Spartan vs Camper?

S

SteeleJ1976

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Jan 24, 2020
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Looking at getting a Swiss Army Spartan or Camper for EDC. Is the saw worth it, it doesn't seem to add a lot of thickness but I just dont know how much I would actually use it. What do you guys think?
 
Depends on your lifestyle.

I'd go spartan. I carried SAK's with a saw blade in my younger days, but then I came to the realization that I used the saw blade maybe once in a blue moon. I live a mostly suburban life style and if I go in the woods hiking/camping/fishing, theres a real folding Fiskars saw in my day pack. Plus in the boonies I carry a fixed blade for heavier duty cutting. So my EDC, a real EDC, is mostly an urban/suburban carry. No saw needed. In a real EDC pocket knife I don't like to go over two layers.

Plus the corkscrew holds the mini screw driver that is useful for small electronics and eye/sun glasses.
 
jackknife said:
Depends on your lifestyle.

I'd go spartan. I carried SAK's with a saw blade in my younger days, but then I came to the realization that I used the saw blade maybe once in a blue moon. I live a mostly suburban life style and if I go in the woods hiking/camping/fishing, theres a real folding Fiskars saw in my day pack. Plus in the boonies I carry a fixed blade for heavier duty cutting. So my EDC, a real EDC, is mostly an urban/suburban carry. No saw needed. In a real EDC pocket knife I don't like to go over two layers.

Plus the corkscrew holds the mini screw driver that is useful for small electronics and eye/sun glasses.
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What Jackknife said here is true, and if I were to choose a 3 layers, I'd actually choose the Climber over the Camper, since I do use the scissors often and Vic scissors is best in the business.
 
comis said:
What Jackknife said here is true, and if I were to choose a 3 layers, I'd actually choose the Climber over the Camper, since I do use the scissors often and Vic scissors is best in the business.
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Yeah, if I was going to have a third layer, it would scissors. SAK scissors are second to none, and are ER qualified. Heck, my better half slit a piece if my ear years ago while trimming a stray hair of two, and the thing bled like a stuck pig for 20 minutes. :eek:

We were sitting on a log in the woods and she's fanatic that I am NOT going to be one of those old farts with wild eye brows or hairy ears. She was sniping away with her classic when I felt a very sharp stab of pain. No pun intended. She didn't have her glasses on, and us old farts need the glasses for anything closer than the end of our arm. A long arm at that.

I gained a whole new respect for SAK scissors. o_O
 
Never used a spartan but i do have a camper. The saw for me is okay but not a must have. I have used the saw to cut small branches, hard plastic, and sheet rock. Personally i like the hiker better because it has the Phillips screwdriver instead of the corkscrew. I have paired the hiker with my peanut today. My recruit bit the dust awile back. I have been thinking i would like the tinker better as a 2 layer sak. I bet you will enjoy either one you get.
 
While I don’t use the saw every time I carry a Camper, I really do like having it. Sort of why I like the Farmer more than the Pioneer. The Camper or Hiker don’t really add much thickness due to how thin the saw is, so it rides really well in the pocket. I don’t really use scissors much at all, so I don’t really need them on my knife. If I do want them, my key ring usually has a Classic or Rambler on it so I’m covered. If you’re thinking about only having one then I would choose the Camper, if there are options to have several....well....that’s why most of us are on the forumo_O
 
I like both models. The Spartan has most often all the capability I need and is a little slimmer in the pocket. Besides, there’s a serrated option.

I like the Camper as an outdoors knife, even though I don’t use the saw often. Better to have it than not, hmmm.

The Camper also has an advantage for me of feeling better in the hand than the Spartan. Weird, as I love the handing of the two layer cellidor 84mm knives and of the alox Soldier. :confused: But again, the Spartan is thinner in the pocket.

The Camper is a little thinner and lighter than the Climber. IME you really don’t need scissors if you carry a 58mm as well. A Spartan or Camper + 58mm also provides more functionality than a Climber alone.
 
Personally, I would go with the Spartan as an EDC. I have little to no use for a small saw (as good as the Vic saws are) in my day-to-day urban life. And if I were camping, I have a good folding Gerber saw.

The Spartan’s corkscrew works for loosening overly-tight knots, and it also carries my mini eyeglass screwdriver.

I also have a Camper, but I don’t EDC it. For me, the additional third layer makes the Camper (or Super Tinker, etc.) feel heavy and overly-noticeable in the pocket.

Jim
 
My grandmother bought me a Camper for my 14th birthday. That was a long time ago, but I still have it. It's a great knife.

The saw is excellent for clearing small saplings and branches and for cutting rope. It's also great for cutting notches into wood when building a camp implement, a figure-four trap, etc. If you don't need your knife to accomplish those tasks, then the Spartan will suit you just fine.

But as you said, the saw doesn't add much thickness to the handle. So, if you're curious to try it, you might as well get the Camper.
 
I would go with the Camper out of the two. I the saw is handy to have, it doesn’t add much thickness to the overall knife IMO.
 
My very first knife ever was a camper, pictured below far left. I have a soft spot for them and have a few variants in my collection from the 80's.
FQX3iLf.jpg
 
I have very rarely ever needed a saw in my pocket but... when you need one nothing else will do, short of a hatchet or machete.o_O If you don't have a saw with you it's even less likely you'll have a machete. :D:D
Be prepared, "Carry a Farmer and a Rambler", is often my motto.;)
If not that combo get the Spartan and stay out of the woods.:)
Sorry, I must be in a mood today.:eek:
 
TrapperMike said:
...Personally i like the hiker better because it has the Phillips screwdriver instead of the corkscrew. I have paired the hiker with my peanut today. My recruit bit the dust awile back. I have been thinking i would like the tinker better as a 2 layer sak. I bet you will enjoy either one you get.
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I think the saw is a plus. It is why I wish I had the Farmer as opposed to my Pioneer. I second the above quote though... the full size philips (vs. the micro screwdriver in the corkscrew) is more useful for me - hence I would go with the Hiker vs. Camper. Between Camper vs. Spartan, I think the camper is still my pick. Someone else mentioned it here, but the extra layer of thickness does make the SAK feel differently in hand... and I think a little thicker is helpful! - Josh
 
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