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In the never-ending hunt for the perfect everyday carry knife the SOG Traction Pocket Knife checks off many boxes. Lightweight. Thin. Discreet. Durable. And I prefer my every day carry (EDC) knife to be under $50.
SOG Traction Knife Review
With just a few flaws, this knife covers all of those bases. I don’t need an assisted-open knife since I’m not using it constantly. I don’t care if I have to use two hands to easily open the blade. Although, I can get this open with one hand if I needed to. And I don’t need the sharpest knife in the world. Yet this one is pretty darn sharp.
The SOG Traction Pocket Knife holds it’s edge after many slices of cardboard boxes and packages. I try to sharpen it every few months just to keep it in good shape, like I do with all my knives.
It provides plenty of grip with the patterned grooves and matte black finish. I’ve used the SOG Traction Knife as my EDC for about 8 years now and it’s never broken or failed me. It’s so lightweight and thin that sometimes I have reach down and touch my pocket to make sure it’s actually there.
Is it the perfect EDC knife? Not quite, but almost.
One glaring issue I’ve had with this knife is the clip. It eventually loosens up to the point where it’s unusable. At that point it becomes dangerous because it ends up hanging out of my pocket and sometimes has even slipped out depending on how I’m sitting or working. I’ve tightened it back down, but it loosens up after a month and becomes a nuisance. This whole problem doesn’t actually start happening until about 8 months to a year of ownership, and I lost one of the knives this way. Maybe even two. I may try to put some loctite on the screw this time around.
Regardless of that annoyance, I keep coming back to this knife.
Stealth EDC Knife
As you can see from the photo above, most of the time you won’t see the outline of the knife in your pocket or bulge. All that shows is the thin clip which at a glance can pass for a pen. This doesn’t scream “look everyone, I have a knife”. And that’s the way I like it.
It’s just so comfortable to use and have in my pocket all day. I’ve tried many other knives from various brands and none of them match my specific needs so well. No need for me to go into detailed specs and comparisons. This is one of those instances where you have to experience it yourself rather than see pictures and numbers. But for the heck of it, here’s a picture of it side by side with the Gerber Air Ranger:
The SOG Traction Pocket Knife is always $30 or less — so it’s fine if I lose it, let a friend keep it and buy myself another, or just have another one kept in my vehicle glove box. The value is fantastic.
Click here to view the SOG Traction Pocket Knife on Amazon.
