SOG Specialty Knives, Inc. (commonly known as SOG) is an American company that manufactures knives and tools, best known for reproducing the SOG knife from the Vietnam War era.
SOG produces a variety of knives, aside from the original military-inspired designs, many of which are meant for everyday carry (EDC). The company also manufactures its own line of multi-tools.
The company was founded in 1986 by Spencer and Gloria Frazer, taking inspiration from the Joint Services Special Operations unit, known as the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG), which developed its own knife during the Vietnam War.
THE FOUNDER OF SOG AND HOW IT ALL STARTED
Spencer Frazer was born in 1955 and was a creative child with great curiosity. As he grew older, he developed a fondness for knives and axes during his time in scouts. But it wasn’t until much later that this interest turned into actual knife and tool-making.
After graduating from UCLA with a degree in mathematics and science, Spencer started his own company in the professional audio industry, designing a whole new style of speaker systems.
Spencer then went on to work in the aerospace defense industry – in a division of strictly classified black projects – as a tool maker for research and development/tool and die making. He recalls: “I saw things there that I still can’t talk about.”
All these life experiences came together when Spencer saw his first Vietnam-era SOG Bowie: “The knife was magical in the way it looked and felt. You could see the history, as well as the functional aspects of the knife.”
This single knife sparked the birth of SOG Specialty Knives & Tools, Inc., with one goal in mind: to reproduce the mystical knife... the SOG Bowie.
SOG was also the first company to produce a folding knife with a secure Arc-Lock that could be used by both right- and left-handed individuals – the SOG Tomcat. With the Paratool, SOG became the second company ever to produce a folding multi-tool. They remain the only company to use compound leverage in multi-tools and the first company in the world to offer a multi-tool with automatic opening.
But these are just some of the milestones Spencer Frazer helped SOG achieve.
“We don’t settle for ordinary,” Spencer says. “We never have, and we never will.”
Let's take a look at the models that launched SOG and made them a legendary brand:
SOG BOWIE
In the original design of the MACV SOG Fighter, changes were made, such as the leather handle being impregnated with resin, using thicker steel and new grinding lines. Spencer and Gloria launched their product, the SOG BOWIE S1, in Soldier of Fortune magazine, presenting it as a replica of the SOG knife used by SOG groups operating in Southeast Asia. They also made the SCUBA/Demo knife, a replica of one of the rarest military knives ever (only one of the original 39 made has survived). Author Greg Walker considers knives like these and many SOG models made before production moved from Seki City, Japan, to Taiwan to be the best knives SOG has ever made.
The second “maritime” version of the Bowie (S2) was made using a black Micarta handle and a stainless steel blade known as the Trident. It was adorned with the US Navy SEAL insignia, as opposed to the Special Forces insignia found on the Bowie. The original classic Bowie S1 and S2 were made for SOG by Ichiro Hattori from Seki, Japan, until 2006. Other models were produced by Kinryu Corp. also from Seki until 2007.
SEAL 2000
SOG produces the knife used by the U.S. Navy SEALs, called the SEAL 2000. The SOG SEAL 2000 is a 7" fixed-blade knife with a polymer handle, designed for the US Navy SEAL knife trials in 1992. The knife was produced from 1995 to 2007 for SOG by Kinryu in Seki, Japan. Both the Seal 2000 and its smaller version, the Seal Pup, are displayed at the US Navy SEAL Museum’s knife exhibit in Ft. Pierce, Florida.
SOG Paratool
It functions as pliers and contains folding blades and other tools. It is a true multi-tool that proves useful in many situations.
SOG Specialty Knives manufactures a wide range of tools available to military personnel and casual outdoor users. SOG also makes several other military-style knives, including a tactical folding blade available only to military/law enforcement members. SOG has developed fixed-blade knives for survival and outdoor use, such as the Tech Bowie, as well as folding knives, many of which feature assisted opening technology, such as the Aegis, Twitch, and Trident. SOG also produces multi-tools, including the Paratool, PowerLock, and PowerAssist.
Many of SOG’s folding knives and multi-tools are made or assembled in the USA, with higher-end folding knives manufactured by G.Sakai in Seki City. Fixed-blade models that were originally made in Seki are now produced in Taiwan. Some of the more affordable SOG tools, like the Fusion line, are made in Taiwan or China.
Today, SOG is distributed and sold worldwide. Law enforcement specialists, the military, hunters, outdoor enthusiasts, industrial professionals, and EDC knife enthusiasts rely on SOG in the most extreme conditions. KnifeStock offers these great tools at excellent prices.
