SOG Gov-Tac VS SOG SEAL Pup as Survival Knife

[Serrinon]

Hey there,

I'm looking for a solid Survival Knife and can't decide between the SOG Gov-Tac VS SOG SEAL Pup. here are the specs:

SEAL Pup:




Blade Length
4.75"

Overall Length
9"

Weight
5.4 oz.

Edge
Partially Serrated

Steel
AUS 6

Handle
Zytel

Finish
Powder coated


Sheath



Nylon-standard or
Kydex w/Groove-optional and available for separate purchase
Gov-Tac



Blade Length
6.1"

Overall Length
11.4"

Weight
9.6 oz.

Edge
Straight

Steel
AUS 8

Handle
Kraton

Finish
Hardcased Black TiNi

Sheath
Kydex
http://www.sogknives.com/store/fixed.html

Thank you for the help!

[kevin1]

Unless you plan to hack down trees I'd go with the semi-serrated blade, it's a lot more useful. Bigger isn't always better.

[Wingbone]

Aus8 will hold an edge a fair amount longer than aus6. I'm not a fan of serrated blades. They're a bear to sharpen when they get dull. And, frankly, have never seen the need for them in an outdoors situation.

[kevin1]

ORIGINAL: Wingbone

Aus8 will hold an edge a fair amount longer than aus6. I'm not a fan of serrated blades. They're a bear to sharpen when they get dull. And, frankly, have never seen the need for them in an outdoors situation.

They can be handy if you need to saw something and your blade doesn't have saw teeth on the spine. The difference in edge holding ability between those two is minimal, and nothing a soft Arkie won't equalize. Serrated blades aren't hard to sharpen, all it takes is a small rat tail file, and they rarely need it anyway.

[ipscshooter]

I kinda like these:

https://www.kabar.com/product_detail.jsp?productNumber=1218&mode=cat egory&categoryId=1,2,3,7&categoryName=Mili tary/Tactical

You can get either serrated or straight blades, and you can buy two or three for the cost of one of those SOG's.

Of course.... I'm not an expert and really don't know whether the "you get what you pay for" rule applies here...

[ipscshooter]

Question about blade hardness...I've seen two different measurements: AUS and HRC.

AUS-8 seems like it ought to be quite a bit harder than AUS-4, but using HRC, the AUS-8 is 56-58 HRC, and the AUS-4 is 55-57 HRC. Is the difference really significant?

[Wingbone]

The higher 50% higher carbon content of AUS8 will make it more abrasion resistant, thereforeresistant to blunting, even at similar HRC.

[ipscshooter]

So, AUS is a measure of carbon content rather than hardness?

I'm a fan of CRKT knives, and own several of the different M16 variations. Would I be significantly better off paying 25-50% more for the AUS-8 blades rather than the versions with the AUS-4 blades?

[Wingbone]

Absolutely. Aus8 has about 0.8% carbon, Aus6 has about 0.6%, Aus4, 0.4%. For comparison, most of the more expensive, high end knife steels tend to be in the 1.0 to 1.5% range.Aus8has the capability to keep good edge for a long time with the right heat treatment. The lower grades won't keep an edge for long regardless of HRC. I think you'd be much more satisfied with a higher grade blade.

[2006HighSierra]

just a thought to add to the Ka-Bar mention. Although I too want one of the SOG knives listed I have had a KaBar as the link showed,USMC stamped, I got when I was 7 years old. begged my uncle for quite awhile for it and its been one of the best possesions I have ever had. It's chopped dogwood sized trees before, opened cans, pried ridiculous things apart, used at work, used for a hammer, punch, pruning, etc etc and I have sharpened it less than a dozen times and its going on 15 years of service and still great, even the sheath is still excellent