Awl Right!

Again, no, nobody does a better awl. The backhand awl of the cellidor models are terrible when compared to the alox awls. The alox awl also make a great plastic cable tie cutter. Just slide the point under the cable tie and twist so the sharp edge cuts into the underside of the cable tie and it done.

Everything is better with Alox!
 
The awl/punch/reamer on my harness jack cuts holes a little faster than my Vic, Ulster/Imperial-Schrade, and other "scout"/"demo"/ "engineers" knives with a chisel edge. I believe the design has a bit to do with it.
The SAK awl/punch/reamer does do a great job. Sadly, on my SAK's, it is a bottom tool, not inline, so gets passed over for most tasks. I will admit it works great to remove the 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬😡😡😡😡🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 goatshead thorns/ AKA: "🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 Sandburrs" from bicycle tyres. (ideally before they hole the tube. 😁)
(yes. I spelt "tyres" properly/correctly. "tires" is what working a boring job overtime (among other things) does to you.)
View attachment 2363090
I've never had or tried the punch/awl with grooves or spirals, or the one similar to mine with two grouves/cutting edges, so cannot say if they cut better.
waynorth waynorth and Campbellclanman Campbellclanman : You gents are the resident punch/awl experts and historians.

How many different punch/awl design patents are there, anyway?
Do the grouved punch/awls cut better than those without the grouves or spirals?
 
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El Jay said:
The awl on the SAK Electrician is awesome! It come straight out of the handle and punctures leather, plastic, metal and wood with ease. Best awl I've ever used. Does anyone do it better?
Click to expand...
I have yet to find a pocketknife or multitool awl/reamer/punch that is superior to the Victorinox 93mm awl (the one on the Soldier/Pioneer/Pioneer X, Electrician, and Farmer/Farmer X) at drilling and reaming holes in wood, plastic, and leather.
 
I actually prefer the awl on the Celidor models, but it is in the wrong place.
When I worked for a living, back when screws were driven with muscles and foul language I used the awl to make big starter holes and on more than one occasion as a makeshift countersink. Some times as dowel marker and now and again to make a hole to stop some nail splitting thin boards.
 
afishhunter said:
The awl/punch/reamer on my harness jack cuts holes a little faster than my Vic, Ulster/Imperial-Schrade, and other "scout"/"demo"/ "engineers" knives with a chisel edge. I believe the design has a bit to do with it.
The SAK awl/punch/reamer does do a great job. Sadly, on my SAK's, it is a bottom tool, not inline, so gets passed over for most tasks. I will admit it works great to remove the 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬😡😡😡😡🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 goatshead thorns/ AKA: "🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 Sandburrs" from bicycle tyres. (ideally before they hole the tube. 😁)
(yes. I spelt "tyres" properly/correctly. "tires" is what working a boring job overtime (among other things) does to you.)
View attachment 2363090
I've never had or tried the punch/awl with grooves or spirals, or the one similar to mine with two grouves/cutting edges, so cannot say if they cut better.
waynorth waynorth and Campbellclanman Campbellclanman : You gents are the resident punch/awl experts and historians.

How many different punch/awl design patents are there, anyway?
Do the grouved punch/awls cut better than those without the grouves or spirals?
Click to expand...
A lot of the eye candy makes only marginal difference!! If the point is sharp for initial piercing, and the edge is honed to cut well, you usually have an effective punch!!
 
Charlie would know best! He has a larger variety of awls than I have ever even seen pics of.
 
Not gonna win the popularity contest with my opinion…
I’ve used the 91mm awl since 1984…and it’s still my preference, as I’ve used it most often for putting holes in metals more than anything else. Even light gauge stainless sheet.

The nice thing about the 93mm awls it that they are better for most other materials with a more precise tip. Enough so, that its design has remained essentially unchanged since its introduction in ‘61/‘62. Just some minor differences in surface finish typical with all SAK tools.

The Officer’s knife ‘hidden’ awl changed somewhat often since its introduction in ‘61. Miscellaneous grinds and bevels were used, sometimes changing yearly, until the design and production variance settles down after about 1990. Use on metals (IMO) is best after about ‘80/‘81.
 
A lot of classic scouts and 4 blade utility knives have a great awl, but it depends on what you want out of an awl.
Usually for me I'm scribing a line in plastic aluminum or wood, and using the edge to scrape and debur said materials.

For the most part I just need it to be sharp pointy and sticking straight out, the backside Victorinox awl is basically useless to me based on position alone.
 
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