Customer Reviews

SOG Specialty Knives & Tools FSA-8 Flash II

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I own a copy of the Flash II. I would give it five stars as a utility knife, three stars as a defense backup, and five stars for every-day carry. Allow me to share my experience.

The knife has great quality for its Amazon price. This means factory sharp is respectable, edge retention is good, sharpening is easy (for plain edge version), and grip is good. Please do not compare $50 knives against $250 knives.

This is a great folding knife. The safety switch is a plus for me because I have kids. It's good to know that when my kids grabbed my knife (it fell to the floor when I fumbled), they could not open it until I choose to teach them about the safety.

The one-handed opening design called Assisted Opening works well. It really is a pleasure to open and close as advertised. But it's not as slick as my Kershaw Blur. The Flash II is fast, but not lightening fast. The locking mechanism is sturdy. Not as fancy as the Arc-lock on my $100 Benchmade.

The Flash II is a great carry knife. It is light weight (about 3.1 oz for zytel handle version), rides deep in the pocket (thanks to the clip design), and has a safety switch to prevent accidental opening. The plastic (excuse me, Zytel) handle is very light because SOG did not reinforce it with metal insert. So expect more play in the knife even after tightening the main screw - it's just the flex from the handle.

This is not a strong fighting knife. The blade is thicker than, say, a Kershaw Leek or Onion but is not meant for hacking similar to say a cleaver. The blade is short for a fighter at only 3 1/2 inches.

But this can be better than most pocket knives if you ever have to cover your retreat with a backup knife. (if this happens, you are in deep doodoo anyways). That's because of the grip design and blade design. The grip shape is better at preventing your hand from sliding onto the blade in a thrust. The blade is sturdier and longer than most pocket knives. So in a pinch, I'd rather have a Flash II over a leek or a blur.

The utility has been great over the past five years that I've owned my copy. The factory edge stayed sharp for more than a year while regularly used to cut up cardboard boxes. Sharp as in opening envelops with little resistance or ragged paper edge. I know I'm not supposed to use a knife as a prier but my Flash II withstood the occasional gardening abuse.

I whole heartedly recommend this knife for every-day-carry utility.

Hey everyone, this is my first post...
I purchased the Sog Flash II as my first knife and I'll write about the quality of the knife and the advertised features.

The Flash came razor sharp out of the box and is still that way. I don't know much about different types of steel, but so far there are no mark or anything on the blade.

Blade play - The knife does have a slight lateral blade play. I have not yet tried to tighten it on my own so I don't know if that would help.

S.A.T. - The assisted technology opens the knife very nicely. In my hand it feels like I push just enough and it will snap open, I don't need to push to hard and a little whimsy push won't do it so it wont' open on it's own. I've never had it open in my pocket yet or any time when I didn't want it to.

Safety lock - Useful, but very small therefore not allowing one to turn the safety off and open the knife all with one hand. However, since it won't open in your pocket anyways, one doesn't really need the safety while they think they'll be using the knife.

Handle - Very comfortable and I haven't slipped at all on it yet.

Lock - So far it is 100% reliable, only thing is it takes slightly too much pressure to close it.

Clip - Good tension. However it's starting to get a lot of lateral play and it's cracking the plastic at the bottom of the knife (due to the play). It hasn't fallen out though cause I imagine it is screwed in.

Size - Very nice size, big enough to do whatever needs to be done yet totally intrusive. When I put it in the corner of the pocket I can't feel it there at all.


Overall - A very good knife, sharp, strong and I'd recommend it. The only reasons for which I gave it 4 stars instead of five is the slight blade play and the play in the clip (since it's cracking the handle). It's certainly worth the money.


Hope that was useful....
Cheers

There are a ton or great things to say about the SOG FLASH 2. It is well made, fit and finish is excellent, lock up is tight, deployment is extremely fast, zero blade play, light weight, great quality for the price, and best of all it looks great. However, there are a few downsides which I'm sure most people can over look. The biggest downside to me is the fact that the blade does not hold an edge well. When I first purchased the blade it was razor sharp out of the box, and only after a few days of moderate use the blade went dull, extremely quick I might add. I took the knife to be professionally sharpened soon after and it was once again razor sharp; however, after a few days the blade lost its edge and it now has a chip on the center of the blade. I would recommend this knife too anyone that uses a folding knife rarely or doesn't mind having to re-sharpen
often.

I researched this knife before buying it. I like the fit and finish of the knife. It seems to be well balanced and fits and feels good in my hands. Its razer sharp right out of the box. This knife opens smooth and swift. The only thing I found that could be improved some is the belt clip, its sturdy and heavy duty but some times it is hard to get off of the belt or even harder if clipped over the edge of your pocket. I am getting use to it and its getting easyer the more I use it. Over all it's a great knife for the money.

I love the action and the fact that it's left or right handed. I like the size of the blade and handle, also the way the blade is ground looks really cool, the spine is thick and tapers down to a very sharp point. The pocket clip reins supreme since it is reversible and allows the knife to sink deep enough into the pocket for that extra bit of security. The knife isn't easy to take apart and resemble so if you get anything in the coil spring you will just have to hose it off and re-oil. The action could be smoother but this is hardly worth complaining about, it may wear in a little over time and become better. I can see how the aluminum handle version of this knife would be better but the plastic handle is good quality and serves it's purpose well. I can't complain about anything really. The lock to lock the blade closed could have been incorporated with the blade fold release but I don't even see why it is necessary to lock the blade closed in the first place, maybe in the event of kids getting hold of it. The slight back and forth play when the blade is open is barley noticeable. No side play in blade since I tightened the pivot screw, although tightening it too much may cause a little more friction on the side of the blade. I would have preferred it if the blade took a little less pressure to open and close.
The reason for not giving it five stars is just because of the few small negatives listed, I think I'm just nitpicking, you may get a better knife but doubtfully at this price. An interesting note is that the blade fold release on the one I got is a round button with a slightly curved groove, I think It's better looking than the one in the picture.

I think this knife has been pretty well reviewed on Amazon and many other sites. But here's my 2 cents:

This is my FAVORITE knife! Why?
-Very light weight. Zytel handle and no liner keep weight down. It's easy to forget I'm carrying.
-Durable. I have subjected my first one to a year of abuse (and I do mean abuse) and it's held up very nicely.
-Assisted opening makes deployment VERY easy. 1 hand operation is a cinch for opening and closing.
-Sharp. Takes an edge easily enough and holds it very respectably.
-Pocket clip. This is the lowest profile clip I have seen. Very discrete. From outside you couldn't guess the size of this knife.

The only downsides I can think of are:
-Seems to lock fairly securely, but it gives some when a lot of pressure is applied down on the top of the blade, so I'm not sure I would bet a finger on it holding under a lot of stress. (hint: you shouldn't be using a folder in this manner, anyway)
-It is a little on the large side, so if you snap it out in public, the combination of the assisted open (like a switchblade) and the 3.5 inch blade, is likely to raise eyebrows.

GREAT knife! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

This is a nice everyday knife that gives you a big 3.5" blade and decent-sized handle at a very light 3.1oz. The pocket clip is a unique design that allows it to stay in your pocket inconspicuously, yet still allowing it to be removed easily. The blade comes sharp out of the box, and has a nice full flat-ground shape. It is also a good width and I prefer the smooth edge over a serrated combo-edge version. SOG needs to make the black TiNi version with a straight blade, I would prefer that version.

The handle is a bit strange-looking to me, but it allows people with bigger hands to get a full grip, although it is a bit too smooth IMO. I like the ease of the assisted-opening mechanism, but it is hard to close the knife with one hand. The lack of a steel liner keeps the weight down and is not needed as the handle material is durable enough.

The lock is a feature I won't usually need, and I don't like that it can be accidentally activated when carried. It would be a useful feature if you are afraid children might get their hands on this knife somehow.

Overall, for under $50 this knife is a good choice, it isn't too bulky and is light enough to carry frequently.
This would make a good knife for outdoor use camping or backpacking, and could also be carried as a threat deterrent if needed.

I have owned the SOG Flash II with the tanto blade for about 2 years now. It holds an edge moderately well, but I am a stickler about keeping it sharp, so someone who has problems sharpening might not like it as much. The blade itself is very sturdy, I have never felt the blade was in danger of being damaged even with heavy use. The handle is formed well enough to maintain a good grip. And it rides comfortably in my pocket. I carry it or another everyday so it gets good use. Although if I know for a fact that I will be needing a knife, the flash 2 is never the one I choose.

Now to the flaws as I see them.
The safety, I thought it would be a good idea at purchase. I was wrong. Very wrong. It is a pain to be honest. It nearly always locks itself closed and when I pull my knife to use it to cut something it is pretty annoying to have to mess with the button. I bought a one handed open for a reason, quick and fluid deployment of the blade. The safety button hampers this in nearly every draw. I may just put a drop of epoxy on it to really lock it in the off position.
Forever. Note - I am talking about the button that locks the knife closed. Not the arc lock

The handle material. It doesn't hold up well to the stress the clip puts on it. This will start to go out quick.

The assist open. The tanto blade is a lot heavier than the normal blade so it just feels awkward and slower than it should be. I would not buy the tanto blade for this reason again. I can open my other non-assist knives much faster than my assist SOG and that is kinda sad. I should state though, the regular blades I have tried on the Flash 2 open just fine. It's the Tanto that feels.... off.

Closing the knife. It can be a struggle to close it with one hand. And you should definitely practice doing it if that is your intended method. As stated earlier, I buy this type of knife to open and close with one hand in a smooth motion. And the Flash 2 Tanto is awkward to close. Even after 2 years of use I am surprised that I haven't lost a finger to closing this. It's like the knife fights you to close it. 2 hands works perfectly though.

The clip. Ok, it is secure. And by secure I mean, if you have it in your jeans pocket there is no way in Hades that it will accidentally come out, short of something equivalent to a high speed car wreck. You can't just reach down and whip it out, cut what you need and then put it back. It fights you. And the safety will often catch on the draw mucking things up even more.

Recap - ok knife for rare to moderate use, the knife works against you in draw, open, and close, handle material is sub-par.

It is, however, a good knife to show to people who know nothing about knives. As they will see it and go, "Ohh ahhh how pretty." You should then sell it to them at whatever price they will give you and go buy a knife that was actually designed to do its job.

Had one since 2004 and some how lost it and after six weeks trying to find it,I am buying another one. I am naked without it seeing it goes everywhere I go.I Use it for very lite general purposes cause I demand a shape edge.Once in a great while I had to adjust the front allen screw from flicking the blade out hundreds of times. The assist works great in left or right hand(practice makes perfect). The man that designed this knive put a lot thought into it. The Flash 2 feels like it is part of your hand(even as a knuckle pad).By the time I barley pull it out of my pocket it is on lock on point.I took the pocket clip off.Something to consider before purchasing this 3.5 knive length. "Know your State Laws" I have a consealed weapons permit,so I am legal in my state. A lot of States do not permit a knive lenght over 2.5" or under 3" for carrying. The Flash 1 will fit that bill.

This knife is well made and stands up to the daily urban tactical requirements of opening letters and small packages from Amazon, cleaning underneath fingernails and spreading peanutbutter on bread. Seems to work well with extra crunchy peanutbutter. Time will tell. The assisted opening is very macho and is guarenteed to enhance the proportions of your manhood. I look very cool in my 42" lifted crewcab 4x4 truck when I have this bad boy clipped to the side of my digi camo BDU's. If ever needed for tactical defense measures I think this knife will stand up to the rigors of miltia style hand to hand combat and may even cut someone. Be careful! This thing is super sharp, keep some band-aids handy. Overall I give this knife a 4.9. It would be better if it had an AR-15 bolt cleaning tool. Buy it! You will like it!

Urban Commando Out.