As I look for products that I think will be of interest to our readers, I try to make sure I include plenty of “wife acceptable” products — that is, products that are high quality but still affordable enough that they won’t ruffle feathers when you bring them home. Such is the case with the SOG SOGzilla tactical/utility knife.
Now, don’t get me wrong … like most of you, I like knives at the higher end of the price scale, as they are usually finely rendered. But not everyone can afford them and sometimes you don’t want to carry one for rough utility purposes — and risk messing it up on mundane tasks — or while working around materials or substances that can damage finely crafted grips. Tar or asphaltic substances come to mind. For the rough utility role, turn to a knife that won’t cause you to cry over it if it shows signs of rough use. (You won’t, for instance, sweat it if you forget your SOGzilla in a pants pocket and it runs through the washer.)
The SOGzilla is an outstanding buy for its current sale price of $19.99 at tacticalgear.com. I received an email from them a couple of months ago advertising the SOGzilla for this extremely low price, so I went ahead and purchased one to check it out.
The SOG Sogzilla is not a mass-produced piece of junk that will wear out or break during basic use. If you are not familiar with SOG, they are a well-known manufacturer of an extensive line of knives and tactical tools that has been well-respected by the SWAT and military communities for many years. Their products can be fairly high-end. If you go to their website (www.sogknives.com) and check out the knife section, you’ll see that prices for the various knives on the first of five pages start out at $267.00 for a Tac Ops Auto knife. By the end of page three, prices have dropped down to $71.00 for a Twitch II folder. On page four, you’ll find the SOGzilla (Small) Serrated Folder with an MSRP of $43. The SOGzilla is made in China directly under SOG’s direction, which keeps the price low and the quality high.
The SOGzilla is a conventional one-handed-opening knife that uses a “lock-back” mechanism in the middle of the spine portion of the grip. This style mechanism, which I first encountered on a Buck Ranger knife that I purchased 45 years ago — and still have safely tucked away — is easier to actuate than the popular “liner-lock” operating system. A simple downward push of the thumb unlocks the blade.
The SOGzilla blade, which is satin-finished 8Cr13mov stainless steel (RC Hardness 53-58), features a thumbhole opening system that was first seen on Spyderco knives. Since the blade is not spring-assisted, it only opens to a 90-degree angle with a thumb push. Flicking the wrist opens it to its fully locked position. Although the SOG website lists the SOGzilla Small as having a 3.8-inch blade, the SOGzilla I purchased from tacticalgear.com has its blade length listed as being 3.25 inches long. The clip point blade is partially serrated, and a non-serrated blade version is also available at the same price. I prefer a non-serrated blade, but that wasn’t the version on sale. Overall length of the SOGzilla with the blade locked open is 7.35 inches. Weight is 3 ounces. There is zero play when the blade is locked in place, which attests to its solid design.
The glass-reinforced nylon handle is very nicely shaped and fits the hand well. There are serrations all along the top and bottom of the handle to help maintain a solid hold. There are also serrations on the top of the blade — above the thumb opening hole — to keep the thumb from slipping forward during cutting operations.
The SOGzilla also features a reversible pocket clip. According to comments on the SOG website, the clip is the least-liked feature of this knife. Multiple users claim the clip bends easily, even though it seems stout enough on the sample I purchased. It is possible the clip design has been improved since the comments were posted two years ago. Stoutly constructed or not, the clip is not an issue for me since I don’t use it; I keep my pocket knife in my pocket.
I have been using the SOG SOGzilla off and on for several weeks as a daily carry knife. It functions as a tactical-style utility blade quite well and carries comfortably. It should: The packaging features the SOG skull with beret emblem that says, “Designed By SOG-Seattle Washington,” which explains its quality.
There was one thing I noted while carrying the SOGzilla on a muggy Ohio summer day: Since there is no extra protective coating on the 8Cr13mov stainless-steel blade, I noticed a few spots of rust forming on the blade by the end of the day. Remember that while all stainless steel resists rust, it is not rust-proof. As I hate rust, I didn’t want to wait until I got home to clean the blade, which led me to an interesting discovery. Since I did not have a gun-cleaning kit available in my office, I used petrolatum-based Carmex lip balm and a napkin. The Carmex cleaned the small rust spots off, and I left a light film of it on the entire blade. I have seen no rust spots since.
The SOG SOGzilla is an excellent knife that would be a great buy even at the $43 MSRP price point. At $19.99, you almost can’t afford NOT to buy one. For more information, check out the extensive SOG tool lineup on their website. There are fixed or folding blades available for nearly every conceivable use.
