Dirty Knife

[Paul SAK]

What I am about to say seems so obvious that I am tempted not to say it. But since it took me decades to learn it myself, I will pass it on.

I have always taken very good care of my tools - particularly my knives. Consequently, there are many jobs where I could have used a good blade and didn't, because I thought it would be an insult to my knife. Six years ago, Smokey Moutain Knife Works was selling some locking Victorinox Nomads for $9.99 which was a great deal. I decided to buy one and put it in my tool box for really dirty abusive jobs. Well, I have scraped, pried, gouged, etc. in dirt, sand, water, and solvents with it for six years. Once I got it through my head that I was not going to worry about this particular knife, it turned into one of my most valuable tools. I call it my "Dirty Knife".

The funny thing about it is that with a quick cleaning and sharpening, it is still like new. These knives are much more resiliant than most people think.

 

[Bartleby]

Your story reminds me of my Dad's "dirty jobs" knives, both in his toolbox when he passed on. One is a Camillus rope knife the other a scout knife, both picked up at the end of WWII. I was able to get the paint spatters off of the rope knife, but the old ex GI scout had run it's race--bone handles cracked and blades rusted shut. I think he would have agreed that the Victorinox soldier (picked up on sale for ten bucks a few years back) that I keep in the toolbox is much easier to maintain. Personally, I think that it is a better measure than any other of the true practical value of a knife if it is the one you depend on when things are "down and dirty." It is often easy to forget this as we pursue knives with virtues that are more theoretical or aestetic.

 

[felinevet]

A side note on "dirty" jobs and SAKs. If you are going to use them around solvents and other caustic materials, stick with the Nylon scales (like the Nomad) or Alox. The Cellidor scales on regular SAKs are subject to damage and deterioration around these substances as they are a cellulose based product.