Most efficient SAK

[315]

So perhaps an 84 mm with an awl, corkscrew, main blade with a file on the upper part of the blade, saw and the combo-multi tool that can handle cans, bottles, flat and Phillips? Throw in some plus scales that will hold a pen and needle and we’re all set

 

[lonestar1979]

I like waiter,this minimalistic aproach,had one long time ago,wish they had this setup with alox handles.My most useful sak is spartan,used all the tools on it,had it on keychain for long time.

 

[Gurdygurds]

How does Tequila and lime not make that dynamic duo list?? Happy National Tequila Day.

Amen to that good sir!

Untitled by Six Pound Cat, on Flickr

Yeah, it's funny how often a dynamic duo gets it done. Like it takes two of something to be great.

There's Batman and Robin.

Lone Ranger and Tonto.

Holmes and Watson.

Wyatt and Doc.

Bacon and eggs.

Beans and franks.

Coffee and doughnut.

Wow, this could be the start of a whole other thread of show your two favorite SAK combos.[/QUOTE]

 

[22-rimfire]

I like the SAKs with a saw. But I only carry them when I'm in the woods and most likely as a second pocket knife kept in my carry bag/day pack or whatever. I don't see much need for the saw around the house or my routine life.

Dynamic duo.... yeah. I think a lot of us go with this philosophy. But for now, my Small Tinker stays as a permanent part of what I carry day to day. I don't miss another knife being available if I have the Small Tinker or SAK in my pocket. The second knife is optional.

 

[Pomsbz]

The Bantam is a whole heck of a lot of pocket knife despite how simple it is.

 

[jackknife]

The Bantam is a whole heck of a lot of pocket knife despite how simple it is.

The bantam does one heck a lot with very little. It slices and dices, it screws and unscrews, it pays, it opens, it tweezes and plucks. All with just one little layer. Amazing piece of gear.

 

[Pomsbz]

The bantam does one heck a lot with very little. It slices and dices, it screws and unscrews, it pays, it opens, it tweezes and plucks. All with just one little layer. Amazing piece of gear.

I'll make a 91mm version one day. The 84mm blade is just a bit too short for my apples.

 

[22-rimfire]

The Bantam is a whole heck of a lot of pocket knife despite how simple it is.

I agree. I first purchased a Vic Bantam to carry as a second knife (with tools) along with a larger traditional knife. This phase sort of ended with my choosing to go Small Tinker for my dominant regular carry pocket knife. The Bantam is still a very handy little knife.

I loved the 4.0 > 4.25" size of traditional knife (closed) but they normally have no other tools I have grown accustomed to having available with SAKs. The GEC #42 was precisely my ultimate size choice for a good while after trying different sizes of GEC frames. My choice of modern folding knives generally fall into this closed sized range too.

Going small for an edc has taught me that even what I consider medium sized knives (4 > 4.25" closed) are not needed for 90% of the cutting I do with knives. If a special need occurs, then the larger knife can be added for temporary use and carry. This is the case with SAKs with saw blades; don't need them normally, but put me out in the woods where I might need to cut something a little larger, the saw or longer blade is very handy.

Now, I'm starting to question WHY I have all of these knives that essentially fulfill the same need. This is part of the slowing down and evaluation effort I have been going through. Life is changing, but I simply never accepted that it was changing. J jackknife said in another thread that you continue to buy out of habit. This is probably true for the most part. The same goes with what size of folding knife you might choose to carry.

 

[jackknife]

Now, I'm starting to question WHY I have all of these knives that essentially fulfill the same need. This is part of the slowing down and evaluation effort I have been going through. Life is changing, but I simply never accepted that it was changing. J jackknife said in another thread that you continue to buy out of habit. This is probably true for the most part. The same goes with what size of folding knife you might choose to carry.

Be veeeery careful there, rimfire! Thinking like that led me to what I call the great downsizing. After careful consideration I came other conclusion that I really didn't need all those knives that I had collected over the years. Wait, did I say collected? I meant accumulated in a haphazard fashion.

Habits can be very hard to break, but it can be done.

 

[22-rimfire]

J jackknife Not there yet of ridding myself of un-necessary baggage of all kinds. I don't collect knives. I accumulate knives because I like and use knives. My Brother in Law just ordered a couple Damascus folders. He seems to have a preference for them. I never developed an interest in Damascus knives. I may in fact gift him my Buck 110 (elk stag & Damascus) since I have almost zero interest in it. It was a fairly expensive Buck knife at the time purchased around 1990. Never used and never sharpened.... part of the "un-necessary" baggage in my house these days.

 

[jackknife]

J jackknife Not there yet of ridding myself of un-necessary baggage of all kinds. I don't collect knives. I accumulate knives because I like and use knives. My Brother in Law just ordered a couple Damascus folders. He seems to have a preference for them. I never developed an interest in Damascus knives. I may in fact gift him my Buck 110 (elk stag & Damascus) since I have almost zero interest in it. It was a fairly expensive Buck knife at the time purchased around 1990. Never used and never sharpened.... part of the "un-necessary" baggage in my house these days.

To get rind of un-necessary baggage, try moving. There's NOTHING like moving to get rid of all the stuff you really don't need. When Karen and I moved from Maryland to Texas in 2015, Karen started holding up things of mine and asking "When was the last time you used this?" so I started to do it to her as well. We decided if it hand't ben used in a year, then it was going. We ended up with a huge pile pf stuff, like a mountain, in the middle of the living room floor. Winter clothing, sports stuff, camping stuff, tools, all kids of stuff. It's amazing what you accumulate living in one spot for a few decades. When we moved, all our remaining stuff fit in a 16 foot Penske rental truck and that included both our Vespa Motor scooters, and both our handmade rattan sofas.

Karen and I made. pact, that we don't now own anything we don't really need and use on a almost daily or weekly basis. It's sooo liberating.

 

[22-rimfire]

To get rind of un-necessary baggage, try moving. There's NOTHING like moving to get rid of all the stuff you really don't need. When Karen and I moved from Maryland to Texas in 2015, Karen started holding up things of mine and asking "When was the last time you used this?" so I started to do it to her as well. We decided if it hand't ben used in a year, then it was going. We ended up with a huge pile pf stuff, like a mountain, in the middle of the living room floor. Winter clothing, sports stuff, camping stuff, tools, all kids of stuff. It's amazing what you accumulate living in one spot for a few decades. When we moved, all our remaining stuff fit in a 16 foot Penske rental truck and that included both our Vespa Motor scooters, and both our handmade rattan sofas.

Karen and I made. pact, that we don't now own anything we don't really need and use on a almost daily or weekly basis. It's sooo liberating.

I have moved about 4 times more than 500 miles and a couple times under 150 miles. Used "almost daily or weekly" is a high bar to set on hobby things. That would eliminate 95% of all the fishing tackle, camping gear, guns and knives, and such things as a kayak and bicycles. I have seriously considered getting rid of a lot of clothing that is never worn.... that would be a big start for me.

I have nearly a complete collection of Gun Digests between 1949 and 1995 on shelves. Would hate to rid myself of those (essentially 50 books) plus odd Shooting Bibles and so forth. They were a research item for me for the years I was most interested in guns.

 

[Edgeoflife]

While it may carry form person to person, for me the most efficient SAK sone with minimum bulk and maximum tool capability.Or, to phrase of in my my; maximum minimalism.

I'd say about 7 or 8 times out of 10 when I reach for my SAK, its because I need a pocket knife to cut something. Maybe like 80 or 90%. A single digit amount of times, its because I need a screw driver. A single digit amount of times I need a bottle opener/poking tool/light pry tool. And a single digit amount of time I need a scissors. A fraction of one percent of the time I need a can opener.

I've got by without a SAK a lot of times by having a Sear's 4-way keychain screw diver in my wallet. The keychain screw driver got me by as it did for my dad. But a SAK is a nicer way to that end. For me, the most efficient SAK is then and two layer ones like a recruit/cadet/pioneer, and the smaller 58mm like the classic. I've cut stuff with a classic, dealt with flat and phillis screws with a classic, fixed stuff out places with a classic, opened a cold brew with a classic, and its soooo damm tiny it fits on a keyring with room to spare.

The great beauty of the majority of SAK tools is, they are good for uses far more than they were designed for. Like the can opener is a great staple remover, and trailer ball hitch cotter pin remover. It can lift the coffee pot or stew pot off a camp fire. The awl on a pioneer is a great scribe for scratching something like a number onto something, stripping off some insulation from a wire for a electrical repair, making a starter hole for wood screws on a Harry Homeowner shelf project. Each SAK tool has many multi uses.

For me the most efficient are the basic two layer SAK's. Teamng up a pioneer with a classic is a great duo.

2 layer is where its at for me. Cadet Alox is my secondary carry with a modern folder and fits in the coin pocket of jeans great (w Boker Exskelibur 1 Decade for size comparison).

 

[22-rimfire]

The dual carry option is one of the reasons I really like the Vic Small Tinker. Admittedly, it handles most of the cutting I normally do. But it's small and I can easily carry a larger folder (usually a modern) with it comfortably. I have carried two larger knives in the past, but I honestly didn't like it much. But it was for fun mostly rather than out of any real need. Carrying the second knife allows me to at least confirm my knife use (need) tendencies.

Edgeoflife I also will only carry a two layer SAK in my pocket. Three layers are mostly for special purposes like on a hike when I might opt to carry a Trekker because of the saw blade and larger main blade as well. This would be in whatever carry bag I have with me.

 

[Joe58]

No matter whichever larger pocket knife I’m carrying, and these days even that is smaller than a few years back, I always have a Vic Minichamp. Mostly clipped to a Maratac Peanut light now. Used to be a single AAA light, but in my downsizing trend, I’ve grown fond of the little Maratac.

Anyways, the Minichamp is one of the best little drop in your pocket toolchests going. And it’ll fight way beyond its weight class. I prefer it over a Classic or Rambler for instance as it gives me two different styled blades and the added difference in thickness is negligible.

 

[Thorfinn]

Well I think we all have different needs, so the various tools have different efficiency levels for each of us. Part of the attraction, I think! For example the blade is probably by least used SAK tool.

Anyway, I really wanted to say farmer because I love the farmer, but if Im being honest with myself, I think the fantasic rambler is best for me. I use the scissors, file, and small screwdriver often, the cap lifter sometimes and the blade for delicate tasks. I like the saw on the farmer but don’t use it often, and I miss the file. So I have to vote rambler.

jackknife, your minimalism sounds enticing but also scary! What did you do with it all? Donate? Have you had many “dang, we got rid of that!” moments?

 

[jackknife]

Well I think we all have different needs, so the various tools have different efficiency levels for each of us. Part of the attraction, I think! For example the blade is probably by least used SAK tool.

Anyway, I really wanted to say farmer because I love the farmer, but if Im being honest with myself, I think the fantasic rambler is best for me. I use the scissors, file, and small screwdriver often, the cap lifter sometimes and the blade for delicate tasks. I like the saw on the farmer but don’t use it often, and I miss the file. So I have to vote rambler.

jackknife, your minimalism sounds enticing but also scary! What did you do with it all? Donate? Have you had many “dang, we got rid of that!” moments?

I once was a real knife nut. I had a 'collection' of more than 50 knives, and my gun collection was pretty big as well. My the time I was in my 50's, I wasn't really using but a fraction of the stuff I had, and most of it was sitting around being coveted.

I'm to really sure what happened, but it was like a slow dawning, and then it was like coming-out of a some sort of temporary insanity and I looked at all the stuff and the thought camera into my mind, "What the hell am I doing with all this stuff?!"

First I sold off the custom stuff, like the Randall's and other custom fixed blades. Then I gave some the guns to the kids and grandkids that wanted. The nephews, nieces, co-workers and fiends all got stuff. What the family didn't want, got sold off or given away. The wife and I had went through our stuff and carefully selected what we really used and what really meant something to us. We'd accumulated a lot of crap that was impulse buys and got used for a bit then put away. That all went.

It was sooooo incredibly liberating that I don't know if I can accurately describe it. It was like a ball and chain got cut off our leg, or coming-out of a deep dark place and into daylight and fresh air again. Our possessions had owned us and we rebelled and found a freedom. We're not going there again. We have rule of not buying anything unless it's really needed, and if we don't use something for a year it's going. When we moved from Maryland to Texas in 2015, we did another really big downsize. We moved from a three bedroom two story place of 2600 square feet to a one level two bedroom 1600 square feet place in a warm climate where we don't need much winter clothing or any snow shovels.

My pocket knife 'accumulation' can be held in one hand, as can my handgun collection. A few nice specimens of each is good enough.

Simple is liberating.

 

[22-rimfire]

I think moving into a one-story house was a smart choice as well as downsizing the size of the house. I'm not ready to do the extreme downsizing of hobby things and so forth. My art work alone will fill a small U-Haul trailer. It gets cold in Georgetown TX too. But I understand, you don't have to be out "in it" as you used to. I have downsized, but it comes back.

 

[jackknife]

I think moving into a one-story house was a smart choice as well as downsizing the size of the house. I'm not ready to do the extreme downsizing of hobby things and so forth. My art work alone will fill a small U-Haul trailer. It gets cold in Georgetown TX too. But I understand, you don't have to be out "in it" as you used to. I have downsized, but it comes back.

Cold in Georgetown Texas?

I don't know what weather reports you've been reading, but in each of the four winters here, I've needed my three season cabbalas jacket about five times. Even on a so called cold day, when these Texans are complaining of the cold, I find a sweatshirt/sweater under a nylon wind breaker enough. Cold here is in the 40's. Back in Maryland a cold day was low 30's and even 20's. Texas winter is like an east coast fall. Crisp, but not needing long under wear, insulated gloves, multiple layers of fleece and shell, ice scrapers for the car, and snow shovel for the walk. I think I wore/needed gloves twice last winter. We haven't needed any of the winter gear we left behind in Maryland. I'm sure my son Matt appreciates my old Filson double cape coat. I don't miss it.

As for not being 'out in it', I'm out in to because I'm not hiding inside next the fireplace in subfreezing days. Instead, I can spend a nice sunny winter afternoon in the upper 50's on the river banks fishing.

 

[22-rimfire]

I spent 10-15 years in Texas.... it gets cold, but not normally for long periods of time. The only place in Texas that doesn't get cold is what they call "The Valley". I have been to most every town between Del Rio to Dallas to Texarkana (and Sorth) and to a lesser degree in West Texas. Enjoy Texas.

Added: I will say that I never really needed what folks in the East would consider a "winter coat", but I have spent a lot of mornings in South Texas in the 20's and I think that's cold. Cold is relative of course and it's different if you have to sit in a deer stand at day break or just take a hike on a sunny winter afternoon.