With a fancier material for the handle, I would have given the knife 5 stars, but a fancier material for the handle would have cost a lot more money. The plastic seems very durable and plenty comfortable. The knife only gets light use from me, but the blade is plenty sharp and seems to hold an edge well. The opening assist mechanism is brilliant. In all, I'm completely satisfied.

This knife is by far my favorite knife I have yet. I was all about some CRKTs until i bought this from backcountry. CRKT makes good knives, but just like almost any other knife company, they use screws with a star head on them. Parts on any knife, the belt clip specifically, loosen up after time, and its real hard to find a star head driver small enough to fit those little screws and even when you do, they strip. The SOG knives use a standard ALLEN head. Its an incredible difference to be able to be able to tighten it whenever i want. On top of that, the clip design is amazing, much better than anything else i have used and the blade and handle are awesome as well. Its also probably the best looking knife i own as well. Get this knife. Much faster than the CRKT outburst stuff. Awesome knife.

I own two of these knives, one for everyday use and one for backpacking. The pocket clip is better than other brands making it more comfortable to carry and retrieve. Blade is stable when fully opened and under heavy load. Also, you can take the thing completely apart and clean it out.I abuse mine everyday and they keep on going. SOG makes the best knives hands down.

One of the best parts about this knife is that it is truely razor sharp right from the factory! Very little pressure is needed to cut any sorts of plastic or cardboard because it is not only sharp, but the blade is fairly thin as well so it does not create a lot of drag when cutting through something. The size is good, although a little big to use as an every-day carry. Very simple and the zytel grip is very good. It does not seem that it would be a knife that could go through tons and tons of very hard abuse, but that's not what I bought it for. I bought mine on Ebay (backcountry didn't have the camo color option) for about $50. Overall very pleased with the knife and expect it to give me years of great service. Great all around knife and assisted opening a plus.

I have this knife with the Zytel (plastic) handle. At first, I was put off by the plastic, but have come to realize that not only is it sturdy, it is very light for knife of this size. The description is accurate, in that a little pressure on the thumb stud causes the knife to quickly open and lock in place. But there is a safety switch to help prevent the knife from accidentally opening in your pocket and groining you. The sliding piston lock is easy to disengage (so I have an easier time closing this knife than I do my CRKT's that have AutoLawks). The light weight of this knife makes it easy to bring along a full-size knife on backpacking trips. This is a good, all-purpose knife.

The Flash II is a great knife. The spring assisted opening is lightning fast and great for when you need it in a hurry/want to impress your buddies. The blade is incredibly sharp and very solidly constructed. I have used this knife consistently for many months and with proper care it is as sharp as the day it arrived at my door. The piston lock system is very secure and saved my life on an icy slope with an improvised emergency self-arrest using the Flash. All in all a fantastic blade and one that will serve me for many years to come.

Just need to do your homework...the reason this knife is getting a bad overall rating is because some people didn't do their homework. There are 3 models of the Flash II. 2 have the aluminum handle and the third and cheapest has the zytel scratch and impact resistance plastic handle. All 3 knives have the AUS 8 steel, which in the grand scheme of things is good steel and holds an edge well. You just need to pay attention to which model you are getting so you know what to expect out of the box. I have the zytel model from SAC and I have been pretty happy with it so far. Its a little stiff out of the box but plenty sharp, just need a little breaking in. I don't mind the plastic handle because it really cuts down the weight of the knife. In my opinion, 4 stars, great knife for the price, good quality (made in USA) just not the best on the market. I would recommend this knife to anyone looking for a quality knife for daily or camping use.

I have 3 Sog knives and this is the one I use most. The quality is exceptional. It opens one-handed in a flash (hence the name). It was bigger than I expected when I got it, but I don't regret it one bit. The lock is definitely a plus, keeps it from taking off anything it's not supposed to. It balances well in my hand and feels great. Plus who wouldn't love to pull their knife out of their pocket and whip the blade open while their friends gape in awe.

The Flash II is probably the closest you'll get to a switchblade (in this country, anyway). The blade opens with a spring, and if there's any criticism of this knife, it's that the spring gets a little sluggish the more you open and close it. But other than that, it seems like it has very sturdy construction (particularly the solid metal belt clip) though I haven't really put it to the test yet. It's also got great balance, so you can use it one-handed without worrying about cutting yourself (though I already did).

This knife was my daily carry knife for about three years. I work as a field biologist, so my tools see some heavy use. This knife's assisted open technology is really better then any other assisted knife I've owned or used. I compare it to a kershaw scallion that I bought and had to replace about 6 months later because the spring failed. I will agree with other users when they say the handle feels cheap, but I would contend that it is light and virtually unbreakable. The belt clip is very tight, but after three years it hasn't worked loose like CRKTs and Bucks I've carried. My one complaint is the blade has worked loose over the years. To take out the rattle I tightened the nut holding everything together but it hinders the assisted open function. However the loose blade doesn't effect the function of the knife at all, it is just me being picky. Over all a very functional knife.

I got this knife as a Birthday present and I really like it so far. The spring assisted open is really cool, but it's not the easiest knife in the world to close. Feels pretty sturdy, especially for a plastic handle. Overall, a pretty sweet knife.

The best part of this knife is the pocket clip. Seriously, the "bayonet" style clip allows for the lowest, most discreet carry out of any style folder I have ever tried. The assisted open is reliable, the blade is a good shape/style, but the handle and lock seem to be a little off. The handle has a bulbous shape at the pivot point and the lock bar has some play in the slide button. To be fair, the handle is comfortable to grip and the lock bar mechanism is solid and secure, but each detracts slightly from the overall package. I'll continue to carry my Kershaw KO Blackout as my EDC.

I gotta disagree with the other reviews. I had high expectations for a knife from SOG, but the construction and materials just don't cut it. I have owned a lot of knives from CRKT, Gerber, Kershaw, etc. The plastic handles on the Flash II look and feel like cheap plastic. Nothing near as substantial as the zytel on a cheaper CRKT. The blade isn't the greatest either, but I'll admit that my regular knife is the big CRKT M-16, so I'm used to a beefy blade. The overall construction just feels weak. And the triangular shape to the handle just feels weird in your hand and pocket. I bought it on a SAC deal, so I'm not out much, but it's getting 'spare' duty and l leave it in the truck door box.

i prefer the flash 1 w/the combo blade, it's slightly smaller size makes it a perfect knife to keep in your pocket. sog quality is unparalleled and i really can't understand what the negative reviews were expecting...if you want a big heavy blade, this is NOT the knife for you! it's meant as a high quality daily utility knife that you don't even notice unless you need it. just be careful to remember to check your pockets before you wash your jeans lol

I have the cheaper and lighter, but still solid Zytel handle version with a partially serrated blade. I carry this knife just about everywhere and use it on just about everything. Easy one handed operation when you are in a pinch makes this knife a life saver. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a versatile and dependable blade.

I was honestly very excited to see this deal come up on SAC, the box came today and of course i had to check out my new toy. i was a little disappointed. the handle is plastic and the discription says aluminum. the handle has an odd shape that feels o.k., but not as "right" as the crkt tiny tighbreaker i currently have in my pocket. the pocket clip is extremely tight. it would hardly go onto the correct place on my pocket. and then getting it out of my pocket was not easy either. you wont have to worry about it falling out. as far as the spring opening goes, it is not as quick or fluid as afore mentioned crkt blade. i really like the knife's finish. it is black nitride or something, light weight and balanced, but maybe a little light for this size blade. i'll change the rating if after use my feelings improve, right now i'd say save your money until a crkt knife that strikes your fancy shows up.

I was honestly very excited to see this deal come up on SAC, the box came today and of course i had to check out my new toy. i was a little disappointed. the handle is plastic and the discription says aluminum. the handle has an odd shape that feels o.k., but not as "right" as the crkt tiny tighbreaker i currently have in my pocket. the pocket clip is extremely tight. it would hardly go onto the correct place on my pocket. and then getting it out of my pocket was not easy either. you wont have to worry about it falling out. as far as the spring opening goes, it is not as quick or fluid as afore mentioned crkt blade. i really like the knife's finish. it is black nitride or something, light weight and balanced, but maybe a little light for this size blade. i'll change the rating if after use my feelings improve, right now i'd say save your money until a crkt knife that strikes your fancy shows up.