SOGFixed Blade Knives with Sheath - SEAL Pup Elite Survival Knife, Hunting Knife w/ 4.85 Inch AUS-8 Bowie Knife Blade for a Tactical Knife (E37SN-CP)

MY OWN MEASUREMENTS:12 & 1/4" sheathed (with belt loop and retainer plate)10" sheathed (without belt loop and retainer plate)9 & 3/8" knife Overall4 & 13/16" exposed blade4 & 1/4" sharpened blade3/16" blade thickness5.7oz knife1.3oz Kydex sheath (without belt loop and retainer plate)---PROS:---LIGHTWEIGHT - After months of searching for a lightweight, solid, fixed-blade for backpacking, I finally decided on the SOG Seal Pup Elite with Kydex Sheath, mainly for it's compact 9 & 3/8" overall length and an incredibly lightweight 5.7oz. Since I plan on lashing the knife to my pack (and because it fits so securely in the sheath) I've removed the belt-loop and retainer plate from the sheath, leaving me with a total mounted weight of 7.0oz! Backpackers rejoice!SHARP & DURABLE - Mine came sharp enough to shave with right out of the box (honestly, I did it - I'll post a pic), as well as easily slice through paper without tearing it. That classifies as razor sharp in my book! Not to mention the serrations, which cut me right out of the box after little more than a light brush alongside them. To the reviewer who said "looks awsome [sic] but is dull..." I ask, "Have you even handled this knife?" It is DEFINITELY NOT dull out of the box. But even if it were, so what?! All knives need to be sharpened from time to time, and yes, sometimes out of the box; you wouldn't throw a $160 knife away just because it dulled would you? You're not paying for a sharp sharp blade, you're paying for a well designed, high quality blade YOU keep sharp. With the Seal Pup Elite and it's AUS-8 steel specially cryogenic treated by SOG, you're getting proven steel with excellent edge holding capability.The edge itself features SOG's original Bowie design with plenty of belly, distributing the workload along the long, sweeping edge. The blade's starts at 3/16" thick, making it nearly indestructible; I've jammed this knife tip-first into hardwood over and over again and so far the tip is just fine. I've used it to chip down 2" diameter branches and baton 4" thick firewood for kindling and the edge is still sharp. I've left it out in the dew all night and, partly thanks to the Titanium Nitride coating, I have yet to see a spot of rust. durable? Check.GREAT HANDLE - Solid feel in your hand, lightweight, grippy, durable. Compared to the original, non-Elite version, the Elite's handle is slightly longer with more curve around the pinky. The balance point is right at the index finger so it feels very maneuverable. Pictures will do a better job of showing the texture molded into the Zytel than I could do describing it, but overall just know that it has an impressive grippiness to it considering how slick untextured Zytel is. If you've never felt Zytel before, you'll be at how light and yet how durable it is; its incredibly hard, harder than any plastic I've ever dealt with, and yet still not brittle. They say it's basically a mix of nylon an fiberglass. Whatever it is, it's unbreakable. Lanyard hole is a plus, but I don't use it.SHEATH - The sheath is basically made of three easily separable parts: the Kydex sheath itself, the retainer strap plate, and the Velcro belt loop. With the retainer plate and belt loop removed, this sheath is crazy stealth - lighter and more compact than pretty much any other survival knife OEM sheath out there and perfect for backpacking. It's poked full of mounting options, can be mounted in pretty much any direction, and the knife locks in tightly with no rattle. Basically, the sheath is molded around the shape of the knife and hilt, and the hilt tapers slightly away from the blade. When you pull the knife out, the sheath hast to expand a little bit to let the larger end of the hilt pass through, providing retention even when mounted tip-up with the retention strap removed. There's no need to press a release mechanism, but under certain circumstances (without the retainer) it might shake loose. I chose to go the extra mile and glue the expanding part of the case together, tightening up the sheath's hold on the hilt. It's secure enough to run with confidently while mounted upside down. Oh, and there's also a quick-access cord cutting slot notched into the sheath, but it's lame, so I'm saving that for the "Cons" section of this review.GO ELITE! - I had the opportunity to handle the standard (non Elite) version of the Seal Pup before making my final decision, and BELIEVE ME, it's worth spending the extra few dollars for the Elite. Better sheath, better handle, better steel (AUS-8 over AUS-6), longer blade/shorter choil, and the spine rasp [which I don't particularly find any need for whatsoever, but it's nice to know that, should I ever need "notch" wood, they're there... Mainly though, they just look cool ;) ]VALUE - As I'm writing this review, Amazon is selling this knife with the Kydex sheath for $73 (down from $130 MSRP). For what you're getting here this is an outstanding deal!---CONS / LIMITATIONS:---LIMITED HACKING/BATONING ABILITY - a 5.7oz knife with a 5" blade is a great compromise where larger knifes are just too heavy and bulky to bring along, but with the saving in weight and length you also lose sheering and hacking ability. With the Seal Pup Elite, you probably won't find it *practical* to hack through branches thicker than 2 inches diameter or baton through logs thicker than 5" diameter (extra 3/4" gained by not going straight through the diameter). While that's still enough to get you by in a survival or backpacking situation, hardcore survivalists might want something with a bit more momentum and length, and that's not what this is for.LIMITED HAMMERING ABILITY - Although indestructible, the Zytel handle is all but useless for hammering, especially tent-stakes. SOG decided to round off the base of the knife, probably for comfort. Had they left it *just* a bit flatter it would have been up to the task, but as it stands, the rounded pommel either glances off your stake or doesn't strike hard enough. Another con of a lightweight knife, but nothing that can't be fixed with a nearby rock ;)POOR JIMPING - There *is* a thumb-ramp formed into the Zytel handle to prevent slippage when thrusting the blade, and it does have very slight grooves, but not deep enough to write home about. Also, the first ~3/4" of the spine isn't rasped, which just doesn't make sense to me as it would be perfect jimping if you were to ride your thumb high. Fortunately, there's enough texture and finger grooving in the Zytel handle overall that, combined with the thumb ramp under actual use, this isn't really a problem.SHEATH - Yeah, I know the sheath is in the Pros section, but it's not without its flaws. Kydex is supposedly a top of the line, lightweight, durable sheath material. But something about this sheath, while still better than the nylon version, just seams cheap to me. It's basically a sheet of plastic that's been heated and folded in half around a mold, then riveted together. After spending a weekend of removing and reinserting the knife, it's developed a little catching point inside where, if you don't insert the knife straight in, it'll get stuck on the way in. Also, the retainer loop/plate and Velcro belt loop screw points are different widths, meaning you cannot attach the belt loop to the sheath without the retainer plate in the middle. Again, not a big deal as I don't plan on using either of them, but you might want to know. Oh, and the quick-access rope cutter is a joke. Sure, it works (you have to pull pretty hard since you don't get the slicing you would otherwise get if you just used the knife) but think about it: when is it going to be quicker to un-lash the sheath from your gear, just to cut a cord, then lash it back down the way you like it? Never, and though I haven't actually gotten it caught on anything, I'm still afraid it's just a liability.So that's it. I truly recommend this to those looking for a lightweight backpacking knife.

Had the knife for quite some time amazing product

Good purchase, I snagged a deal day. I have had my eye on this for years and finally got it because of Navy SEAL connection. I love the size and styling. Fits okay in the hand. Good sheath. I got the nylon sheath which has a pouch. In that pouch, I put a pocket Sharpal sharpener which has a built in whistle and ferro rod. Haven’t had much field use yet but so far like the first impressions and can recommend.

As advertised! First impression was it's small and light. Of course sharp and very sturdy. There is a three inch section of the blade that measures 4.7mm-5.0mm. It weighed in at 168g's overall. Size and shape makes it like a great tool. Highly recommendHighly recommend the SOG Seal XR, also! This is the folding version of the Seal Pup Elite

I am truly impressed by the quality of this knife and sheath in relationship to the price. I opted for the straight edge with the satin finish, because the TiNi coating wasn't worth the additional cost to me. The coating definitely adds the "cool factor" and has some functional advantages, but for casual camping/backpacking, I did not find it necessary.The product arrived sharp with a light protective oil on the blade. Upon examination, I was unable to find any quality issues or blemishes. The blade has a nice, smooth surface finish. I would not classify it as a satin finish though. It is reflective, so if that is an issue for your application, go with the TiNi coating. I like the fact that this knife is full tang, yet still lightweight, and the sheath has many mounting options. For this reason, it's great for backpacking.The sheath, in it of itself, is just as nice as the knife. It features a MOLLE style attachment system and a functional front pocket large enough to accommodate a multitool, small flashlight, sharpener etc. The sheath features a plastic insert to guard the nylon from accidental cuts and gives some retention to the blade in case the handle strap isn't clasped. The handle strap consists of a button snap and velcro to ensure that everything is secure. Also, I read one review stating that their knife came with a sheath that did not match the photo. I believe the reviewer was referring to an older model sheath SOG once issued. Thankfully, mine was shipped with the pictured sheath. This model is much improved and I can appreciate that customer's disappointment.Overall, I'm pleased with this purchase and would highly recommend it on a visual inspection basis. I'm looking forward to the field test. 4 out of 5 stars due to the manufacturing location, but that is becoming more and more common these day. In my opinion, the SOG quality policy has been implemented in their lower-cost manufacturing facilities abroad, and this is still going to be a reliable product.UPDATE: 10-15-2015Much to my disappointment, I snapped the blade on my SOG Seal Pup Elite while processing kindling for a campfire over the weekend. The blade failed about 1 inch from the handle. I will see if SOG will offer a replacement, but their warranty states that replacements for broken blades are up to their discretion. We will see how that goes. In the meantime, I'll be ordering an ESEE 6 as my primary replacement. The ESEE warranty is unbeatable - unintentional and intentional blade failures will be replaced without question.UPDATE: 10-27-2015I just received shipping confirmation from SOG regarding a replacement knife. This is good news and a good reflection on SOG's warranty/customer service. I wrote them a detailed letter outlining what happened (not required, but felt inclined to do so), filled out the warranty form from their website, and shipped the broken knife to them. No other interaction was required; it was a seamless process.

Great night for hunting self-defense great night, withS.O.G you can’t go wrong