Are we carrying tougher knives than are needed?

[Smaug]

<snip>

PD: I don't think that the bigger Victorinox folders (locking, one hand opening, etc.) are a bad choice for anything... maybe for the lack of pocket clip... but besides that, I could do anything I wanted with a Soldier or One Hand Trekker.

↑ +1

I think the Trekker/'08 Soldier is a MASTERPIECE of design. (Trekker has black nylon scales w/T&T, Soldier has OD/black w/ rubber overmold and no T&T)

Let me count the ways:

1. The saw is great
2. The liner-locked large screwdriver is an awesome pry tool and even the can opener has multiple uses
3. The reamer on the back is a great general purpose pokey tool; its tip is sharper than the rather rounded one of the knife blade
4. Even the blade design was well thought-out: it's serrated toward the tip, so the serrations can be used for eating or fighting.
5. Did you also notice that the thumbhole in the blade is a handy place to put your finger when you're sawing, so your finger doesn't slip down onto the saw blade? One of the worst cuts I ever got on my finger was when I slipped off the grips of a cellidor-handled SAK and onto the saw blade.

At 3 layers thick, it is a bit thick to clip to the inside of a pants pocket, but being able to clip it to other pockets, such as in a backpack or jacket is a great thing.

 

[kobold]

↑ +1

I think the Trekker/'08 Soldier is a MASTERPIECE of design. (Trekker has black nylon scales w/T&T, Soldier has OD/black w/ rubber overmold and no T&T)

Let me count the ways:

1. The saw is great
2. The liner-locked large screwdriver is an awesome pry tool and even the can opener has multiple uses
3. The reamer on the back is a great general purpose pokey tool; its tip is sharper than the rather rounded one of the knife blade
4. Even the blade design was well thought-out: it's serrated toward the tip, so the serrations can be used for eating or fighting.
5. Did you also notice that the thumbhole in the blade is a handy place to put your finger when you're sawing, so your finger doesn't slip down onto the saw blade? One of the worst cuts I ever got on my finger was when I slipped off the grips of a cellidor-handled SAK and onto the saw blade.

At 3 layers thick, it is a bit thick to clip to the inside of a pants pocket, but being able to clip it to other pockets, such as in a backpack or jacket is a great thing.

I also like the Rangers. Size matters when it comes to saws.

 

[jude_061]

I’m in the carry what you enjoy school. I carry a buck 110 religiously. Do I need it? Sometimes, but not always. I like to prepare for the worst. But I also like it because I find it enjoyable to use. To each their own.

 

[greater]

Maybe not with the terrible quality of some folder locks out there.

 

[Mikel_24]

Maybe not with the terrible quality of some folder locks out there.

Which locks have you had a bad experience with?

The only lock that ever failed on me was a Colt AR15 combo edge folding knife (I know I know... I was 16 at the time... it was my first one hand opening knife and I thought it was the BEST EVER, within my budget, of course!). After a few years of use I noticed that if I put enough pressure on the back of the blade, it would close. Maybe the lip of the backlock got rounded or the spring was not strong enough or whatever. Anyway, it was a cheapo knife that today I wouldn't even consider.

Mikel

 

[eveled]

More knife than I need? Well, it depends on how tough the cardboard box I'm trying to open, is.

It’s somewhat ironic (to me at least). Opening boxes and cutting cardboard is probably what most people use a knife for most often.

Yet knives were around before cardboard or tape was even invented.

I can think of no other invention that has stood the test of time like a simple knife has.

The first wheel was invented only 6000 years ago, the knife was invented 2.5 million years ago.

 

[jc57]

This pairing served me well for quite a while.

The Victorinox Alox Cadet is still my main go-to.

When I need to cut down boxes for the recycle bin, I generally use something bigger, such as a Benchmade Griptilian.

 

[The Grendels]

I'd say both yes and no. There are a lot of times when I don't need a tank knife and for a lot of the things I use a knife for I prefer a thin, slicey blade (Spyderco knives seem well suited for this). I often end up using a folding knife to prune brush that would normally involve a set of shears or even a machete, because a knife is what is in my pocket at the time. I was picking plums before the rains a few days ago and needed to clear a footprint of thick blackberry vines for my ladder. An Opinel No.15 Slim was what was in my pocket and it did a great job. You have to make proper angled cuts when you use a smaller knife this way, but it works. Sometimes I really need an overbuilt knife and sometimes a light use knife will surprise you about what it's capable of. The primary reason I purchased the Opinel No. 15 Slim was to cut large fruit open for the chickens (I receive weekly produce from a grocery store that would otherwise get thrown out, as part of their food for farms program).

Where knives get excessively overbuilt for my needs are the ones for bushcraft or camping as I call it. I'm likely to use an outdoorsy camping knife to work wood, but unlikely to get into any heavy batoning with something I'm hauling long distance in the bush with. A lot of bushcraft knives seem to be designed for surviving an episode of Dutch Bushcraft Knives or even trying in vain to survive Joe X, instead of being just built for what I'm going to actually use it for. Adding all that weight to try to make a knife indestructible against over the top use also makes it less likely to be carried on longer hikes. Some of these overbuilt fixed blades are only suited to be used when I'm camping near my vehicle or defending my campsite from a rogue F150 pickup truck.

 

[pvicenzi]

Who?

 

[Knives&Lint]

I can think of no other invention that has stood the test of time like a simple knife has.

The first wheel was invented only 6000 years ago, the knife was invented 2.5 million years ago.

Indeed. Along with the harnessing of fire, the edged tool has to be one of the most important breakthroughs of all time. This is particularly evident when you consider the fact that it is now believed that the processing and cooking of meat was a major factor in the evolution of the human brain.

This is why it is astonishing to me how many people these days can have a "why would you need a knife?" mentality, or even frown upon the carrying of knives. How does it not occur to them that theirs is the odd viewpoint throughout the entirety of human history until just the last half century or so? and the likelihood that none of us would even be here without the humble knife?

 

[irsh]

Sad truth is that for surgeon type chores, you are better off with a scalpel-like blade (or what we have decided to call arround here... "slicy" blade...) than a 1/4" sharpened prybar.

I read in Victorinox website how a volunteer medic had to use his SAK saw as a bone saw for weeks during an emergency in a lost country in Africa due to the dedicated bone saw (and other) instrumental box was lost... The cellidor scales were long gone due to the sanitizying procedures but the rest of the knife worked flawlesly.

So if I ever need to amputate a bony part of me... I would rather have a SAK with saw to slice and saw through it... than chopping through Connan style with a tacticool folder!

Mikel

PD: I don't think that the bigger Victorinox folders (locking, one hand opening, etc.) are a bad choice for anything... maybe for the lack of pocket clip... but besides that, I could do anything I wanted with a Soldier or One Hand Trekker.

Well my SAK Classic has some tiny scissors so there's that...

 

[goldie]

Guilty as charged

 

[sadmin]

Lifestyle dependent but for me, yes. I both carry overbuilt knives and have too many knives based on my needs of a knife, and frankly it really ticks me off.
At this point I just buy knives, take a picture of them, then sell them on the forums for a significant discount. Its a psychotic loop I am in and I see no reason to stop.

 

[jackknife]

Indeed. Along with the harnessing of fire, the edged tool has to be one of the most important breakthroughs of all time. This is particularly evident when you consider the fact that it is now believed that the processing and cooking of meat was a major factor in the evolution of the human brain.

This is why it is astonishing to me how many people these days can have a "why would you need a knife?" mentality, or even frown upon the carrying of knives. How does it not occur to them that theirs is the odd viewpoint throughout the entirety of human history until just the last half century or so? and the likelihood that none of us would even be here without the humble knife?

THIS, in a major way!

 

[Daedric Panther]

This thread is making me really consider just carrying a SAK. My very caffeinated thought process: The overbuilt folder seems like an intermediate between a slip joint and a fixed blade. It’s a compromise. Not as strong as a fixed blade but more convenient to carry, while at the same time being stronger than a slipjoint.

My one reservation about only carrying a Swiss Army knife is on longer rides particularly out in the middle of nowhere. I typically ride with a sharpfinger on my belt and my usual large edc folder (pro tip: don’t attach sheath to that horizontal snap close loop on the side of your denim cut. The knife usually ends up accidentally donated to the freeway).

this combination could be very interesting. A medium size SAK (huntsman, climber, etc) and a small full tang fixed blade could no doubt accomplish more than just a folder alone. Might give it a try for a week see what happens.

 

[norcalAF]

Indeed. Along with the harnessing of fire, the edged tool has to be one of the most important breakthroughs of all time. This is particularly evident when you consider the fact that it is now believed that the processing and cooking of meat was a major factor in the evolution of the human brain.

This is why it is astonishing to me how many people these days can have a "why would you need a knife?" mentality, or even frown upon the carrying of knives. How does it not occur to them that theirs is the odd viewpoint throughout the entirety of human history until just the last half century or so? and the likelihood that none of us would even be here without the humble knife?

The issue is that those sort of people rely on others to do the cutting necessary to live this modern life, and fail to realize this.

 

[The Grendels]

This thread is making me really consider just carrying a SAK. My very caffeinated thought process: The overbuilt folder seems like an intermediate between a slip joint and a fixed blade. It’s a compromise. Not as strong as a fixed blade but more convenient to carry, while at the same time being stronger than a slipjoint.

My one reservation about only carrying a Swiss Army knife is on longer rides particularly out in the middle of nowhere. I typically ride with a sharpfinger on my belt and my usual large edc folder (pro tip: don’t attach sheath to that horizontal snap close loop on the side of your denim cut. The knife usually ends up accidentally donated to the freeway).

this combination could be very interesting. A medium size SAK (huntsman, climber, etc) and a small full tang fixed blade could no doubt accomplish more than just a folder alone. Might give it a try for a week see what happens.

What really made me glad to have a Swiss Army Knife with me are moments like having a paint chip painfully lodged under a fingernail and having access to a small pair of tweezers on short notice. You don't always need those additional tools that come with a multitool, but once you do you can't imagine life without them. Something like a Victorinox Compact gives you some decent tool options without taking so much pocket space that you can't carry another knife.

 

[norcalAF]

What really made me glad to have a Swiss Army Knife with me are moments like having a paint chip painfully lodged under a fingernail and having access to a small pair of tweezers on short notice. You don't always need those additional tools that come with a multitool, but once you do you can't imagine life without them. Something like a Victorinox Compact gives you some decent tool options without taking so much pocket space that you can't carry another knife.

And that is why I have a Spartan in both vehicles. Readily available, but doesn't clog the pockets

 

[Smaug]

I also like the Rangers. Size matters when it comes to saws.

I have a Wenger Ranger, which competed with the Victorinox trials. (But lost)

It’s a much bigger knife, no longer a “Pocket knife” By any stretch of the imagination. With that accepted, it’s awesome. The saw is better, (thicker, longer) but the flat screwdriver isn’t as good. (Doesn’t lock unless pushed inward with a lot of force) it’s also less ambidextrous than Victorinox, with the way its longer lock works.

 

[kobold]

I have a Wenger Ranger, which competed with the Victorinox trials. (But lost)

It’s a much bigger knife, no longer a “Pocket knife” By any stretch of the imagination. With that accepted, it’s awesome. The saw is better, (thicker, longer) but the flat screwdriver isn’t as good. (Doesn’t lock unless pushed inward with a lot of force) it’s also less ambidextrous than Victorinox, with the way its longer lock works.

Interesting. I agree it is chunky, but I like it in the winter.
Mine is the victorinox ranger grip 57. I cut a hex shaped hole in the cellidor scales to uncover the hex socket in the handle so I can use it with flat wood drills.

The one hand trekker and the pioneer farmer are my warm season/shoulder season choice of a SAK with a saw.