Lessons of the Swiss army knife

jackknife said:
When one is confronted by repeated evidence that item A is more capable than Item B, then it only makes sense to concede to the logic of the evidence of actual life's experience. In the end, all we can really go by, is our experiences in life. If brand X car gives you lots of trouble, but three of your friends drive brand Y, and have nothing but excellent service, then it stands to reason that brand Y is a better buy.

Experience, it's the best teacher.
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Quite reasonably said. On a side note, ordered an esquire still sealed in the package, I like it better than the classic, seems stronger, feels like a classic after lifting weights
 
elevator man said:
And yes I realize I'm stirring the pot playing devils advocate. But sometimes these threads seem like you can't enjoy SAKs properly if you still own or use any other knives. I've owned 3 actual SAKs over the years and always found them to be useful but too much of a pain to dig out the blade with two hands using a nail nick. To me it fits more of a multitool role than a main knife roll.
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I am like the OP, I carry a Recruit and a Classic SD and that seems to fulfill my daily needs but I don't see anything wrong with carrying another OHO locking knife and in fact I have done it. I like OHO on knives and a lock is nice. I don't care for clips all that much which is why I don't often carry another knife in addition to my SAK.
 
Calvin sums it all up right here... šŸ˜

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I am going to Pierce College on then Ft Lewis. Park in front of the Education Center, have to sort thru some stuff to get what I need, head inside. After class come out, reach for my keys, no have them. I look into my 1993 Nissan and see them sticking out underneath some books in the front passenger seat. That model Nissan had the rear windows that cracked open at an angle. Try to get my arm in to reach and grab the lock post, but it is not possible. It is possible to use my SAK to unscrew the hinge from the window, then pull the window all the way out so I can reach in and grab the lock post and open the door, and then re-screw the hinge to the window. Been carrying a SAK since my third Demo knife's back spring broke, and I order a SAK from Corrado Cutlery to carry for the rest of my tour in Vietnam in 1971. John
 
John A. Larsen said:
I am going to Pierce College on then Ft Lewis. Park in front of the Education Center, have to sort thru some stuff to get what I need, head inside. After class come out, reach for my keys, no have them. I look into my 1993 Nissan and see them sticking out underneath some books in the front passenger seat. That model Nissan had the rear windows that cracked open at an angle. Try to get my arm in to reach and grab the lock post, but it is not possible. It is possible to use my SAK to unscrew the hinge from the window, then pull the window all the way out so I can reach in and grab the lock post and open the door, and then re-screw the hinge to the window. Been carrying a SAK since my third Demo knife's back spring broke, and I order a SAK from Corrado Cutlery to carry for the rest of my tour in Vietnam in 1971. John
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Which SAK did you carry? Still carrying a SAK? Great story.
 
John A. Larsen said:
I am going to Pierce College on then Ft Lewis. Park in front of the Education Center, have to sort thru some stuff to get what I need, head inside. After class come out, reach for my keys, no have them. I look into my 1993 Nissan and see them sticking out underneath some books in the front passenger seat. That model Nissan had the rear windows that cracked open at an angle. Try to get my arm in to reach and grab the lock post, but it is not possible. It is possible to use my SAK to unscrew the hinge from the window, then pull the window all the way out so I can reach in and grab the lock post and open the door, and then re-screw the hinge to the window. Been carrying a SAK since my third Demo knife's back spring broke, and I order a SAK from Corrado Cutlery to carry for the rest of my tour in Vietnam in 1971. John
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Soooo classic. (No pun intended, really!)

The ability to deal with both flat and Phillips screws seem to be second only to actually need to cut something. When I think of all the times a SAK has been a saving grace, it's been because I could unscrew something to fix or fiddle with it to get it going again. Carburetor screws, fishing reel screws, door knob/lock mechanisms, firearm maintenance and repair, household small repairs, battery cable hookup/connections, and a ton more.

My first SAK came from the army issue 'demo' knife shortcomings. I wanted something like it that I could actually count on not to break.
 
jackknife said:
Soooo classic. (No pun intended, really!)

The ability to deal with both flat and Phillips screws seem to be second only to actually need to cut something. When I think of all the times a SAK has been a saving grace, it's been because I could unscrew something to fix or fiddle with it to get it going again. Carburetor screws, fishing reel screws, door knob/lock mechanisms, firearm maintenance and repair, household small repairs, battery cable hookup/connections, and a ton more.

My first SAK came from the army issue 'demo' knife shortcomings. I wanted something like it that I could actually count on not to break.
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jackknife, I was at a party, the host had a regular cork screw but could not get the cork out of a bottle of wine. I got it out using my SAK. I think the difference is the groove cut into the SAK cork screw that allowed the air to escape, as his cork screw did not have a groove. John
 
jackknife said:
Soooo classic. (No pun intended, really!)

The ability to deal with both flat and Phillips screws seem to be second only to actually need to cut something. When I think of all the times a SAK has been a saving grace, it's been because I could unscrew something to fix or fiddle with it to get it going again. Carburetor screws, fishing reel screws, door knob/lock mechanisms, firearm maintenance and repair, household small repairs, battery cable hookup/connections, and a ton more.

My first SAK came from the army issue 'demo' knife shortcomings. I wanted something like it that I could actually count on not to break.
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Without the tools, the swiss army knife would just be another single blade slipjoint and while still plenty useful, it isn't "as"
 
I carry both everyday, and I never find myself reaching for the SAK to perform daily cutting tasks.... i won't go without the ability to drive a screw, pull a splinter, or MOST importantly lol... go for the toothpick.
your results may vary though.
 
As I age I learn to let things go, one of those things, in relevance to the thread is blade play, roughly 50% of the case knives that are delivered to me show up with side to side blade play, use to drive me up the wall and then I'll read every thing I can on the internet to see how I can cope, if possible with it. The grand consensus is to return it because seems like nobody can handle it. But the truth of the matter is, when you cut, what direction do you take? Do you cut, then twist the wrist and move sideways along the belly of the knife, or do you cut in a linear movement? If you cut like this, side to side play really shouldn't matter all too much; I believe that as long as you use the knife as a cutting tool, and not in a manner that seems to largely be in fashion today, from what ive seen, you should be good.
Is the play ideal? No, but its no longer a deal breaker [for me].
Now we are lucky that swiss army knives from victorinox have a consistently high QC mark when it comes to shipped goods, I only had one problem and it was with the bottle opener on the bantam, the rest was golden.
 
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ShaiHulud said:
As I age I learn to let things go, one of those things, in relevance to the thread is blade play, roughly 50% of the case knives that are delivered to me show up with side to side blade play, use to drive me up the wall and then I'll read every thing I can on the internet to see how I can cope, if possible with it. The grand consensus is to return it because seems like nobody can handle it. But the truth of the matter is, when you cut, what direction do you take? Do you cut, then twist the wrist and move sideways along the belly of the knife, or do you cut in a linear movement? I believe that as long as you use the knife as a cutting tool, and not in a manner that seems to largely be in fashion today, from what ive seen, you should be good.
Is the play ideal? No, but its no longer a deal breaker [for me].
Now we are lucky that swiss army knives from victorinox have a consistently high QC mark when it comes to shipped goods, I only had one problem and it was with the bottle opener on the bantam, the rest was golden.
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

YES!!!!

This is directly related to age. As you age, you realize that there are far, far, far more important things to worry about. When I was in my 20's, I was a nit picking little bastid. Then at 30 I got married to what turned out to be my life's real companion, and we had kids. Then we had grandkids. Now we're great grandparents. Let me tell ya, there's nothing like raising three kids close in age, to make you become more forgiving of things. You have to let go or go insane. You're rushed for time, short on money, lots of problems on a day to day basis, kids yelling, and forget keeping the car spotless. Forget being exactly on time anywhere, with stops for junior number 1 to make a pit stop, or junior number 2 getting car sick, or junior number 3 having a melt down because he doesn't want to go. It gets better after a few years. Like when they become teenagers and are out of the house and off with their friends.

But by the time I was in my 40's, a huge amount of my persnickidness had gone out the window. If it was close enough, or good enough, then that was oaky. And that lesson carried over to the rest of my life. Pick what's really, REALLY, important, and the rest is good enough. A little blade play? Bah, nuthin to worry over. A little dent in the car? hah, so what? A little blade rub on the SAK nail file that leaves a line on there back of the knife blade? Who cares?

Living life, a real life, is a great way to loose the nit pickiness for knife nuts, gun nuts, whatever. Those little human beings you're raising to adult hood, hopefully with some manners, knowledge of how to get along in the world, are far more important than some minor fit and finish on a knife or car. My wife got upset over a parking lot dent on our new mini van, but 20 years and 264,000 miles later it made no difference in how it went to the junkyard. For 25 years my old Buck 301 stockman was a daily user. The back of the sheep foot blade rubbed on the back the main blade and left a good line. But for 25 years, it cut all manner of things with no loss of performance in cutting because of some blade rub. And as it aged, wear and tear made some blade play in it. Again, no difference in how it cut open packages, or whatever.

Keep things in perspective. You'll keep your sanity longer.
 
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If someone asked me today what knives/tools they need for daily use/camping I would tell them this:

A SAK of some kind.
Mora 2000
Forest Axe/or hatchet (substitute a machete in certain regions)

I really think that is all you need. And learn to sharpen a knife.

I would much rather have a knife that I can easily sharpen then a super steel that thereā€™s no way I could sharpen easily in the field.
 
shopdoc said:
If someone asked me today what knives/tools they need for daily use/camping I would tell them this:

A SAK of some kind.
Mora 2000
Forest Axe/or hatchet (substitute a machete in certain regions)

I really think that is all you need. And learn to sharpen a knife.

I would much rather have a knife that I can easily sharpen then a super steel that thereā€™s no way I could sharpen easily in the field
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Also I'll add, the importance of stropping
Which should be done every few uses, the less time you actually sharpen a knife the better, and no it doesn't need to be razor laser screaming sharp, that pursuit is silly
 
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