SOG X-42 Recondo – RFB81

SOG Knives Collectors’ X-42 Recondo Original Review:

This time SOG Knives Inc. listened to its consumers and came out with the SOG Recondo, made with a very high end quality steel of BG-42 steel. This steel is well known for its exceptional hardness (Rc. 60), stain resistance and its use in the manufacture of ball bearings. With such a high hardness rating, this knife is sure to keep a wicked edge out in the field, even with extended use. This also means that the Recondo can be used as a prying tool, though not recommended due to its design where the tip has a high probability of breaking off. It can be a bitch as well to sharpen and get a decent edge, because of its high hardness (which requires diamond sharpeners or similar). It is also noted that although SOG originally put the Recondo as having a hardness of Rc. 62-64, having such a high hardness makes it prone to breakage, and is probably why the hardness rating was moved down to 60, as stamped on the blade.

Nevertheless,consumers quickly snapped up this model eagerly and shortly after a black TiNi coated version was produced.This knife also sports a full exposed tang, which is something normally found only in custom handled bushcraft knives, and is one of the first (if not the first) knife from SOG to do so. It also has a rounded exposed tang that could be used for field hammering or a skull basher.

With regard to the hardness of the steel, and in praise of its edge retention:

“The steel is so hard it just laughs at me every time I try for the razor edge”

-“New Pig Hunter”, bladeforums

This is the second tanto-style blade knife that SOG has produced (after the Tsunami). The steel was changed from BG-42 to S30V roughly 1 year after release, as long with the country of manufacture. There were satin-finished and powder-coated versions of the Recondo produced, though the satin-finished models were the standard from SOG. The Recondo is a expensive (yet affordably priced) knife to manufacture, and not to mention the riskiness in making a high hardness steel (due to increased risk of breakage of harder and more brittle steel). In total, there are 6 different combinations of knife steels and coatings that the Recondo were produced in, and it retains a high demand in the aftermarket.

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Specifications:

Blade Length: 5.3 in. x .160 in.
Overall length: 10.5 in.
Blade Steel: S30V stainless steel (Earlier productions had BG-42 steel)
Blade hardness: Rc. 59-60 (62-64 for BG-42 steel models)
Blade finish: Satin-finished or Powder Coated
Weight: 6.3 oz.
Edge: Partially Serrated
Carry System: Kydex Sheath
Handle Material: Zytel
Knife Type: Fixed Blade
Country of origin: USA, later “Assembled in USA” (S30V steel)
Part #: RFB81

Rarity Details:

Last Known MSRP: $<.>
Production dates: 2000 – 2004
Production numbers: ?
Limited run?: No.
Other things of interest: 2 versions with different steels and blade coatings were made
Rarity index: 9/10 (10 being the most rare)

Rarity index scale (1 to 10, 10 being the most rare):
1 – Very common; easily available on ebay, google product search and almost every knife selling website. Spammed with at least 10+ listings on ebay.
3 – Has been around for at least 2 years and are selling reasonably w%ll, with retailers favouring other newer models over this knife.
5 – Knives that are on the borderline of being discontinued or have been discontinued for less than 6 months
6 – Products from 6 onwards are either discontinued or limited edition.
7 – Discontinued knives that pop up once every few months on the “For Sale” part of forums or on ebay. Still can be found at a few online shops though.
8 – Knives that need lots of researching to find. Not available anymore in online knife shops and pop up (if you’re lucky) >4 months for one at a time.
9 – Knives holding this rarity are the shadowy kind. You can’t find any information on them at all (not even from online knife shops that have not taken down that knife%r7s product page). If you see one for sale grab at all cost.
10 – The rarest of all knives. If you hadn’t been here you wouldn’t even have known that it existed. Should you have one of these you better lock it up in a triple-combination safe and treat it like a family heirloom…

Product Description:

In 1966, the MACV Recondo School was established to train Special Forces Units in long-range recon tactics and commando operations. Graduates of the school were capable of performing many duties including infiltrating into enemy-controlled territory for long periods of time without being resupplied. These highly skilled graduates were called Recondos and they exemplified courage and confidence. Thirty-four years later, the spirit of this school and its graduates is carried on in the X-42 Recondo which proudly bears the name. The X-42 Recondo combines SOG technology with state-of-the-art materials for a truly extreme configuration designed to meet the many challenges of todays world.

A SOG evolution in blade design, the X-42 Recondo features wicked grind lines that focus power on the edge and tip of the intensely sharp blade. The balance, feel and quickness of this knife are extraordinary. The Recondo’s glass-reinforced Zytel handle is designed to provide maximum gripping, the ability to index quickly in low-light, as well as to move fluidly from front to reverse gripping positions.

These remarkable tactical advantages are combined with the most ultimate steel, BG-42 stainless. BG-42 stainless is the knife steel of the future. Used for years to make high-speed ball bearings and jet engine parts, it is exceptionally strong, corrosion resistant, and SOG tempers it to an outstanding Rockwell Hardness of 60. Due to its high cost, difficulty to manufacture and special cryogenic heat treating, BG-42 had not found its way into a production knife. We are the first production knife company to offer this incredible steel at an affordable price.

A knife this good should be carried in an equally good sheath. Our new Kydex sheaths exceed all previous standards. They are military belt and jump rated in addition to being quiet, self-draining and secure.

Pictures:

Page last updated: Monday, November 01, 2010 22:54:02 PDT