The SOG SEAL Pup Elite is a big upgrade over the original SEAL Pup. As previously reviewed, the original SEAL Pup came up short in the Nutnfancy review in July 2008: handle is too short, cutting edge terminates too far away from hilt, poor steel, abbreviated thumb ramp on top, and an abrupt grind that prevents ultra-sharpness (from the box). Enter the Elite where most of the shortcomings have been fixed: longer handle with deeper finger grooves offer better traction and balance, better AUS8 steel (vs the softer AUS6), hollow grinding allows for sharper edge, added spine rasp for wilderness notching (maybe finger placement too), and a thicker blade (.185" vs .155"). Quality is excellent. For its reasonable price it is a lot of knife that can function both as a tactical LBE blade and camp/utility knife. It, like its predecessor, retains the compact form and lightweight (about 9 oz total weight) that make it so carryable and likely to be on you when you need it. Some wilderness testing showed the Pup Elite to be a capable albeit light duty woodworking performer for firecraft preparation. The included Kydex sheath with 'American Sportsman' QD attachment is excellent though the cord cutting notch holds marginal utility. I prefer the Kydex sheath in the Elite over the also-offered ballistic nylon alternative. At its price point and carry weight it will be hard to top the SOG SEAL Pup Elite as a utility knife or close quarter defensive tool.
/////////////////////////// Nutnfancy LIkability Scale : 8.5 out of 10////////////// Music iicensed to TNP from
R. Audette - (Socan), CC 2.5
