a keychain knife—the type of EDC you don’t usually need to worry about remembering to take along with you because it’s with your keys.
It’s been a long sabbatical between major knife shows but that wait will come to a welcome halt March 26-27 with the International Custom Cutlery Exposition (ICCE) at the FortWorth Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas.
Presented by BLADE, the ICCE will pair some of the world’s best custom knifemakers with a select group of cowboy artisans. The best in sharpened steel will be joined bysome of the top work in spurs, conchos, leatherwork and more in what promises to be a unique kind of event combining the world of knives with the world of the wild, wildwest, 21st–century style.
Above: Photos from the 2019 ICCE Show (taken by Scott Schuster)
“We have a high concentration of makers and subscribers in the Texas area,” BLADE Show/ICCE director Alicia Newton noted, anda significant number of those makers are expected to attend. Some of the industry’s top slip–joint makers and ABS master, journeyman and apprentice smiths hail from the Longhorn State,and they as well as specialists in other top genres of custom knives, knifemaking suppliers, embellishers and morewill be on hand to exhibit their wares in all their whetted wonder.
Aside from custom knives, cowboy artisan creations will be a common theme at the 2021 ICCE Show.
Custom spurs and other cowboy artisan creations will be a common theme at the 2021 ICCE Show.
As for the cowboy gear element, it promises to give the event a flair rarelyseen in the realm of custom knife shows.
“In addition to the outstanding craftsmanship attendees can expect to find from our knife community, we will also be introducing products by high-end cowboy artisans,”Newton commented. “We believe these products will add a new element to the knife show andhelp distinguish it from other events in the knife community.”
2021 REBOOT
The successor to the old Knifemakers’ Guild Show, the inaugural ICCE was held in September 2015 in Kansas City and featured members of both the Guild and the American Bladesmith Society(ABS) exclusively all-under-one-roof in the first-ever showof its kind. It was moved to the Fort Worth Stockyards in March 2019,where it met with solid reviews. However, last year’s rendition, as was the case with many knife shows and other events, was canceled due to Covid-19. In an effort to reboot the ICCE in 2021 better than ever before, show coordinator Jerry Moen and other officials of both the Guild and ABS turned to the BLADE Show brain trust for guidance.
“Our company is always looking for new opportunities to expand the BLADE brand name,” Newton noted. “Therefore, taking over the show in Texas was a natural fit.”
Part of that fit is the cowboy gear of the exhibiting cowboy artisans.
“As noted, we will have about 20-to–25 cowboy artisans that will be displaying and selling their products at the event,” Newton stated. “In addition, as the show continues to grow, we will introduce experiences specific to the Texas show that won’t take place at our other BLADE Show events.”
Above: Photos from the 2019 ICCE Show (taken by Scott Schuster)
Other than the addition of the select group of cowboy artisans, the show itself will remain largely unchanged this year. According to BLADE Show officials, their goalearly on forthe new arrangement is to keep the ICCE close to what it has been beforeslowly transitioning in the ensuing yearsto more of a BLADE Show type of event.
In keeping with that focus, the ABS will not present awards or do any testingfor ABS master or journeyman smith stamps at ICCE—the ABS does most of thatat the BLADE Show. However, the Guild will present its awards, including honors for knives in the following categories: Best Art; Best Bowie; Best Fighter; Best Dressed Fighter; Best Folder; Best Multi-Blade Folder; Best Collaboration; Best Hunter; Judges’ Choice; and Best Tactical Folder.The Guild also will present its annual Red Watson Award, Nate Posner Award and Hank Rummel Award, the latter for best first-year probationary Guild member, and determine both its new voting and probationary members.TheICCE,meanwhile, will present awards for knives in the following categories: Best Forged Blade; Best Bowie; Best Art; Best of Show; Best Combat Knife; Best Folder; Best Hunter; Best Damascus; and Best Collaboration.
FULL IMMERSION
In addition to great knives, makers, cowboy gear and more, the ICCE will feature the sights and sounds of the Fort Worth Stockyards. Everything you might expect from a Western/cowboy experience—bull riding, the Texas Cowboy Hall Of Fame, outstanding country music, Legends of Texas Gunfight Shows, the best in local eateries and drinking establishments, shopping,events for the entire family, a petting zoo, even the Fort Worth Herd cattle drive (not once but twice daily)—the Fort Worth Stockyards has it.
“This event won’t be just another typical knife show but will have unique elements specific to Texas that will help set it apart,”Newton observed. “At the end of each show day, attendees can take in all the sights and sounds of the Fort Worth areawithout having to drive anywhere.”
In other words, the ICCE is not only a knife show but a two-day celebration of Texas culture, history and entertainment as well.
“Come for the weekend. You don’t need a car. Shopping, restaurants, bars—including the world’s largest honky tonk bar—all within walking distance makes for a fully immersive experience,” Newton noted. “It will be one of the first opportunities for the knifemaking community to all get back together again.”
The Hyatt Place Fort Worth Historic Stockyards (800-833-1516) provides outstanding accommodations in the heart of the Stockyards. For information on it and other places to stay, including the exhibitor list, tickets, attractions and more, visit icceshow.com.
The Art Knife Invitational—the biennial knife event that made biennial knife events cool—is now under the direction of Barry Lee Hands, and will be Oct. 30, 2021 at the M Hotel Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas.
Consisting of some of the world’s top custom knifemakers, each of whom votes on any additions to the group’s membership, the show had been held for many years in San Diego. Spearheaded by BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Phil Lobred when it started in 1983 in Reno, Nevada, the AKI was held again in 1984 before undergoing a hiatus until 1993, when it was moved to San Diego. It had been there every other year since.
When Phil passed away in 2016, his daughter Sandee took over the reins and coordinated the show in 2017 and 2019. In a meeting in July, Barry and Sandee discussed moving the show, for one reason because the member makers wanted to try something new. Meanwhile, one thing led to another and the show was in new hands—Barry’s. “I knew my dad admired Barry’s work [Hands is a leading knife and gun engraver], Barry’s experience with running shows, [and his] being the president of the Firearms Engravers Guild of America,” Sandee wrote. “So, we made a deal.
“I will admit it was heartbreaking at first, but when I see the good job Barry is doing on social media, managing things, the new hotel location in Las Vegas—wow!—and with the members voting in really good people, I know that we made the right choice.”
Barry is equally complimentary of Sandee. “I would like to say on behalf of our members that Sandee has been very helpful in the transition,” he observed, “and at AKI she will be an honored and respected show guest.”
Barry indicated the biggest change about AKI is the Vegas move.
“The members voted for a location change before I took over,” he noted, “and when I came in they let me know they still wished to move. With that in mind, and on the suggestion of one of our collectors, which happened to coincide with my own opinion, we chose the M Hotel Casino Resort and Spa. The M is a beautiful hotel and is the closest major property in Las Vegas to Los Angeles.”
Barry takes an aggressive approach to marketing, including a “beefed up” online presence with a “dramatic yet functional” new website. “We also have linked our Instagram @artknifeinvitational page to our Facebook page and are creating new graphics about our members and their work, which we post most every day,” he wrote.
Voting for AKI membership also has been updated. “Some members of the AKI advisory panel told me that since they are busy at the bench and the knife world is so large compared to the past, it is hard for them to know who may be the best to vote in,” he stated. Hence, after many communications they formulated a standard procedure for nominating and voting in new members. The panel approved the proposed rules, put them to a vote and a majority of the members approved them.
If you are a member of AKI, an invited guest or a maker who would like to be considered, submit your nomination at [email protected]. After a review of the nominations, Barry vets and selects a group of six or more. Biographical sheets are written on each maker and sent to the membership and panel for review. After 48 hours, if there are no objections, the group becomes nominees and is voted on by the membership. “The process has occurred four times since July,” Barry wrote. “It has been working very well and our membership seems highly pleased with the results.”
During the changeover, a few members resigned. “Some requested privacy, so respecting that, we will not list their names,” Barry noted. “Their reasons were varied. Some cited age, some preferred other opportunities, and others were not in full agreement with the rules voted in by fellow members.”
The present members are: Ron Appleton; Edmund Davidson; Harvey Dean; Jerry Fisk; Alex Gev; Shaun and Sharla Hansen; Anders Hedlund; Steve Hoel; Dietmar Kressler; Elizabeth Loerchner; Andrew Meers; Tom Overeynder; Bertie Rietveld; Rodrigo Sfreddo; Fabrizio Silvestrelli; Jürgen Steinau; Vasiliy Vorobiev; Owen Wood; and John Young. Guest makers for the 2021 AKI will include Corrado Moro, Veronique Laurent and others.
Companies on the cutlery side seem to be weathering the COVID-19 era better than those in most other industries, in no small part due to online knife sales. BLADE promised to check on the custom side of things for you, and, though maybe not quite as well as their production brethren, the custom knifemakers we asked about it seem to be holding their own.
Already Practicing Social Distancing
Having employees work from home is one of the measures factory knife and other companies have taken to ensure long-range social distancing and to help control the spread of the virus.
Many custom makers, of course, work out of their home shops and have done so for decades, so they were a step ahead of the game in that regard from the outset.
Moreover, many makers take orders and sell their knives through their own websites, on social media, via email, and through advertising in knife magazines and elsewhere. As a result, not unlike their factory counterparts, they have experienced some success in that area, too. Purveyors who sell the makers’ knives are an added bonus as well.
Ironically, the early lockdown and also the downturn in another industry—travel—actually bene fitted at least one knifemaker.
“Good For My Business”
“Honestly, COVID has been real good for my business. At the beginning when everything was closed, we suddenly had a bunch of free weekends when travel all got canceled,” noted Jason Fry. “I used that time to do a lot of knife work. In the first three months of COVID, I have one customer that bought four of the six knives I put out for sale. Product has continued to move well, even at the $500+ price points.”
Another boost to custom knife sales early on was the federal stimulus and unemployment checks.
“Our sales went up a whole lot when the stimulus checks were sent out and people on unemployment were getting that extra $600 a week,” noted Linda Hibben, wife of BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Gil Hibben.
Linda added that while things had slowed down a bit in late summer, Gil continued to accept orders.
“Believe it or not, the Rambo III bowie and machete are still selling,” she enthused. (Along with the third Rambo movie, the Rambo III bowie debuted in 1988.) “We have had several di fferent bowie orders and combat-type knife orders recently.”
“Orders Are Down Overall”
ABS master smith and BLADE contributor Wally Hayes indicated he was still taking orders via email, messenger, Instagram and Facebook, but had “lost a bunch” also.
“I would say orders are down overall,” he stated. Helping take up the slack for Wally are the damascus watch dials he builds for a watchmaker in Oslo, Norway.
Supplies Still Plentiful
As for having enough supplies to fill knife orders, maker George Brackett said he had everything he needed to make about 70 forged knives, with 32 orders “in the pipeline.” After he gets the go-ahead from his doctors following some recent surgery, he’s going to start making knives again.
Fry indicated he’s experienced no real issues with supplies yet, and intends to order bulk every few months.
“I haven’t tried ordering steel lately,” he added, “but belts, etc., haven’t been a problem.”
On the down side have been the cancellations of a number of knife shows, including BLADE Show 2020, the latter a place where many makers would have sold a significant number of knives and taken a large number of orders. (BLADE Show 2021 is set for June 4-6 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.)
If it weren’t for the fact that other knife shows aren’t the go-to venues they once were due to online sales and other factors, such makers no doubt would be hurting more than they are now.
Contracts Still In Place
Another bonus for makers such as Gil is the collaboration agreements they have entered into with factory knife companies. In fact, his long-time contract with United Cutlery is going great knives, including a knife design in the works celebrating his upcoming 65th anniversary as a knifemaker in 2022.
“We have new designs coming out with United on a regular basis,” Linda wrote, “so all is good!”
Tony Bose, the man perhaps most responsible for the rebirth of the slip joint/pocketknife genre in today’s knives, BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame® member, loving husband and father, and friends to scores in the knife industry, passed away Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020.
A Shock to the Knife Community
Reactions poured in from the knife community.
“Heartbreaking news!” knifemaker Bill Ruple noted on his Facebook page. “Tony was my hero in the knife community!! He broke ground for all of us in the slip joint community!!”
Added knifemaker Bobby Branton, “Through his knowledge and willingness to share with others, [Tony] has played a huge part in keeping the custom slip joint movement alive. His contributions and work with Case knives have made his designs affordable to collectors around the world.”
Chimed in knifemaker Luke Swenson, “We lost a fine knifemaker and a better person and friend.”
A Love Of Traditional Pocketknives
Tony Bose championed slipjoint knives and other traditional styles. (Kerry Hampton image)
Things didn’t come easy for Bose from the get go. Born in 1946, he lost his right eye at 6.
“Most of his life has been affected one way or another by that loss, but perhaps it was the defining moment in steering his career in the direction of self-employment and self-discovery,” Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame member Ken Onion said in his speech inducting Tony into the Cutlery Hall Of Fame in 2019. Tony’s father also was disabled, so Tony sought work to help his family make ends meet. His disability made finding employment difficult, especially at a time when employers were reluctant to hire the disabled.
One of the things that helped Bose persevere was his affection for slip joints.
“He’s had a deep love for traditional pocketknives for as long as he can remember. He always had one, mostly something worn out or someone gave him,” Onion observed.
In high school Bose made money sharpening knives until he saved up enough to buy a brand new Case knife. Eventually he started making fixed blades in his spare time.
“His focus was to acquire the necessary equipment to build folding knives, and that he did,” Onion continued.
In 1989, Bose became a full-time maker.
“His goal was to make traditional folding knives and improve upon them using the best materials he could find, and to perfect the craft,” Onion said.
Bose was self-taught and, due to the difficulty he encountered in finding information on making knives, he vowed to share his knowledge with other makers to keep the interest alive.
Gradually, Tony began to establish himself, making slip joints and selling them at local knife shows. He began winning honors for his knives at various events, including Best Folder awards at the 1994 East Coast Custom Knife Show and, in 1995, at the world’s largest and most important knife event: the BLADE Show in Atlanta.
Bose’s Career Takes Off
The Bose/Case collaboration will be remembered as one of the most successful in modern knives. (Case photo)
The turning point in Bose’s career came in 1999 when, at the request of Mark Zalesky, now editor of Knife Magazine, Ed Jessup of Case called to see if Bose would be interested in working with Case. Tony agreed and the Case/Bose collaborations went on to transform an industry.
Tony and Case did not limit their working agreement to knife collaborations only. Tony became a crowd favorite at Case consumer events and swap meets nationwide, conducting knifemaking seminars, meet and greets, and otherwise serving as an ambassador for all things Case.
It was a relationship beneficial to both parties and the entire industry in more ways than one. In the case of Case, not only did it swell company coffers, it also improved Case knives—no small feat for one of the world’s leading names in cutlery.
In the process of combining on some of the world’s best slip-joint collaborations, Tony and Case refocused attention on slip joints in general. Add the impeccable custom slip joints that Tony continued to make, and custom knife aficionados bought more of them. That influence included other custom makers as well, and more of them switched from making other knife genres to building slip joints.
A Legacy of Teaching and Inspiration
Almost as legendary as his knives is Tony’s legacy of teaching anyone who wanted to know how to make knives.
“Tony takes the time to be sure students understand what he’s trying to teach,” Onion said in 2019. “He’s improved the level of quality in a big way at Case and has taught them to do the impossible. He consistently strives for perfection. He’s very inspirational and has been a muse to the company. He’s respected and loved by everyone.”
Tony Bose poses with his plaque during BLADE Show 2019 after being inducted into the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame alongside Hall of Fame Member Ken Onion (left) and family.
One of the most accomplished of all of Tony’s students is his son, Reese. The younger Bose has become so adept at making slip joints that he is considered among the world’s best.
Concluded Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Dan Delavan, “Tony Bose is another maker who made what he liked, slip joints, when there was not much demand, and then the market took off. His work is still the best and the most sought after.”
What about knives is susceptible to the cancel culture?
By Steve Shackleford
The so-called cancel culture that’s plagued our nation for some time now has somehow managed to overlook our beloved knife community—at least so far. Of course, this is not to say that the “woke mob” hasn’t attacked a number of personages revered not only worldwide but in the knife community as well, such as presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, both of whom carried knives of various types, including some really cool pocketknives that have been featured in BLADE®.
In fact, some knifemakers, including Ernest Emerson through his Emerson Knives, Inc., and ABS master smith Jerry Fisk, have built and sold knives with handles made of wood taken from the trees on Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. Many other presidents have connections to knives as well, but, for now, their statues or monuments haven’t been toppled, spray-painted with graffiti, or otherwise vandalized by the wokesters—or at least not like Washington’s and Lincoln’s have.
All of which got me to thinking: If the woke mobsters were to come after the knife community, what might they single out? There are some words knife enthusiasts use that could be targeted. Stockman, for instance, would no doubt enrage those who might demand it be called stockperson instead. However, if you ask for a stockperson at a knife store, instead of a knife the attendant might bring out Hank, the 38-year-old shelf stocker from the storeroom.
Another pocketknife pattern name that might ruffle wokester tail feathers is boy’s knife. Somehow I don’t think changing the name to girl’s knife would placate the mob, either. The next-door neighbor, Mr. Wingtip, referred to me as a juvenile delinquent when I was a kid, but juvenile delinquent’s knife probably would send the culture cancelers into conniption-fit overdrive. I’ll just leave the “solution” to that one to woke R&D. As for Boy Scout and/or Girl Scout knives, I’m not even going there!
That brings us to the venerable gent’s knife, but BLADE has chronicled a trend that has been ongoing for quite a while now—women embracing gent’s knives for their own use. As a result, whenever we do stories on gent’s knives, we include them under a gent’s/lady’s knives umbrella. On the other hand, who am I kidding? I would likely get “bricked” by the woke mob for that one, too.
One knife term that might fire up the wokey-dokers is butt—as in butt of the handle, aka the end of the handle. My wife Susan is always saying “pardon my appendage” when she bumps into me, so maybe we could change butt to appendage. On the other hand, we could just tell the cancelers to butt out, eh?
Slip joint is another knife term that might raise some woke-brows. Joint is also another name for prison—think “the joint”—and with so many wokester calls to abolish prisons, slip joint might have to be replaced with slip halfway house or some such. Speaking of which, the defund the police movement means all knives designed for law enforcement would probably come under attack from the mob and would require replacement with some other knife name—social worker knives, anyone?
On the other hand, I can think of at least one knife term that the woke troopers would probably embrace wholeheartedly—pig sticker.
With that, consider this installment of “Unsheathed” canceled!
THE AWARD-WINNING FACTORY KNIFE COMPANY UNDERGOES A BRAND REFRESH IN 2020
The year was 1986. The Soviet Union hosted its first Goodwill Games. Halley’s Comet was visible from Earth for the first time in 76 years. Up to 6.5 million people participated in a charity event called Hands Across America. Phantom of the Opera premiered in London’s West End. And SOG Specialty Knives—aka SOG—made its debut.
The first SOG-brand knife was a reproduction of the original SOG Bowie in tribute to the Studies and Observations Group* of Vietnam War fame. Eventually, the SOG Specialty Knives line grew to include knives mass produced with attention to detail and quality. Today, the company has grown into an innovative, major player whose products are among the leading choices of Navy SEALs and other military, law enforcement, fire and rescue, tradesmen and everyday knife users the world over. Folders, fixed blades, flashlights, multi-tools and gear— SOG has you covered.
Over the years, it’s only natural that a knife company keeps growing in size and product offerings, constantly evolving itself and its knives. SOG has kept moving forward, and 2020 marks a significant milestone in the company’s evolution: a prominent revamp of sales and marketing strategies, a refresh of existing models and an engineering of new ones to further meet the demands of those who serve and keep us safe, as well as the needs of everyday knife consumers.
With its slender form factor, XR lock, carbon fiber handle and CTS XHP stainless blade, the Ultra XR defines classy high tech. The super-slim folder carries well and also doubles as a money clip. The gold-titanium-nitride coating adds a bit of bling. The blade also is available in a more subdued black-titanium-nitride coat.
The architect for the brand refresh is Jonathan Wegner, company brand vice president. “We’ve taken the best things from the last three decades, and doubled down on the things that we feel are most relevant to our end users today and into the future,” he explains, “and are focused on delivering solutions that are authentic to the brand.”
Why the transformation? According to Wegner, consumers reported that the company’s more recent focus and quality were not there. Many stated their idea of SOG was from an era that is now past, when the company brought some innovative ideas to market and was driven to produce the best knives and tools for tactical and other consumers. “So, by first studying and observing ourselves, we were able to determine that a significant change was needed,” Wegner notes. “Most of this led to our reposition and future focus.”
The Flash AT is designed for daily carry with a drop-point blade of D2 tool steel and a handle of molded glass-reinforced nylon in multiple color options.
SOG founder and president Spencer Frazer was the primary driving force behind the company and many of its product designs, from its inception until a couple of years ago when Joe McSwiney was hired to lead the outfit.
Spencer Frazer, SOG founder
Instead of the old SOG mark, the company refresh will include blades marked STUDIES AND OBSERVATIONS GROUP.
“Spencer was involved throughout the brand refresh process, and a lot of what we have done with the brand hearkens back to his original vision,” Wegner states. “Therefore, it was vital that he was involved throughout every aspect of it.” Even back then, Frazer was seriously considering stepping down from overseeing daily operations and returning to his passion of developing innovative products. “So, once the brand refresh and new products strategy were in place,” Wegner says, “he felt comfortable stepping back.”
SOG has been Spencer’s baby since day one, so stepping back at any time or putting just anyone in charge isn’t what he wanted. “SOG’s future is pushing into an even greater extension of the original intent when it was founded,” Spencer notes. “I cannot be prouder of what the company has grown into.”
RELENTLESS by DESIGN
The new company slogan is “Relentless by Design.” This encompasses SOG’s past while embracing the future. Being a major player in the tactical market for many years has pushed the company to continuously innovate and bring new models to market. Starting this fall, SOG will double down on the pushing and debut some intriguing models.
With Frazer retired and the right people in place, the company is poised to embark on a fresh, new and exciting chapter where its knives and other products will be more focused and specifically aimed at three target groups: Professional, Outdoor and Daily. More on them later. Meanwhile, by the time the new vision was in place, many of SOG’s lower-end knives and other products already had been discontinued. “We felt those items didn’t truly represent the types of items we want to be [offering],” Wegner says.
SOG has gone to some stylish pocket clips this year, model examples from top: the Ultra XR and its extra-wide/long clip (it doubles as a money clip), Flash AT, Terminus XR and Pentagon XR.
Along with this, Walmart, which previously sold some of the now- discontinued, lower-end SOG items, was removed as a retailer. Most everyone else who had sold SOG knives will remain, including many knife-specific retailers on the Internet and elsewhere.
Beginning in the fall, the first phase of the brand refresh will officially go live, and, as of press time, some of the new knives already had been released. All of the new product classes are designed to function at peak levels, engineered with intent and built with the best materials for each specific price point.
As part of the new SOG’s knives fall into the three aforementioned categories: Professional (law enforcement, EMT, fire and military); Outdoor (hunters, hikers, campers, fishermen, etc.); and Daily (trades, office workers, warehouse workers and such). All three incorporate what the SOG brain trust calls a visual brand language. This means each category incorporates a specific geometric shape that is a motif for the designs that populate it.
For example, the knives in the Professional category have trapezoidal design elements. Outdoor employs a circular design motif. Finally, Daily employs triangular design elements. The purpose of the visual brand language is so you can readily identify each knife’s purpose.
In addition to the visual brand language, SOG is using new “naming conventions” as well. The standardized approach allows you to easily identify the primary technologies the knives use. For example, XR denotes the knife uses SOG’s XR lock (SEAL XR), AT denotes Assisted Technology (Flash AT), and FX indicates the knife is a fixed blade (SEAL FX). There are a few other designations but these are the most commonly used.
With the assisted- opening AT-XR lock, the Flash AT combines rapid deployment with lock security. Pulling back on the ambidextrous release disengages the lock. Note the lock safety on the handle spine. The red dot indicates the blade is ready to open.
Also new is a color-coded accent stripe on the packaging. Yellow is for Daily, light blue for Professional and gray for Outdoor. Topping it off is new packaging in which you can actually see the product inside and read about its key highlights on the partial flap of the box. The packaging is bold, forward looking and helps usher in the new SOG era.
The blade mark also has changed. The previous SOG logo is now STUDIES AND OBSERVATIONS GROUP—a nod to the past while looking to the future.
FALL KNIFE DEBUTS
First up for the new fall line is the SOG- TAC XR, a Professional class tactical folder using the XR lock, a 3.5-inch drop-point blade of D2 tool steel, flipper opening and a textured G-10 handle. The ergonomic handle integrates a guard, dual nested steel liners, and a deep-carry pocket clip. Handle colors come in black or OD green. Another Professional class piece is the Pentagon XR. Building on the legacy of the Pentagon series of folders and fixed blades, it takes the dagger-ish styling and adds the XR lock, textured G-10 handle, dual nested steel liners, flipper opening and a 3.5-inch spearpoint blade of CTS XHP stainless steel. Handle colors are black, FDE and OD green. The Vision XR flipper folder brings some aggressiveness to the Professional series, with bold styling and a 3.5-inch double- ground tanto blade of CTS XHP, and a textured black G-10 handle with dual nested liners.
The revamped Pentagon XR tactical folder has multiple choices of G-10 handle colors, and a fullered spear- point blade of CTS XHP stainless steel. The knife features flipper-tab and ambidextrous thumb-stud opening options.
In the Daily category is the Ultra XR, an ultra-thin, ultra-lightweight gentleman’s folder with a linerless carbon fiber handle and a 3-inch clip-point blade of CPM S35VN stainless. An extra-large, fold-over pocket clip doubles as a money clip. The blade is available in gold titanium nitride or black coating options. Another Daily category entry, the Flash AT features a 3.5- inch drop-point blade in D2 powered by SOG’s Assisted Opening Technology. The molded Zytel handle is available in a choice of red, cyan, yellow and black. The new folders use pivot bearings for ultra- smooth blade action.
SOG long has been a viable player in the production knife market and the new refresh elevates the company even further. Expect more good things to come.
