S.A.T.
(SOG Assisted Technology) is the brainchild of world famous designer
Spencer Frazer: "I had this feeling that I could devise a whole new
technology to help open a knife blade quickly." S.A.T. allows
right-handers to use their left hand equally well to open a folding
knife (of course this works the same for lefties). It is also
advantageous as well in case someone has an injured hand or is not adept
in opening a knife easily. Gary Drake, a top defensive tactics
instructor who works with SWAT teams and other special ops, states that
unlike a switchblade knife, S.A.T. allows for a positive knowledge of
where the knife blade is. Switchblades can sometimes get hung up in
loose clothing or not open fully for a variety of reasons. This is a
problem for law enforcement personnel. With S.A.T., since your finger is
on the knife blade, you know if there has been a mishap and can
immediately correct it. There is also the "wow" factor. We find that
people who get used to S.A.T. get accustomed to its practicality and
will choose it over other companies' conventional mechanisms.
All of this magic is accomplished with a simple principle. There is a
constant force to open a blade and a variable force that wants to close
the blade. As one opens the blade the force to propel the knife open
becomes greater than the closing force and the blade will open on its
own. "The beauty of this is that we have come up with several mechanisms
to accomplish this," says Spencer. The Flash uses a piston lock, the
Blink uses a lockback, and the Twitch uses a lockback with a
pass-through lockbar. These are just a few of the mechanisms that we are
working on that are covered under the multiple patents. Most of the
opening springs we are using are high-tension coil springs. These
springs work through the entire range of opening (180 degrees). This
insures reliability.
Of particular interest is that S.A.T. has allowed us to transform the
standard lockback knife, which is one of the oldest known knife locks on
the planet, and take it into the 21st century. "The simplest designs are
sometimes the hardest to figure out," according to Spencer, "but this is
a great one." S.A.T. allows us to use locking mechanisms that are
stronger and more reliable than the conventional liner locks and that
are easier and safer to use. This is definitely one of the plusses of
S.A.T., since a knife is only as good as its lock. Also our locks are
much easier to access ambidextrously (we haven't forgotten about you
lefties!).
Spencer had the foresight to develop integrated blade locking safeties
in conjunction with S.A.T. The Flash Series has a safety engineered into
the handle. This prevents the blade from being able to be opened and can
be used for extended carry applications. When you see red on the
switch...you are ready to go. The Blink and the Twitches also have this
feature. A slim sliding switch on the back of the knife gives the user
additional insurance. This mechanism coincidentally affords one the
luxury to use the safety when the blade is in the open position. In
other words...the lockback can be additionally locked (two locks in
one). Awesome!
The Flash series and the Blink also incorporate a new patented bayonet
clip that allows for virtually invisible carry, placing the knife deep
in the pocket. This helps minimize any chance of the knife falling out
and being lost. This clip is easily interchangeable from side to side
(have we mentioned that we haven't forgotten about you lefties?).
SOG is known for producing high quality knife and tool products. The
S.A.T. family of products is produced in the US to extremely high
standards & tolerances and is warranted for life.
SOG is enjoying a lot of success lately with its innovative products,
S.A.T. being just one of them. S.A.T. has currently been employed in
small compact gentleman's knives as well as full size utility folders,
but the trick has been to produce these innovations at mainstream
prices. With suggested retail prices from $42-$62, SOG has indeed
created a lot of value.
As for the future...Spencer says, "You haven't seen anything yet!"
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