Carrying my new SAK

G

Grover_Cephas

Joined
Apr 7, 2002
Messages
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So today I picked up the closest thing yet to my perfect SAK, a Spartan Lite.

This thing's awesome. I've been wanting a SAK with both corkscrew and phillips driver for a while now, but I couldn't decide on the model. And it the in-line corkscrew was always opposed by the magnifying glass, which I understand, but it's dead weight to me. Well, this morning I stopped into the local sporting goods store on a lark and saw this beauty hanging from a peg. I'd _heard_ about the white-LED SAKs on BFC, but I'd never seen one. And I certainly didn't know that the LED light opposes an in-line phillips driver :D

And I've been needing a new pocket light ever since my ARC AAA crapped out and the company died.

So this knife is just about the perfect every-day multitool for me. It'd be _perfect_ if it swapped out the small blade for a combo tool, and replaced the can and bottle openers with a pair of scissors, and added a nail file somewhere (on the spine of the combo tool or phillips driver, maybe?), but this is the best I've seen so far. It meets almost all of my tool needs, and replaces my LED light, lightening my pockets a little bit more.

There's only one problem. I need a convenient way to carry it.

I've always carried a SAK in the bottom of my right front pocket, but that clutters the pocket, and I find it convenient to carry my LED light clipped on my left side. If I can find a good way to carry my SAK over there, I'll have a handy light again, _and_ tidy up my pockets a bit more :eek:
(I think I may be a bit too excited about this...)

Anyhow, I've seen the belt sheaths, but I find vertical sheaths uncomfortable. A durable horizontal left-side sheath (preferably leather, preferably black, but I'm not _too_ picky) might work. And I've heard mention of a Victorinox belt-doodad that's made to suspend a SAK upright at the top of a pocket. I suppose even a hook on the keyring (similar to the old Benchmade "Park Avenue" folder) could work.

So, does anybody have experience with any of those options? Know where I could go about getting any of the above? Have any other ideas? This little miracle's way too nice to keep sticking out of my watch pocket. :D
 
I think your best bet is a custom kydex rig. You can get a very minimal belt loop/knife sheath or just the sheath with a hole to mate with a Tek-Lok. Then you could rotate it as you liked.

I'll bring a similar rig to the meeting Sunday.
 
I've used the belt hanger every day for the last year or so. I can't imagine ever using a different way to carry an average sized SAK. The Victorinox hanger is nicely made, very sturdy, and extra convenient.

I have made one change to the belt hanger though. I replaced the part that clips onto the SAK with a larger clasp. The supplied one was too small for my hands. I got the larger one off of a $2.00 keychain in the automotive section of Wal-Mart.
 
Esav: Thanks a lot! I'd really like to see that.

Buzz: Can you tell me where you got that? I can't seem to find it, even on Swiss-knife.com.
 
I normally prefer not to belt carry anything that would fit easily in-pocket.

Although the Spartan Lite is a bit thicker than I would consider comfortable in-pocket carry - I still would much prefer in-pocket to any belt pouch.....

So if it were me, I'd use a SackUps soft pouch (4" size) and carry in-pocket but vertically usually next to wallet.

Despite the fact they never close, the flapped version would be a better choice since the flap is used by me as a locator and extractor. However the newer current models come without flaps and are a bit longer to accomodate the full-length of knives.

For easy one-handed extraction - perhaps attach a short lanyard to the keyring (like hangman's noose) and when you know you need to use the knife or light - dangle the lanyard out of the pocket - for easy location and extraction.

However knowing a lot of people might not think like me -
there seems to be a very interesting pouch that may be able to serve dual purpose of the usual belt carry,
and possibly clipped to the inside of a pocket.....

Victorinox Large Expandable Leather Clip Pouch, VN-33256
VN-33256.jpg


--
Vincent

http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net
 
put a 6" piece or para cord on it and tie a knot in the end. run the knife under your belt and drop the knife down into your pants.It will swing freely and the belt locks it in place. I just tie a monkeys fist but even a simple square knot will keep it from slipping.
 
Experimented with a belt-looped clip today (I had an old keychain hanger lying around), and it's okay. Tomorrow I'll try beside-the wallet (just finished a hangman-style lanyard!), but I carry my wallet on my right side... Maybe I'll try a monkey's fist under the belt the day after. I may look into one of those retractors from tadgear, too.

UVT: My pockets are all a bit cluttered, and I don't mind carrying tools on my belt, so long as they're unobtrusively horizontal. As for the pouch you posted, it looks really nice, but I'm not sure it'd fit my needs. It's vertical, and it looks like it might take up too much space clipped in the pocket (I already carry a moleskine notebook there, so flush against the back seam is the only way I can carry something there). Thanks, though. I appreciate suggestions outside my criteria; they sometimes help me see options that I'd never thought of.
 
Contact Gary here and ask him to make you one. You should see the sheath he made for a case seahorse whitler a while back. if it is your perfect EDC, give it a perfect sheath!
 
Grover_Cephas said:
And I've been needing a new pocket light ever since my ARC AAA crapped out and the company died.
Click to expand...
What happened to your Arc? I thought those things were invulnerable, the way the guys at CandlePowerForums.com talk about them.
 
Thirteenth Star said:
What happened to your Arc? I thought those things were invulnerable, the way the guys at CandlePowerForums.com talk about them.
Click to expand...

Not at all. As I understand, at least a handful of CPF members lost the ARC's that they'd sent in for service when the SHTF. In my case, the battery leaked, corroding the forward contact and eating the foam ring that holds the battery off of the contact.

I don't think I can remove that foam to polish the contact without destroying the foam, and I wouldn't know how to replace it. Besides, there's corrosion down in the body of the light, too, and it's too tight a fit to be easily cleaned out.

Shame, too. It was a great light, even without an easy one-handed operation :(
 
Grover_Cephas said:
It meets almost all of my tool needs, and replaces my LED light, lightening my pockets a little bit more.
Click to expand...

How powerful is the LED light? Would you say it's comparable to the light it replaced for you?

I really, really like the feature set of the Spartan Lite, but I'm hesitant to purchase it because of the LED on my Midnite MiniChamp II, which is rather weak. Admittedly it's red, not white as I think the Spartan Lite is, but...
 
BuckyKatt said:
How powerful is the LED light? Would you say it's comparable to the light it replaced for you?

I really, really like the feature set of the Spartan Lite, but I'm hesitant to purchase it because of the LED on my Midnite MiniChamp II, which is rather weak. Admittedly it's red, not white as I think the Spartan Lite is, but...
Click to expand...

I obviously can't do a side-by-side comparison, and it's been over a month since I've seen the ARC's beam, but the Spartan Lite _seems_ as bright as I remember the ARC being. I'll do a side-by-side comparison when I can get my hands on Danielle's ARC.

And in any event, it's _much_ brighter that the other (red) LED SAKs I've handled.

It's very user-friendly, too. An easily-accessable on-off switch, so you don't have to hold down the shield to get constant light.
 
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