Sog SEAL Knives. Opinions?

[trey.mac]

ive been looking into getting a survival knife, because im kind of interested in learning stuff about wilderness survival. a review i found said the Sog SEAL knives were pretty good. anyone have any experience and/or opinions about these knives?

to give some specifics, im looking at the Sog SEAL Pup

[Buck]

When it comes to field knives keep it simple.

One of the best knives for "do it all in the field" is
the military "Kabar" knife found online and in
any military surplus store.

[Boris859]

I have my Buck hunting knife,3 swiss army knives,and a gerber multi tool,they take care of all my needs quite well,no matter where I go these are always with me so I really have no need for a survival knife,besides those I have a bag of diffrent size hand saws,string,wire,hatchet and various other stuff,may not be simple as "one does all",but with all these I could build shelter,make a fire and whatever else I can conger up,the best survival tool you can ever have is your mind,that and being prepared.

[Theyeti]

SOG makes nice knives. I have to agree with Buck but simple utilitarian designs are better for in the field. The SEAL series, while well made and tough, if they have any issue with them say the handle comming apart you really can't fix it yourself.

KABARS are good, but if you take a look at the type of knives typically used by trappers in the 1840's, they were more akin to your kitchen chef's knife than anything else. Slab tang construction, which is something 'you' can repair, simple design, and so forth. There are makers of these types of blades out there who supply the whole buckskinning/mountainman set. These knives are not to be confused with 'Bowie' knives which are a separate family of knives.

For an interesting and seemingly tough(but expensive) created by a former SpecOps operator try grayman knives...www.graymanknives.com, I beleive.

[mtdrtbag]

Everybody has a different oppinion on which is the best manufacturer or blade style, but it really boils down to durability and ability to hold an edge and also to put an edge back on it. Alot of people buy knives too big to do you much good. Stay away from "Rambo" knives. Anything bigger than 6-7 inches is really too big for most survival chores. I spent a few years as a wilderness and arctic survival instructor in the USAF back in the early 80's. Our main knives were the short bladed aircrew survival knives(bolt knives). These knives are truly about as indestructable as you can find, but I have seen on occasion a handle come appart and a blade broken in extreme sub-zero temps. As another poster stated. I am also a big fan of hefty flat slab sided knives. I carry more than one knife in my "go bags" and cheap knives can be good. From what I have heard the SOG knives are a pretty good knife though I have no experience with them. My favorites are the Cold Steel SRK for heavy work(knives are not meant to take the place of an ax or saw) and for utility work i.e. skinning ,food prep, etc. the Cold steel Finn Bear or Roach Belly. These are amazingly good knives for the price. Very tough, easy to sharpen and hold a razor edge for along time. Both of these knives can be purchased for about 15.00 dollars each. The SRK is about 70.00. In my primary "go bag". The one that I keep with me in the truck at all times has a TOPS custom knife from Idaho. These are espensive knives, but worth every dime. Mine is the Overlander and sells for about $130.00. I also keep one of the Cold Steel Finn Bears in it as well as an original Leatherman Tool. Don't forget to keep a quality sharpening tool in your bag, also. I use one of the Smith's pocket ceramic stick sharpeners (V sticks that you draw the knife blade through) and a good whetstone for the the SRK or Overlander. The blades are too thick to use the ceramic one. Both of these types of sharpeners can be purchased at very reasonable price. Like anything in your survival kit. You need to take care of it. Use it within it's limitations and it won't let you down.

[Pitdog]

Get the SEAL PUP, much nicer than the full sized.
I just got my TOPS Tracker T2 for Christmas, it is my new everything knife, but I also have that old Cataraugus circa WW2 and I love it.

[Texasbound]

I use the Kabar Tanto Short. Love the size and shape. Good for piercing, strong enough design for prying. Keeps a good edge. Bought mine new for $46. You need to pick a blade shape that you are comfortable with. Get what will work best for you.

[galloglaigh]

The problem for me with survival style knives is that they are too stiff, to big, to akward, and way over priced. Makes skinning and butchering deer a pain. They lack thumb guards, tend also to ruin the hide. Several good butcher knives with keen edges, and a small hacthet are imho the better tools for the woodsman to put meat to the coals.

[Cat Lover]

I'm going to "rain on the knifemakers' parade." I have little respect for the vast majority of knives out there.

I think you need to really, really imagine exactly how you plan to use the knife before you choose it.

Let's discuss a few of the knives commonly marketed to us:

Starting with the various "SEAL" knives ... these guys all seem to have been spawned by the M-9 bayonet. That bayonet made waves when it came out, because it was 1/4" thick. That's a LOT of steel. Sorry, guys, but if I want a pry bar, I'll use a pry bar. There is simply no way for a blade that thick to be a very efficient knife.

Tanto: The 'favored' knife of the days before the M-9, and made popular by the folks at Cold Steel. If you want to stab something, this is the knife for you. If you want a skinner, a slicer, or a whittler, this blade is all wrong - again, for the simple reason that it's way too thick.

"Combat" knives: I'm not entirely sure who will use these knives. I've had a pretty close look at the militaries of several nations, and I haven't seen any of them do any field chores that these would be suited for. Chopping? I'll take my axe, please. Close combat? Not really an issue in these times - and if it happens, I'll take my shovel. "Knife fighting" simply isn't very high on the training roster, being only marginally more relevant than fencing.

If you want something that sort of looks like the SEAL, I'd recommend you look at these knives instead:
Ontario Spec-Plus "Quartermaster." The relatively wide, thick blade has enough strength for moderate prying, such as opening wood crates. The blade grind is blunt enough to serve as a strapping-band breaker.
Kabar: The classic has decent "bowie-type" shape and good handle, if a bit long. I'd get the shorter 5" blade. This puts it in the same class as the USN Mk 3, or the USAF aircrew knives. Again, look to Ontario for 'modernized' versions of these classics.

[TackKS]

The SOG Seal Pup is nice, I have one....and never use it. Also have a Glock field knife, baoynets of various types, Ek Warrior, and others. They all sit in a foot locker UNUSED.

For field use, I have an old Ka-Bar I bought about 20 years ago. I have used it in the field (in the Boy Scouts and in the Army), and it stood up to a lot of abuse. I have used it to cut down small tress, pound tent pegs, pry things, cut things, etc. It is comfortable to use with it's round handle, and again, VERY DURABLE.

They go for about $40-50 dollars (paid $30 for mine), and well worth the money. Even more so than the SOG seal pup. It comes with a leather shealth, which wore out after about 10 years; I just cut it off my LBE and put on a newer OD green nylon sheath.

To sum it all up: go with the traditional Ka-Bar.

[Aubrey]

I kind of like knives a lot :D and as this is my first pots ...shout if off track ...I do learn fast!

I agree that your intended use is the absolute starting point. Then you enter into a mine filed of steels .... from carbon steel like 1095 to some super crucible steels ...... but you will pay for them and some super steels are hell to sharpen without a diamond stone. Don't forget the sheath ....it will spend more time in the sheath than in your hand.

I have knives from US$50 to US$ 5000 and I tend to favor my ESEE RAT3 that is under US$ 100. Good steel (Carbon 1095) by a reputable USA company (sorry, I don't support China) with a rock solid warrantee .... no fancy saw backs, super steels or anything but have a look http://www.eseeknives.com/index2.htm In fact, may be exact what a general purpose knife is for me .... and at that price, I won't cry for days if I do loose it.

Carbon steel is a little harder to maintain but sharpens easy and keeps a good edge. AUS6, AUS8 and 420 C steels are all stainless but is hard to sharpen and results on edge retention is not that great.

Well, more than 2 cents worth but :rolleyes:

Regards from Africa

Aubrey

[MissouriFree]

For the woods I like BIG . a Becker BK-9 will do nearly anything you have a mind to. I go t rid of the clumsey nylon sheath and went back to leather and wear it across the front.
pair it with a multitool ( sog, leatherman, gerber) and you will need nothing else to survive.

[headhunter]

Serrated knives are nice if you have a lot of nylon rope to cut, otherwise a straight edge is the ticket. A big knife, I thought I try a Trailmaster. People look at you liKe you are out of your mind. Chopping wood with my 3/4 axe is far more efficient. The Trailmaster is sorta cool though and it does a wonderful job of helping defrost the freezer. Cold Strrl does make a medium Voyager that fits nicely into a pocket, is light enough you don't know it's there unless you need it, and yet is a good size for gutting a deer. The traditional fix bladed Bucks are : reasonable cost, reasonably good steel, last forever (mine are 40 years young), and worst of all make it difficult to rationalize buying something new.

[Trapper]

I kind of like knives a lot :D and as this is my first pots ...shout if off track ...I do learn fast!

I agree that your intended use is the absolute starting point. Then you enter into a mine filed of steels .... from carbon steel like 1095 to some super crucible steels ...... but you will pay for them and some super steels are hell to sharpen without a diamond stone. Don't forget the sheath ....it will spend more time in the sheath than in your hand.

I have knives from US$50 to US$ 5000 and I tend to favor my ESEE RAT3 that is under US$ 100. Good steel (Carbon 1095) by a reputable USA company (sorry, I don't support China) with a rock solid warrantee .... no fancy saw backs, super steels or anything but have a look http://www.eseeknives.com/index2.htm In fact, may be exact what a general purpose knife is for me .... and at that price, I won't cry for days if I do loose it.

Carbon steel is a little harder to maintain but sharpens easy and keeps a good edge. AUS6, AUS8 and 420 C steels are all stainless but is hard to sharpen and results on edge retention is not that great.

Well, more than 2 cents worth but :rolleyes:

Regards from Africa

Aubrey

I agree, Esee knives are one of the best out there, IMHO
USA made, good blade design, best value I see for a quality knife

[Grouchy-Hermit]

Real life experience with a SOG Seal Pup...

A buddy and I were out snowmobiling in Canada when a heavy, wet snow began to fall. Cool, we thought, more snow! We were out in the boonies on some old, unmaintained trails running through a heavily wooded area. The heavy woods and deep snow dictated that we stay on the trail.

As we were enjoying the weather and recreation, the snow became heavier and soon started bringing down trees, trapping us on the trail. They had fallen across the trail and remained attached to the base while the tops landed between other trees that prevented us from just dragging them out of the way. All we had with us was a Pup so that's what we used to hack through the downed trees that were blocking our escape. It wasn't fun or easy but, with trees falling as we worked, the knife held up and allowed us to hack through two trees that were probably about 8 inches in diameter.

I later discovered that I was more prepared than originally thought when I found more suitable cutting tools in the bottom of one of my packs. :p