PMCI - March 2021

SOG Bowie for the special operations groups quickly turned into
a full innovative line of tools that are highly regarded by Law
enforcement specialists, military, hunters, outdoor enthusiasts,
industrial professionals, and every day carry knife enthusiasts.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Coming from a military and law enforcement background, I
have carried many varieties of knives and I currently carry a SOG
Escape Knife with Seatbelt Cutter and Tungsten Glass Breaker as
part of my EDC. So, when I was asked to take a look at the Pillar,
I was eager and excited to see how it would perform.
The Pillar came in a nice and sturdy SOG presentation box.
Once I opened it, I was immediately drawn to the look and design
of this knife. For a general purpose knife, it just looked solid. The
Pillar is a fixed blade with a full tang, straight edge, and a clip
point, when I picked it up it felt great in my hand and I quickly
noticed the weight, coming in at a little over 7 ounces, it wasn’t
too heavy or bulky. It is a well-balanced design and one that you
can tell was built for the long haul. The Pillar comes with a Kydex
sheath that is adjustable, low-profile, and has a locking mount.
Before I started any testing, I wanted to take a look at the
blade steel type and blade hardness. The Pillar is made out of
S35VN steel which is designed to hold up to long term use with
little diminishment of quality. S35VN is still a relatively new steel
that was developed in 2009 as Crucible Industries’ attempt to
improve on their previous top steel. S35VN steel is created using
Crucible Particle Metal (CPM) technology, which evenly distributes
carbides (the hard particles) in the blade, allowing the blade to
retain a sharp and durable edge.
S35VN steel uses a finer grain structure than S30V and also
includes small amounts of niobium (denoted by the “N” in
S35VN). Niobium (Nb) is often used to enhance the strength
of metals, which makes it ideal for products where strength is
critical, such as rocket engines, jets and gas pipelines. S35VN’s
rebalanced chemistry contributes to its improved sharpening
ability and makes it more resistant to chipping. The finished
S35VN steel is made of 1.4% carbon, 14% chromium, 3%
vanadium, 2% molybdenum and 0.5% niobium. The S35VN steel
has really caught my attention as it’s 145% better than 440C
when measured against the sharpness scale.
The vanadium in the alloy works to create a fine grain structure
that helps hold an edge. Niobium is even better than vanadium
at keeping grain sizes small, so its addition to the alloy helps
increase edge retention without giving up toughness or wear
resistance. The addition of molybdenum increases the material’s
strength to properly hold the edge.
Now onto the hardness of the blade, the Rockwell scale was
co-created by Hugh and Stanley Rockwell in the early 20th century
KNIVES: SOG PILLAR
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