consensus on swiss army knives?

znapschatz said:
Well, you make a good point about the Classic availability and price, although I have noted that locally, some Targets have discontinued carrying any pocket knives at all. I hope that is not a growing trend.

Meanwhile, I must confess that the Bic trick, which seems to work for all my friends, including the non-smokers, has eluded me. I can't shake the feeling that behind my back, everyone points at me and snickers, "What a numbskull." Actually, over the years I have tried several ways to open beer bottle with field expedient methods, but they usually turned out kind of messy. Most of the world may not really need one, but I must have a dedicated cap lifter because otherwise I can't stand the humiliation.
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There's a ton of videos on Y-tube about opening beers without a bottle opener. Once you get the basic technique mastered, it's a sense of liberation, of freedom. You realize that for the rest of your life, you don't need THE TOOL. You're free of the constraint. No matter if it's a Bic lighter, a stick, a spoon, a house key, or even a folded up dollar bill. You can truthfully say " Bottle opener? We don't need no steenkin bottle opener!"

And mean it.

Carl.
 
Opening a proper bottle of beer without the proper tool is like "cutting" open a box with a key. It can be done, sure, but it's 1,000 times cooler, more efficient, etc. to do the job with the proper tool. :grumpy: I just can't cotton to being willfully unprepared to drink beer!* So make mine a Rambler every time.**




* I should note that I live in a country where all the caps on bottled beer have to be pried off; there are no twist-off caps like in the States.

** Though I do agree the Classic can't be beat for non-knife folks. For them, there's usually no choice: it's either a Classic or nothing at all. And -- especially when you consider the low price -- the Classic is a profoundly capable piece of gear.
 
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No twist-off caps around here too, and I've seen people opening bottles in so many ways (including the walls of a building in the streets)...still, if I have my SAK in my pocket, I will rather use its bottle opener than some other "trick" (I admit the fact of opening a bottle with a folded 5 euro bill - or does it just work with US dollars? - sounds pretty interesting... :) )
Back to the OP...there is wide consensus about Swiss army knives.
Some people are so enthusiastic about them that I wouldn't be surprised to know they carry a spare one, to give it away when the opportunity comes (like in Carl's latest story about the splinter on the Potomac) and sow the seeds of SAK's...
:cool:
 
quattromori said:
Some people are so enthusiastic about them that I wouldn't be surprised to know they carry a spare one, to give it away when the opportunity comes ...
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You know, you can get second-hand SAKs soooo cheap on a certain giant online auction site, that I've been tempted to do this myself.
 
You know, I wrote it cause lately I have been tempted to do so, it may not be a bad idea after all...also, I have a friend working for airport security... :rolleyes:
:cool:
 
I have and edc a Pioneer, a red/black Forester and a yellow Classic. All great. Just sold my Fallkniven TK4 because the Swiss gets all the love. Agree with previous poster that a lot of threads here tend to be about tactical knives rather than practical knives ;)
 
My Great Grandfather used the ever livin' crap outta' his Wenger, I recently inherited it but I'll never use it. Since I got "Papa's" SAK a few weeks ago It got me thinking I should make my Tinker my dedicated EDC. I'd like to find the smaller version of the Tinker, it seems more pocket friendly.

Eric

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Victorinox Swiss Army Swiss Champ XLT is in the pack every day at work
 
A SwissChamp is always in my bag or car. A Tinker or a Super Tinker is always in my pocket. A Classic SD is always hanging in my keyring. An Escort is always tucked in my wallet. Yep, I love these knives. :D
 
I've been carrying a Tinker off and on for 19 years, and love having a Classic on the keyring. Just this past week I took advantage of several online auction sales and another internet special. Checking out the Rambler, Climber, Ranger, Executive, Electrician, Spartan, Cadet, and Swisslite.
 
For me, the appeal of the SAK, particularly Victorinox, is complex.

First off, the quality over the years has been top notch. I bought a Champion model in Lucern, Switzerland in 1984. I purchased another Champion just the other day; an older plus model that had the old style magnifier on it. I put them side by side and the fit and finish, walk and talk.....all that.....was identical.

The steel. I can get hair whittling edges with ease with that Vic steel. I can get results similar to Schrade Walden era 1095 carbon. And when you care about your edges and love seeing folks comment about the way those edges cut, you appreciate good steel.

The usefulness. Tool box in a pocket. I have tackled and conquered all sorts of projects/emergencies with a SAK.

The recognition/cool factor. Can't tell you how many times I have seen grown men's eyes light up when I snap open a blade on a SAK. "Hey, I had one of those" or "Is that a REAL Swiss Army knife?" are two of the more common responses I get. Earlier today, I bought a retirement gift for one of our officers that has done 30 years and today was his last day. I didn't really know much about him but figured he'd be either fishing, hunting, tending to his farm animals, or tinkering with something in his glory days so I sprung for a Vic Tinker.

Met up with him and handed it over. He went from ordinary to beaming "Hey, I love these things! I use to have one just like this but lost it about ten years ago." Then he pulled out the one he was carrying, which was of low quality, chunked it in the trash, and put the new Vic in his pocket.

Not too long after that, folks were calling me telling me that they wished I had never given him that knife because he has shown it to half the department. He has cut everything needing cutting and tightened up every screw he could find. They are afraid he is going to disassemble his patrol car as a last day parting gag.

Everyone loves a SAK.
 
Cool gift idea, lwt210.

I gave SAK Classics to three ladies in my family Saturday. Got them in pink, purple and Edelweiss. They all LOVED them.
 
jackknife said:
There's a ton of videos on Y-tube about opening beers without a bottle opener. Once you get the basic technique mastered, it's a sense of liberation, of freedom. You realize that for the rest of your life, you don't need THE TOOL. You're free of the constraint. No matter if it's a Bic lighter, a stick, a spoon, a house key, or even a folded up dollar bill. You can truthfully say " Bottle opener? We don't need no steenkin bottle opener!"

And mean it.

Carl.
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...but as jacknife also once said:

jackknife said:
......My dear departed daddy always said, right tool for the job.:D

Carl.
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About the time I hit the submit reply button, the postman pulled up in front of the house and put a familiar looking package in my mailbox.

Turns out the Marlboro branded Vic Outdoorsman I bought Saturday morning was inside that package. And guess who just happened to have a set of "plus" scales, an extra ink pen insert, and a mini screwdriver just laying around?

So now I have a discontinued Vic Outdoorsman, with the old style magnifier, in "plus" configuration. Couple of minutes on the Sharpmaker fine and extra fine rods and a little stropping with diamond slurry and she is ready for her first pocket ride.

Give a SAK...get a SAK.......in the same day?

Nirvana. :thumbup:
 
I'm a convert. I used to scoff at them because I had spent way too much on Leatherman tools thinking they were simply the better items. Then I saw how much love they were getting from people all over and picked one up and fell in love. Funny thing, in 10 years of Leatherman carry I never had a use for pliers when a better pair of pliers wasn't just a few steps away in the tool box. Now I keep a Leatherman in my car just in case, but a SAK in my pocket.
 
well, my edc for quite some time has been an alox vic '08 soldier with a case med. stockman. have found that this edc combo of knives covers most bases--especially for a disabled retired guy like me.

brian
 
IMightBeWrong said:
I'm a convert. I used to scoff at them because I had spent way too much on Leatherman tools thinking they were simply the better items. Then I saw how much love they were getting from people all over and picked one up and fell in love. Funny thing, in 10 years of Leatherman carry I never had a use for pliers when a better pair of pliers wasn't just a few steps away in the tool box. Now I keep a Leatherman in my car just in case, but a SAK in my pocket.
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Funny the different experiences; the pliers on my Spirit get used most every day, and there is never another better set of pliers handy, especially at work.

I am quite a fan of bottle openers; I can pop the top with a lighter, but why when I have the right tool in my pocket?
 
I agree, I personally use my multi tool pliers about as much as the main blade itself. I checked this thread out to see if anyone else doesn't like SAKs for that very reason. I guess it all depends on what you encounter on a day to day.
 
You all have said some great stuff about how awesome/why SAK's are amazing. My first pocket knife was a Boy Scout Victorinox Tinker that my Father gave to me about 14 years ago when I was 9. He gave it to me as a gift for going from cub scouts to boy scouts that year. I still have that knife, don't carry it as often as I should (don't want to lose it plus it was used pretty good). SAK's are so great, that I bought a climber about 4 years ago to edc and it is with me everyday, I couldn't live without it.

I will be honest I still don't know if I pronounce "SAK" correctly, I have always said it as if it was spelled "sack" or "sac". Either way, love them; definitely need more; I feel naked anytime I don't have mine with me. :p
 
I love my three SAKs; mechanic (the one I carry most), old style Champion (in my backpack), wife's standard SAK. Great pocket tool kits, but IMHO the blades and pivots are not strong enough for heavy duty work, so I also carry a 4 inch thumb stud lockback for heavier work.

Rich S
 
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