SOG Sogfari 13" or 18" Stainless Steel Survival Machete Knives | Saw on The Back of The Blade, Textured Handle, Nylon Sheath

Nice for clearing trails

The SOG 18" machete exceded all of my expectations. Its factory edge was very sharp, but not razor. (When i say very sharp, i mean REALLY sharp, just not the sharpest possible.) When i took it out of the package i had the immediate desire to test it out. It shred the card board bow to pieces. However i may also add that it is not of entire importance for a machete to be RAZOR sharp. other SOG products that i have purchased were sharper with the factory edge, perhaps with the price difference and the purpose of the item. I slightly ajusted the edge with one of those small yellow smiths brand sharpeners (can be found at walmart for about $3 dollars,) on the ceramic side, and its razor sharp now. I dont completely recomend using the same sharpener only becuase its quite cheap, and sog knives should all be professionaly sharpened, becuase of the price.. but me being the person that i am, i am too impatient to send it in and wait for it to come back, or even spend the extra bills when i could be saving those on a new edition to my collection. A razor edge is my prefrence for all my knives. all of the SOG products i have purchased are Magnificent in quality and never let me down. Honestly, before you leave to look at cheaper products so you can buy more for your money, WAIT. I just want to tell you that cheap generic or poorly made knives are NOT worth it. If you dont have enough money for a better product from companies like Benchmade, SOG, Spyderco, Ontario Knife Company, or Kershaw, then dont waste your money on something that will dull or be damaged very quickly. Better knives are worth the extra money and the difference is an inevitable experince. Trust me on this one. If youre really anxious, and just need to buy something because your money is burning a hole in your pocket, purchase a good gerber knife. Still a higher quality knife company, but it saves you a lot of money and it is a good start if you like to collect knives and such like i do.

First impression. Arrived in a sealed clear plastic case showing both the machete and case. I was a little disappointed with how sharp the blade was. It had a edge but I expected better from SOG. It was easily corrected with a few quick passes of my knife sharpener. I tested out the saw back edge and found it to be effective but I was able to make it better with my dremel. This would probly not be necessary for most but afterward it cut with ease. The handel has convient holes for a lanyard. I made mine out of some 550 para cord easily purchased from a surplus store. The case has a nice nylon strap edging that is double stiched on all the seams. I had a few problems with extracting the blade from the case because of the extra reinforment around the case opening. The saw edge would catch on the nylon. So I trimmed it back and melted the nylon with a lighter to keep it from fraying. I also added two water drain holes at the bottom with a soldering iron. My only real disappointment with the case is that the upper end of the sheathing covers up 2/3rds of the handle. So when you go to extract the blade you have to pull with your pinkie and ring fingers or else you are also grabbing the case.Field use. Spent 6 hours cutting thick wild briers and pine branches. The handle offers a good grip that offered a firm purchase even with dirty sweaty hands. It was easy to use without being overly tiring to swing. With the resharpened blade it would easily slice throught 3 inch pine limbs with one swing. Blade held it edge and remained straight even with my less than perfact strikes. The finish also held up very well and cleaned easily afterward. I did not have any issues with the pommel striker getting in the way.Overall it is a excellent purchase for the money. I would most definatly recommend purchasing and I might even buy a second just to have. The only real issue that is not easily corrected is the sheath covering up most of the handle.

I have read alot of bad reviews about this machete and can only assume either a bad series of them that came out or people who don't have the hand strength to hold it right.I took this machete into the woods along with my father, brother and a few friends who were all toting chainsaws. We were clearing lanes for deer hunting, and by the end of it, they were all prepped to order this machete.This thing is light and incredibly strong, and has a comfortable handle that provides for great grip even at the end of a long day. Though, I would have to agree that the sheath leaves something to be desired.I've cleared entire sections of our 120+ acre property with this machete alone, having only to yield to the chainsaws on really big stuff(4+ inches).I have used it through 2 separate 2 day sessions swinging this thing for 6+ hours a day, and I am not dissapointed. I cut down what amounts to hundreds of saplings and limbed hundreds of more old-growth trees.I have just purchased another one as well as the 13" version and will leave both with my sister, who lives full-time on the property, because she was in awe at the efficiency at which I could clear trails and lanes.On the first day of use, in an attempt to take down a large tree at the base, I did manage to put a slight bend\nick in the blade face, because I didn't swing hard enough to make it through in the first hit, and I came through at a strange angle. Two minutes with a hammer and concrete garage floor fixed that, and I haven't had another issue since.This will be a permanent addition to my woodland toolbox. Now I just lash it to my ATV any time I'm out in the woods.

As someone who uses a machete on almost a daily basis, this is a great product. Almost too tactical for my application but would certainly recommend!

Well made and at a great price!!This machete did not disappoint as it kept up with demands. It was able to cut through thick vines and roots with just a few swings. Great buy!!