SOG Specialty Knives and Tools PE18 Pentagon Elite II

This was my first SOG knife and honestly I was looking for the biggest self defense folder I could find. I purchased a Cold Steel Gunsite II at the same time because I simply could not make up my mind between this knife and the Gunsite (which has sadly been discontinued). Anyhow, the fit and finish on this knife are excellent, a no nonsense grey blade that holds its edge and color very well with a large handle and pocket clip that can be mounted on either side of the handle. You want to know more about the features just read the description above.

I carried this knife as a law enforcement officer for 3 years and it held up perfectly. I've used it as a daily carry off and on since then but truthfully, it's a bit on the big side for a daily carry all purpose knife in my humble opinion. I only have 2 complaints about the knife and both involve the pocket clip.

First is that the pocket clip can be mounted to either side of the handle, this means that the side there the clip is not has an exposed hole with something of a rough edge to scrape your hand every time you dig in your pocket for loose change. I wish there was something we could do to just plug the hole and fill it out evenly with the rest of the handle.

Second, the clip bends out of shape after a while, probably due to the size of the knife and it shifting in my pocket. I have to remove the clip and bend it back into shape every once in a while which is something I have not had to do with the Cold Steel Gunsite.

That said, this thing has a few "pros" in its favor that far exceed any "cons". First is the safety catch/locking mechanism, with a little bit of practice a user can whip this knife open faster than any butterfly knife and even some automatics. I'm not sure if this was intended to be a feature but it makes for a very fast one handed deployment and strong locking mechanism.

The second is the 5 point or "sharks tooth" point on the blade, this design is simply amazingly tough and says sharp for years. It is obviously designed for penetration much like you would use a large dagger and in my opinion, does this as well as any double edged boot knife you will find without resulting in a brittle tip. (Note this is a single edged knife with a double bevel).

I would buy this knife again in a heartbeat and if I ever had to use it in self defense I am sure this would prove a very effective tool. As a daily carry it may be big for some but if big and bad is what you're after, this is the knife for you. I will be buying more SOGs in the future.

This knife is a good knife for the price. It is very sharp out of the box, the VG-10 steel holds a sharp edge and is easy to sharpen. This is the best knife I have for easy one hand opening and closing. I like the lock mechanism better than the Benchmade Axis Lock. The reason I only rated this knife 4 stars is due to the fact that the handle should be more rigid with this long blade, the grip can be squeezed and is flexible. The grip liners should be of a thicker stronger lightweight steel.

This is a great large blade knife and can easily be carried daily.

Before I purchased the SOG Pentagon Elite, my preferred carry knife was an Applegate-Fairbairn Combat Folder. But the SOG is slightly larger, sharper, and is extremely well made. The blade is sturdy and rigid when deployed and locks into place easily. It also closes with precision. The handle is solid and provides an excellent grip, and the pocket clip is well constructed. You can tell the SOG engineers spent a lot of time on the design and manufacture process. Overall, this is a quality work, survival, or personal protection knife and well worth the investment.

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