In the early 1980s a young Spencer Frazer discovered and was inspired by a display of original Vietnam War era MACV-CISO Studies and Observation Group (SOG) Special Forces combat bowies. They were designed by Conrad Ben Baker and made in Japan, contracted with Yogi Shokai and Japan Sword. They used SK3 carbon steel and because the knives were subcontracted out to several makers, the fit and finish, even the guards varied. The bluing ended up being black, blue, purple or even plum. The knives bore no markings to avoid being traced; “sterile” in covert operations parlance.
Original MACV-CISO SOG knife
Determined to bring a reproduction of this SOG knife to market, Spencer Frazer contacted Bo Randall of Orlando Florida. Unfortunately, even back then there was a years-long waiting line, but Bo Randall referred him to someone who could help. That person was A.G. Russell who had contacts with Kencrest Corp, the top exporter of Seki knives. They in turn brought in Ichiro Hattori to make the first knives for SOG Specialty Knives of Santa Monica Ca. The SOG-1-F was based on the commemorative version of the originals rather than the bland unmarked issued ones. It used a blued SK5 carbon steel blade, stainless steel guard and pommel and stacked leather handle. The left side of the blade bore the SOG SPECIALTIES company logo, while the right side bore the 5th Special Forces crest near the ricasso and additional wording on the blade. The knife was brought to the market first in an ad in the April 1987 edition of “Soldier of Fortune” magazine.
They were serial numbered to 1500, and the number appeared on the left side ricasso. The origin “Japan” appears on the back of the pommel. Based on a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Spencer Frazer, knife no.0002 went to Arnold Schwarzenegger, No.0007 to Robert K. Brown of “Soldier of Fortune” magazine, No.0010 to Al Mar, and two sterile versions were given to Sylvester Stallone during the filming of Rambo; First Blood, Part III. Of notable interest is that Spencer Frazer discloses that this knife, which was made by Ichiro Hattori, was made in one of the same factories that made the original MACV-CISO knives.
Original “SOG SPECIALTIES” Logo
Certificate of Authenticity
Country of Origin on Pommel
S2 Trident with original LogoWhen marketing went to retail the logo was changed to the now well known SOG “Box” logo which remained in use from Santa Monica, CA to Edmond and then Lynnwood Wa. The early sheaths had the 5th Special Forces crest at the bottom whereas later versions simply had “SOG” with the company location.
SOG S1 with famous SOG “Box” Logo.
Shortly afterwards, SOG introduced the S2 “Trident” Bowie, which commemorated the U.S. Navy Seals. This knife had a polished Aus8 blade, black Micarta handles and the U.S. Navy Seals crest on the right side of the blade. While the most commonly seen S2s appear to have a solid black micarta handle, the earliest ones had stacked micarta handles.
The first S2 sheaths shipped with a nylon one marked Santa Monica, and later Edm Wa. Later models came with the leather sheath.
SOG S2
U.S. Navy Seals crest
A rarely seen model was the SOG SS1, which was identical to the S1 in all respects except that it had no Special Forces Crest or the “Vietnam, Fifth Special Forces Group” on the right side of the blade.
SS1
SS1
The SOG S1 has become a classic among knife collectors and has appeared in movies and television.
SOG Specialty Knives produced the S1 and S2 over the period of 1986-2005 that Hattori made these knives. There were a couple of limited edition commemoratives made by Hattori between 2006-2008.
Seki production of these two models ended in 2005 and SOG shifted to Taiwan production thereafter. Amongst the SOG collectors the original Seki made models still remain the most sought after.
1991 AG Russell Catalog
The same knives made for SOG were later made under the Hattori brand and designated TV2 and TV3.
Hattori TV-1(SK5), TV-2, TV-3(Aus8)
The earlier TV-3 designation was used for the unusual plum blued brass guard and pommel model.
Seki Hamono Kaikan （関刃物会館）Display
During this period, Hattori also made similar knives for Boker of Germany, two MACV-CISO commemoratives, identical but the first had a signature of Conrad Ben Baker etched on the left side of the blade, and the other had no signature. Both of these are unique as their grind line ends closer to the ricasso, rather than the second spine peak. This is characteristic of the actual standard issue MACV-CISO SOG knife used in combat. All other Hattori SOG knives follow the grind line of the MACV-CISO SOG Commemorative editions.
CISO/MACV Boker Ad from 2002
Boker Commemorative SOG
Right side of blade
Left side of blade
Another Boker offering was the the Son Tay Raid commemorative and the unusual blade shaped “Force Recon” model. All of these models were made for the European market so are not encountered often in the U.S.
Son Tay Raider Boker Ad 2005
Boker Son Tay Raider Commemorative
Force Recon Boker Ad 2003.
Boker Force Recon
In 2006 a limited edition Damascus S1 was offered by SOG. It is very rare as only 50 were made, all serial numbered, with a Certificate of Authority signed by Spencer Frazer and came in a wooden presentation box. The blade was a VG10 core with a Nickel Stainless (410j) Damascus in 49 layers.
Damascus VG10 L/E
Damascus S1
Made in Seki
The same knife as the Hattori HD7, a VG10 core but with a 97 layer Nickel Stainless Damascus is still available only by custom order.
Another Limited Edition 1000 knife run offered by SOG was a commemorative made during 2006-2008 . It was a standard S1, blued SK5 blade, serial numbered on the guard. It came in a presentation box with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Spencer Frazer as well as a Plaque.
S/N on guard
L/E Commemorative
This commemorative edition is likely the last S1 made by Hattori for SOG Specialty Knives, as they had started to switch manufacture from Seki Japan to Taiwan. It would also be the last SOG knife that used bluing on the blade, and the only Hattori made S1 with the newer “bullet cutting” SOG logo.
SOG S2 Trident Seki 1986-2005 Aus8
Hattori TV-3 (current) Aus8
Hattori TV-1 SK5
Hattori TV-2 Aus8
1998 Hattori Year of Knife Limited Edition of 99.
In Mid 2019 Hattori introduced a limited edition (10 made) TV Series SOG knife commemorating his 80th birthday. The right side of the blade has the kanji character San (傘) representing Sanju (傘寿）. The blade is Aus8 with stainless steel bolster where the serial number is engraved. The handle is Sambar Stag highlighted with leather washers, Nickel Silver spacers and Desert Ironwood.
Thanks to SOGknivescollectors.com, Boker Germany and Lutz Krempf, Germany., the SOG subforum members on Bladeforum, J.Iwahara of Kencrest Corp, Seki Japan, Goldie Russell.
https://www.sogknives.com/
https://www.boker.de/us/
Excellent info!
Thanks Ed. My thanks go out to all of my friends on Bladeforum who have helped me out with the SOG brand.
Awesome site.. flows nice… hopefully this we be a 1 stop shop for vintage sog info.. I got tons of pics.. let me know if u need them!!
Thanks very much Dax!
Hi i have a i’m not shure a limited edition first run sog s1 s/n 1300 of 1500 produced pieces. on your side it’s written that on the left seise of the blade is the special sog logo ” SOG SPECIALITIES” but my model has the normal old sog speciality knives inc. logo. But i have a wooden box and on the box and knife are the same serial numbers. I bought it without a certificate any help if it’s just until s/n 299 with the SOG specialities logo or is it a fake or cheap model?
Thank You for your help.
Hi Simon. There are several variations which arise occasionally that I haven’t been able to document, and your example may be one. I would appreciate it if you could send some photos of your knife to kurobune1852ATgmailDOTcom. Thanks.
Hello,
The AL Mar SOG knives produced in Seki Japan.. were they produced by Hattori as well?
Hi Mike,
The Al Mar SOG knives, as well as all other AM models were made by G.Sakai.
The only Al Mar knife that Hattori made were the Fang daggers.
Ken
Thank you Ken! You are a wealth of knowledge!
Have you ever seen an S1 knife with “SOG” and the tomahawk on one side and “SEKI-JAPAN” & the SF crest on the other? The knife is numbered on the guard with a certificate that says 1000 are made.
SOG Knives never had a logo that used a “Tomahawk”. I suspect that by “Tomahawk” you mean the SOG logo that is actually a bullet being cut by a knife blade. What you describe would be a 2006-2008 limited edition. Although I have only seen the series that also had a “20” representing the 20th anniversary of SOG knives on the right side (where the Seki-Japan and SF crest appears). it is highly possible that there was a
series without the “20”.
SOG 2000 NAVY SEALS engraving : http://www.m9m4.com/index.cfm?currentpage=68
I well remember visiting Arnold’s office, then in Venice Beach, with Spencer.
Spencer brought a SOG Recon with him and left it for Arnold. That led to the knife later appearing in Teminator II.
Having promoted SOG heavily from the outset Fighting Knives magazine got the exclusive interviews with Ben Baker regarding the Recon and CISO bolo.
Al Mar’s version of the SOG Recon was rooted in his having been a “green beret” with service in VN and his membership in the Special Operations Association.
I have an original CISO contracted Recon as well as a SOG Recon and now two custom made versions ftom maker Pat Holland (Alaska).
A truly legendary design with deep roots in the US Special Operations community even today.
Greg Walker (ret)
USA Special Forces
Hello
I have a Sog trident S2, I bought it in the 90´s and want to sell it.
Its unused.
Is there any interest for it here?
Best Regards, Daniel Sandberg
Hey Daniel, I might be interested in your knife. Please email me: bfvanadium (at) gmaildotcom
橋本さま
とても詳しく紹介されていて、非常に参考になりました！
特にボーカーのモデルは存在すら知りませんでしたが、2005年モデルはかなり欲しくなりました。
御サイト情報を参考にして、地道に探して行きたいと思います。
なお、こちらで紹介されている服部HD-7ダマスカスの写真は、私の所有する個体です！
なんだかとても嬉しくなりました(笑)
KM様、
ありがとうございます。このサイトは全部英語なので日本のナイフファンのお方に見ていただけて光栄です。また、KM様のHD-7の写真を使わせて頂きありがとうございます。このモデルはまったくアメリカには存在してないようなので。ちなみにBOKERのモデルもめったに見ません。たまには欧州のセラーがEBAYのオークションサイトに乗せたりするぐらいです。
I have a confusing piece, and after reading your article am wondering if it is genuine. Bought a Sog S2 Trident, it came with a box that includes a 2005 Sog lineup catalog, so kind of assumed that was the year of manufacture, which I think was the last year they made them in Seki Japan before moving production and discontinuing the S2 for a while. But the blade is not stamped Seki or Taiwan. The Sog logo does not include the classic box. There is a Navy Seals emblem on the opposite side, but it seems smaller than others I’ve seen pictured. If it’s a knockoff they did a helluva job, I can’t see a difference and the box and accompanying materials appear genuine, but the inconsistencies in the blade markings make me wonder. Any thoughts? Is it possible that they changed the logo to the no box on the last few Seki runs of the S2?
Alex,
The shift from Seki to Taiwan manufacture occurred over the 2005-2006 period. As a result there are some SOG models that were made in both countries of origin during that time frame. Could you make photos of your S2 in question available to see? If you put them up on photo hosting site you can post the the links. Or you can email me the pics at kurobune1852(AT)gmail.com. As there are some minor differences between the Seki and Taiwan S2s I think we should be able to make an identification.
Ken
Sent them to tour email as atrachments. Thanks Ken.
SOG also contracted with Kinryu Co. Ltd of Seki Japan to manufacture the Recon Bowie and the Scuba Demo until 2007. None of these knives, however, are currently used by any branch of the US Military in an official capacity. Original models are extremely valuable collector’s items among both knife collectors and militaria collectors. The later replicas are also in high demand by collectors, especially the early ones made in Seki.
Thanks for quoting my own contribution to Wikipedia several years ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOG_Knife
I purchased a SOG Trident 2.0 from Taiwan a little while back because I thought it was a beautiful knife and it was much less expensive than the S2 Seki model that I really wanted. When I got it I realized that the handle was a little small for my hands. Not a big deal because I was just going to display it anyways. I recently found a Trident S2 that was a good price so I bought it. To my surprise the handle was bigger than my 2.0 model and fit my hand perfect. I liked it so much I bought another S2 thinking it was going to be the same as the first one. To my dismay, the handle on the second one is not only smaller than the first Trident S2 but even smaller than the 2.0 Taiwan version.
Do you know when and why the handle size on these knives changed so much. Are the older ones the bigger handle ones or is it the newer ones. I am curious because I might sell the smaller handle one and try to find one with the bigger handle and want to know what to look for.
some are vintage original ones (holy grails) somes are china/taiwan cheap clone/replica …..thats why
its very important to do your eduction with theses knives BEFORE opening your wallet and spend your hard earned money. some take their time doing their investigation , other are too quick on the trigger…
I have a SOG S1 I could use some help with. I believe it to be part of the first run of 1500 but there are some differences. It is serial number 1390 on the left side of the blade. the logo is the box logo. I have the sheath that is Santa Monica marked with the SF emblem and the same emblem is on the blade and under that it has Seki-Japan. On the right side of the blade is Vietnam 5th Special Forces Group. Japan is not stamped the pommel. I can send pics if it would help. I would just like to know if it is real and where it fits in. – Thanks
John
would like to see your photos.
please mail to kh67885ATgmailDOTcom
Thanks
橋本さま
ご無沙汰しております。
海外オークションサイトで良い出物がないかと探していたのですが、なかなか見つかりませんね。
ダマスカスは国内外問わず人気が無いのか、またまたHD-7を安く手に入れてしまいました(定価の３分の１)。
色々と探していたつもりでしたが、まさか服部刃物さんから傘TVなる新製品が出ていたとは気付きませんでした…
服部刃物さんのホームページもコマメに確認しないとダメですね！
今からでも傘TVを探してみたいと思います。
KM様、
お久しぶりですね。去年の８月に帰国したんので私も服部さんの傘寿シーリーズのことは後から知りました。傘TVはスタグハンドルを使ってて非常に珍しい作品です。最近、アメリカのバーク リバーがSOGナイフシーリーズを紹介しまして、色々な今までなかったハンドル材を使ってますがさすがにスタッグはありませんね。ちなみに私はバーク リーバ―の社長マイク スチュアートと数年前に話した時、彼は服部さんの腕は見事だと言ってました。マイクは元々、1980年代にBENCHMADEに居て、そのころから関市のメーカーと知り合ったと言ってました。
https://www.knifecenter.com/series/bark-river-knives/bark-river-macv-sog-serieshttps://www.knifecenter.com/series/bark-river-knives/bark-river-macv-sog-series
今は欧米ではダマスカスが大はやりですね、包丁にしてもアウトドア ナイフにしても。確かに日本国内ではその様な人気はありませんね。
傘TV入手しました！
服部刃物さんに問い合わせたら、普通に在庫がありました(笑)
定価なのでちょっと高かったですが、ご祝儀と思って喜んで買わせて頂きました。
仕上がりも良く、ファクトリーナイフとは思えない出来で満足しています。
しかし、10本限定だというのに、まだ売れ残っているなんて…
やはり、ナイフ人気の低下が原因でしょうか…
確かにスタッグハンドルのSOGナイフは珍しいですよね！
個人的には質素なS1が一番好きなので、ヒルトもバットキャップも黒くて、刻印が無い物が発売されてくれると嬉しいんですけど。
あ、クラウドファンディングで有志を集めれば良いのかな？(笑)
バークリバーは実物を見たことがなくて…
是非とも入手してみたいです。
海外の方々からも認められる服部さんはやはり凄いですねー
これからのご活躍も期待したいです！
ダマスカスは欧米では大人気だったんですね？！
国内のナイフショーなどでは見かける機会がだいぶ減りました。
だからこそHD7が安かったんでしょうけど(苦笑)
おめでとうござます！限定物がまだ残ってたのは正直、驚きませ。服部さんのナイフは品質も値段も高いことは海外でも知られてるので。
全部ブラックのSOGナイフはさすが誰も作ってませんね。もとんもと、実際に１９６０年代ベトナムで米陸軍特殊部隊（5th Special Forces)が使ってたナイフはほとんど
刃の部分だけがブルーイングされてました。全体オールブラックはありませんでした。もし、オールブラックのS1を望むなら、セラコート加工をすることができます。
日本では誰ができるか知りませんが、アメリカではしてくれる店は知ってます。
Hello Ken! First I wanna say THANX for that great info site.
Shortly I was lucky to get the Böker Son Tay Raider Commemorative for my collection. If you need better pictures from that knife for
your site please just let me know. Best wishes 🙂
Hello,
I have four SOG S1s, three of which are the sterile version. My question pertains to one of these three. I bought the knife from a knife collector/seller by the name of Rick Monsour back in 2014. I tried to get help identifying it by putting the question, along with a few pics of the knife on the blade forum site a few years back but could not get an answer. I was advised to contact SOG directly with my question which I did. SOG contacted me back only stating that a review of my pics showed that the knife is, in fact, one produced by them – no other information. The knife is not like any sterile one I have ever. It is too sterile. The only markings on the blade is the early lined “SOG SPECIALTIES” logo on the left side of the blade. There are NO numbers on either side of the ricasso. The word JAPAN is stamped on top of the pommel and that is it for markings. The scabbard is also devoid of markings. The only markings on the scabbard is the word JAPAN stamped on the back of the scabbard. No markings above the sharpening stone pocket. I am wondering exactly what do I have here. Would this be a prototype or just a very, very early production, or something else? Thank you.
Charles
Charles,
I doubt there is anyone left at SOG old enough to know the answer to your question.
My guess would be that you have some early/pre-production specimen.
I would suggest you contact Jay Johnson at https://onlysog.com/
he may be able to give you a better identification.
Regards
Ken
sorry if this is the wrong place to post this in but a few years back I inherited a huge knive collection and in that collection are s1c with wood box blue felt certificate etc I also have a s1 not numbered a daggert a daggert 2 special addition trident s2, pentagon, a government, a nite tech nw ranger , recon bowie and Tom cat at least that’s what I believe I have all the original boxes unfortunately got lost after family went through everything multiple times and know realized they were important have all sheaths and the knive haven’t been used just handled would like to sell as a group was wondering the best place to do so also have pics if u would like to see I could be wrong in what models I’m claiming to have since a few look so close to each other there all seiki japan but sum have a black x which I didn’t see in my research any help and advice would be appreciated
check the new version
things cant go better….
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/sog-new-version-of-the-vietnam-s1-2-0-bowie-can-you-believe-that.1951252/#post-22198668
The SOG Bowie 2.0 in that BF thread is a fake.
Ebay is now filled with copies of classic SOG knives made in Pakistan.
I have the sog RDB7-K DAMASCUS RECON BOWIE #5 of only 20 made, if interested please let me know
I have the sog RDB7-K DAMASCUS RECON BOWIE #5 of only 20 made, if interested please let me know mikemckenzie2020@gmail.com