SOG TFSA98-CP Flash II 8 in Black EDC Pocket Knife

SOG in general, tries to make all their EDC knives look like tactical weapons of mass destruction. Why? But the Flash II looks much more normal so I bought it. Out of the package it looked like cheap plastic, a little more thick and boxy than it should have been and the blade looked bland as a butter knife. But as I began carrying it, I realized that each morning unless I had a need for a specific knife, I grabbed this one. It's great. Sure it has cons:1. It does look cheesy and boxy2. The blade lacks cool graphics, no spiders or skulls or info about designer or steel and it is flat without fancy recurves or swedging.3. The scales are Zytel (Kershaw does glass-reinforced nylon right: like the Free Fall, this just feels like plastic)4. The assisted opening isn't as smooth as a Kershaw and the spring engages so early that you have to overcome it all the way until it is fully closed, making one handed closing difficult without some practice.5.The handle is unlined and it will flex some.6. No real jimping (there is handle jimping but it is so slight as to be non-existent)But there are a bunch of pros:1. It is a full bodied blade with a 3.5 inch cutting edge and assisted opening that weighs 3 ounces!! Yes, I said three oz.2. The cheap looking Zytel is tough as nails and provides a very good grip while not wearing out the edge of your pocket.3. The assisted opening engages early and just flings the blade out, fast and with no effort. Just a little nudge and it's out and the studs are easy to access and don't hurt your fingers/thumbs..4. The bland looking blade is a full flat grind that is perfect for slicing and uber easy to resharpen. The grind is perfect and the blade was super sharp out of the box and stayed that way for a long time. AUS-8 done right.5. The piston lock is flawless and easy to operate one handed and the blade locked up tight. (Although others have said they had some side to side blade play; I didn't)6. There is a safety lock, I don't use it but it has never locked in my pocket (nor has the knife ever opened in my pocket) and I might use it if my knife is packed in airline luggage, or is going to be left out where kids, drunks or inexperienced co-workers can get to it. It's scary to think how light this would be without the lock.7. The ergonomics are good with the rubbery feel of the scales and a very nice shape for the hand and the minimal handle jimping does give some added traction. I could see some hands not lining up with the two finger cut-outs but mine work fine.8. There is an awesome deep carry clip. It curves over the knife "top" about 1/4 an inch above it so every bit of the knife disappears. "Is that a pen in your pocket?" It goes in and comes out smoothly. Even the cut outs on the clip probably reduce weight some.All in all, this knife rocks. Its so lightweight you literally can't tell you are carrying it. The assist is fast and engages amazingly easy. It disappears in your pocket. The blade is big for the knife and it feels good in hand even though it is so light. It might be the perfect EDC. You will wind up reaching for it a lot more than you think you will when you first unbox it. Did I mention it is a full bodied blade with a 3.5 inch cutting edge and assisted opening that weighs 3 ounces!

I have an extensive collection of folding knives, most of them see time doing hard work on my farm or on the go. This SOG Flash II is a work of functional art.The body is lightweight, but with excellent gripability due to the rounded finger cutouts and checkering. All of the screws make this an easy-to-service knife, without being obtrusive or creating uncomfortable lines (they are recessed). The blade is strong, sharp, serrated, and locks firmly into place. The pocket clip is very nice, keeping the whole thing under wraps, but yet easily at hand. The clip is changeable, to suit righties and lefties (handedness, not politics) and is very sturdy.The blade mechanism is where the true engineering marvel becomes apparent. Only the slightest pressure on the thumb stud flicks this knife to full, 100% locked-open. It happens so fast that you can hardly see it, and with a satisfying "clunk" that lets you know, without looking, that it is ready for use. The thumb stud is ambidextrous, so you can use it in either hand if the other is full. This often comes in handy around the farm when your dominant hand is holding something and you need your knife useable in the other. The blade itself is strong, sharp, holds its edge well, and the serrations take care of business with little fuss. This whole process lets you keep your eyes and focus on the task at hand... the knife is simply ready for use with hardly a thought.Holding the knife during opening is done by gripping the knife the same way you will be holding it when you use it... no fumbling the knife around in one hand while you try to get the right thumb angle for opening and another grip angle for holding. There is also no 'flicking' of the wrist to get it to the lock position. The knife simply opens with a bit of thumb pressure applied, at a natural angle while gripping the knife normally.It would seem that the spring mechanism would risk unintentional opening, but this has never happened to me. The pivot is oblong to keep it closed, but just a bit of pressure at the right angle will open the knife. I leave the safety on "red = dead" setting, and haven't noticed any looseness at all. If there was, a dab of Locktite would keep the safety off.Closing is done much more easily (again, gripping the knife naturally) using the slide on the side (and not in the path of the blade), than with the normal knife block at the base of the blade. It won't spring shut (you still have to fold it against something), but this can be done with a very firm grip on the handle, without worrying about pinching your thumb as the blade closes.My only light criticisms:1) The closing button is not ambidextrous... you have to use your right hand to close it. Considering this is done once the work is finished, it doesn't bother me much. The safety (if you use it) also is only on the right side.2) If the handle were rounder, more like the Kershaw Blackout, this would be one sexy, comfortable work of art. As it is, it looks and feels a bit more like a tool.If you are looking for a hard working, intuitive to use knife, look no further. Buy this knife.