SOG Government and SOG steel

[baldtaco]

I?m after some information on the SOG Government, particularly in relation to blade steel and heat treatment.

I have seen this knife variously quoted as having an AUS-6 or 440A blade. Although I?ve seen data showing AUS-6 and 44A do actually have slightly different compositions, I?ve been led to believe they are sufficiently similar that the names are often used interchangeably. Further, I?ve been informed that these slight, but deliberate, misnomers are largely due to marketing strategy, and that the American market responds better to the name of a more familiar steel than it does to the name for the steel used by the Japanese manufacturer [probably Hattori]. Anyone care to throw up their input on this?

Why does SOG select AUS-6/440A for this knife? Can the heat treatment SOG is using really compensate for a steel most vendors of approximately equivalent kudos seem to avoid like the pox?

I accept that SOG is no luddite when it comes to exotic steels, and the use of CPM-S30V on offerings like the Field Knife are to be applauded. Similarly, for my own home-baked deck knife, I deliberately selected 440C for its corrosion resistance. In fact, it is little more than an almost guaranteed rust free sheepsfoot blade, a pair of micarta scales bolted on and a shackle wrench cut into the beak. On that, it strikes me as eminently reasonable that SOG?s models geared toward amphibious activity [Tigershark, SEAL Knife 2000, SEAL Pup] should make similar sort of steel selection. However, outside the dedicated maritime environment AUS-6/440A rapidly loses any advantage, and almost literally finds itself as a fish out of water. Personally, I can see no advantage, save for a skinflint bottleneck at the point of manufacture, of using AUS-6/ 440A for blades such as the Government, Northwest Ranger, Pentagon, and a heap of folders too numerous to list. A possible defence is that SOG is ?designing down? to a price point to target a spending group. Cool, save for the fact many, many, other vendors are selling similarly priced blades and almost none of them is using AUS-6/440A for a product of this apparent quality. Another defence I?ve often heard is that the heat treatment is far more important than the steel, and SOG has really good heat treatment. For the most part I accept that. I also accept that well treated 440A blade will outperform CPM-S30V that was heat treated by an idiot. What I don?t accept is that we should be talking in such extreme terms. Those non-AUS-6/440A [eg: perhaps the humble 440C. ATS34, D2], released by rival vendors of equivalent kudos are hardly likely to have been heat treated by idiots. So, what is it about the SOG heat treatment that lets an inferior steel compete against these other players? Comments, spite, spit, all good, whatja know?


Lastly, anyone know how the handle of the SOG Government is constructed. A cross sectional diagram from any of you who may work for SOG would be ideal, cheers. Failing that, I?m open to anyone who wants to deliver a best guess doodle. All I know is the guard is welded, and apparently the bolt through the pommel is helped with two ton epoxy. I?ve been wondering what attaches to what inside there, and exactly how much tang width runs through that handle for some time.


Incidentally, before I retired it I wore my SOG Government on my webbing daily, and it was very hard to fault it.


regards


baldtaco

[deovolens]

The Americans like very much "hype" names for materials and the sky is the only limit here. My oldest knife is from my grandfather from WWI: called trench dagger.It was made from simple carbon steel and he used it then (wet,wet ,wet for more then 4 years)and after the Great War for over 60 years in his garden and in the woods.It got shorter and shorter but it did his job.I will be very honest: I have blades from CPM 420 V and from simple D2;the difference is very minor.When a serious maker ,f.i. SOG sells a product it will be good but of course you get what you pay for.And getting 5% more quality in the high end range costs 100% more.Trust me; SOG his steel is more then enough for the average user.