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- Oct 2, 2011
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As some of you may be aware, I'm currently spending time in Northern Ireland with my in-laws. This is to allow new grandparents to show off their first grandchild to all the family. It is both a harrowing and wonderful experience.
I had intended to take only a couple of pocket knives and asked in the lounge what the regulars there would take with them if they were in my shoes. I got various helpful suggestions that were accidentally ignored when the trip all became rather rushed at the end due to Rory related incidents the details of which I won't bore you with. Any parent will understand - first time away for a big trip with your first child; don't be silly, of course we planned it to perfection, what could possibly go wrong?....
So anyway, we set off with me carrying one pocket knife, and that was it. I had no others. I had a nice little array lined up on the shelf at home where they were awaiting packing but weren't actually, well, y'know. An early morning ferry, an overnight with friends in Carlisle, and then another ferry with 430 miles driving at various points along the way has landed us here in County Down where we have been for over a week now and where I have found myself with a free morning and so I thought I would post this little review come tribute to one of life's little happy surprises:
The joy of an unexpected pocket knife discovery.
I put in my pocket a knife I have had a while and used quite often around the house but hadn't really carried much or properly bonded with. A Victorinox Electrician. I have had no other option so have carried it daily since the 7th and have discovered much to my surprise that I really like this knife.
(Please forgive the mobile phone pictures - the camera was of course forgotten too)
I didn't initially. I have always thought the plain jane alox scales and stainless blades a little dull, too clinical, boring even and lacking the romanticism that I associate with beautiful natural materials combined with bolsters and patina'd carbon steel blades which I so adore. However I love all the other things about this knife in different ways to the folders I'm so attached to.
It's 93mm or 3.7inch closed length is quite deceiving, it slips almost unnoticed into a pocket, due to its slim two spring design. It's odd that the farmer I have at home doesn't at all, it has three springs (an extra, slim one for the saw blade) but feels very big in the pocket to me. The alox is extremely grippy and when I was using it in the rain, I still felt that I had an assured grip, even when I dropped it in the grass I could see it easily despite the faint light. I've used all of it's tools on this trip too, which I didn't really expect to.
The spear main is a good all round utility blade and has cut all sorts of things from garden twine to fruit to barbecued meats and vegetables to hoking the dogs food from the tin and slicing the disgusting looking meaty chunks in jelly which I'm sure Finlay and Jess found as satisfactory as ever.
The screwdriver/caplifter has popped many a bottle of ale (and that nasty sugary fruity cider crap that SWMBO enjoys) as well as a few botched DIY chores that are required of a son-in-law who comes to visit. I realise that actually I have yet to use the wire stripper function here, but there's still time.
The punch/awl or reamer as Vic calls it is very useful indeed. I spent an entire afternoon putting rawplugs into walls with it for the new baby pictures which will be getting put up about the place soon. It is worth a mention about the scraper capabilities and general pokiness of it too; err... it excels at poking and at scraping. Voila.
It is however this last tool which prompted me to buy it in the first place and which has now sold me on it.
The sheepsfoot blade secondary is excellent. Many of you will know that I love the congress pattern and what I like about a congress knife is the handle to sheepsfoot blade ratio, the electrician takes that dexterity even further giving me masses of point control and cutting everything asked of it with ease. I was sure that the odd radial cut out with its chisel grind would bug me but I've used that too. We have been given (and Claire has bought) tons and tons of baby clothes, baby toys, teething stuff, baby bedding etc etc which all comes with those frustrating little plastic Kimble tags or plastic cable ties which are no match for the - as Vic advertises it; 'pruning blade with scraper'.
All in all a very satisfactory package indeed, and as it turns out; all I have needed on my trip.
Thanks for reading,
Paul
I had intended to take only a couple of pocket knives and asked in the lounge what the regulars there would take with them if they were in my shoes. I got various helpful suggestions that were accidentally ignored when the trip all became rather rushed at the end due to Rory related incidents the details of which I won't bore you with. Any parent will understand - first time away for a big trip with your first child; don't be silly, of course we planned it to perfection, what could possibly go wrong?....
So anyway, we set off with me carrying one pocket knife, and that was it. I had no others. I had a nice little array lined up on the shelf at home where they were awaiting packing but weren't actually, well, y'know. An early morning ferry, an overnight with friends in Carlisle, and then another ferry with 430 miles driving at various points along the way has landed us here in County Down where we have been for over a week now and where I have found myself with a free morning and so I thought I would post this little review come tribute to one of life's little happy surprises:
The joy of an unexpected pocket knife discovery.
I put in my pocket a knife I have had a while and used quite often around the house but hadn't really carried much or properly bonded with. A Victorinox Electrician. I have had no other option so have carried it daily since the 7th and have discovered much to my surprise that I really like this knife.
(Please forgive the mobile phone pictures - the camera was of course forgotten too)
I didn't initially. I have always thought the plain jane alox scales and stainless blades a little dull, too clinical, boring even and lacking the romanticism that I associate with beautiful natural materials combined with bolsters and patina'd carbon steel blades which I so adore. However I love all the other things about this knife in different ways to the folders I'm so attached to.
It's 93mm or 3.7inch closed length is quite deceiving, it slips almost unnoticed into a pocket, due to its slim two spring design. It's odd that the farmer I have at home doesn't at all, it has three springs (an extra, slim one for the saw blade) but feels very big in the pocket to me. The alox is extremely grippy and when I was using it in the rain, I still felt that I had an assured grip, even when I dropped it in the grass I could see it easily despite the faint light. I've used all of it's tools on this trip too, which I didn't really expect to.
The spear main is a good all round utility blade and has cut all sorts of things from garden twine to fruit to barbecued meats and vegetables to hoking the dogs food from the tin and slicing the disgusting looking meaty chunks in jelly which I'm sure Finlay and Jess found as satisfactory as ever.
The screwdriver/caplifter has popped many a bottle of ale (and that nasty sugary fruity cider crap that SWMBO enjoys) as well as a few botched DIY chores that are required of a son-in-law who comes to visit. I realise that actually I have yet to use the wire stripper function here, but there's still time.
The punch/awl or reamer as Vic calls it is very useful indeed. I spent an entire afternoon putting rawplugs into walls with it for the new baby pictures which will be getting put up about the place soon. It is worth a mention about the scraper capabilities and general pokiness of it too; err... it excels at poking and at scraping. Voila.
It is however this last tool which prompted me to buy it in the first place and which has now sold me on it.
The sheepsfoot blade secondary is excellent. Many of you will know that I love the congress pattern and what I like about a congress knife is the handle to sheepsfoot blade ratio, the electrician takes that dexterity even further giving me masses of point control and cutting everything asked of it with ease. I was sure that the odd radial cut out with its chisel grind would bug me but I've used that too. We have been given (and Claire has bought) tons and tons of baby clothes, baby toys, teething stuff, baby bedding etc etc which all comes with those frustrating little plastic Kimble tags or plastic cable ties which are no match for the - as Vic advertises it; 'pruning blade with scraper'.
All in all a very satisfactory package indeed, and as it turns out; all I have needed on my trip.
Thanks for reading,
Paul
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