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Exactly! Complex alien traps would be a breeze with a Farmer!
Yep, he's really wishing he had a Vic Farmer with him!
In Praise of the Alox Farmer-Is there Anything it Cannot Do?
- Thread starter Alnamvet68
- Start date
Yep, he's really wishing he had a Vic Farmer with him!
The regular plastic handled one.
And thanks to this thread couldn't stand it anymore. I just ordered a Farmer.
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A short summary from this weekend.
My uncle asked me if I would paint one of the walls of his summer camp on a lake. The cabin was built by my grandfather and the shop has a collection of ancient tools and more recent junk tools and nothing is really complete. There is an old scythe and several axes but not a single unstripped Phillips head driver.
I carried my normal selection of tools: Opinel 9 in my RFP, Micra in LFP and Leatherman Blast in my day pack.
Job one was to get the ornamental shutters off the wall. They were affixed by a collection of regular and Phillips head screws, tight with age and all with at least one coat of paint on top. I relied on the locking driver bits, the classically clean and sharp LM driver bits (not overly polished) and using the Blast in a half open 'L' configuration. I pushed the tool to the limit of its torsional integrity, but got the screws out, the shutters off and later back on and the job finished. Along the way I also used the Blast for countless bit of door hardware coming off and back on, but a simple camper pattern knife or the Micra could have handled those easier tasks. The Blast just flew through those jobs.
On the second day, we assembled to wooden bed frames. Some engineering wizard specified long bolt and deeply counter sunk holes requiring very long socket heads to deal with the long bolts. The needle nose pliers on the Blast were able to reach in and grab the nuts and with bit of elbow grease, I got the beds acceptably snugged up.
Through out the weekend, my wife and daughter each separately asked me for my scissors. I could have given them my Blast, which has quite nice scissors but I just gave them Micra. My wife still carries a Vic Classic on her key ring but more commonly asks me for my pocket carried Micra as it's hard to see, much less use, the Classic among all the keys her new job has put on her key ring.
I used the Opinel all weekend for food. It's just more natural in my hand as a food knife than my smaller campers and the few SAKs we have kicking around. Last use was at a burrito shop on the way home and cutting a very fat burrito in 2 to be shared. The long Opinel blade allowed me to cut through it without getting all fouled up and nobody in the shop barked at the sight of it.
Reflecting over the weekend, no cans needed to be opened (the kitchen had a can opener, as does the Blast) and nobody needed a hole in their belt.
This isn't a dig on the Farmer, per se. More a reflection on the utility (for me) of a camper patterned knife vs a full sized MUT. The camper (and Farmer) can't
+ Handle harder screw driving jobs
+ Handle jobs that require pliers
+ Handle jobs that require scissors
+ Handle jobs that require a longer knife blade
Of course, I carried 3 tools this weekend, not 1. So there's that trade off. But, the Blast could have handled everything I encountered.
My uncle asked me if I would paint one of the walls of his summer camp on a lake. The cabin was built by my grandfather and the shop has a collection of ancient tools and more recent junk tools and nothing is really complete. There is an old scythe and several axes but not a single unstripped Phillips head driver.
I carried my normal selection of tools: Opinel 9 in my RFP, Micra in LFP and Leatherman Blast in my day pack.
Job one was to get the ornamental shutters off the wall. They were affixed by a collection of regular and Phillips head screws, tight with age and all with at least one coat of paint on top. I relied on the locking driver bits, the classically clean and sharp LM driver bits (not overly polished) and using the Blast in a half open 'L' configuration. I pushed the tool to the limit of its torsional integrity, but got the screws out, the shutters off and later back on and the job finished. Along the way I also used the Blast for countless bit of door hardware coming off and back on, but a simple camper pattern knife or the Micra could have handled those easier tasks. The Blast just flew through those jobs.
On the second day, we assembled to wooden bed frames. Some engineering wizard specified long bolt and deeply counter sunk holes requiring very long socket heads to deal with the long bolts. The needle nose pliers on the Blast were able to reach in and grab the nuts and with bit of elbow grease, I got the beds acceptably snugged up.
Through out the weekend, my wife and daughter each separately asked me for my scissors. I could have given them my Blast, which has quite nice scissors but I just gave them Micra. My wife still carries a Vic Classic on her key ring but more commonly asks me for my pocket carried Micra as it's hard to see, much less use, the Classic among all the keys her new job has put on her key ring.
I used the Opinel all weekend for food. It's just more natural in my hand as a food knife than my smaller campers and the few SAKs we have kicking around. Last use was at a burrito shop on the way home and cutting a very fat burrito in 2 to be shared. The long Opinel blade allowed me to cut through it without getting all fouled up and nobody in the shop barked at the sight of it.
Reflecting over the weekend, no cans needed to be opened (the kitchen had a can opener, as does the Blast) and nobody needed a hole in their belt.
This isn't a dig on the Farmer, per se. More a reflection on the utility (for me) of a camper patterned knife vs a full sized MUT. The camper (and Farmer) can't
+ Handle harder screw driving jobs
+ Handle jobs that require pliers
+ Handle jobs that require scissors
+ Handle jobs that require a longer knife blade
Of course, I carried 3 tools this weekend, not 1. So there's that trade off. But, the Blast could have handled everything I encountered.
Knowing I'd be doing a job, for such a job I'd have carried taken a small tool box and my Dewalt driver with a couple of batteries vs a pocket knife and a multitool.
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Exactly; oh, and before I forget, I must apologize for not making it crystal clear in the OP, that this thread is dedicated to emphasizing and highlighting the positive attributes of a SAK Farmer; not a comparison thread with other multi-tools/knives.
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- Jun 4, 2010
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lets agree to disagree folks
some folks like everything in one package - the farmer
yes the farmer has limitations, as does everything else. but for those of use that dont need all the other stuff, it makes sense
now Pinnah on the other hand has different needs
he seems to prefer TWO more specialized tools. They have their own limitations, and their own positive attributes. So that system works better for him and probably for folks with day to day needs similar to his.
everyone wins right?
personally i prefer the pioneer, it has everything i want an nothing i dont
when i am in the woods, i have a bk15 or a machete....so happy me....i win
ok,
thats all i got
some folks like everything in one package - the farmer
yes the farmer has limitations, as does everything else. but for those of use that dont need all the other stuff, it makes sense
now Pinnah on the other hand has different needs
he seems to prefer TWO more specialized tools. They have their own limitations, and their own positive attributes. So that system works better for him and probably for folks with day to day needs similar to his.
everyone wins right?
personally i prefer the pioneer, it has everything i want an nothing i dont
when i am in the woods, i have a bk15 or a machete....so happy me....i win
ok,
thats all i got
<drift>
Functionally, the 10 is just too big for my pocket while the 9 is just under my pocket limit. The 10 is a scooch bigger than a Buck 110.
Socially, I get away using the 9 in public but the 10 gets responses like a 110 does. Fine in rural areas or camping but not fine in the office.
Here is a 10, 9, and 8. All tips filed to drop point and the 9 and 10 have been bob tailed.
Opinel by Pinnah, on Flickr
The 10 is a great back up knife where a fixed blade might cause issues. I used to carry my 10 in my pack with my blast but gave it away eventually.
EDC Back Ups by Pinnah, on Flickr
</drift>
Functionally, the 10 is just too big for my pocket while the 9 is just under my pocket limit. The 10 is a scooch bigger than a Buck 110.
Socially, I get away using the 9 in public but the 10 gets responses like a 110 does. Fine in rural areas or camping but not fine in the office.
Here is a 10, 9, and 8. All tips filed to drop point and the 9 and 10 have been bob tailed.
Opinel by Pinnah, on Flickr
The 10 is a great back up knife where a fixed blade might cause issues. I used to carry my 10 in my pack with my blast but gave it away eventually.
EDC Back Ups by Pinnah, on Flickr
</drift>
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lets agree to disagree folks
some folks like everything in one package - the farmer
yes the farmer has limitations, as does everything else. but for those of use that dont need all the other stuff, it makes sense
now Pinnah on the other hand has different needs
he seems to prefer TWO more specialized tools. They have their own limitations, and their own positive attributes. So that system works better for him and probably for folks with day to day needs similar to his.
everyone wins right?
personally i prefer the pioneer, it has everything i want an nothing i dont
when i am in the woods, i have a bk15 or a machete....so happy me....i win
ok,
thats all i got
The twisting action while pushing down hard on the blade puts an inordinate amount of stress on the pin. I would not advise using this knife for such tasks! My hat is off to the SAK for surviving such a stress test. Next time, why not pack a light hatchet for the splitting?
Also, consider using some gloves if you just have to baton with your folder. Breaking the knife could result in a nasty gash and an expensive visit to the local ER.
Also, consider using some gloves if you just have to baton with your folder. Breaking the knife could result in a nasty gash and an expensive visit to the local ER.
Post of the month. Utterly perfect!!
Take these three items right here. You can have this. WD-40, vise grips, and some duct tape. Any man worth his salt can do half the household chores with just those three things. -Walt Kowalski
[video=youtube;i_if8-CkTZE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=i_if8-CkTZE[/video]
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Add a Farmer and you could conquer the world!
Just give me a Farmer and a couple of acres and I'll start my own country.
batosai117
Gold Member
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- Jun 5, 2007
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Add a Farmer and you could conquer the world!
Just give me a Farmer and a couple of acres and I'll start my own country.
I'm just reading around and these two posts have me laughing hard at the office
It's like watching those "naked and afraid" survival shows and when they pull out their one item. I'm always thinking I'd just take a farmer and build a community out there in the wilderness
I'm just reading around and these two posts have me laughing hard at the office
It's like watching those "naked and afraid" survival shows and when they pull out their one item. I'm always thinking I'd just take a farmer and build a community out there in the wilderness
Imagine what Tom Hanks would have given for a farmer in "Castaway."
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- Jan 24, 2005
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Imagine what Tom Hanks would have given for a farmer in "Castaway."
As I remember, before Hanks boarded the airplane he had a good sized SAK on his keychain that he handed over to his wife because he didn't want to bother detaching it. It was a cellidor model, I don't know which.