Ive been trying out the SOG for a few days, so this is more an initial impressions review than a long term use one.
The SOG arrived boxed up from the states. My initial impression was surprise at the size of it. I had expected something bigger, oversize in fact, and was pleased with the actual size - about 2 centimetres longer than a green handled Mora.
Dimension-wise it has a total length of 26cms. The blades are both 11.5cms long, with the knife 3mm wide at the spine and the saw about half this.
The blade has no steel name on it and the manual simply says surgical stainless (The manual is also for a SOG seal revolver but never mind). I think it is AUS8 with an RC of 57. The blade is flat ground with a secondary bevel at about 40 degrees total (Correct me if i am wrong). The handle is Zytel with stainless steel inserts behind.
The knife comes in a belt-carry leather sheath. Cost delivered from the US was about £45.
To change from the knife to the saw and vice-versa you simply depress a catch on the handle and rotate the blade through 180degrees.
This system was my initial concern before receiving the knife, but more about that later. On with the testing!
Initially I tested blade sharpness it easily push-cut paper and cut a circle out of the same sheet. If I had any hairs left on my arm no doubt it would also have shaved them off.
The following tests are all subjective. I chose them because they are what I would normally use a knife and a saw for. Others may have tests more appropriate to their own uses.
Spoon carving. I wanted to know how it performed at general carving jobs. A spoon seemed like a reasonable test of general carving ability. It actually performed better than I expected the bowl part was tricky with the gut-hook getting in the way of this and also being in the way of where I wanted to choke-up on the blade. With prolonged use the top of the split handle would also be uncomfortable, but it didnt take long to make a serviceable spoon and this is all you can ask of the knife It should perform any basic wood-shaping task you asked of it.
I must also say that Im rubbish at making spoons and the wood I had was pretty small which may be a bit unfair on the Revolver. I have a feeling it would perform better on a bigger spoon and also in better carving hands than mine.
Battening. This was the test I was nervous about because of the possibility of lock failure leading to the saw blade chomping on my hand. First I tried it on a 7cm piece.
It made it but it was a struggle and I had to remove and re-set the knife a few times.
This is pretty near the limit of the SOG, or any knife this size, but I was also worried about damage to the gut-hook as it took quite a pounding. (Although to be fair it doesnt seem to have affected it)
Once beyond this first batten the knife performed with ease.
It tore through the wood and apart from occasional glances at the retaining pin, to see if it was still OK, I had no problems reducing it down.
The blade held fine and as others have said before a tight grip on the knife actually embeds the pin deeper into the handle.
Feathersticks. It produced these OK.
It wasnt as good as a Mora, but Im used to using a Mora for this. The problem I had was actually caused by the handle flex which I found slightly off-putting for the task. This may well get easier with practice!
Chopping vegetables. No problem. Carrots, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes were chopped up very fine.
I also tried raw rump steak and rare rump steak and it cut through them like butter.
The Gut-Hook. I wasnt really sure how to test this as I am not someone who has a need for a gut-hook to take apart large animals. For small game and fish a sharp blade with some belly is fine. I tried it on some smaller shoots and it cut them fine, but then so does a knife blade. Also the bottom part of the gut-hook was not properly ground down and it felt like this was catching so that it tore rather than cut.
Wood sawing. 7 cm diameter wood took the Laplander 25 secs. The SOG took 50 secs and it caught a bit. The main problem with this size of wood was that the Laplander blade is 18cms while the SOG is only 11.5cms. This doesnt give the SOG much room to cut.
On smaller 3cms diameter wood it performed much better at 8 secs compared to the Laplander at 5 secs.
I think this performance would be similar through to about 4 centimetres but beyond that it is more of a struggle for the shorter, thicker saw. The Revolver saw is very effective for such a small saw.....Ultimately its length and thickness gives the Laplander the edge in cutting, but it is a good little saw in its own right.
Bone sawing. It went through a lambs leg bone in much the same way as wood. If I was hunting Elephants though Id take a bigger saw. (Not that Im suggesting that anyone should hunt elephants
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Blade release / safety catch. This engages with an audible click. In all the time I was testing the knife there was no movement from the locking pin and as I said earlier the action of gripping the handle drives it in further. Of course it will be interesting to see how this holds up over time. One thing I do want to point out though, and this may only be on this particular Revolver but the button on the side of the handle was slightly raised.
When I gently depressed this so it was flush with the handle it did move the retaining pin out slightly. It may be over-engineering but it might be safer if there were two one on each side of the handle. This way it should be impossible for the blade to ever drive off of both pins since they would terminate in opposite directions. From the way you currently hold the handle to release the pin it would be no problem for your thumb to disengage a second pin on the other side.
Overall impressions
The blade. Sharp and held its edge. A Carbon one would suit me better for fire lighting. There are grooves on the spine which look more stylistic than anything else but actually let your forefinger sit comfortably and securely when you want more blade control. In the end my only real problem with the blade was the gut-hook which I dont need and is even a bit awkward for my uses. A plain drop-point though
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The saw. This is very effective for its size. It is almost up to dealing with anything the Laplander can, though a bit slower. The double tooth does clog a bit but is easily cleared.
The handle. This is OK given the limitations inherent in the rotating blade design. I am not keen on the ridges along the bottom as they dont fit my fingers properly I would prefer a smooth grip. I do also have some issues with the inward flex of the handle but again this is one of the compromises of the design. Personally I would prefer a slightly heavier more rigid handle. This would not flex and would provide more depth for the locking pin to sink into.
The sheath. Quality is fine. It is machined out of 2.5mm leather. It would be nice if it sat deeper in the sheath as it doesnt feel secure without the retaining strap fastened and falls out when turned much past horizontal.
I am very impressed with the SOG revolver overall., particularly in the concept design itself Well done Robbie
. The only issues I have with it are production ones. In the end though I see it as a compromise tool. I like the blade (with the exception of the gut-hook) but prefer my fixed blade. I like the saw but prefer the bigger blade of the Laplander. It takes up less room and it weighs less (c. Laplander 150g, Revolver 100g, Mora 50g). If you only want to take one tool out with you its great. It is also nice having both tools in one it feels a bit like carrying a large SAK in some ways. It is an all-rounder and if SOG bring out a plain drop-point version in carbon steel I am going to have to have one, but ultimately for me the knife blade is wrong if this was more suited to me it would be a great woods-knife with the added bonus of a good little saw in the handle. In the meantime I will definitely use it in the future, but I think for me its place will mostly be for sal****er areas when my carbon blades can stay at home. If your primary use is in game preparation and general woodcraft / camping use as a secondary concern then the SOG Revolver and a small axe would be perfect. I might also be tempted, if I can find someone to do it, to grind the gut-hook off!
