SOG Twitch II Review

It’s not a secret that SOG has always been a company known for making stand-out products. Automatic multi-tools, ingeniously stiff Arc-Lock, adjustable belt-clips, BG-42 steel blades – you name it. The SOG’s Twitch series is not an exception. Designed by Spencer Frazer, it is out there to define an excellent everyday carry tool with the modern innovations that are not just fancy but really useful.
The whole bunch of Twitch II knives comes in various blade shapes and handle materials. However, today’s review is about the Black Tini version of a Twitch ‘older brother’. It comes in standard clam packaging, American made and with a lifetime warranty. It has an overall length of 6.20″ and weighs about 2.60 OZ.

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Key specs

• Blade length: 2.65″
• Overall length: 6.2″
• Closed length: 3.55″
• Weight: 2.6 oz.
• Blade material: AUS8 Stainless Steel
• Country of origin: USA

Here’s a great video  SOG Twitch II Review

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The Blade

SOG Twitch II blade is 2.65″ long and 0.1″ thick which is just enough for simple EDC tasks and home chores. Add the full flat grind geometry with the drop point shape to the metrics above, and you will get a good (if not excellent) slicer that will go easily through any material. Without a doubt, the knife arrived hair-shaving sharp from the box and that is another thing to write about.

The blade steel is standard Japanese AUS-8. Nothing outstanding – makes it easier to sharpen and maintain the edge. A thing worth mentioning is SOG’s ‘cryogenic heat treatment’. According to the official website info, the blade temperature is first slowly reduced to -300 degrees Fahrenheit. Then it is brought back up to the room temperature. This process helps to boost blade’s overall strength and edge retention. Thus putting SOG’s Twitch II one stair above all other knives with the same steel material on the blade.

Another advantage of the Twitch II Black Tini comes from the coating. As I’ve mentioned before – AUS 8 is ordinary steel with good but not great stain resistance. The coating, however, helps to protect blade’s steel not only from moisture but also sand and hard surfaces. Plus, its matte-black color, along with the scales, looks good and simple. “This makes knife pretty tactical,” some might say. Bearing in mind the overall length of the knife, I’d consider it more of a gentleman’s suit EDC that won’t be an eye-catcher in crowded places and parties.

The Handle

The handle material is anodized aluminum 6061-T6. And it’s exactly the same type of alloy used for making bike frames, aircraft components and what not. In other words – it’s light, it’s strong and it won’t rip your pockets with texturing. Which is both good and bad. On the one hand, the overall width and shape of the scales make Twitch II quite slippery. On the other hand – it is not the kind of knife that you will use in extreme situations, rain, mud, etc. This is a small (not even an average) reliable EDC blade for minor urban EDC tasks. So don’t expect batoning and outdoor-purpose use cases from it.

Styled to look like titanium, SOG’s classic Twitch II models have so called ‘graphite’ scales. And they are plain grey. Not much of an interest if you find the Black Tin version of Twitch II. The scales on our model have the wet-black-stone color and they look absolutely fantastic with the blade, lock and bolts’ coating. Additionally, this hard anodized shell offers superior scratch resistance, as mentioned on the official website. So it won’t wear off pretty fast. With or without keys and coins inside, you can just clip it to the pocket and go out there. No worries.

Ergonomics (lock, clip and deployment)

What I really found quite surprising is the way this knife actually works. For its overall length, price point and place of origin it is quite a gem to dig. However, let’s cover all the points step by step.

The first thing that should be mentioned is how damn good this knife feels in hand. Bear in mind – we are now talking about 3.55″ closed length. With the flipper on the blade and quite a belly on the handle Twitch II just sits tight in the medium palm. And there is literary nothing wiggling or moving it there. It’s stiff and firm. Same goes with the clip. It is right or left-side, tip-up carry only and is quite wide. In fact, its shape is distinct and you probably won’t see a similar one on any other knife. But again – it works and functions well enough, and that is what you expect from a belt clip.

Another point is deployment and locking mechanism. This is where SOG shows us the trick again. We all know knives with good old back lock and pins on the blade. Well, says SOG, here you can have it all but with a flipper and assisted opening. What can I say, it’s like Kershaw and Buck got married and had an indigo child. You can flick it open with a thumb using studs or with an index finger using a flipper. Anyway, the blade just flies open gently and is there to do the job. And when I say ‘gently’ I mean it doesn’t rip the knife from your hand (yes, Blur, I am looking at you). Closing Twitch II is, however, a task for both hands: there is no way you can fold an assisted back locking knife with one hand.

What makes this knife sort of unique is a switch just behind the lock. It is also called a twitch, which is why the knife is called as such. The idea was to bring additional safety feature to a tip up carry knife with assisted opening. When opened, the knife won’t accidentally close which I personally find hard to happen, since it’s a lock-back design after all. However, when closed – that is when the twitch actually comes in hand and saves its user from opening inside the pocket. Grade ‘A’ for the job, SOG, you did it again, brilliant as ever.

Conclusion

The SOG Twitch II has the suggested retail price of $72 but actually hit the streets at about $37. As for the American-made knife this is a great price. Size-wise it can be legally carried practically everywhere and its ergonomics makes Twitch II just excellent for daily EDC. So if you are looking for a lightweight, small but handy pocket knife, the SOG Twitch II is about to be the answer.

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