Why does Victorinox continue to put that damn parcel hook on so many knives?

CSG

CSG

Joined
Dec 15, 2007
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1,342
Is is a Swiss thing? A holdover from times past? It's such a wasted tool on so many of their knives; knives that could be more useful with something else in its place. What do you think?
 
CSG said:
Is is a Swiss thing? A holdover from times past? It's such a wasted tool on so many of their knives; knives that could be more useful with something else in its place. What do you think?
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Well, on Youtube I've seen people use it as a button hook, and curious as I am I tried it myself - and it works.
Do I use it myself? For anything at all? No.
 
I've thought about sharpening the hook to a point and sharpening the inside curvature to use it to open those d&%# plastic clam packs, but haven't gotten around to actually trying it yet.

Rich
 
Swiss Army knives are made by the Swiss and the Swiss still carry home packages tied up with string. I like the hook because it is a reminder of the seven years I lived in Switzerland.
 
CSG said:
Is is a Swiss thing? A holdover from times past? It's such a wasted tool on so many of their knives; knives that could be more useful with something else in its place. What do you think?
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Actually, the hook has been helpful to me on several occasions. I have used the one on my Swisschamp to help lift tightly bound bales of straw, newsprint and magazines, heavier plastic grocery bags that would have otherwise been uncomfortable to hand carry, pulled down some wires that were just out of reach (once), lifted a pot by its bail off a grill (although the can opener is even better for this purpose) and I've tried it as a pen stabilizer (too much trouble.) Even so, I doubt the hook has been deployed even a dozen times in 20 years, so it is not one of my majorly used implements. However, it doesn't really take up much space, current ones have kind of a nail file on the spine and I don't mind it being in the tool mix for two reasons: 1. I've used it before, I might use it again, 2. I can't imagine what they might put in its place.
 
I finally got around to sharpening my package hook to use as a clam pack opener. Ground the side of the curved tip to a point (careful not to grind up the curvature or the nail nick will go below the level of the back and you have a devil of a time getting
it out). Used a small grinder on my Dremel to put a very shallow edge on the inside on the hook. Wife went shopping this
morning a happened to bring home a do-dad in a clam pack. Tried it out and it works wonderfully. At last I have a use for this
tool!

Rich
 
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If you want to talk about worthless, why the hell does the minichamp have a cuticle pusher?! I had never heard of a cuticle pusher before getting mine, and the thought of it makes me queasy.
 
I don't know what a cuticle is but I don't think I want to push one...

Kidding (I know what a cuticle is but I still am not sure about pushing them - is that really on the mini-Champ??).
 
I think its pretty useless, as are the toothpick and corkscrew. The toothpick is too big to fit between your teeth unless you are a bucktoothed hillbilly, and the corkscrew? Honestly. I know some of you guy like these things, and thats cool, but they are total waste-oids to me.
 
CSG said:
I don't know what a cuticle is but I don't think I want to push one...

Kidding (I know what a cuticle is but I still am not sure about pushing them - is that really on the mini-Champ??).
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Cuticle_Pusher.jpg
 
Toothpicks aren't supposed to fit "between your teeth". I don't know of any toothpicks that are designed that way. That's what floss is for. Personally, I use the SAK toothpick probably more often than any other tool. And no, I'm not a "bucktoothed hillbilly". I've used the corkscrew fairly often as the SAK I've got in my picnic pack is what we use to open wine on our picnics.
 
Yup, the tip of the toothpick fits between your teeth just enough to extricate whatever may be stuck between 'em. I've opened quite a few bottles of wine with the corkscrew on my SAK too. As for the parcel hook...never used it.
 
Actually IMHO, the most useless tool on any SAK is Wenger's punch. It's too blunt to pierce anything other than paper and there are no sharp edge to use it as an awl or reamer. It just a blunt squarish piece of metal. I MUCH prefer the VIC awl/reamer although I've never used the sewing eye (maybe it's for sails or canvas?)

Rich
 
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Useless is the corkscrew. Whiskey does not have corks in the bottle, so I have no use for that particular tool. I'm glad the Swiss military has leisure time enough to warrant opening bottles of wine and champaigne, but in the states, we require stronger stuff, the likes of which should take no more than the twist of a cap.
 
Street Samurai1978 said:
Useless is the corkscrew. Whiskey does not have corks in the bottle, so I have no use for that particular tool. I'm glad the Swiss military has leisure time enough to warrant opening bottles of wine and champaigne, but in the states, we require stronger stuff, the likes of which should take no more than the twist of a cap.
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Well, if I'm correct the Soldier's knives never had a corkscrew and still don't. The Officer's knives do. :)

The toothpick is a tool that I rarely use. Wish they put a pen in that place.
 
Change the scales and you can add a pen.

As far as the corkscrew, I use it quite a bit when we're having picnic lunches. For some reason, I don't drink whiskey on a picnic...
 
Street Samurai1978 said:
Useless is the corkscrew. Whiskey does not have corks in the bottle, so I have no use for that particular tool. I'm glad the Swiss military has leisure time enough to warrant opening bottles of wine and champaigne, but in the states, we require stronger stuff, the likes of which should take no more than the twist of a cap.
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You need better whiskey my friend. ;)

Funny, the toothpick on the SAK is thinner then actual wooden toothpicks IME and works better.
 
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