Thanks for the refresher on those figures. All I can say is WOW!!!!!
That's mind-blowing!! Amazing testimony that the mighty little SAK absolutely dominates the world over. I can certainly see why, it's a high quality tool/knife that can go anywhere and nobody blinks an eye at it. Everyone instantly knows what it is and knows how invaluable they are!
I'm thinking I'll pick up another Classic after reading this. I've had several over the years and they end up getting lost in couch cushions or under the seat of the car I guess. I'm sure they're still out there with whomever found them, doing what they do best. I've gifted all my family members an SAK of one type or another over the years. They're just too darned handy. I just can't imagine how anyone could not find one indispensable.
Yes I do carry a Leatherman Classic (the same one since the day I got it in Sept 1994) and it's very handy indeed. For a number of years it was oftentimes the only tool or knife I had with me, but it's a supplement to a good SAK, not a replacement. Ideally the two go hand in hand - like peanut butter and jelly! Add a Stockman to that formula and you can handle nearly anything.
Yeah, the little classic definitely dominates the world cutlery market, but I think it goes deeper than just being handy and not making people blink. I think it's a matter of convenience and cost.
My old man once said something that kind of stuck in my mind. He told me that a pocket knife is something that is carried a lot, but only used once in a while. I had asked him why he preferred his little Case peanut over all other knives. Part of it was the sentimental fact that it was a gift from his mother on the boring he left home for school. But part of it was, like a lot of people, he didn't want to be bothered by it or reminded of it when he didn't need it.
Most people I know are not knife enthusiasts. Not at all like us, the afflicted and obsessed. They may recognize that they need a sharp tool once in a while, and maybe once in a while a small screw driver or scissors. The women folk love their scissors, and I have to admit I like them around as well. Very handy. So what kind of knife is a non knife person going to buy? Sure not some three blade stockman, or two blade trapper that is going to del like a rock in a Dickies or office wear clothing. Surely not some big lock blade more suited for field dressing a deer or waging guerrilla warfare and looks too much like a weapon.
Now I'm not just talking the U.S. market. I'm taking world wide sales. Keep in mind most of the rest of the world has much more strict knife regs than us in the U.S. The U.K., Italy, Neatherlands, Scandinavia, far east like Japan and Southeast Asia. Some working guy in London, Tokyo, Stockholm, or Singapore isn't going to spend a lot money on something he can't even carry. But he may spend a little bit on a knife made by a company that has more world wide recognition than any other product except Bic products. The little red handle knife with the silver cross is a recognized quality item, no matter where you go. And the little 58mm's don't cost a arm and a leg, thanks to Victorinox's extremely efficient mass production. World wide, more people are opening mail, FEDEX packages, and trimming a rough nail with the little SAK's than any other pocket knife.
The classic, like the little peanut, is a case study of how efficient a small item can be at a given task. Growing up watching my dad was a study in tool efficiency. How much blade do we really need to open a50 pound bag of dog kibble of bird seed, or slit open a UPS box? Or cut a piece of twine or rope? How much screw driver do we need to deal with a light switch plate cover, or the screws on a fishing reel?
I had to get old to really appreciate how nice miniature equipment that can still function at it's intended job is. Small and light is good. Being retired on a social security check, or being on some kind of limited income also brings home how nice modest price gear is. Either way, I don't think it's an accident that Victorinox's best sellers are the 58mm, and the classic is the most popular. Even business's use them for logo advertising. The little 58's are everywhere on earth.
