consensus on swiss army knives?

I never leave home without my SAK money clip. I changed out the sandpaper file for a cut file. Even if the money clip is not loaded with money, I still can tend to my ragged nails. The scissors and the 2+" blade are also useful tools.
 
I have had this Vic Classic for over twenty years. I've replaced the toothpick and tweezers a few :rolleyes: times but man those scissors come in handy. In fact everyone in my house owns at least one. My wife is obsessed with hers! The SAK is the style knife that I have given as a gift by far the most times. I find it is the perfect gift for me to give to someone who isn't "in to" knives. I usually get an "umm gee, thanks" then after a few days/weeks it's usually "You know, that's a neat little knife. I really like the scissors." :D
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I have a dedicated SAK pouch on my gear bag. A day doesn't pass that I don't use the SwissChamp that lives there.
 
I've got a Victorinox classic. It used to be EDC for me, but now it sits on my table next to my front door, right next to the Buck 186. I didn't like how the little blade (which I kept razor sharp) would try to close so easily! I always felt like I was one little slip from seriously cutting my fingers.

I traded it in for a Buck Bantam Nano. Seriously small knife, but with a lockback. I do miss the scissors on the classic, though, which is why I've got a leatherman PS on the way. :D
 
I have a few, both Victorinox and Wenger (now the same company). Quality of every one is pretty darn good, but what's amazing is the consistency. I've inspected hundreds of Victorinox knives - no loose blades, no gaps, no discolored handles, no unfinished blades. Amazing!

They're available in an incredible number of configurations, and with various handle materials depending on taste and price. Different sizes. Different colors. Different shapes. There's probably something for everyone.
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When I found myself in West Virginia on a job a few months back, and having left my pocketknife at home, buying a $13 Victorinox Recruit at Lowe's was a no-brainer.
 
Í have carried a SAK as long as I can remember. Started with an original Victorinox Explorer (without the mp hook), after that a whole list of other Victorinox models, including the Victoriniox they gave me while serving in the army. Last decade I carry mostly my Compact.

Recently I found a N.O.S. Explorer with the the crossbow symbol and grey magnifier in a small shop. Fitted it with Plus scales and that's the SAK I carry every day now. Feels a bit like coming home :)
 
For me it's the SAK Mechanic. Never leave home without it. Love the pliers (no need for scissors or corkscrews). Also have an older model Champ, but just too big to carry as an EDC. It goes in the suitcase when traveling.

Rich S
 
Grateful said:
Swiss Army Knives should be issued at birth world wide.:thumbup: I love saks.
Jim
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Yep, this ^

I bought a Victorinox Cybertool 34 about 11 years ago, been EDCing it ever since (despite never having heard of 'EDC' 11 years ago).

Now I have a few other Victorinox SAKs and EDC a SwissTool X as well as the Cybertool.
 
My Victorinox Pioneer is either in my right front pocket or in my car. They are so ridiculously useful it is...ridiculous.
 
I'm a SAK lover... always carry it inmy pocket... even when i'm home... that says alot for its useability... mostly i prefer the thinner,light and compact since they're more pocketable...
 
My feelings on sak's are that they are the best deal going in pocket knives for a couple of reasons;

1. I can't begin to count how many things I've actually fixed with a sak and either a paper clip or duct tape, or a just fidling with it. But a sak let me get into the thing by taking off a cover, shield, or something. My favorite sak, the humble little classic, has the SD tip that seems like it was made for the size of Phillips screws that hold the world together these days. No matter what I need to fix or assemble these days, it seems to involve Phillips screws the right size for a sak to deal with.

2. Availability. I can travel, not check my bags so I don't have to deal with baggage claims at the other end. Pick up the rental car, and hang a right into the very first Target or Walmart I come to and buy a Victorinox sak. And I know that due the extremely uniform fit and finish of sak's, it will be ready for service at a very nominal fee. Anywhere, they are all the same. Ten bucks for a classic, 13 or 14 dollars at Lowes for a recruit. These knives will handle what I need while on vacation in Key West, or at a family reunion at St. Simmons Island Georgia. When I leave, I can just gift them to someone as a tip or gesture of thanks, with very little loss.

3. Under the radar appearance. The sight of the red handle with the silver Swiss cross on it gets very little reaction, anywhere outside of a TSA check point. If anything, they are seen as a benevolent tool. I even had a white haired old grandmother remark on seeing a sak I took out to do something, "Oh, A Swiss Army Knife. I gave one of those to my grandson last Christmas. "

What other knife/tool is such a travels right thumb? For less than the price of you and the 'ol lady having a drink at a lounge, you can buy a little tool that can do anything from fixing a door latch to slicing that lime to go in the cold Corona you just opened with it?

Carl.
 
jackknife said:
For less than the price of you and the 'ol lady having a drink at a lounge, you can buy a little tool that can do anything from fixing a door latch to slicing that lime to go in the cold Corona you just opened with it?
Carl.
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Frankly, I am not really committed to opening bottles with a Classic, which has no purpose-dedicated implement. It must be done by prying the crimped sections until the cap gives up, which is clumsy and slow. Better to use a table edge strike (only if it's rental furniture or belongs to someone else ;) ), but better still a Rambler, which for a pittance more provides elegant access to your beverage and in fact can help with any of life's little chores, like attending to the door latch that never seems to stay fixed :D .
 
znapschatz said:
Frankly, I am not really committed to opening bottles with a Classic, which has no purpose-dedicated implement. It must be done by prying the crimped sections until the cap gives up, which is clumsy and slow. Better to use a table edge strike (only if it's rental furniture or belongs to someone else ;) ), but better still a Rambler, which for a pittance more provides elegant access to your beverage and in fact can help with any of life's little chores, like attending to the door latch that never seems to stay fixed :D .
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Can't find ramblers at the box stores on a moments notice, like when landing in a strange city on vacation. Nor can one find them for $8.95 all day at he box stores. The ramblers higher price and lack of easy availability moves it to another nitch. Not to mention there's sooo many ways to open a beer bottle, I just don't feel the need to encumber myself with a dedicated opener. Takes all of a handful of seconds with a classic or 2 seconds with a Bic lighter, or a couple seconds with my house key. If I gleaned nothing else from my son's college education, it's how to easily open a beer with no "bottle opener".

Carl.
 
jackknife said:
Can't find ramblers at the box stores on a moments notice, like when landing in a strange city on vacation. Nor can one find them for $8.95 all day at he box stores. The ramblers higher price and lack of easy availability moves it to another nitch. Not to mention there's sooo many ways to open a beer bottle, I just don't feel the need to encumber myself with a dedicated opener. Takes all of a handful of seconds with a classic or 2 seconds with a Bic lighter, or a couple seconds with my house key. If I gleaned nothing else from my son's college education, it's how to easily open a beer with no "bottle opener".

Carl.
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Well, you make a good point about the Classic availability and price, although I have noted that locally, some Targets have discontinued carrying any pocket knives at all. I hope that is not a growing trend.

Meanwhile, I must confess that the Bic trick, which seems to work for all my friends, including the non-smokers, has eluded me. I can't shake the feeling that behind my back, everyone points at me and snickers, "What a numbskull." Actually, over the years I have tried several ways to open beer bottle with field expedient methods, but they usually turned out kind of messy. Most of the world may not really need one, but I must have a dedicated cap lifter because otherwise I can't stand the humiliation.
 
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