Here is one of the best all round outdoor fixed blades you will find. Perfectly designed knife, feels awesome in hand, and a superb sheath. Not much more that a guy can ask for! The AUS-8 steel is not THE BEST steel out there, but it is more than adiquit. The cutting test that I will show you was done with a fresh razor edge, and at the end it was just shy of a razor edge, and still was in a spot or two. With a couple of minutes of honing it was back to it’s fullest and none the worse for wear. Notes: I have reprofiled that edge to 20 degrees although it will still be razor sharp without it, this just gives it a little bit of a sharper edge. During the test there was also a lot of cutting that I didn’t have time to show you, so AUS-8 steel is no slouch! I am giving this a 15/15 raiting
The SOG Fusion Fixation Bowie knife achieves quite a lot for its reasonable price and will connect with a lot of knife enthuisasts. SOG has wisely answered the trend of high value, high quality blades with their Chinese-produced “Fusion” line of blades. The Fixation Bowie is a favorite of mine in the series. Measuring out at the same as a KaBar Combat knife (7″ blade), the Fixation looks to be a good choice as a deployment, light survival, or all-around outdoor blade. The 8Cr13Mov steel, similar to AUS-8, should hold an edge adequately (like the Spyderco “Byrd” models do), be easy to sharpen, and offer some rust resistance. Other upsides include: a hammer-capable pommel (love those!), nice long handle, excellent jimping on the thumb ramp, good quality Cordura nylon sheath with a sharpener pocket, and excellent fit and finish throughout. All this weighs in at a very packable 12.8 ounces… great job SOG! Downsides might include a delicate tip, less-than-sharp factory edge, and a handle material that is reminiscent of vinyl (but has sharp checkering). Nevertheless, the SOG Fixations -ish pricetag makes it a steal and it will attract cash-strapped knife addicts like Rosie ODonnel to free donuts. ////////////////////Nutnfancy Likeability Scale: 9 out of 10 (price considered)
Fairly limited production. A serial number and date knife was manufactured are both printed on the back clip. This knife was only made this February– 02/2009.
