Swiss Army-minimum tools

jideta

jideta

Joined
Apr 8, 2020
Messages
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Besides the main blade, what else do you absolutely need for EDC?
I figure:
can opener
bottle opener/driver
tweezer
phillips
awl

So I'm thinking Tinker...

What says the mob?
 
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A Tinker is a great EDC. It’s mine! For woods use, the Farmer is best. I add a Sliver Gripper to it since I like to have tweezers when I’m around wood:D
 
jdk1 said:
A Tinker is a great EDC. It’s mine! For woods use, the Farmer is best. I add a Sliver Gripper to it since I like to have tweezers when I’m around wood:D
Click to expand...

Farmer would be good for I thought about the saw, but no Phillips.
Still searching...
 
Depends on your use cases otherwise it's difficult to recommend.

I do a lot of outdoor activities. To me the main blade, wood saw, metal saw/file and awl are the most useful and essential tools on a SAK.

My favorite is the old version of the Camper which has both wood saw and file. The new version omits the file. The current model that meets my minimum needs is the Ranger, but it does include a couple of things I can absolute do without such as the parcel hook.
 
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I always have at least a Buck 110 on me. So the little classic lives in my watch pocket, and comes in handy a lot. Tooth pick, tweezers, tiny sharp blade, scissors. All great to have.
 
jideta said:
I use the scissors on my Swisstool once every full moon.
Maybe Super Tinker...
The scissors is iconic!
Click to expand...

I use scissors regular enough to consider them a must have. Usually odd jobs like trimming a random mustache hair or cutting off a scratchy tag on my granddaughter’s shirt.
 
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I agree the scissors are essential. Trimming a trout fly, the tag end of monofilament line, loose threads etc. The scissors are the reason I started carrying the classic, I’ve been surprised how often the other things come in handy.
 
The Explorer for me. Inline philips-driver, scissors, tweezes, thooth pick 2 blades and caplifter/flat driver are frequently used, along with the pinhead needle i keep in the scale.

The magnifier, which I considered a curiosity at first, actually has been useful sometimes, for example in combinstion with the tweezers for splinter removal. The bottle opener and parcel hook are my least used tools, but the bottle opener has been used to lift up the drain cover plate in the shower and loosening knots. Parcel hook is the least used (can’t remember if I have used it for anything useful).
 
I never use a can opener. Bottle opener, yes.
A most small Vics come with a nail file. It works pretty well on any un-hardened metal and I find it handy.
So,
  • Cutting blade
  • small Philips
  • scissors
  • small flat head
  • bottle opener.
  • tweezers and toothpick
  • File
If it were larger, the rambler would be about the minimum. But as-is, the blade is too small. I need the frame to be at least 3.3" for the blade to be useful. The cadet is almost there, but it only comes in Alox, so it has no toothpick or tweezers. And it lacks a philips blade.
 
A couple blades and a couple drivers.

I like the tinker but I'm going smaller most often lately and it's larger than I like, plus I do not like the position of the awl and Phillip's driver which isn't really needed when you can use the can opener just as well.

I like the cadet, but if it had an awl in place of the nail file I'd like it even more.
For my uses an inline awl is mandatory or it's really not useful for me.

I don't use a cap lifter ever and would pay an extra $5 for any model if I could get it without the bottle opener cutout in the flat blade driver.
 
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