Anyone face a similar situation ?

Hickory n steel

Hickory n steel

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Feb 11, 2016
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Maybe it's more of a predicament ?

Anyways........ the " situation " is that every time I carry my Vic tinker I think about how it's not much bigger than my recruit yet offers 2 extra useful functions.
On paper you'd think this means I'd prefer it over the recruit but this doesn't seem to be the case.
Every time I carry the recruit I think about how compact yet useful it is, and I just love it. I love how it lacks those two functions that I find handy and useful yet is still perfectly capable because those two extras are just conveniences that I only appreciate because they're there.

Then I end up thinking about how much better the tinker fills my hand, and while the slight extra blade length changes nothing the extra handle length is nice. However....... it also changes nothing and only means something when I handle both knives and really really think about the differences.

I know there's no reason I should want to prefer one knife over the other, but the fact that the tinker seems better for me on paper makes it seem weird to me that I don't actually prefer it.
In reality It's hard not to like anything about the recruit so I find myself liking both equally. I get the feeling that even if I had the 84mm mini tinker which in theory is the best of both worlds, I probably wouldn't prefer it either, and would just be adding to the predicament.
Maybe I just love the recruit so much because it was my first " full sized " multi function Vic, maybe it's just the best thing since sliced bread, or possibly it's a combination of both.
 
Yup. I have a Super Tinker (three layers) and every time I use it, I think about how it's the perfect size for pocket carry & use.

I also have two Huntsman SAK's (four layers.) The extra layer is a saw - a pretty good one, too - and they get used as much as the Super Tinker. The extra layer is a little more hand-filling when using the saw.

I can never decide on a favorite, so they both get used regularly.

I'm on a mission to buy as many VICTORINOX and Wenger SAK patterns as I can. Using them never gets old.

~Chris
 
All I can say is that I'm glad I have never gotten addicted to Victorinox knives. With all the different variants I would go crazy trying to decide which one is best for me. I already have enough of that problem with other knives.
 
I carry a Tinker in my pocket at home and a Deluxe Tinker in a belt pouch when I'm going out. Love my SAKs.

Rich
 
"Logical" liking is on one end of a spectrum, and "intuitive" or "emotional" liking (read: I just like this and don't know/care why) could be on the other end; but they can also be two different qualities of liking on their own. The knives I like most tend to violate at least one, if not several of logical principles I seem to bandy when it comes to this stuff. And, sometimes I'll like a knife that much because it hits all the logical boxes. To springboard off Jeff's blonde/redhead analogy - just like in romance, each new "one" is different, and while it might be similar to something else, it's got it's own thing going on.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Maybe it's more of a predicament ?
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Click to expand...

It's not a predicament, but just human nature. The eternal battle of the ego and the id.
No matter how much something looks good on paper, if we don't like it, then it's no good for us. Look, we can live off tofu and bottled water and. be healthy. But if we don't like tofu, then it's no good for us. We are what we are, and each of us is different.

Like guns. This past summer I sold off my Glock 26. I had it for two years, shot it a great deal. But Never really liked it. Never really bonded with it. Just too "something" for my taste with is old school. I went back to carrying the small S&W J frame 5 shot. On paper, the Glock held twice the amount of ammo, was faster to reload, had better sights, and shot an easy to get cheap round. But I didn't like it. Just too alien to my hand and senses. The old S&W revolver was a good friend not just because I have a long history with it, but I liked it. Liked it from the get go all those years ago when they had nice compact .380's on the market.

Ya gotta like it to carry it. Go with what your heart tells you, not what's on paper. If you like steak, a veggie burger ain't gonna do it. Gut level instincts are never wrong.
 
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jackknife said:
It's not a predicament, but just human nature. The eternal battle of the ego and the id.
No matter how much something looks good on paper, if we don't like it, then it's no good forum. Look, we can live off tofu and bottled water and. be healthy. But if we don't like tofu, then it's no good forum. We are what we are, and each of us is different.

Like guns. This past summer I sold off my Glock 26. I had it for two years, shot it a great deal. But Never really liked it. Never really bonded with it. Just too "something" for my taste witches old school. I went back to carrying the small S&W J frame 5 shot. On paper, the Glock held twice the amount of ammo, was faster to reload, had better sights, and shot a easy to get cheap round. But I didn't like it. Just too alien to my hand and senses. The old S&W revolver was a good friend not just because I have a long history with it, but I liked it. Liked it from the get go all those years ago when they had nice compact .380's on the market.

Ya gotta like it to carry it. Go with what your heart tells you, not what's on paper. If you like steak, a veggie burger ain't gonna do it. Gut level instincts are never wrong.
Click to expand...
Pretty well said.
I guess the tinker just doesn't do enough better for me to like it anymore than my recruit, both are solid EDC choices.
 
Sometimes less is more... I find I prefer my Walker over my Tinker most of the time. One knife blade, one saw blade, and one combo-tool and that's usually all I need, and I think the 84 mm size really hits a sweet spot.
 
Railsplitter said:
All I can say is that I'm glad I have never gotten addicted to Victorinox knives. With all the different variants I would go crazy trying to decide which one is best for me. I already have enough of that problem with other knives.
Click to expand...

Oh, come on now. Buy 'em all. You know you want to. :cool: Think of all those poor, wonderful, utilitarian Swiss knives in need of a good home. A size for every EDC need... all those implements... all those colors... heck, more colors than there are flavors of Kool-Aid! So drink up! :p

~Chris

ps - drink the SAK Kool-Aid. Resistance is Futile.
 
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