Prion
Member
I'm interested in the Kershaw Shallot black ti or the SOG Flash II Aluminum grip black ti blade for my new daily carry, multi-use knife. Lost my MOD
Which do you prefer?
Which do you prefer?
Kershaw Shallot or SOG Flash II?
- Thread starter Prion
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Prion
Member
Geez, no responses? Questions like these in Handguns: Autoloaders get 250 responses, a full flame war, hurt feelings, moderator involvement and bans. You guys are mellow over here.
doctorxring
Member
.
I have the Shallot and owned the Flash II for a while but gave
it to a friend. I like the Shallot a bit more. But for knives of
this size I prefer this one much more -- Benchmade Nitrous Stryker --
It comes in standard and half serrated edges -- Great EDC
blade.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34kWIGYrmT8
dxr
.
I have the Shallot and owned the Flash II for a while but gave
it to a friend. I like the Shallot a bit more. But for knives of
this size I prefer this one much more -- Benchmade Nitrous Stryker --
It comes in standard and half serrated edges -- Great EDC
blade.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34kWIGYrmT8
dxr
.
SpaceFrank
Member
Okay, I'll bite. I assume you're talking about these two knives:
http://www.kershawknives.com/productdetails.php?id=435&brand=kershaw
http://sogknives.com/store/STGFSA-98.html
Both are good knives, from good companies. They are both assisted-opening and 3.5 inch blades. MSRP on the SOG is somewhat higher.
One thing I can say is that I don't like the "safety" switch on the SOG. I have a friend who fixed his open with super glue. I don't know if the Shallot has a safety switch of some kind, so I can't comment on it.
The Shallot's blade design looks pretty cool, but I'd have to guess it's a bit more of a pain to sharpen. I don't know if the curvy profile is any more useful for cutting. It appears to be available in both serrated and non-serrated, which is a plus if, like me, you don't like serration. I don't see a non-serrated option for the Flash II in an aluminum handle.
The Shallot comes with a clip for tip-down carry, but it appears to be reversible. The Flash II is tip-up, and carries deeper if you care about being unobtrusive. The Shallot also appears to have one of those little nubs on the blade that you can use to flick it open. I can't remember what that's called.
The weight on both is identical, according to the websites, so that's not a factor. If you want one that is lighter, the SOG is available with a nylon handle, which is also considerably cheaper and available with a non-serrated blade. I personally don't mind a little weight in the handle, though; I think it improves the balance of the knife.
I would have to say it comes down to which blade design you like better, and how each one feels in your hand. If all other things are equal, between the two above links I would buy the Kershaw, because it is less expensive and looks less like something a mall ninja would carry.
http://www.kershawknives.com/productdetails.php?id=435&brand=kershaw
http://sogknives.com/store/STGFSA-98.html
Both are good knives, from good companies. They are both assisted-opening and 3.5 inch blades. MSRP on the SOG is somewhat higher.
One thing I can say is that I don't like the "safety" switch on the SOG. I have a friend who fixed his open with super glue. I don't know if the Shallot has a safety switch of some kind, so I can't comment on it.
The Shallot's blade design looks pretty cool, but I'd have to guess it's a bit more of a pain to sharpen. I don't know if the curvy profile is any more useful for cutting. It appears to be available in both serrated and non-serrated, which is a plus if, like me, you don't like serration. I don't see a non-serrated option for the Flash II in an aluminum handle.
The Shallot comes with a clip for tip-down carry, but it appears to be reversible. The Flash II is tip-up, and carries deeper if you care about being unobtrusive. The Shallot also appears to have one of those little nubs on the blade that you can use to flick it open. I can't remember what that's called.
The weight on both is identical, according to the websites, so that's not a factor. If you want one that is lighter, the SOG is available with a nylon handle, which is also considerably cheaper and available with a non-serrated blade. I personally don't mind a little weight in the handle, though; I think it improves the balance of the knife.
I would have to say it comes down to which blade design you like better, and how each one feels in your hand. If all other things are equal, between the two above links I would buy the Kershaw, because it is less expensive and looks less like something a mall ninja would carry.
There are things I like and dislike about both of those. I like Kershaw's AO mechanism better than SOG's. I like the texture on the Flash handle over the slick handle of the Shallot. I'm not a serrations kind of guy, but I think Kershaw has a better reputation for serrations than SOG. I'm not too picky about blade steel as long as there's not a huge quality difference, so that probably wouldn't be a factor for me with those two knives. I like the blade shape on both. I like the Flash pocket clip better than the Shallot's. Since they're both assisted opening knives, I don't have a preference on either lock style. I like flippers better than thumbstuds, but on an AO knife it's by a very small margin. I've seen complaints about blade play on the Flashes, but I don't know if that applies to the aluminum handled model. I've seen cases of poor lock engagement on the Shallot, but I'm sure Kershaw would gladly take care of that if you happened to get a knife with that problem and couldn't remedy it yourself. It'd be a tough call for me between those two knives, but I'd probably get the Shallot.
If you don't have to have a knife with a 3.5" blade and don't have to have AO, here's one I highly recommend: Kershaw R.A.M. http://www.kershawknives.com/productdetails.php?id=454&brand=kershaw It's currently my favorite knife. Mine is the plain edge, uncoated model. Nice traction on the handle. The flipper on that knife is the best I've ever used. I'd say it's equal to or maybe even better than AO. The lock works similarly to an Axis lock, and because the R.A.M. is not AO the knife closes really easily since you're not closing it against spring pressure. Here's a short video of someone playing with the R.A.M. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mduE9V78hXM
If you don't have to have a knife with a 3.5" blade and don't have to have AO, here's one I highly recommend: Kershaw R.A.M. http://www.kershawknives.com/productdetails.php?id=454&brand=kershaw It's currently my favorite knife. Mine is the plain edge, uncoated model. Nice traction on the handle. The flipper on that knife is the best I've ever used. I'd say it's equal to or maybe even better than AO. The lock works similarly to an Axis lock, and because the R.A.M. is not AO the knife closes really easily since you're not closing it against spring pressure. Here's a short video of someone playing with the R.A.M. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mduE9V78hXM
Purely a matter of taste since both are good products.
dairycreek
Member
This is the best answer! +1
Prion
Member
Thanks, I didn't know what kind of rep SOG had. Appreciate the responses.
+1
I'm a big Kershaw fan in general but I love my R.A.M. and it's always my daily carry knife now.
Prion
Member
I ordered the SOG last night with the aluminum handle, black, partially serrated blade. Thanks for the responses.
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