58mm pocket knife?

Lee D

Lee D

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After losing my classic I recently picked up an Alox mini champ to replace it, but it just seems a bit much to ride on my keychain. Heading out the door yesterday I grabbed it off my dresser and dropped it in my front right pocket, and it later donned on me...why do I automatically assume the smaller Vics belong on my keys? It covers a lot of needs in a minimalistic fashion, so why not always carry it in a pocket? Anyone else or are the 58mm Vics strictly keychain SAKs?
 
I love the minichamp because of it’s precise mini engineering. However I can’t really see much added value in comparison to the classic because most of the tools are just odd. The orange peeler blade’s job can be done with the regular blade and the cuticle pusher or whatever it’s called... just odd! I think they should try adding more stout folding tweezers to it or something.. it kind of feels like manicure tool for me.
 
yeah a mini champ would be
an excellent reason not to
ever loose or misplace
the bunch of keys ...
or perhaps a less bulky money clip classic
that can sit securely affixed instead...
SAK_0_6540_16__S1.jpg
 
The mini Champ may be of more use in the watch pocket than on keyring. Its all really depends on the key.

I drove the same little Toyota pickup from 2001 to 2019 and it had a plain old fashioned metal car key. In 2019 I bought a new Toyota and the key is an all plastic thing with built in electronics for locking, trunk latch, panic button. These new keys are very costly to replace, so I took my keyring knife off my keyring to lighten it up. I found that in my pocket, the knife is easier to take out and use, so it now stays in the pocket. The only thing on my key ring now is my car key, house key, and a small Photon light. My Fenix E01 s in my pocket.

I find that its easier now to just reach in pocket and take out what I'm going to use, rather than reach in pocket and take out keys and detach what I want to use unattached to a bunch of stuff.
 
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I bought the Alox Mini Champ thinking it would replace other things I carried but I quickly realized it wasn't for me. The choices of some of the tools were puzzling to me. The cuticle pusher was a waste of space, the thread cutter thing was not very useful and I've never been a fan of the nail file. So right off the bat 3/8 of the blades were useless to me. Furthermore, I find the main blade too flimsy and I always had to open a few blades before I found what I wanted to use. I ended up giving it to my daughter who keeps it in her purse. I'd consider an Alox Rambler if they didn't cost a king's ransom.
 
Gurdygurds said:
I don't have a Classic on my keys at the moment as I've started to dremel off the keyring attachments and carry them in my backpacker. I've found I use it WAY more being that it's been freed from the keychain and easier to access.
Untitled by Six Pound Cat, on Flickr
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Yeah, I thought I was being so clever putting the classic in a keyring pouch. Too bad it took me buying a new car to find out that its more useful in the pocket where its not attached to a bunch of jingling keys, tiny flashlights, and what-not. o_O
 
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And oddly enough Carl, I never lose these pocket dropped Classics. Used to carry them in pocket with small paracord lanyards but those have disappeared. Remove everything and haven’t had an issue. Also I’ve tried the mini champ and the rambler and keep coming back to Classics. It was literally the first knife I ever got and my love for them is as strong as ever. They also keep me grounded. Whenever I get too caught up in knife obsession I put everything away and just use a Classic to remind myself how little I really need. I fell victim to the knife itch recently but I’ve kept it pretty well under control for the most part for a while. Probably time for another Classic challenge.
 
Gurdygurds said:
And oddly enough Carl, I never lose these pocket dropped Classics. Used to carry them in pocket with small paracord lanyards but those have disappeared. Remove everything and haven’t had an issue. Also I’ve tried the mini champ and the rambler and keep coming back to Classics. It was literally the first knife I ever got and my love for them is as strong as ever. They also keep me grounded. Whenever I get too caught up in knife obsession I put everything away and just use a Classic to remind myself how little I really need. I fell victim to the knife itch recently but I’ve kept it pretty well under control for the most part for a while. Probably time for another Classic challenge.
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It's just too bad that I can't like a post more than once!

Everything you say is right on the money. I know that I got way way too carried away with the whole knife thing in the past. Challenging yourself to go with just a classic, or a Case peanut, does wonders in teaching you what you don't need in modern life. The knife industry, like the gun industry, sells a lot on hype, smoke and mirrors, and some little bit of outright fantasy. Very few of us will ever be battling a trainload of terrorists, or defending Gotham from evil. But we will be opening our mail, opening the Amazon package left at the front door, opening the diabolical plastic blister packages designed to be bombproof, or cutting some twine to help hold up the tomato plants out back. In our leisure hours we may go fishing, and have to deal with fishng line, pull a sticker out from between the dogs paw pads, or cut the snarled rubber band out from the granddaughters pony tail.

For 20 years I did all those things with a beat up classic, and it did everything I asked it to just fine. I guess I didn't find need of a high speed operators knife as I didn't encounter any sentries that needed 'de-animating' since I'm a Low speed high drag grandfather. All I needed was a little bit of sharp edge. Having a small scissors and a little screw driver tip helped me deal with a lot things in the realm of the real world that the tactical wonder knife of the month couldn't have done a thing with.

Sometimes its good to step back and take stock and ground yourself in reality. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
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Gurdygurds said:
And oddly enough Carl, I never lose these pocket dropped Classics. Used to carry them in pocket with small paracord lanyards but those have disappeared. Remove everything and haven’t had an issue. Also I’ve tried the mini champ and the rambler and keep coming back to Classics.
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This exactly what I experienced with my Case peanut in the old days. I suspect that the old timers knew this. With the peanut, and now my Leatherman squirt that I carry a lot, I think its the small size and weight, it just automatically sinks down to the bottom corner of the pocket and stays there unless you do hand stands or something.

With the peanut, and then the classic, and now the executive, its always right down there in the most bottom corner of the pocket. If I need it, its an easy thing to just reach down there past the bandana, or whatever, and there it is. Predictable.
 
Personally, I find my day to day cutting needs fall well in excess of the capabilities of the Classic. 58mm is just not enough handle for me to hang onto for anything more than trimming a stray thread.
 
yablanowitz said:
Personally, I find my day to day cutting needs fall well in excess of the capabilities of the Classic. 58mm is just not enough handle for me to hang onto for anything more than trimming a stray thread.
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I guess thats why Baskin-Robbins has 31 flavors of ice cream. Something for everyone. I never cared for the banana swirl myself. But I've lost count of all the boxes and packages I've opened with a classic, and even trimmed down the rubber floor mats from Weathertech for my car. So I guess its a case of YMMV. :confused:
 
It may have something to do with my fingers being 25mm thick. Anything under three fingers just doesn't feel secure to me. I've carried a Classic as well as a Mini Champ, but I never found them useful for much, so I don't carry either anymore.
 
yablanowitz said:
It may have something to do with my fingers being 25mm thick. Anything under three fingers just doesn't feel secure to me. I've carried a Classic as well as a Mini Champ, but I never found them useful for much, so I don't carry either anymore.
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25mm????:eek:

You must have hands like The Hulk!
 
yablanowitz said:
Nope. But to be fair, he is a foot and a half taller than me.
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I guess that can make all the difference in the world as to what feels good to one person and useable to another. I shoot a J frame revolver just fine and even a North American Arms mini revolver okay. In fact, I have to add a Tyler T-grip to the J frame Smith and Wesson to keep my hand from riding up on the grip under rapid fire. But my son-in-law who is 6' 4" and 270 pounds can't hardly shoot the J frame and can't even get a hold of the grip on the NAA mini .22 revolver. He has hard time even with my daughters Ruger LCP .380. But he's hell on wheels with his Glock 17.

Probably a lot like you with a 58mm or even a 74mm SAK. Just not enough there for a decent hold. But someone like my 5' 9" 175 pound self with smaller hands its not problem. So much of what we use and are comfortable with is all about who we are and what we are, with a little bit of what we do tossed in on the side.
 
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