SOG has returned to their Gambit model and cranked up the size dial for their latest release, the Gambit XL. This larger version of the karambit heightens the tactical nature of the Gambit design without compromising the attitude that made the model stand out in the first place.
SOG has always been a company with a strong tactical background – it is, after all, embodied right there in the name (SOG stands for “Studies and Observation Group”). They’ve worked in all sorts of martially-inflected categories, both fixed and folding, so it only made sense for them to have a karambit model, a well-loved and historically-proven fighting knife format. The Gambit has been around in the SOG catalog for nearly a decade, but this is the biggest it has ever been.
How big? Well, the standard Gambit’s hawkbill blade is 2.6 inches long, making it a fairly compact little piece (although SOG also makes the Snarl, which if not a direct relation is certainly reminiscent of the Gambit line, and is even smaller, with a 2.3-inch blade). The XL lives up to its name, nearly doubling that length and coming in at 4 inches even. Naturally that expands the range of possible uses significantly, and is accompanied by a notably better steel, AUS10A, replacing the 7Cr formula on the regular Gambit.
The XL has taken on another classic element of tactical fixed blade design in the form of a skeletonized tang with a paracord wrap handle. This contrasts with the molded GFN handle scales of the standard Gambit and also, frankly, just looks cool. A molded Kydex sheath with belt clip attachment accompanies the Gambit XL out into the wild. The knife weighs 4.75 oz. in total – a reasonable amount, and probably thanks in part to the skeletonization and lack of traditional handle scales.
The Gambit XL is available now.
Knife in Featured Image: SOG Gambit XL
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