SOG Flash AT Review
Two years ago SOG released the truly excellent Terminus XR. They released a more budget friendly version in 2019 with G10 in different colors and a D2 blade and then they upgraded the steel on the original to S35VN. That knife, the Terminus XR in S35VN made my list of 13 Basically Flawless Folders. The Terminus XR changed the curvy, flared design language that had marked SOG knives for more than decade. Instead of overly scalloped handles, wild textures, and clips that look like they were made by marketing people instead of knife designers, as best seen on their standard bearer blade, the Flash I, you got clean lines and chamfered scales.
That update invaded most of the SOG line for 2020. They made a move out of the big box stores and they updated the Flash, the Aegis, and other mainstays of their line up. Some of these updates were weird and fantastical (see: my Aegis AT review here). The totally new, from-the-ground-up Flash AT is neither weird nor fantastical. My review sample, provided by SOG, is the Blackout version and it is as staid a knife as SOG has ever made.
The big deal here is that the Flash AT, at $75, is aimed at the middle of the market. When I started this site over ten years ago, that would have been a mid priced knife, but things have gotten crazy. The Sebenza 31 jumped in price in the face of Chinese made blades selling well at $400. I mentioned this in my video overview of the Ferrum Forge Mini Archbishop (I am working to get more video content online as I now have my basement back!). In this new price landscape how does a $75 Flash AT stack up? Let’s see.
Here is the Flash AT product page. They have a Cyan version and a Gray version as well. Each come with two variants-a newb-friendly partial serrated blade and plain edge for those of us that actually sharpen our knives. Here is a written review by Gear Bunker (note that his serrations are already heavily worn—serrations are stupid…). Here is a video review. Here is my video overview. There are no written reviews. Here is my review sample (provided by SOG to be given away):
Twitter Review Summary: Better than the sum of its parts.
Design: 2
The original Flash design was a very different knife—thin, light, covered in finger grooves, scallops, and all sorts of textures. From a design standpoint it was a bit of a mess. No one would confuse that original knife with a Sebenza. No one would confuse this knife with a Sebenza either, but it is a more traditional design. With that more staid approach the knife is easier to use and more inviting to the hand. The Flash AT is a very beefy knife, with a 3.45 inch blade an a weight of 4.55 ounces the Flash AT is not my preferred, tiny EDC. But the Flash AT can flex into jobs that a Dragonfly would feel very taxed doing. My parents recently moved and I carried the Flash AT for the entire three day process and it never felt pushed in any way, even when cutting through shipping straps on bulky boxes like those for washers and fridges. I’d be wary of doing this kind of work with a Dragonfly. Despite its heft, the Flash AT never felt sluggish or slow in the hand. Its very nice grip and the traditional blade shape made it quick and easy to control, a feat for something this hefty. This is one example of when hewing close to tradition can pay off. The original Flash was a exciting but an utter mess. The Flash AT is probably never going to win a prize for innovation, but it is one heck of solid design, both literally and metaphorically.
The blade to weight ratio isn’t amazing: .77 (3.45/4.49). The blade to handle is decent: .73 (3.45/4.67). I had actually expected the B:H to be much worse as the knife seems to be one of those designs that has a longer handle for more comfortable use, but as it turns out, its okay. Better than the Delica, for example.
Fit and Finish: 2
Despite is “everyman” (read: mundane) materials and features—D2, FRN, and an assist—the Flash AT is pretty well built folder. You won’t mistake it for a SBD Micro Evo v.2, but you also won’t find a floppy pivot, wiggly lock up, or stray grind lines. Every thing is well done with the build quality exceeding the humble elements of the knfie.
Grip: 2
With a handle that is designed to be clearly larger than the blade, the Flash AT has weird ratios (see above) but the handle itself is quite good. Even when I was really wrenching on it, like cutting metal retaining straps, there were no real hotspots. The lock for lock didn’t get in the way and the clip was not an issue. Surprisingly, for a knife this heavy, the balance was very good.
Carry: 2
The knife’s thick but not trade paperback thick. The knife is also heavy but the weight is well-distributed throughout the knife. And the clip is just the right size to keep things from moving around. More on the clip later….
Steel: 1
D2 is acceptable. Its not more nor less. And, for whatever reason, I can get amazing edges on D2. I am not a particularly skilled sharpener, but D2 on my Ken Onion Worksharp gets blistering sharp. So sharp that it gathers arm hair with mere feather strokes. If you have to use a budget steel, D2 is probably the best choice. Of course, I am still getting used to a $75 being a “cheap” knife, but me clinging to my old ways doesn’t mean that I am right. The market has moved on and prices are higher across the board. Given that, D2 isn’t great but its not out of step anymore. If you too lament the loss of good cheap knives costing $40, let me know. We can go in on a group buy for Werther’s Originals and pine over Bowie knives once in person shows safely restart.
I would like to prod SOG here-it only took 15 years to go from AUS-8 to D2 on your evergreen blades. At this point I look forward to buying my first 20CV Flash AT in 2074. Honestly, D2 is fine, but really the D2 of 2020 is S35VN. This knife wouldn’t be ALL that much more with S35VN.
Blade Shape: 2
Drop point, easy to sharpen ricasso, excellent simple choice. So often companies muck up this choice because they want to grab eyeballs, but long after eyes are grabbed, knives will still be in use if they have a good blade shape.
Grind: 2
SOG has had a long history of fantasic grinds and the Flash AT is no different. The blade stock here is pretty thick, but the blade is also tall and SOG did a good job getting the edge super thin. Given my unusual affinity for D2 and the grind, the Flash AT really cuts.
Deployment Method: 0
Let’s clear the ground here—unless you are an emergency worker or a military person, I can’t see the need for assists or autos. They are fun, especially autos, and they have been the forbidden fruit for so long that people really want them right now, but are a necessary to a knife as built-in roller skates are to shoes—they may be faster but you don’t need them. The refinement of non-assisted knives make them one touch deploying blades now. We have good pivots, good detents, and lots of tuning. Cheap knives snap open one handed, expensive knives snap open one handed. Really, in today’s market, there is absolutely no point to an assist.
And here the assist is actually a liability. It is so strong that you really have to focus to open the knife and when you do it kicks like a mule. I know auto fans like that, but as someone that prefers not dropping their knife, I don’t understand, especially on a non-OTF. Closing the Flash AT is also a two handed affair. The only thing that saves this from being a deal breaker is that once you learn how to deploy the knife, it becomes a bit more routine. Still, I would strongly prefer this knife to have a nicely tuned detent and pivot so that it pops open without the aid of some device. As one of the last two or three companies to insist on an assist, SOG is decidedly out of step with the rest of the market, even in a lower price bracket. It is long since time for us to let the assist die. It was a terrible design, it has made things a nightmare for users and companies trying to avoid the Switchblade ban, and they just aren’t necessary. This says nothing for the added complexity with which they burden knives.
Please die assisted openers. We don’t want or need you anymore. And autos, while you are fun like a fidget spinner, you can go the way of the Dodo (either the bird or the Spyderco folder), too.
Retention Method: 2
SOG’s dalliance with a number of clip designs over the years has been a long, strange trip. There were the clips with the circle at the end, those that had SOG laser cut into them, those that had SOG not laser cut into them but still said “SOG” (because those laser cut versions broke like graham crackers). After all that BS, we arrive at the clip for the Flash AT. It is the simplest of those clips and it is by far the best. I’d argue it is one of the best first party clips available, right there with the clip for the TRM Nerd and the “stiff” Spyderco wire clip. SOG, please, just stick with this clip. Its amazing.
Lock/Safety: 1
The XR lock, which is a variant of the sliding bar lock or Axis lock, is a fine design. But here it is hindered by the addition of a lock for the lock. SOG added this switch to make sure the knife didn’t accidentally deploy (or more likely to give users the comfort of knowing that the knife wouldn’t accidentally deploy…all this despite the fact that I have never had an assist accidentally deploy). This lock for the lock is 100% unnecessary and makes the knife worse. Also dumb is the fact that red indicator means go. Red means stop. Not go. It has since “Stop” signs and street lights were invented. Even electronic devices like battery chargers have employed the red means stop, green means go color scheme. So to have it here mean the exact opposite of what it means everywhere else is confusing and unnecessary. The XR lock, of course, works well and there is no blade play in any direction. It is not easy to close, but it is not difficult either. All of this, of course, underscores the fact that this knife would be a much better design without the assisted opening.
Other Considerations
Fidget Factor: Low
With a mule-kick of an assist, this is not a knife you fiddle with, especially if you like your legs to remain stab-free.
Fett Effect: High
No coating has chipped off, but it does show a significant amount of aware and after some use, I think it looks quite cool.
Value: Moderate
I still want to give this a “low” for value but there is that whole market-shift thing. Werther’s anyone?
Overall Score: 16 out of 20
The Flash AT is not a bad knife. In fact, during the time I have had it, its clear to me that it is a very serviceable blade. I feel like the 16 is a bit low, but as the Twitter Review Summary indicated, this is a knife that is more than the sum of its parts. I prefer this knife to a lot of knives that scored 17 or 18. Its really decent. In fact, if you find yourself at a Cabelas or Bass Pro Shop hankering for an in-person knife purchase, you can do a lot worse than the Flash AT.
It is also an exciting sign that SOG is done with making lesser blades. Hopefully the days of 5 and 7CR are over. But they just couldn’t let everything from their recent past go. They are, for reasons that mystify me, still committed to assists in an age when they are not only unnecessarily but woefully off-trend. This knife without the assist would be a significantly better blade, likely getting a score of 18 out of 20. A mini Flash AT without an assist would pretty clearly be the best knife for under $75. As it stands now, this is a knife almost fatally wounded because of an inexplicable commitment to a technological solution that addresses a problem we no longer have. There is a reason we haven’t see major improvements in horse shoes or phrenology in the past 100 years.
Competition
The obvious competitors to this knife are three knives that are better but much more expensive—the PM2, the full-sized Griptillian, and the Shaman. It used to be that the PM2 was a $130 knife. Now the base S30V model is $150-160 and more than double the price of this knife. The Griptillian and the Shaman are even more. And thus, despite my curmudgeonly insistence that $75 knives are not “entry level,” facts have proven me wrong and I need to adjust my expectations. In terms knives under $100 that compete with the Flash AT you have to look to the Cold Steel line. There the Spear Point Recon 1 offers a straight up better knife, but again at a price premium of $25. Personally, I would save up and get the Recon 1 over this knife as it has S35VN steel, no assist, has a longer blade but weighs basically the same (less than a half ounce heavier), but for a lot of people getting into knives there is an intellectually barrier between a $75 knife and a $100 knife.
SOG was clever here. They priced this knife right between a whole slew of blades making neither a budget blade or a midpriced knife, and the end result is true competitors are hard to find. That’s a great marketing strategy and it makes the Flash AT something of a minor standout as a large, heavy duty folder with real features and performance for well under $100. Kudos to SOG for finding a gap in this newly calibrated market.
Amazon Purchase Links
If you want to support the blog and are interested in the gear mentioned here, follow the links below and purchase items—the proceeds help buy new review samples to keep the blog running and 100% independent:
SOG Terminus XR (Link to the D2 Terminus XR)
Spyderco Delica (in ZDP-189 and FRN, my preferred Delica configuration)
Ken Onion Worksharp (with grinder attachment and good replacement belts)