Review: SOG - Flash II

SOG - Flash II

Another borrowed-knife review, and this time we're looking at the SOG Flash II. Right off the bat, there's some things I do like and some things I don't. I'm not a picky knife guy but there are some shining faults in the design of this knife.

First off, it's VERY light. I really like this about this knife. You barely even know it's in your pocket when you're carrying it. It fits in my hand well and the drop-point shape of the knife in it's folded position is very comfortable to manipulate. The switches, clip and locks are all in familiar places and all the mechanical parts have worked flawlessly for months.

The blade is still sharp and bears a semi-serrated edge. It's black and angry looking, folded out using the assisted-open thumb stud on either side of the blade. The blade is crafted from AUS8 steel - a material solid enough for practically any EDC utility job that you may come across. The action on the blade is reffered to as SAT or SOG Assisted Technology, and it works. The blade easily flicks open with a swipe of the thumb. It 'clicks' open and stays there.

Opened up, the SOG Flash II is a good fit for most any EDC cutting job.

SOG lists the blade at 75 dollars USD, though this model was purchased at a gun show for much less than that.

The saftey lock works as promised and keeps the blade closed when not in use. It's a good feature to have though both myself and the original owner found this to be more of a 'feature' and less of a practical addition to the knife itself.

Here's my issue; the clip. This knife has been used daily for a few months now, and the pocket clip is so bent, it barely stays in place on the users pockets. I believe this has more to do with the actual design of the clip itself. The clip is secured on the back end, inside the knife's handle with one screw. So you've got the clip, a 90 degree bend, another 90 degree bend and finally, the attachment point to the knife's handle. There's a lot of stress points there when deployed to any regularly used EDC kit. In comparison to my current EDC folder, the Kershaw Clash, whose pocket clip is a single unbent piece of steel attached to the outside of the handle with two screws; this design needs serious work to be considered for purchase by me, personally.

From here, you can see the extended angle of the used but hardly abused pocket clip.

All in all, a good knife, but I may suggest a review of your own philosophy of use concerning this model. If you're looking for a pocket folder, look more into this knife before you buy it - especially at a factory price of 75 dollars. Beyond that, I would keep this knife in a tool box, a tackle box, as a supplement to a go bag or otherwise, as a household tool. A good EDC folder, just not for the pocket.