# FOLDING KNIVES-SOG VS COLD STEEL



## MT7 (Apr 1, 2012)

Which is better folding knives company? SOG or Cold Steel? 
I want a really sharp knife,with quick/assisted opening,that can be used by left handed person,and a knife I will not need to sharp after any using (because I am not have any sharp equipment and I am not know how to sharpen a knife...)
thanks advance


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## Coup de Grace (Apr 1, 2012)

Over the last few years, I've seen Cold Steel's work get better and better since the utilization of Demko's Tri-AD on most of their models. But since Cold Steel do not have any assisted openers, they do not meet your criteria. 
I'm not a fan of SOG though, I've gotta say.


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## NM08SRT8 (Apr 1, 2012)

Spyderco... 

I have SOG, and they are okay... But nothing to me beats the percision of a well crafted Spyderco.







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## MT7 (Apr 1, 2012)

Coup de Grace said:


> Over the last few years, I've seen Cold Steel's work get better and better since the utilization of Demko's Tri-AD on most of their models. But since Cold Steel do not have any assisted openers, they do not meet your criteria.
> I'm not a fan of SOG though, I've gotta say.



OK,thanks,but if we ignoring the fact that Cold Steel don't have any assisted openers,are you think that Cold Steel's folders are good? what are you think about Cold Steel?



NM08SRT8 said:


> Spyderco...
> 
> I have SOG, and they are okay... But nothing to me beats the percision of a well crafted Spyderco.
> 
> ...



OK,thanks.the Spyderco's folders are too expensive for me,and I am not think they are much better than SOG and Cold Steel.
what are you think about your SOG's folders? are they good? are they sharp? are you need to sharpen the blade after several uses?


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## NM08SRT8 (Apr 1, 2012)

MT7 said:


> OK,thanks.the Spyderco's folders are too expensive for me,and I am not think they are much better than SOG and Cold Steel.
> what are you think about your SOG's folders? are they good? are they sharp? are you need to sharpen the blade after several uses?



Chrck out their Byrd lineup, they are budget Spyderco's.

Also for $30 @ Amazon, look into the Spyderco Tenacious. Their most popular budget knife with amazing build quality. 

YouTube search reviews from Nutnfancy and Cutlerylover.. You'll be impressed.


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## NonSenCe (Apr 1, 2012)

no idea of cold steel knives. but sog i have used for years. 

all sogs knives i have had are of "soft" steel blades. (aus8) so yeah. they do dull in use lot faster than tougher blade materials. (i need to touchup the sog flash2 much more often than my spyderco delica with sharpener)

if you dont want to sharpen all the time you should think of going for harder steels (there is a reason why they are cheaper than higher grade knives like some spydercos.. the materials are not as good.) the blade material choice depends alot of what exactly is your use, so if you need it to peel apples or other light tasks only it will do fine for long time, if you need it to cut rope or cardboard or something else tough tasks then consider something with better steel. and also.. best to learn basics of sharpening too.. (something like lanskysystem sharpener or spyderco sharpmaker are not hard to use and give pretty ok results in novice hands too) never let the blade to go too dull, it is harder to make it sharp again. little touch up here and there makes it ok.

sog assisted opening is cool, i like aegis and flash series because they are lightweight and still perform ok. (in everyday carry an ounce or more less weight does matter in my mind.) but they do feel a bit "flimsy" because they are composite plastic handles. and feel so light in your hands.. so it might be just the mind tricking me.. if it is light i cant be solid.  one other thing i like them is that their pocket clips make the knife sit very deep in pocket. i like that. it disappears from view and will not fall off or the protruding handle will not snag on anything. 

for more solid feel i like the twitch series. they are metal and work great too. (twitch 2 is small.. and 1 is even smaller.. the xl is more "normal" sized one but it does weigh a bit too) and i think they use the same blade material as the aegis and flash.. aus8. it is not a bad blade material, i like it, it can be sharpened easily and stays ok, but hard use, it will wear out (like anything else sometimes they just will dull). 

what is your price range? spyderco tenacious/persistance are good value and solid feeling knives (tenacious is my hard use beater) they are with similar blade steel as sog knives, not assisted openers but they are very good and solid tight tolerances for cheap knife. buck vantage is another solid knife. and lately i have been slumming and been buying chinese knives (sanrenmu, enlan, bee etc.. real frigging good value knives they are)

may i suggest you to search youtube or google with something like "best folders under 40dollars" the are good options in that pricerange to go thru. (in youtube you find video reviews of them and spending time watching them you will learn alot of them knives.. look at videos by cutlerylover and nutnfancy.. they have helped me choose many of my knives.) and i believe there was a similar thread here in cpf too.. bladeforums have wealth of info too as they are focused on knives..


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## Coup de Grace (Apr 2, 2012)

Yeah, I think Cold Steel's knives do have some merit. I own a few of them. I like their smaller models. For the money though, I generally gravitate towards other brands like Spyderco. SOG knives are just OK in my opinion. I do not find their design very inspiring.
I think I can help you better if I knew what you were looking for in a knife and what your price limit is.


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## MT7 (Apr 2, 2012)

Coup de Grace said:


> Yeah, I think Cold Steel's knives do have some merit. I own a few of them. I like their smaller models. For the money though, I generally gravitate towards other brands like Spyderco. SOG knives are just OK in my opinion. I do not find their design very inspiring.
> I think I can help you better if I knew what you were looking for in a knife and what your price limit is.



thank's,I am want a knife that can be used by lefties (I am lefty),I am want a very sharp knife,that I will not need to sharpen every several uses,I want a tactical knife (black blade) that can be used for military uses,and of course that I am want a knife with locking mechanism.
my price limit is about 70$,but if the knife is so good,I can to pay more for it.


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## Coup de Grace (Apr 2, 2012)

Cold Steel has a number of models that will suit you. The Mini Recon 1 is something to look into. Decent steel with a black blade and black G-10 handles and is under $70. The lock is excellent and is for lefties as well. If you don't want to have to learn to sharpen a knife, you should at least learn to maintain a blade. Look into stropping. It'll go a long way in keeping your blade sharp. But I strongly suggest that any knife owner should learn to put a decent edge on a blade.
If you are willing to pay $75, you can get an all black Spyderco Delica. A good first knife for anyone, and is a first knife for many as well. I am just checking prices at Knife Center. You may find a better deal else where.


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## think2x (Apr 3, 2012)

NM08SRT8 said:


> Spyderco...
> 
> I have SOG, and they are okay... But nothing to me beats the percision of a well crafted Spyderco.


I agree with this.





I don't have too many knives but my Spyderco is my best made one. I have a couple of Kershaw knives also and IMO they are better than my SOG. I will say that the Cold Steel has a VERY SHARP edge on it though.

Jamie


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## NM08SRT8 (Apr 3, 2012)

I'm with you on this. I have a few Kershaws, one SOG, two Spyderco's, and my next sample will be Benchmade. 


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## tbenedict (Apr 3, 2012)

I'm not a fan of assisted openers. My SOG Flash feels better/safer than my Kershaw Chives. I prefer unassisted with a thumb stud and smooth action. I think it is safer and just as fast.

For regular carry, I tend to carry my SRM-763 over my fancier knives. I'm a huge fan of the value of these.


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## awdiwdwf (Apr 3, 2012)

What sort of price range is acceptable to you? In terms of overall quality, you've got another vote for Spyderco from me, but in terms of quality for the price, I've personally had good experiences with Kershaw blems. More often than not, the issues have no effect on performance whatsoever (it's usually a couple of rust spots or the like), and you can get a well-manufactured knife for dirt cheap.


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## sprice (Jun 27, 2012)

Any of these brands are good: Sog, cold steel, benchmade, spyderco, crkt, gerber, buck, leatherman. I like the solid triad lock of the cold steels and I've had at least one of all the above brands. I usually carry a cold steel spartan, recon 1, spyderco byrd cara cara 2, or a small gerber/crkt. I also have a benchmade socp I'll carry around on occasion.


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## Monocrom (Jul 12, 2012)

I have several SOG folders, only one assisted-opening model, and find them to be generally very good quality for the price. Not excellent quality. But very good.


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## janx (Aug 7, 2012)

SOG is way ahead of Cold Steel in my opinion. I carry a SOG "Night Vision" with an ATS-34 blade and ARC lock, and it is smoother than most all Spyderco's I own. I do agree AUS-8 steel kind of sucks, but VG-10 is what most Spyderco's are and I don't like it any better. Cold Steel have a lot of knives made in China and Taiwan also, and it seems Spyderco is doing the same. SOG probably is too. AL Mar is a good brand to think about. It's all personal preference man. Go to www.bladehq.com and look at all of them and see what you like. There are a lot more nice folders than Cold Steel and SOG in the same price range. What is your price range?


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## Monocrom (Aug 7, 2012)

Spyderco's Byrd line is made in China. Their regular models aren't. 

AUS-8 is the Japanese identical twin of American 440B. If you buy a custom Randall-Made knife, their carbon steel blades are made from O1. Their stainless steel blades are 440B. Considering their waiting list of 5 or 6 years to get a new knife from them is likely to just keep getting longer, doubtful they'd use a stainless steel that "kind of sucks."


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## mossyoak (Aug 7, 2012)

MT7 said:


> Which is better folding knives company? SOG or Cold Steel?
> I want a really sharp knife,with quick/assisted opening,that can be used by left handed person,and a knife I will not need to sharp after any using (because I am not have any sharp equipment and I am not know how to sharpen a knife...)
> thanks advance



Both are junk that cut corners every possible chance. 

Every knife will get dull, the two companies youve picked will get dull faster than most. 

Learn how to sharpen a knife. 

Buy a Spyderco, or a Zero Tolerance.


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## CamoNinja (Aug 7, 2012)

Get you a ZT 0350.


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## Diablo_331 (Aug 7, 2012)

CamoNinja said:


> Get you a ZT 0350.



Exactly!


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## Obi one (Aug 7, 2012)

MT7 said:


> Which is better folding knives company? SOG or Cold Steel?
> I want a really sharp knife,with quick/assisted opening,that can be used by left handed person,and a knife I will not need to sharp after any using (because I am not have any sharp equipment and I am not know how to sharpen a knife...)
> thanks advance



When you get your knife examine the blade grind and try to keep your flat (fine) Ceramic sharpener in line with the way the company sent it out, do small gentle swirl motions and remember to touch up the edge each time you use it. Its easy to keep a sharp blade sharp, but harder to sharpen a dull used blade. Hope this helps...


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## eebowler (Aug 8, 2012)

MT7, I owned a spyderco sharpmaker (a darn good sharpener) for a couple years and could not get a knife shaving sharp on a regular basis. I discovered a guy on youtube, murray carter and his videos helped me understand sharpening better and now, with 2000 grit sandpaper, I can get a knife sharp enough to shave fine hairs with. (Haven't touched the sharpmaker since.) Sharpening is something you SHOULD learn to do regardless of knife quality.

Tell us what you intend to use the knife for (mainly) and we may be able to suggest types of steel too.


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## redline8k (Oct 1, 2012)

I dont have a sog assisted knife but I do have a very low end auto clip. its has lasted one year of EDC and cutting everything from rope to wire to cardboard...it has a nice edge still and is super light...not bad for 10 bucks. On a side note I will be ordering a spyderco soon to add to the rotation...
-nick


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## Zechs00GT (Feb 14, 2013)

As stated above Spyderco.

I have Sog, Spyderco, Cold Steel, CRKT and Kershaw knives.

While I have uses for all of them, I find day in and day out I reach for my Spyderco (Manix2 Translucent) over the rest.

If you forced me to choose Cold Steel vs SOG, I would pic SOG. I enjoy their assisted opening knives a lot.


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## cbxer55 (Jul 26, 2013)

Go to an actual knife site, such as BladeForums. SOG gets no respect at all there. Cold Steel is controversial, but they get way more respect than SOG does. Myself, I have a bunch of knives, over 100. Not one SOG iin the mix, and never will be. 

Four Cold Steel's though. All big knives, as I do not like girly-knives (knives with blades less than 4 inches).
Vaquero Grande with 6 inch blade.
Espada XL with 7.5 inch blade.
Espada L with 5.5 inch blade.
Black Rhino with 4.25 blade.


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## knifeowningguy (Nov 5, 2013)

Kershaw is better than either of them, while still remaining in the same price range (unlike Spyderco, Benchmade, etc.). If you want a really solid EDC knife, get a Leek.


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 5, 2013)

I have one SOG - not an assisted opener. And no experience with Cold Steel.
The SOG steel is fairly soft. The knife is actually quite decent, but doesn't hold a candle to my Kershaws and Spydercos.

If you want a solid, affordable knife you may want to look at an Ontario RAT (1 or 2, depending on size) or ESEE Zancudo.

If you want a dependable, quality affordable blade you can hardly go wrong with a Spyderco Tenacious or Delica.

If you must have assisted opening, take a look at Kershaw's Leek, Blur or Cryo. I picked up blems (seconds) of the first two within your price range. I discovered that I don't really care for assisted opening, so I don't carry them daily, but they are quality product.

None if these are "super steel" - all will need sharpening sooner or later. My recommendation is to use it until it NEEDS sharpening, then get a Worksharp Knife and Tool Sharpener. It's not necessarily the best thing for your blade, but it includes angle guides and is near idiot-proof (not implying anything here - it took me mere minutes to put an arm-hair-shaving edge on knives that I could not achieve in hours on waterstones or sandpaper-and-mousepads.) Just practice on something cheap the first few times to learn how to not over-grind the tips.

The only affordable knives I know of with a top-notch near-super-steel are the S30V Buck Vantage Pros. They have their own shortcomings, in my opinion, but the blade steel is not one of them. 
Best of luck to you.

(I don't have hundreds, but do have dozens of knives and spend a lot of time on BladeForums. My EDC is an M390 steel Spyderco Paramilitary2. It's out of your specified price range, and not assisted, but I just keep going back to it and only sharpen once a month or so.)


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## Roguehk (Feb 6, 2014)

I would get a coldsteel. The knives I've seen look pretty sharp. I personally want one of the biggest folders they make just for giggles.


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## ZNickey (Mar 10, 2014)

My personal vote is neither (tho you probably made a purchase by now)...there are too many other options that push up the performance and value factor. 

The steels used are generally unimpressive with heat treatments that are not all that great, using many grinds such as the tanto with minimal usefulness for general usage, and with edge geometries that, in most cases, just aren't very good relative to the competition. Their budget knives often have locks which are strong, but also that tend to develop blade play over time as components wear...many of which are not user-adjustable. Like many modern makers, both companies have gone in the "tactical" direction by making things such as "world's strongest lock" or "a blade that can piece a car hood" or "a blade so thick it's shaped like a chode" and they have advertised using that base...the trade off is that it often results in a knife that is terrible for normal EDC cutting usage, and a knife that is bulkier, heavier, and less nimble. Almost all modern folders from good makers have locks that are more than capable for any work the folding knife will see...when makers get too caught up in the lock strength wars, they overlook more important aspects like blade geometry, ergonomics, or practicality.

Both makers do have some nice lines...but they are quite expensive compared to other options. Spyderco makes a knife family that in a value vs performance sense, it is incredibly difficult to find such a nice knife for so little money: that is the Delica and Endura family. An [Emerson patented] waved Spyderco Delica or Endura is far faster than any automatic or assisted...plus it uses VG-10 stainless which is an excellent steel, with a good heat treatment, with a robust sabre ground blade (which =s a very strong edge), and fantastic edge geometry...at a price that is significantly less than many of the SOG and Cold Steel folders made to compete in that class.

The Kershaw Thermite is an extremely inexpensive knife, but is assisted, uses a frame lock and G10 (premium components), has a reasonably good grind, and is in pretty good steel...all for under $30.

But if you are left-handed, the Spyderco Delica/Endura or Benchmade AXIS are arguably your best bets.


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## Zeruel (Mar 20, 2014)

OP asked this 2 years ago, but I guess it might be relevant to others asking the same question.

I have 4 SOG knives and it's either my luck or their QC is a sheer disappointment. 3 out of 4 have individual issues; blade play (can't be fixed because of the assisted opening spring system), coating on blade pops off, blade off-center so much it rubs the handle, blade protrudes in folded position. To be honest, it's going to be hard to convince me to get a fifth SOG. And I own more Cold Steel than SOG, none of the Cold Steel has an issue. Having said that, SOG is more innovative as a company.


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## Samlittle (Mar 20, 2014)

mossyoak said:


> Both are junk that cut corners every possible chance.
> 
> Every knife will get dull, the two companies youve picked will get dull faster than most.
> 
> ...



Wisdom spoken here!


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