ZDP-189
30-04-04, 05:17 PM
The knife that got me back into collecting after many years was a SOG Access. The slickness of the action and the sharpness of the blade impressed the heck out of me and reignited a long repressed passion for sharp and pointy things.
If I were to summarise the Access, I would describe it as a SwissCard selectively bred for the following features:
Slicker than, and with a lockup as sturdy as, a Benchmade
Sharper than a straight razor
Cheaper than a plastic handled Spyderco
Less 'tactical' in appearance than a Stanley knife
Faster than an Emmerson Commander
The locking mechanism is SOG's Arc-lock. If you ask me, it's superior to the Axis-lock, ans I'm a big fan on Benchmade. It's easier to operate, smoother to open the lock and as secure. My SOG Mini X-Ray Vision franckly sucks for lock security, but the all-metal plate construction and wide blade of the Access gives an excellent lockup with very low side wiggle considering how silky smooth the opening action is.
The wide blade and wide, wide bevel has a deep hollow grind that comes to nearly nothing before the wide final bevel. This is exactly how a straight razor is constructed - a recipe for disaster in a box-cutter, but in the ca. 9 months I have owned it has never chipped, never required more than a couple of passes through my Gerber v-sharpener and suffers from only the slightest rolling. Those guys in Seki, Japan know their stuff. It's as sharp as you could possibly want a knife.
Check this out:
http://www.uberlevel.com/link2image/sc4of498n.jpg
It's cheap. Joe sells the Access for GBP24.00 compared to the FRN handles Cricket at GBP26.50.
It's not threatening or tactical in appearance or intent. It doesn't scare my in-laws. It's very obviously a box cutter or executive/personal tool. It has a wharncliff blade with no point at all. It's not black and covered in military insignia.
But it's faster in my hand than my Commander. No sh... 'poo poo'. It clips onto my hip belt-loop with the 'money clip' shown here:
http://www.uberlevel.com/link2image/sc4bf3h43w.jpg
Today, instead of unclipping it and thumbing open with the squinty-spyderhole, I accidentally just pulled it vertically upward by the hole with with thumb and forefinger. I was astounded to find the knife instantly open, securely in my hand. The Commander, besides being big, unwieldy and scary looking, is handicapped, because unless I am to reach down into my pocket to grip it, when it opens, I'm holding the butt and need to adjust slightly. I could probably get better at it, but I'm not into quick-draw demos/ competitions.
The Access looks like this on the belt-loop, but usually partially obscured by my shirt.
http://www.uberlevel.com/link2image/sc9f45e8t.jpg
But at the end of the day, it's still a SwissCard. This is the REAL reason I carry it, m'lud.
http://www.uberlevel.com/link2image/sc7t98fg3w.jpg
Finally, yessss I know it's butt-ugly and an embarassment to show. But considering it's performance, I'd say it was the one of the most underrated performance folders on the market.
Any comments?
If I were to summarise the Access, I would describe it as a SwissCard selectively bred for the following features:
Slicker than, and with a lockup as sturdy as, a Benchmade
Sharper than a straight razor
Cheaper than a plastic handled Spyderco
Less 'tactical' in appearance than a Stanley knife
Faster than an Emmerson Commander
The locking mechanism is SOG's Arc-lock. If you ask me, it's superior to the Axis-lock, ans I'm a big fan on Benchmade. It's easier to operate, smoother to open the lock and as secure. My SOG Mini X-Ray Vision franckly sucks for lock security, but the all-metal plate construction and wide blade of the Access gives an excellent lockup with very low side wiggle considering how silky smooth the opening action is.
The wide blade and wide, wide bevel has a deep hollow grind that comes to nearly nothing before the wide final bevel. This is exactly how a straight razor is constructed - a recipe for disaster in a box-cutter, but in the ca. 9 months I have owned it has never chipped, never required more than a couple of passes through my Gerber v-sharpener and suffers from only the slightest rolling. Those guys in Seki, Japan know their stuff. It's as sharp as you could possibly want a knife.
Check this out:
http://www.uberlevel.com/link2image/sc4of498n.jpg
It's cheap. Joe sells the Access for GBP24.00 compared to the FRN handles Cricket at GBP26.50.
It's not threatening or tactical in appearance or intent. It doesn't scare my in-laws. It's very obviously a box cutter or executive/personal tool. It has a wharncliff blade with no point at all. It's not black and covered in military insignia.
But it's faster in my hand than my Commander. No sh... 'poo poo'. It clips onto my hip belt-loop with the 'money clip' shown here:
http://www.uberlevel.com/link2image/sc4bf3h43w.jpg
Today, instead of unclipping it and thumbing open with the squinty-spyderhole, I accidentally just pulled it vertically upward by the hole with with thumb and forefinger. I was astounded to find the knife instantly open, securely in my hand. The Commander, besides being big, unwieldy and scary looking, is handicapped, because unless I am to reach down into my pocket to grip it, when it opens, I'm holding the butt and need to adjust slightly. I could probably get better at it, but I'm not into quick-draw demos/ competitions.
The Access looks like this on the belt-loop, but usually partially obscured by my shirt.
http://www.uberlevel.com/link2image/sc9f45e8t.jpg
But at the end of the day, it's still a SwissCard. This is the REAL reason I carry it, m'lud.
http://www.uberlevel.com/link2image/sc7t98fg3w.jpg
Finally, yessss I know it's butt-ugly and an embarassment to show. But considering it's performance, I'd say it was the one of the most underrated performance folders on the market.
Any comments?