Safely cut with the unique SOG Trident folding knife (continued)

Opening & Closing: I'm right handed and have always used my right hand to open knives after cutting my clumsy left hand several times with such an operation. As a result, I was a little hesitant to test the SOG Trident with my left hand but to my surprise I didn't end up with any cuts thanks to the innovative opening mechanism they implemented on this knife. By applying SAT, opening the Trident TF-1 is easy and amazingly fast. Simply push forward on the thumb stud to engage SAT which will then take command and spring your blade open all by itself, left or right handed, and you’re ready cut fishing line, rope tangled around your prop, and much more.

From closed to opened position takes an easy push of the thumb stud before S.A.T. takes over

Closing the Trident blade is almost as easy as opening the knife. The TF-1 uses SOG’s Arc-Actuator™ which locks tight and is located in an easy to reach area. We found that it was simple to use with both our right and left hands, and the blade can be closed easily with just a single hand. Both the SAT and Arc-Actuator™ are unique features only to SOG and makes opening and closing effortless with your unoccupied hand.

TF-1 has a tough and sharp blade made of AUS8 stainless steel. Then it’s further hardened with a coat of Titanium Nickel, which also helps resist corrosion

The Blade: Aside from useful features the blade is what makes or breaks a knife. Without a quality blade any knife would be a useless tool. The Trident folding knife has an outstanding blade that’s ground out of high-grade AUS8 stainless steel flat stock. We used the Trident on the water, fresh and salt, and while camping carving marshmallow sticks, gutting fish, and cutting other miscellaneous items, the blade never gave in and is sharp cutting without difficulty. The Trident blade remained solid and sound throughout our tests and never failed on us once. The stainless steel blade on the Trident model is all the same but the TF-1 test unit has a black Titanium Nickel coating on it. There is a slight downside to a coating because over time it’s sure to become scratched even though TiNi is a very tough material. Even if the coating can be damaged after prolong use and abuse, this is the model that anglers should use because the TiNi coating not only adds surface hardness but also increases the blade’s resistance to corrosion.

Ergonomics: The Trident folding knife holds nicely in your hands. The glass-reinforced Zytel handle is long enough for both large and small hands, and patterned with non-slip for a sure grip. In addition SOG molded the handle with proper curves and positioned the ridges on the handle and on top of the blade for a better hold, even when your hands are slimed by the fish.

When the button shows red, that means the knife is not locked and the blade can swing open

Application: To an angler a pocket knife is very important and can serve many purposes. One very obvious application is cutting fishing line. The blade is sharp and will cut fishing line in an instant. We tried cutting both slick lines such as mono and fluorocarbon and also braided line. With the blade flipped in the open position it easily sliced the braided line with either the serrated or fine edge section of the SOG Trident blade. With monofilament fishing line the blade doesn’t grab onto the line like it did with braided, so in order to quickly cut slippery line you must fold the line over the blade or carefully apply a quick slash - this goes for all knives. The Groove™ system does the same thing but allows you to cut with the knife in the closed and locked position. We found the Groove™ very handy and we were able to apply this feature on cutting line in a hurry, and without the fear of stabbing fellow anglers or damaging other nearby equipment.

Fishing line, braided or mono, can be cut with the Groove™

Aside from cutting fishing line with the Groove™, anglers can use the SOG Trident to cut rope. In an emergency you will want a blade with a sharp edge that can quickly get you away from danger such as rope wrapped around the prop and you’re about to be washed ashore or even rope wrapped around a fellow angler. Opened, the SOG Trident cuts rope very well above and underwater as we tried both of these scenarios. The Groove™ system can be applied to cutting only those items that  can fit in the slot, so most rope is out of the question and best cut with the Trident in an open position.