SOGTwitch II Drop Point 2.65in Everyday Carry Portable Compact Well-Rounded Camping Pocket Folding Knife | AUS-8 Steel Blade

I really like this knife. It has great build quality, I like the feel of the knife. Sides are a coated so it is hard to realize that is is aluminum. The lock mechanism is the key, it is a lock back with a lock mechanism. A safety feature you can use when the blade is open. The blade opens easily, it is spring assisted, but a soft spring. A drop of oil, helps it to open easier. Only cut paper with the blade which is AUS-8, the edge is sharp, don't know how long it will last. SOG this twitch is a good one.Addition: love the locking mechanism, because it can also be used when the blade is retracted, so it cannot be opened accidently, it is now my everyday carry.

SOG quality! Top notch. Sharp blade that holds its edge well. Very sharp. Not for children. I recommend at least 14 - 15 years old. This is an adult's tool. It is beautiful. Well made. Feels smooth - no sharp edges or corners to catch on your pocket. Excellent value. I also have his much bigger brother. Easy to use. I like the lock that either locks it closed so it can't accidentally open OR locks it open to keep it from accidentally close while using it.

The only thing I don't like about it is that the blade safety lock (the one that keeps the blade closed) could be relocated, have its direction of operation reversed, or even dispensed with altogether. When pushing the clip over your pocket, it is a little too easy to activate when you don't want it to be. The idea of an assisted-opening blade is that you can release it with one hand. If a situation requires cutting something free "stat," this is a bad time to have to use both hands to release the blade. It is inconceivable that the blade could be released inadvertently. This was probably at the behest of liability lawyers.

Great little pocket knife. Spring assist can be adjusted with a 2mm hex key wrench, as mine need a little tweak. Has lock for blade retention or extension. Knife came sharp and well suited for most applications that a pocket knife this size would address. Don't know why it has or needs thumb screws, but added feature. Clip secures knife to pocket. Haven't sharpened yet, but shouldn't see a problem. Overall a nice pocket knife that flips to open locking position with ease and adjustable to user desire. No blade play per say, but if you loosen spring assist too much blade will move a tad. Durable finish, good size for pocket, and great design. 2c

I bought the SOG Twitch II because it had a flipper blade-opening design with a back lock that I wanted to try out and because it was less than $40 with Amazon's free Super Saver Shipping at the time I ordered it. My early lock blade knives had back locks, such as the Buck Folding Hunter and other models and the subsequent various Kershaw, Gerber, Puma, Coleman, Schrade, Spyderco, and SOG knives that I purchased, with the exception of a Buck Solitaire with a liner lock, a Gerber Bolt Action drop point, a Timberline Timberlite with a Neeley Lock, and a Boker-Matic with assisted closing or retraction. In recent years, I have favored the flipper design for easy one-hand opening (I have found the flippers to be easier to use than most of the thumbstuds I have encountered, although there are some OK thumbstud designs). The flipper opening designs usually have liner locks instead of back locks, especially since the flipper part of the blade sticks out of the back of the knife handle where the back lock usually is. So I was intrigued by the pass-through back lockbar design of the SOG Twitch and I decided to buy the knife to try it out. With my flipper opening knives that have the liner lock, I can release the liner lock with my thumb and, without shifting my grip, start closing the blade with my index finger and, after moving my thumb out of the way, close the blade all the way with my index finger or with my thumb. With the Twitch II, I had to change my grip to release the back lock and I had to initially use my other hand to close the blade. However, after watching some YouTube videos demonstrating the use of the SOG Twitch, I practiced closing the blade with one hand and, after several weeks, I have managed to consistently release the back lock and close the blade with one hand, without dropping the knife or cutting myself. But, my grip has to be changed to move my thumb back to the back lock release and after releasing the back lock and starting to close the blade with my index finger, the knife has to be rotated to clear the three fingers out of the path of the blade and before the blade can be closed. Personally, I find it easier and faster to release the liner lock and close the blade on my Kershaw and CRKT knives with the flipper opening design, either with or without the assisted opening mechanism.Generally, the Twitch II seems to be solidly constructed, is thin enough for easy pocket carry, and has a nicely shaped thin blade that came well-sharpened. The back lock and the sliding "safety" lock on the back of the handle appear to be durable (although one reviewer had problems with pocket lint). There is some question in my mind as to the need for the sliding "safety" lock. The Twitch II's flipper (called the "kick" by SOG) requires more pressure than my Kershaw "Speedsafe" assisted opening knives to activate, so, it is not that easy to accidentally activate the assisted opening mechanism. I could not figure out how to quickly release the sliding "safety" lock after pulling the Twitch II out of my pocket, having to switch my grip and move the knife into a different position to slide the "safety" lock off and then move that knife again to place it into a different position for opening the blade with the flipper or the thumbstuds. I quit using the "safety" lock and have not had any accidental openings. The sliding "safety" lock can also be used to block the back lock release bar to prevent any accidental closing, but that feature may be more useful for a bigger knife model that will be used for rougher tasks. The anodized aluminum handle is smooth and a bit slippery and is a bit too small to allow gripping the knife hard for really rough tasks. The non-reversible blade-tip-up pocket clip with the smooth handle material under it allows for easy removal of the clipped knife from a pocket. I considered getting the Twitch XL, which is bigger, but the greater weight and the higher price (over $50) ruled it out as the knife to get merely to try out the back lock-flipper design. Anyway, for light-duty cutting chores around the house and around the office, I believe that the smaller Twitch II is preferable to carry.In the end, I guess the question is whether you prefer the back lock design instead of the liner lock and whether you are able to conveniently use whichever design you choose. I like the SOG Twitch II for its different design and its sharp, thin blade and I have been practicing with it and carrying and using it, but I think that my Kershaw and CRKT flipper-opening-liner-lock knives (with and without assisted opening -- currently for everyday carry, the Kershaw Skyline and Leek and the CRKT M16-10Z for the office and the Kershaw Scallion for around the house) are easier to open and close with one hand and these knives also have my preferred blade-tip-down pocket carry.UPDATE: May 20, 2011 -- after having no accidental openings for over a year, I experienced one. Somehow, the blade partially opened while the knife was clipped to the pocket of my shorts, with the exposed blade tip up. While I was talking to my son and really not paying attention to the knife in my pocket, I reached into my pocket and cut my finger -- the blade is still very sharp so there was quite a bit of blood, but I was at home with first aid materials handy. I am now wearing a fingertip bandage on my cut finger and I will no longer carry the SOG Twitch II unlocked. I am again back to carrying a blade-tip-down knife clipped to my shorts pocket for now.UPDATE: June 3, 2015 -- After the accidental opening and injury reported in 2011, I have not carried the Twitch II regularly, but I have used it occasionally at the table to cut paper and open envelopes and packages -- relatively light and infrequent use over the past four years. On June 1, the blade of the Twitch II did not fully open to the locked position -- the spring started the blade opening but lossed tension and the blade stopped half-way open. So, last night, I sent an email message asking whether there was something I could do with the spring and, if so, how should I disassemble the knife to get to the spring. Today, the SOG Customer Service Representative promplty replied by email to say that disassembling the Twitch II would void the warranty and that I should send it to the SOG Warranty Department for replacement of the spring.UPDATE: June 16, 2015 -- I mailed my Twitch II to the SOG Warranty Department on June 4 and received it back on June 16 with a packing slip that stated that the broken spring was replaced under warranty at no charge to me.