If you are looking for a great fixed blade knife, look no
further. I have had this knife for about a year and I love it. I have taken it
camping, batoned through wood, dropped it on stone, and it still works
amazingly well. There are so many good things about this knife that I can’t
possibly list them all in this review. First of all, the blade is amazing. It
is made out of AUS8 steel and has stayed pretty sharp. When it came, it was
razor sharp and now it is still relatively sharp. It has gotten duller than it
was because I was using it as an axe for batoning (when you set a knife on wood
and hammer on the blade to chop through). Not to mention, the blade looks
really cool too (an added bonus). The one really small problem I have with the
blade is the satin finish. I know that I chose it, but wow that blade is shiny!
If you were stranded, you could use it as a signal mirror, that’s how shiny it
is. I find it a little distracting and it shows dirt and fingerprints more
easily. Again, that was my choice to get the satin finish and it doesn’t really
affect the quality of the knife therefore I will not be counting that little
issue in the total score. Another thing with the blade is the ricasso. I say
“thing” because in my opinion, it is neither a flaw nor an advantage, simply a
fact. The ricasso is a little over half an inch. This bothers some people
because that means the blade doesn’t start for half an inch, but I really don’t
care. In my experience, the ricasso has in no way affected the performance of
the knife. Another fact about this knife is the spine. There is heavy jimping
all along the spine which I like; it allows you to choke up to get more
leverage. There is a small hilt on the knife which is nice so that your hand
doesn’t slide up and get cut. The handle is made of zytel and is extremely sturdy!
I have dropped this knife a few times and it hasn’t even scratched. There is
checkering on the handle so it provides a nice grip. Finger grooves also help
with the grip on the handle. In the pommel, there is a lanyard hole if you want
to add that, which I haven’t). The handle is extremely sturdy and high quality
which would explain why it is heavier than the blade. The SOG Seal Pup Elite is
slightly off balance due to the handle. However, when you are using it, you can
hardly tell that it is off balance. I chose the nylon sheath because the kydex
wasn’t available. I am pretty pleased with my choice and the nylon has held up
very nicely. As I stated in a previous post on sheaths, nylon straps can get
cut. The strap that holds the handle in place has gotten cut a little; the cut
is barely noticeable. My only problem with the sheath is that it is kind of
bulky. The kydex sheath may or may not be like this. By the way, whether you
strap the knife into the sheath or not, it is not going anywhere. I should also
add that the sheath is ambidextrous. The best place and price I found to buy
the SOG Seal Pup Elite Straight Edge Satin Finish was on Amazon for about $60.
Now, it is closer to $50. This knife, in my opinion, has a $150 value and in
some places, that is what it retails for. Overall, this knife is an amazing
purchase and great fixed blade. It looks cool and is extremely durable too.
Definitely add the SOG Seal Pup Elite to your To Buy List!
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