Customer Reviews

SOG Trident Military Folding Knives - Black Blade

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The pros and cons kind of balance themselves out so I'll just say my thoughts in broken sentences.

-Handle- is strong...like Kansas! Feels weak because of the lightness--but the thing just won't scratch or crack...dropped it 40ft off a balcony on accident...no mark. Handle is a single piece of Zytel(a nylon base with glass reinforcements, DuPont invented it to be near indestructible and still be lightweight) with steel skeleton reinforcements, sturdy, but hard to clean the debris out. Best grip I've had on a folder. It's no Ka-Bar USMC, but the grip works well for multiple holding styles (from an extension hold to an icepick).

-Blade- American Tanto style. Not the Cold Steel chisel grind. This one actually keeps an edge and the straightness makes working it on a flat stone pretty easy. They'll say things like "double grind". Lamens Terms--The body(belly) of the blade is a hollow grind(curves like a parabola to a super sharp edge on both sides)to a straight grind on the tip (Not as sharp, but just about the strongest grind). This means you get a good cutting edge and a strong tip. The tip is also a drop point, so it feels a little more natural for tip control. The major drawbacks on this blade is it's strengths. The beefy blade and reinforced spine of the tanto tip means it could withstand a beating, but it's a little thick on the profile...and heavy for the Spring.

-Overall- Great knife, still the one I have in my pocket everyday. The tanto blade isn't as lightning fast as the large-bellied thin profiled clip-tip standardized with the SOG Trident, but I'm more about durability.
And the suggested retail price of the TiNi coated Trident Tanto is about $100. I think it's $108 on the official site as of 4-11-07. So if it's under $70, it's a steal.

Purchased the SOG TF-7 Trident Tanto as a Christmas present for a family member. I considered Benchmade, Kershaw, Microtech, and CRKT. Most were very expensive compared to SOG. Was very pleased with the knife. It's a really good looking knife. Solid quality feel when in your hand, textured grip. If you have larger hands this knife fits perfectly. Opens very fast with the assist, and rock solid locking feature. Parts function very smooth, no rattles or gritty feel. The line cutting mechanism is a good add-on, especially if you're into fishing. Extremely sharp, makes cutting very quick and effortless. Has the tanto edge, black. No complaints at all. There are a few good youtube reviews as well, just google SOG Trident.

This knife is great for anyone out there. It's especially handy if you are in the emergency (Police, EMS, AFD, or military) but I think everyone should have one at all times.

I really like this knife. It has been my EDC for approximately 5 months now and I have many positive things to say about it and only a few negative things. For the purpose of thoroughness I will start from the handle and work my way toward the blade:

1) The Clip: The clip is adequate for what it is designed to do. It holds well in my pocket and rides close to the frame of the knife. It's also ambidextrous, but only with point up carry. The only thing I am not too fond of is how "SOG" is cut out of the metal and not merely etched on the surface. It looks strange, but that's just me.

2) The Rope Cutter: This feature is largely useless on the tanto version of the knife and only works slightly better on the clip point version of the Trident. It works well if you are cutting thin cord or fishing line, but if you are working with anything more substantial it is not likely you can cut through it, and if you can you expend a great deal of energy doing so. This is my biggest problem with this knife.

3) The Safety Switch: This is a safe but annoying feature on the lock side of the knife that is occasionally activated in my pocket, defeating the purpose of carrying an assisted opening knife for speed of deployment. Many people glue their safety switch so that they don't have to worry about this problem. While this is an option, you have to worry about the adhesive creeping into the lock or the assisted opening mechanism, potentially ruining a great knife. Whatever you end up doing, try to create a method that is not so permanent (or just deal with it like I do...it's not that bad).

4) The Lock: The blade locks up fairly well. When I purchased it there was slight side-to-side play in the blade (to be expected on many assisted opening knives), but this was largely cured by tightening the pivot screw. The mechanism to unlock the blade is on the side which is very handy for one hand closing (this lock does not stay still when the Trident is closed, which some have reported is a nuisance due to the sound, but I have not experienced this defect).

5) The Blade: I really like the blade design for both utility and self defense purposes. The AUS-8 (I believe that's the steel used...don't just take my word for it) holds and takes an edge well and the 3.5" blade is perfect for jobs where you need extension while also maintaining blade control. The handle (5"!) is considerably long for the length of the blade (much less noticeable in the tanto version of the Trident in my opinion). Although it appears strange, this feature allows you to have a firm grasp of the knife when doing aggressive activities (The texturing doesn't help one much here: it's far too subtle. The design of the handle, however, does aid in maintaining sufficient grip.) and gives you a blade that is more manageable for precision cutting and piercing. This is also assisted by the rough jimping present on the top of the blade which enables the user to ride up on the spine without slipping, possibly causing injury.

All that said, this is a great knife that I trust with my cutting projects and my life every day. Even after 5 months the finish of the blade is superb and the handle looks as new as the day I bought it. I definitely recommend the SOG Trident. A great knife for the price.

I normally carry a Cold Steel Recon 1 Tanto and have gotten used to the weight of that knife. When I picked this one up, I thought it was going to break due to being so lightweight! It didn't, it hasn't, and I am very pleased with this knife. I wish they had this particular knife in a half-serrated tanto blade. I look forward to many great years with this knife as I got out of the Cold Steel.

This knife feels great. it's so light that it feels fragile, but the handle is nearly indestructible.
came very sharp, even with the thick blade stock used. this knife with the strong tanto point can take some serious abuse.
My only complaint is the lock-up. it has no spine-to-edge wiggle, which is good, but i don't seem to be able to eliminate the side-to-side play.
the instant the pivot screw is tight enough to hold the blade still, the knife refuses to open without significant coaxing. It's my only assisted-opener, so I may have tinkered in the wrong manner, but to get a smooth deployment, I'm currently stuck with a wiggley blade.

I just received this knife today, right out of the box it is very sharp. I now have a bald spot on my arm from testing it out. I also have a SOG flash II and I am now debating on which one I will use for my EDC. with other reviewers complaining about the blade play it is MINIMAL. I have seen $200 Benchmades with more blade play than this. In my opinion this is a steal! You will not regret buying this knife.

Just bought the Trident black tanto TF7 on base for 33.69, and I'm feeling good about the purchase. I've had the Salute for several months now as my defensive blade, and I love it, but I wanted a knife with spring assist, so I picked up an Aegis. That was a nice knife, but the shorter blade lenght, shorter handle and blade shape and grinde were not to my liking, so I returned it and got this one. One thing I noticed as soon as I compaired blade lenght of the two knives is that the Salute is actually longer than the Trident, even though SOG lists the Salute as 3.625", and the Trident as 3.75.

Pros:

-Deep pocket clip completely buries the knife in my pocket. (Deeper than Salute's clip).

-Weight. .6oz lighter than the Salute, not that the Salutes 4.2oz is bad.

-Thumb jimping on thr blade gives even better traction than the Salute.

Cons:


-Black TiNi finish does not absorb light glare at all, so if your in need of a non reflective blade, you better look elsewhere, or be ready to duracoat it.

-Handle not as grippy as the G10 scales on the Salute.

As you may have guessed, I'm a big SOG fan. (See My other reviews for further evidence of that). While I still love my Salute, its going to have to get used to sharing riding time with its brother. I'm looking foward to carrying the lighter, faster deploying Trident as my EDC defensive Blade.

This is probably the most expensive knife I have ever purchased.
I'm far from an expert.

I purchase about 3 knives every 10 years. They are usually $10-$15 fixed blade with a belt sheath for camping and fishing.

Lost my last fixed blade and a friend recommended SOG brand name.
After lots of searching around I came across this folding Trident half serated SOG locally and picked one up.

This is a well made knife and the spring loaded blade assist is very easy to use a extremely fast. On the flip side, if you forget to release the safety to unlock the blade from "pocket mode".. you may not expel a blade at all. haha.

As long as you remember to first unlock the easily reached and easily operated safety, the assist feature works flawless and the blade flies open and snaps in place very fast. The knife also closes with one hand. It is extremely sharp... this is the sharpest knife I have ever purchased off the shelf. I don't think I need to sharpen it to start using it.. it splits fingerprints close to like a fresh razor blade.

I haven't tried the line/rope cutter yet but since the knife has a lock and a sharp blade, the cutter should work excellent. I fish a lot and this was a selling feature for me besides the over all design of the knife and the SOG quality namebrand and workmanship. It fits the bill about perfect for the camping and fishing and around the house pocket knife I needed.

The belt clip seems to work fine and I think it's held in place by a screw. It does wiggle back and fourth a bit but doesn't make noise or get in the way or annoy me at all. Once the blade is extracted and locked, there is a tiny tiny bit of wiggle but not really worth mentioning. I'd really recommend the half serrated blade on this one. Really nice knife! Nicest one I have owned to date.

As for the handle no complaints. It feels like some sort of strong lightweight composite. It has a cool textured surface for better grip. The safety is easy and quick to operate and easy to see if it's locked or not with a quick glance.

It almost feels like a nice GLOCK in a way. I could see police or task force or seals using something like this. Nice quality.
Thanks SOG!
Will buy from you again.

I watched a lot of UTube videos about this knife before purchasing. I mean $60.00 dollars is a lot of money for a pocket knife. But this knife is well worth the money it's crazy sharp. I cut myself twice in the first hour of taking it out the box. All in all it's a great knife just a little bit big for the front pocket.