![Post Post](./styles/absolution/imageset/icon_post_target.gif) Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 8:01 pm
Yes it is a SOG. I have one; very cool little hatchet, but it is best suited for light duty, as the cutting edge blade is kind of small. I think it was originally intended as more of a defensive/combat tool when it was first designed.
My opinion of Cold Steel is that they are the best "bang for the buck" knife around. They may not always be the prettiest or use the most top of the line "trendy" materials; but they have some of the strongest lock mechanisms on the market that I have seen, and are incredibly resilient. They are also usually quite reasonably priced for what you are buying. A comparable Spyderco or Benchmade (and even SOG at times) are typically double the price of what you can find a CS knife for. I'm not saying I wouldn't or don't own any of the other brands, or saying don't buy them, not by any means. I am simply stating that don't count out the CS because they may not be as expensive or use as seemingly "high quality" (read: fancy) steel as some of the other brands. A good portion of the end quality, resilience, toughness, and edge-holding capability of a blade is in how it is tempered and treated. "High-end" steel that isn't properly heat treated isn't going to hold up as well as reasonably good quality steel that is properly tempered and treated. Pretty much any reputable knife maker will give their blades proper tempering and treatment; but I have seen high-end blades fail, while a comparable CS one kept going. More importantly than name brand, overall design and intended use should be considered when purchasing a knife. I would suggest taking a look at the some of the "torture tests" done on CS knives that you can find on YouTube; both by CS themselves, and by independent individuals. It is quite astounding what they are capable of.
|