Why Tinker?

R

Raymond1000

Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Messages
2,097
When I discovered Swiss Army Knives, the Victorinox Tinker puzzled me. I knew what a tinker was. An itinerant pot mender. The name comes from the tink tink tink of his hammer. The Tinker isn’t the knife I would choose if I did that kind of work. What’s with the name?

By extension, other road people were called tinkers. Gypsies, vagrants, wandering performers, traders, beggars, thieves. For a mostly outdoor life, the Vic Tinker looks not worth a tinker’s damn.

Mind you, this wasn’t a big deal in my life. I never lost sleep over it. But for years when I ran across reference to the Swiss Army Tinker I’d wonder, “Who gave it that name? What were they thinking?”

Recently I realized (in this context) that tinker is also a verb. As in tinkering with a carburetor.

Oh.

Victorinox isn’t as silly as I thought.
 
I didn't know the history of the word tinker beyond the current verb, thanks for that.
 
I always thought of the name Tinker in the verb form I guess. Interesting point tho about the other meaning of the word. I would have to say that a traveling Tinker would want one of the thicker saks. Maybe even a Swisschamp.
Jim
 
Why not?I've seen lots of knives with names that make me scratch my head and wonder.
 
That may be the classical definition of Tinker, but nowadays it can be used more generally. For example, as a verb: "He tinkers around with all sorts of stuff." or "He works on lots of stuff, he's a real tinker."

Not all of Vic's names are super apt, but they are in the right direction! For example, the Explorer doesn't have a saw. Can't do much (classical) exploring without a saw, right? But thinking more deeply, maybe it refers to one who explores at a smaller level...
 
Smaug1 said:
That may be the classical definition of Tinker, but nowadays it can be used more generally. For example, as a verb: "He tinkers around with all sorts of stuff." or "He works on lots of stuff, he's a real tinker."

Not all of Vic's names are super apt, but they are in the right direction! For example, the Explorer doesn't have a saw. Can't do much (classical) exploring without a saw, right? But thinking more deeply, maybe it refers to one who explores at a smaller level...
Click to expand...

True enough. I don't like the Farmer for farming.

Hey, they should rename the Farmer the Tinker. Or maybe the Gypsy.
 
I have had a Tinker for a couple of years now.

I have pretty much always been a knife guy, but when I saw one of my grandfather's buddies carrying nothing but a Vic Tinker, I thought that the fact that he was carrying one was interesting. It was interesting for two reasons, one, because I thought it was weird that the only knife he carried was a Tinker, and two, because as a profession, he was one of those guys that were in the operating room during an operation and if the electronic equipment broke or malfunctioned he would fix it right there.

I dont know if the SAK helped him in his profession (and I doubt it did-for contamination reasons), but what I do know is that he was a heavy beer drinker and when I started drinking a lot of bottled beer, it all came together. I like carrying the Tinker, but for most things, especially beer drinking, I cant help but like the Leatherman Skeletool more-because I dont have to open the bottle opener.
 
I too sometimes wonder why Victorinox gave models certain names. Sometimes it's obvious; the Electrician or Angler for example have a few specific tools that match the name and the Soldier too needs further explanation.
 
Maybe because we don't have Hobo's in Europe and Tinker is the closest description?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top