SOG Contour
Review by Phil Elmore
SOG‘s
Contour is a compact, low-profile neck knife that can also serve as a
belt- or boot-knife. My sample has a polished finish and was
provided with a Kydex sheath. Both the sheath and the handle bear
stylized SOG cutouts.
The sheath is really quite good for a knife of this type. The
belt clip is removable, but held securely by a screw when it is in
place. The sheath itself is minimalist, with no protroding
flanges or unnecessary bells and whistles. There are grommets for
mounting some other carry method, which can also be used with the
provided cord to wear the knife around your neck.
The knife is held in the sheath by simple friction. The fit is
fairly loose; I don’t know if I would trust this knife inverted around
my neck, but it is excellent as a low-profile backup blade for IWB
(inside the waistband) carry. The knife could be equipped with a
break-away line such as a rubber band, running through the handle
cutout and attached to the sheath, to make it suitable for carry as an
emergency neck blade.
The AUS8 blade is 2.5 inches long (the knife is 6.375 inches
overall) and all belly, making it an excellent slasher. It tapers
to a needle tip and was nicely sharp out of the box. While there
is no guard, the contours of the handle, the thumb and index finger
serrations cut into the steel, and the aggressive texturing of the
Zytel handle scales provide a very firm grip. There is a lanyard
hole in the tip of the handle drilled through the Zytel scales and the
knife itself, too, though given the SOG cutout this is probably
superfluous.
The knife is so light that you almost forget it is there.
While small, it did not feel awkward in my big mitts. Had I
my preference I would wish for a deeper index finger cutout to protect
my finger from sliding down onto the very sharp factory edge.
This is a great little backup blade. The styling won’t be for
everyone, but the combination of a simple but useful sheath with a
keen, upswept cutting edge makes this a great little cutter that could
be used for self-defense or utility.>>