Anyone else have trouble going back to cellidor after experiencing alox models?
Yes, but in a reverse direction.
IMO, the history of the camper pattern knife is all about how many can be made for how little. And this leads to compromise. And the question becomes, what compromise are you will to live with?
This is what I grew up with. Got my first when I was 8. Still have several laying around. Made by Ulster, which got gobbled up by Imperial Schrade. They use the infamous (for good reason) Swinden Key construction, which lowered production cost but leads to lateral blade wobble eventually. The don't fail, but they wobble and you can't tighten them up easily.
Modified Ulster Camper by
Pinnah, on Flickr
Of course, if you didn't like Ulster and wanted a cheap camper, back in the day you could get an Imperial Kamp King, which had hollow stamped metal scales, which eventually would dent and crack.
It's in this context that I understand the Victorinox (and Wegner) SAK's. They're made to be inexpensive knives and that means certain compromises. The flimsy plastic scales are one of those compromises and IME, they are incredibly flimsy. Of the 10 or so Vic Classics that I've owned over the years (almost all received as gifts) the scales all crack and then fall off. Also, the tweezers (which don't work well) and toothpick (which is disgusting) self eject, the blades wobble, the blade steel is too soft to hold an edge and the scissor spring bust. Other than that, they're cute little knives. On the larger ones, many that I handle have nail breaker tools on them. Enough already.
If I were to carry a camper style knife again, it be would an Ulster Camper. Even with the blade wobble, they're very durable and the quality of the carbon steel blade has ruined me against Victorinox's way too soft Inox. IMO, the single best thing Victorinox could do would be to increase the hardness of their blades to at least 56Rc. Would really prefer 58Rc, like Opinel's Inox (Sandvic 12C27).
Speaking of Opinel, this is what I've been carrying for several years now.
EDC Pair by
Pinnah, on Flickr
Both the Opinel and Leatherman Micra are cheap knives/tools and so they too have compromises. With the Opinel, it is how crude they are out of the box. The lock, joint and handle all need attention usually. Some TLC turns them into fantastic knives but you need to invest some elbow grease. What you get though is a knife that will out perform any SAK in terms of cutting. It's all about the blade and the Opinel's is way, way, way better imo.
And the Micra.... The Micra's problem is that it has all of the charm and warmth of a Vulcan art gallery. They're stamped out with soulless precision. But man o man, they work. There's not a single aspect of the tool selection that they don't win out over any of the Vic SAKs on. The scissors are infinitely better. The screwdrivers, work. The nail file is awesome. And the tweezers actually work and work incredibly better than the SAKs if you know how to tune them up on a sharpening stone (takes seconds).
So yes... once I experienced other knives and once I tried plastic scaled SAKs, it's a no brainer for me.
) and discovered it just ain't up to snuff anymore. Very capable, very useful, classic look, but just not as enjoyable to carry as my Pioneer (alox just feels like a substantial leap in quality, imo.)
