SOGFixed Blade Knives with Sheath - SEAL Pup Tactical Knife, Survival Knife and Hunting Knife w/ 4.75 Inch Blade and Knife Sheath

I was in the market for a high quality fixed-blade knife to take camping and hiking in the Rocky Mountains. I had done my homework and pretty much had my mind made up on the SOG SEAL Pup before I even arrived at the store. I have the SOG Trident as my EDC knife, and it's a fantastic knife, but if I found something else that I liked better, then I would definitely purchase it.The knife had to be a fixed blade and partially-serrated. It had to have a heft about it and be able to stand up to abuse. I didn't want a knife with too long a blade, 6" was the max blade length I was willing to carry. I went to a local outdoor outfitter with a fishy name and checked out their line of fixed-blade knives. I spent a good hour at the counter checking out all of the different brand knives. I checked out, Kershaw, CRKT, Benchmade , Gerber and Cold Steel and SOG knives. I was blown away by the Benchmade Contego Tactical, but at $179.99 it was a little more than what I was willing to spend. If you have an unlimited budget, I'd go with Benchmade, they were heavy (in a good way) and EXTREMELY well built and were practically surgeons blade sharp out of the box, their build quality was astounding, and it showed with the price, though it is reasonable for what you're getting. I also really like a Cold Steel model, but between the price and lack of a partially serrated blade, it was dropped out of the running. The Gerber Bear Grylls Survivalist was a really cool knife that had a built in fire starter and a very nice sheath. I may be purchasing that as a second backup knife. Worth checking out.I ended up deciding on the SOG SEAL Pup because it had the weight and build quality I was looking for, and was pretty sharp out of the box, and the price wasn't too high and I had really done some research on it. You can feel the quality of this knife the second you pick it up. SOGs are made with AUS-8 steel, which is a Japanese made steel that adds vanadium to the steel to improves its overall toughness and hardness, wear resistance and its ability to hold an edge and makes the steel more resistant to corrosion.As soon as you pick up the SEAL PUP, you can see and feel why it's so popular with both military and outdoor enthusiasts. The serrated portion of the blade makes cutting ropes or paracord a snap as the points really grip the material well and the razor sharp portions slice right through the material effortlessly. The plain blade edge is also really sharp out of the box and cuts very clean. I did check out the SEAL Pup Elite, it just didn't seem to justify the nearly double price tag.The quality of this knife for the price that Amazon offers it is astounding. I was prepared to purchase the knife from the big outdoor retailer just to get the reward card points at $69.99 + tax, I decided to check Amazon on my phone and they had for $47.99 plus express 2-day shipping with my Amazon Prime Membership, and I just couldn't pass up the savings.The knife alone would be well worth the price, but SOG also includes a nice high quality hardened nylon sheath that is top notch. It holds the knife securely, but it also has built loops on the back of it and has a nice nylon extension with a snap at the end that can be run through MOLLE loops to secure the knife to a backpack or chest rig, and it has belt loops at the top and bottom. There are also small steel eyelets at the top and bottom if you wish to secure the sheath to something using pararcord. There is also a snap close compartment that sits on top of the knife portion that would hold a knife sharpener, magnesium fire starter, or like on the SOG website, hold a small multi-tool.For the price that Amazon offers the SEAL PUP, you can't beat the quality of both the knife and the included sheath. In my opinion, the SOG SEAL Pup bridges the gap flawlessly between the high quality and equally high priced knives of Benchmade and ColdSteel and the cheap and poorly made fixed blade knives of the other manufacturers. The SEAL Pup is well made and very nicely balanced and has a very comfortable handle. The ergonomics are outstanding and it feels like a good knife should, as though it's an extension of your hand, it's part of you and it never feels bulky or troublesome to handle.I would definitely purchase this knife again from Amazon if I lost it, and I wouldn't cry because they offer it at almost $23 of what you would pay at most other retailers. I highly recommend this knife. Its something I carry with me every time I go for a hike or outdoors. I can see it lasting a lifetime.

Light weight but very stong Designed and built well

The media could not be loaded. I just got my knife and it's awesome. It's pretty light but not too light, at least for me. I'm skinny so maybe the knife feels a little bit heavier for me than others. it's perfect weight. The knife came sharp out of the box, like really sharp. It doesn't feel cheap like some people say, I honestly dont know where that comes from. The sheath is great, though I wish the button snap thing (whatever its called) was made of metal or something better than plastic because I feel like it's going to break off some day because of how hard it is to unsnap. The snap button is black plastic, it's not like what you see in the picture. Even on the SOG box my knife came with, it shows a sheath with that silver, metal snap thing which is weird, it's kinda false advertisement if you ask me. The grip is great, the steel feels really good and strong. I'll post some pictures later. KNIFE IS MADE IN CHINA.EDIT:The velcro on the sheath doesn't last very long. Specifically the one that wraps around the knife handle, after a few uses the velcro wont stick anymore but it doesn't really bother me because its already hard enough to unsnap the button anyway. The velcro on the little tool pouch however, still works great.The Sheath could be bette, it's already starting to degrade, The blade remains nice and sharp tho so thats a plus.

The only reason I'm not giving this knife a 5 star review is because it doesn't have a solid piece of metal on the end of the handle nor does it look like it was designed to be used to hit anything at that end. I.e.- tent stakes, etc. If after my field test it holds up then I will upgrade to 5 stars. The end of the handle has a perfect opening for the placement of my homemade 550 cord lanyard. I was a little disappointed about the sheath. The design of which is outstanding...it has plenty of different mounting options, however one of the straps was frayed by the manufacturing process on one side because one of the rivots cut into it rendering that strap useless. I cut it off entirely and so far do not miss it. You can literally strap this to your leg, arm utilizing the many holes along the outside edge. If mounting to a pack, it has several straps running the width of the sheath, and it has one long strap that buckles at the bottom of the sheath much like molle gear. If those aren't enough, you can utilize the belt loop and carry like a hunting knife. The accessory pouch is big enough for a sharpener and fire starter. The handle fastens securely utilizing a button, and Velcro on the very end to keep the edge from snagging on anything. The entrance into the sheath is lined with a plastic polymer keeping the material safe from cuts. The only cons to this knife is the absence of a striking plate at the end of the handle and I was hoping for a rubberized type grip. That being said, the handle seems to be slip resistant and has a lot of raised dots...I don't think this knife will be slipping out of my hands anytime soon. The blade came out of the package flawless and very....I do mean VERY sharp! And as much time as I spend in the field I do believe the only way I'm leaving this behind is if a bear attacks and it runs away with this knife in its hide! This knife is like all other S.O.G. knives, very high quality, long lasting, easy to sharpen, highly useful! I would reccomend this knife to anyone who needs a replacement to their trustworthy go to survival knife!