An Alox vs Celluloid Question

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sodak

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In all the SAK threads I've read, I've never seen this one addressed.

In addition to not having receptacles for pins, tweezers, etc., all of my Alox versions have awls with no hole in them. I find the hole very handy when stitching, any idea why this is?

Has anyone just drilled a hole in?

It's that extra bit of functionality that has always tipped me towards the celluloid even though I like the Alox handles better.
 
DocT said:
It is a reamer, not an awl. The awl has a hole.
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The 93mm tool is an awl, definitely. I'd guess Victorinox calls the back side tool a "reamer" to make a distinction between the 93mm and 84-85-111mm tools. The 111mm liner lock knives omit the sewing eye.

Awl may refer to:

Tools
  • Bradawl, a woodworking hand tool for making small holes
  • Scratch awl, a woodworking layout and point-making tool used to scribe a line
  • Stitching awl, a tool for piercing holes in a variety of materials such as leather or canvas
_______

I love the alox awl. It can be used to cut and score and as a drilling tool it craps all over the back side tool, which I find barely suitable for many tasks.

I've used the back side awl once for sewing. It could be improved - at the cost of the nail nick.

I think you could drill a sewing eye in the 93mm awl if you do it at a low speed with water cooling.
 
I'm certain I could, having drilled out pivot holes to use barrel fasteners. I just think the awl is fragile enough without weakening it farther by drilling a hole in it. But I also own a stitching awl that works much better than any SAK could, so I've never tried stitching with a tool on a pocket knife.
 
It would be repair sewing out in the woods. Something rips out, a leather patch with bank line or twine will certainly fix things up temporarily.
 
afishhunter said:
I thought that's what these "Pocket Wife" sewing kits/sets were for ...

View attachment 1424758
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Agreed.
I tend to agree with the idea that the awl is a "for emergency use only" type of tool. I certainly wouldn't choose to do any stitching with it voluntarily if it could be avoided. To that end I think Victorinox tries to walk a tricky line. With the backside awl, its abilities could be vastly improved, but you'd sacrifice the nail nick, making it virtually impossible to open. For the 93mm tool, I just think of it as a pokey boy. Drills holes pretty well, especially with a judicial sharpening, and can scribe a line or two. Far more workmanlike and convenient tool than the back awl imo, at least for more regular use. I don't need it for stitching and if I wanted an emergency sewing kit I'd likely choose the above instead anyway. I think the utility of a stitching awl in a backwoods pack has been severely decreased by the increasingly uncommon use of pack animals, and consequently decreased contact with bridles and saddles etc. All of which is to say that I like the awl as is :p:p:D
If something takes ten words to say you can count on me to use a hundred instead
 
My old SAK has a half round awl with two flat sides. I used it a lot to drill holes in wood when I was a kid. The cork screw also had a cut in the screw part that spiraled all the way from tip to base.
 
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