A pen knife better than Victorinox Pocket Pal ?

A

aadhtbb

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Jul 24, 2010
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I used to have a Victorinox Pocket Pal, a typical "pen knife". It stayed in my jeans/pen box for 2yrs before I lost it when travelling .

Generally I dig everything on it except the slippy plastic handle. Uesd to sand it however after wears of one or two weeks it got slippy again.

So is there any pen knife similar to the pocket pal, by which I mean a pen main and a pen second , stainless , light and thin, but with scale not so slippy?

From what I known there is Aluminum version from both Victorinox and Wenger ,also AG Russel Titanium(Single blade) , but they just ain't the one.

Also I have some GECs(O1 and 1095) and a Case SB jack . The #68 White Owl is good but still too bulky and it's not stainless.
 
I'd go down to your local flea-market, you should be able to find something suitable both easily and inexpensively :)
 
Other than the Wenger Patriot / Vic Pocket Pal I can't think of any just now....but may be woth while checking here http://www.sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php if you are thinking Swiss.

There are also some French manufactures that could have something suitable slim and stainless, but you'll have to google (Couteaux?) for some links.

A couple of single bladed alternatives that come to mind though would be the Vic Alox Pioneer or a stainless Cognet Douk-Douk.
 
Check out the Case Eisenhower. It's a double pen blade, 3 1/4" closed. Case is only producing one pattern of the Eisenhower and it looks like a pricey knife. You might need to source out new old stock.
Case also makes their Mini Copperhead which is 3 1/8" closed but has a Wharncliff main and a secondary pen. Very affordable.

Pic of the Mini Copperhead....
 
If you do a search you can find the Eisenhower fairly cheap. I paid $24 about 3 weeks ago, just have to do a little searching.
Some size comparisons for you

#68 White Owl-Case #63 Eisenhower-Case #01 senator pen

5AB665B4-06DF-4F79-B941-33C48AEBAF9B-2526-00000260E5D82F65.jpg


523A3327-9612-4C03-8C23-26AEE90312E9-2526-00000260EDEE2D41.jpg


5B6F387F-51D1-4276-9704-111B2DE9E360-2526-00000260F486E9D7.jpg


Pete
 
I have the aluminum version of that knife and its super thin... As for GEC, not a fan of clip blades? If the #68 is bulky, have you tried a #33?

 
Also, what about a Queen #26 Senator? Pen main but coping blade secondary. This one is in 420 and MOP but I'm not sure if they'll be readily available with other covers.

 
And for one more you haven't asked for... how about the #61 Half congress? The sheepsfoot main blade is extremely useful in my experience. Also, this is coming up
#62 GEC 440C Stainless Steel - wharncliffe/pen blades, lined bolsters
Click to expand...
 
I don't know if you can find a pen knife better than a Victorinox Pocket Pal. It's a great pocket friendly size. Big enough for most EDC tasks. No sharp edges or corners when closed. Easy to sharpen anytime/anywhere. And it's feather light.
You can find fancier. Case Eisenhower would be my call. GEC Conductor is a great knife. Heavier, though, with exposed joints that might not be too kind to your pockets without some filing.
But better?
I don't think so.
 
How about the Buck 309 companion?

Just a little thinker than the Victorinox, but very tough, good steel and heat treat, outstanding factory backing, and won't break the bank.

Carl.
 
Hi all, thank you for your reply and fantastic pics (Especially those with size comparison).

I did a lot of search ,first scan catalog of CASE ,Buck, GEC, Queen and Winchester. Then I put the key word "pen knife " in google and there jumped out tons of "tactial" pens and Spyderco UKPK.

I have to say that SubSpace is right. It is hardly a pen knife better than Pocket Pal. The price is not a big issue as I used to sent mine to get pimped with Mammoth Ivory . Finally I let that pimper saved the piece of ivory and made it a small hanging plate as gift to my buddy . The main reason is that a whole piece of mammoth ivory handle is not tough enough for me to carry.

However, for the Case patterns they are all too fancy and shinny. Yes the Mammoth can be expensive , but it is elegent and smooth, not shinny at all . Also It has a big blade-to-handle ratio than other pen knives (Eisenhower or Tuxedo ). The tang corner is rounded, the pen main and second is non-knife-guys friendly, the knife is totally EDC friendly in everywhere.

I saw some "pen knife" with cocktail screw on that B2B site if I put "solingen knife"---------brass liner ,wood scales ,perfect size and perfect at all if without the cocktail screw.
There are some other similar with shorter blade if I put "sheffield knife" . I guess maybe it is a European style what I am looking for ?

Here are some pics. I really miss my pal.





And yes that's a Chinese word ,a kind of tree. I come from China.
 
Have you considered getting a new Pocket Pal and having it rescaled by a knife customizer?

I would think some form of wood might give you a better feel. Not like the plastic scales on the Vics are incredibly durable anyway.
 
I was about to suggest a Queen 26, or a Buck 309, then I remembered seeing something else...here it is:

118288hh.jpg


Boker, 2,75", stainless steel and stag handles. Yes, the main blade is a clip, but it doesn't look bad...

Fausto
:cool:
 
I have a suspicion that one of the issues the OP is dealing with, but that we're not yet talking about, is how *FLAT* the Pocket Pal is in the pocket (similar to the Classic, in this regard).

IMO, different style knives have a different quality in the pocket. In general, I find most slip joints to be very noticeable in the pocket owing to the slightly wider multi-spring frame and squarish cross-section.

I find single blade knives with flat scales/bolsters to carry much nicer. They lay flatter in the pocket and (for me) are less noticeable. I love the way my Buck 500 and Schrade 5OT carry and Buck is a monster compared to that tiny Vic. Perhaps something like a Buck 505 would settle in his pocket better. This issue of flatness is why I suggested a Butter Bean earlier (provided he can find a single spring version).

Buck 505
http://images.knifecenter.com/thumb...9860215243.1&__hssc=130473168.3.1369860215243
 
I have a Victorinox Classis SD pimed with Mammoth and silver line just as above(sry I cant find the pic) but I found they don't match each other. That pimper showed me a pimped wooden Pal as well.

Maybe what I am looking for is an "original" production pen knife.


pinnah said:
Have you considered getting a new Pocket Pal and having it rescaled by a knife customizer?

I would think some form of wood might give you a better feel. Not like the plastic scales on the Vics are incredibly durable anyway.
Click to expand...
 
The SAK Secertary is the same as the pocket pal but in Alox
I have got it on my key ring for years now

The Case Pen is also a good and very thin pen knife
 
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