Camper Vs. Farmer

M

Morgoth412

Joined
Oct 4, 2002
Messages
1,297
My Camper is an excellent EDC, but playing with my Soldier has me wondering about another ALOX model. I was thinking of maybe getting a Farmer to replace my Camper as EDC but...

It doesn't have:
1. The small blade: I think I could do without this, but I love the razor backup blade
2. The Tweezer and toothick: Who cares about the toothpick, but the Tweezer is ESSENTIAL in the outdoors
3. The Corkscrew: It has a bunch of uses outdoors and holds the jewelers screwdriver. I don't know if I could go without this...
4. The bright red handles: for easy spotting when you drop it
5. The sewing eye in the awl: not really necessary but cool

So who thinks the Camper is better, and who thinks the Farmer is better. I'm sticking my vote for the Camper right now. Maybe others can convince me otherwise. ;)
-Kevin
P.S.- I will be buying a Farmer anyway, later in the year, so don't even try to say "buy both and see." :p
 
As with most things, its a trade off. On the Farmer, you do lose the small blade. However, you could get the Electrician Plus, which is the Electrician model with a saw. You get the main blade and the smaller electricians blade, unfortunately you lose the can opener/small screwdriver.

Some help that was, huh? :)
 
Tough decision, I usually carry a Huntsman but sometimes change to a Farmer on weekends.

My farmer is red alox, bought in Switzerland, I don´t know if you can get the red ones in the U.S. I have mixed feelings about the color, as you mention, easy to spot if dropped but also looks bad when scratched, the finish is a bit more polished all around than the soldier which means the screwdriver is not as sharp.

An interesting idea is to carry two knives that complement each other, such as a Classic for tweezers, scissors, small blade and nail file, and a Farmer for the tougher jobs.
 
That is quite a dilemma you have. I agree that the tweezers and eyeglass screwdriver would be hard to lose, but the Farmer has just wonderful "walk and talk” and very durable scales.

Let me throw another option at you. The Rucksack would give you that same great walk and talk as the Farmer, as well as an even larger and locking blade. The saw is also larger. You’d lose the small blade, but retain the corkscrew, tweezers, toothpick, and eyeglass screwdriver capability. And I bet you’d have a VERY tough time destroying the Rucksack’s red nylon scales. It could be the best of both worlds, along with some goodness that neither of the others possess.
 
Camper vs Farmer...I go through this agony every day. I went with the Farmer for about a year, but lately it's been the camper. I do like having the extra items on board, but then again, the Farmer's awl and its walk and talk are superior. It's a tough choice, no doubt about it...
 
Richard and NumberThree,
I needed some oppinions on which was better, but you guys seem as confused as me! ;) I'm still stuck where I am now.

Don,
The red ones are very hard to find in the US, having been discontinued, but might be worth looking into. Carrying a seconed small SAK is an option I guess...But none of them have a corkscrew. I would gain a tweezer and small blade but I don't have much use for a scissor or the nailfile/screwdriver.

Buzz,
I'm not really a fan of the bigger locking blade SAKs. Mostly because I'm not that comfortable wearing a sheath and I think they are too big for the pocket. Otherwise sound advice.

Well guys, I'm still torn. I think the Camper is going to retain its spot, but we shall see when I get a Farmer. Anyone else have some thoughts?
-Kevin
 
I have a Hiker, and had a Harvester (as close to the mentioned models as I can get at the moment :rolleyes: ). I like the alox handles FAR better. The tweezers and jewelers screwdriver sure are nice to have. So is the small blade. The best advice I can give.....add a Farmer to your line up and see which one YOU like the best :p :D . I'll be adding a Farmer myself (to replace the Harvester) for woods carry. Gotta have that saw blade. :cool:
I sold off my Rucksack because I found the larger blade somewhat awkward.

Paul
 
If the Farmer had a small blade, I'd buy it in a heartbeat, and never look back. That would be perfect for me, but I intend to stick with my Hiker, for the simple reason that it has the small blade.
I find the tweezers indispensable, too, but there's a Classic on my keyring that takes care of that.
The Electrician Plus (I love the sheepsfoot small blade) is close, but loses the can opener/phillips head, which is fine for my work, but I would not want to give it up for daily carry, as I've gotten away from carrying a multitool on my person.
So I vote Camper.
 
PWork,
I will get the Farmer, but I'm almost positive the Camper will hold EDC spot.

OwenM,
I think I would grab a Farmer in a heartbeat too if it had the small blade, and the Tweezer. I know I could carry a Classic, but why carry 2 when you can carry one? ;)
-Kevin
 
O.K., I have another question now... How do the Camper and Farmer compare in terms of thickness?
-Kevin
 
Thickness is close to the same. The Farmer might feel a little more comfortable in pocket because it doesn't have the corkscrew sticking out past the scales.

Paul
 
PWork said:
Thickness is close to the same. The Farmer might feel a little more comfortable in pocket because it doesn't have the corkscrew sticking out past the scales.

Paul
Click to expand...

Thanks Paul.
-"Kevni" or Kevin :rolleyes: ;)
 
To the best of my knowlege my Hiker, and Electrician Plus are identical to the Camper and Farmer, dimensionally.

.......................Hiker.........Elec+
thickness-------.637"-------.551"
scale width-----.803"-------.743"
overall width----~1.3"-------.993"
length----------3.57"-------3.67"
I don't have a suitable scale, but the Electrician Plus is a little heavier.
The ~1.3" width on the Hiker is measuring across the spines of the awl and main blade. Hard to get an exact measurement freehand, with nothing to square things up perfectly.
The Elec+ feels heavier in the pocket to me, while the larger Hiker seems smaller in the pocket to me, like it's greater width and thickness distributes the weight more, and it's floating in there. I know it sounds weird, but I can really tell quite a difference. I noticed the same thing with the Recruit, and Cadet. The Recruit feels weightless, while the Cadet feels like a lump.
Maybe I'm just very sensitive :eek:
Wait..never mind :(
 
OwenM said:
To the best of my knowlege my Hiker, and Electrician Plus are identical to the Camper and Farmer, dimensionally.

.......................Hiker.........Elec+
thickness-------.637"-------.551"
scale width-----.803"-------.743"
overall width----~1.3"-------.993"
length----------3.57"-------3.67"
I don't have a suitable scale, but the Electrician Plus is a little heavier.
The ~1.3" width on the Hiker is measuring across the spines of the awl and main blade. Hard to get an exact measurement freehand, with nothing to square things up perfectly.
The Elec+ feels heavier in the pocket to me, while the larger Hiker seems smaller in the pocket to me, like it's greater width and thickness distributes the weight more, and it's floating in there. I know it sounds weird, but I can really tell quite a difference. I noticed the same thing with the Recruit, and Cadet. The Recruit feels weightless, while the Cadet feels like a lump.
Maybe I'm just very sensitive :eek:
Wait..never mind :(
Click to expand...

Owen,
Thanks for the imformative post. I think I understand completely. My Soldier does feel more noticeable in the pocket then my Camper. The Soldier's weight doesn't bother me, but maybe the extra bit of the Farmer might.

Like I said, I will still buy a Farmer at some point, but I think the Camper is going to hold its spot.
-Kevin
 
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