The story of SOG’s
inception began in Vietnam, where members of a highly classified US
special ops unit carried a unique combat knife into the jungle on covert
missions. This special unit was known as MACV-SOG (Military Assistance
Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group) and its existence was
once wholeheartedly denied by the US Government!
Consequently, SOG has created the Creed Fixed Blade Knife as part of their “outdoor” line of fixed blade knives.
This knife features overall length of 12 1/8 inches; a clip point blade that measures 7 1/2” inches in length and is made from 1/4” thick, AUS-8 stainless steel hardened to 57-58 Rockwell ; stainless steel quillions, a handle made from molded Kraton
with a checkered surface and finger grooves, a stainless steel butt cap
with a lanyard hole and, it is supplied with a heavy-duty leather
sheath.
While I happen to really like SOG knives, it seems to me that their main focus is on tactical knives. However, they do have a few designs like the “Creed” that would actually serve well as dedicated survival knives.
While the blade of this knife somewhat resembles that of a Persian
Scimitar, it is actually rather difficult to classify because, while the
SOG web site calls it a clip point but, it is technically a tailing point because the point is positioned above the spine. Yet it also exhibits a distinct clip with a false edge.
Regardless of how you classify it, however, this is one blade design that really works!
With a 7 ½” blade made of AUS-8 stainless steel which is available with or without a hard black titanium nitride finish,
the weight forward design of this blade is well configured for light to
medium chopping tasks. The straight edge combined with the long “sweep”
and the shallow “belly” are perfect for carving, slicing and splitting
as well as for removing the hide from harvested game animals.
In addition the deep hollow grind enables the user to put an
extremely sharp edge on this knife and with a Rockwell Hardness of
57-58, the AUS-8 steel will hold an edge very well without chipping
because it contains 0.70% to 0.75% Carbon, 13 to 14.5% Chromium, 0.10%
to 0.30% Molybdenum (bonds with the Chromium during forging to form
hard, double carbide, to improve the abrasion and corrosion resistance
of the steel) and 0.10% to 0.26% Vanadium (produces a fine grain
structure in the steel which enables the edge to be sharpened to a very
keen edge).
Consequently, this steel is an excellent choice for a dedicated
survival knife because it is highly corrosion resistant and it will hold
an edge well. In addition, although I don’t care for the double
quillions (as I would prefer only one,) I do appreciate the fact that
they too are made from stainless steel.
The checkered surface and the finger grooves on the Kraton handle
provide the user with a positive grip. Kraton is impervious to absorbing
moisture as well as chipping, cracking, or splitting. This handle
material also provides the user’s hand with a bit of shock absorption
whenever the knife is used for chopping.
Consequently, like all SOG knives, the “Creed” is a very well
designed and strongly built knife that is constructed from an excellent
choice of materials for the intended purpose. Also, due to its design
and construction, the SOG Creed would make an excellent choice for a dedicated outdoor survival knife.
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