As assisted-opening knives become increasingly popular, thanks in part to offerings fromKershaw andMeyerco, it’s tempting to dismiss more recent almost-switchblades as simply more of the same. The lure of the assisted opener, of course, is that it provides the fast opening and quick-click gadget factor of an automatic knife without the legal hassle of a true switchblade. While some assisted openers are more… flash… than substance, the SOG Specialty Knives Flash II is anything but a spring-loaded gimmick.
I’ll be honest with you: I go through a lot of tactical folders. Partly because I am always testing a new evaluation sample and partly because I just enjoy knives, I rarely have the same folder in my pocket for more than a few consecutive days. One exception is the Flash II, which keeps finding its way into the rotation and stays longer in my pocket than many of its competitors. I shall preface this review, then, by saying that I genuinely like the knife and find it a well-designed, well-executed tactical folder.
Associate Editor Lawrence Keeney wrote of his own positive experiences with the camouflage-handle Flash II in the subscriber-only content of The Martialist. As a martial artist, my own needs and requirements for a knife are different than Lawrence’s. It was with this in mind that I tested my Flash II – a black-handled drop point model – and became quite fond of it in the process.
As the publisher of this magazine I spend a great deal of time dealing with incoming mail and packages. My EDC knife, therefore, spends a great deal of its service time carving its way through cardboard, packing tape, and paper. The SOG Flash II performed these tasks effortlessly – and it was a lot of fun to flick open for each use.
My Flash II has a 3.5-inch partially serrated blade of AUS-8 steel. It had a great edge out of the box and is ground on both sides (though the serrations are ground on one side only). Graduated, ambidextrous thumb studs provide leverage to start the blade open, after which it slides the rest of the way to lock with a heavy "click."
I’ve taken to opening the Flash II with an abbreviated push of my thumb – the same sharp flick that some people use to snap open standard tactical folders without maintaining thumb contact through the arc. In theory, an abbreviated flick is necessary to keep the thumb from traveling into the cutting edge as the opening blade travels past the thumb under spring power. In practice, though, I haven’t seen much danger of this with the Flash II, because its blade travels relatively slowly compared to other assisted-openers. The speed is reduced, no doubt, by the weight and length of the blade – for unlike some gadget folders on the market, the Flash II is of significant size.
The dimensions of the Flash II, in fact, make it perfect in my mind for use as a defensive folder. The 4.5-inch plastic handle (which is covered in an unusual checkering pattern whose diamonds elongate as they get closer to the blade opening) fits my hefty palms very well, has a pleasant texture that provides good traction, and is ergonomically contoured to form an integral guard. The thumb grooves cut into the spine of the handle – which is chunky at half an inch thick – are not deep enough for my tastes, but they’re better than nothing. Another set of grooves are molded into the spine of the handle on the clip end. The shape of the SOG’s butt makes it suitable for strikes, either with the blade open or with the closed knife serving as a fist load.
Positioned above and behind the lanyard hole in the handle is the Flash II’s low-ride pocket clip. While stylized a bit more than I would prefer, the clip works well, has good tension, and provides for a smooth draw from the pocket. The mounting in the middle of the handle’s end means the clip is secured with a single Torx screw. It can be reversed for left-hand carry.
I chuckled when I reversed the clip to test it because the folks at SOG obviously thought this through. They’ve put a hole in the clip through which you can fit your Torx driver in order to secure the reversed clip. The single screw mount means the clip will shift a little to either side if you try to push it, but I haven’t had any problems with regular pocket carry and didn’t notice this until I tried to move the clip purposely.
The Flash II is configured for tip-up carry only. The spring assist mechanism keeps the blade shut under mild tension, so there’s little chance it could drift open in the pocket to poke an unwary owner’s fingers. For the very nervous, SOG has included an excellent safety device.
The safety is small and placed out of the way. I wouldn’t recommend trying to use it for day-to-day operation, though. It cannot be easily accessed with one hand in position on the handle. It is also small enough that it requires fine motor skills to manipulate. For storage or for extra-safe utility carry, however, it works very well. When "off," red-painted metal shows through the safety’s opening in the plastic handle. The device is an integral part of the design, not a tacked-on afterthought.
The Flash II incorporates a bolt-action lock. I like it because it can be manipulated without placing one’s fingers in the path of the closing blade. When the knife is closed, the switch for the lock moves freely forward and back. Open, there is a tiny amount of slack in the bolt. The user must take up this slack and then push against tension to release the lock. There is no side-to-side play in the open blade. I did manage to force a miniscule amount of vertical play by pushing down with great force on the spine, but this was negligible.
The Flash II’s drop point blade made it both an excellent slasher – it cut paper to ribbons even after enduring the Holiday season’s package-opening and box-breaking activities – and a good thrusting tool. My much-used stacked-cardboard tester suffered several deep wounds as I drove the Flash II into it, both in forward and reverse grips.
Many people mistrust overly positive reviews because they see these as knife magazine fluff – public relations copy for the manufacturer. Rest assured that if you read a positive review here, it is positive because the product covered warrants this. As such, my high regard for the Flash II has been more than earned by the knife’s design and performance.
I like many SOG products, but there are few I’ve liked as much as the Flash II. This is a superb assisted-opening tactical folder that should serve you well for both utility and defense.
It’s a lot of fun, too.