SOG Centi I Thoughts

The SOG Centi I is one of the worst knife purchases I've made in a while. I needed $10 to get free shipping on a recent Blade HQ order and figured I'd just try this blade out. It was one of those impulse purchases for something I've never heard of before. This knife is bad enough that it has turned me away from trying anymore SOGs in the future. All of the knives I've tried from them have sucked, so this isn't just a dud. If you're looking for a tiny keychain knife, get the Spyderco Bug or Honeybee instead. Those are loads better than this piece of junk. I would not want to rely on this as my keychain knife. I'd rather have a knife that's slightly bigger and more expensive, because at least you know you're getting a usable, quality product.

The build quality is pretty bad. It's a flimsy and cheap feeling knife in the hand. For $10, that's what I should have expected. I have seen better knives in this size range at this price though. The design is okay looking. I like the all-black colorway but that's about it. The overall length of this thing is 3.4". It is so light and slim that it would disappear on the keys. The blade and handles are only about a centimeter or two wide thick though, so you don't have a lot of purchase on this already small knife. The steel is 3Cr13MoV, which is pretty bad for a $10 knife. I've seen knives at this price point with slightly better steel. Again for the price though, this is to be expected.

I hate that this is a two-handed knife when the thumb hole was advertised so heavily. The thumb hole really functions more as a nail nick instead. It opens fine enough if you use your nail in the thumb hole. The detent sucks as well. It takes very little effort to close this thing. I'd be worried that the slightest amount of pressure would cause the blade to close on my hand. The Honeybee from Spyderco had great detent and snapped shut with authority. This knife is the exact opposite of that. I wouldn't use this thing for more than opening letters. It's obviously not meant for heavy tasks, but I wouldn't even trust it for the lightest of tasks. I expected it to have a lock, since that's what the listing on the Blade HQ said. It turns out the bigger brother, the Centi II, is the one with the lockback. Blade HQ must have copied and pasted the description without changing it. That was a big letdown for me, as I really wanted to see a knife in this size range with a lock.

The ergos are terrible too. It's a two-finger knife, which is by far my biggest annoyance when it comes to ergos. It doesn't fit my hand comfortably at all. I can't get a firm grip on it, and that causes the knife to wobble in my hand during use. 

For $10, this is by far the worst knife I've tried. It has no redeeming qualities. I regret picking it up and wish I had spent the $10 on something else. Do no pick this knife up at all. I will be avoiding SOG in the future from now on too. Sorry this post was kind of all over the place and unlike my typical reviews. Thanks for looking!