Don't Touch My SAK: Testing the Farmer As an EDC

I have settled on the SAK Trekker. It has the same features as the Farmer, but also has a phillips bit as well as the toothpick. I like the locking blade as well.
 
the Farmer is a classic but I prefer my Hiker which has all the same tools plus a small blade, phillips screwdriver, tweezers and a toothpick. I picked mine up at Target for $25 and it came with a free Vic Gardener (sold separately for about $10 online) with a chisel ground sheepsfoot blade. The quality on both pieces is flawless as we've come to expect from Victorinox. The little gardener really surprised me, its very light and thin with a very strong slipjoint spring. it is very sheeple friendly and would make a good knife for around the office/job. In my experience both sheepsfoot blades and the classic red handle/shield emblem tend to put people at ease rather than making them nervous like a more tactical knife might.
 
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For years, I avoided SAKs like the plague. The Farmer and Soldier models caused a 180* degree switch in my thinking.

In my youth, I had a cheap knock off that fell apart. Plus, I have always had a tendency to avoid multifunction tools.

After reading Kephart's "Camping and Woodcraft" and dwelling on his line "the old timers thought combination tools were poison" my opinions were, I thought, set in concrete.

However, I kept reading rave reviews on the Soldier and Farmer models on the other big forum. Many of these reviews were from folks whose gear savvy I respected.

Eventually, I caved in and ordered both the Farmer and Soldier models. That was about 6 or 7 years ago and one or the other has been carried on every outdoor venture since. These are very simple, very practical, good quality tools.

Today, while I continue to carry and use my first two SAKs, I have become interested in the rest of the Alox line. My Alox Cadet and Officer's Model are regulars in my EDC rotation and I'm constantly looking at the rest of the Alox line.

I'm completely hooked on SAKs (and Case CV) at this point to the exclusion of other more costly options. Both are readily available at low prices, so I don't even need to justify my purchases.
 
someone could sure make a lot of money by coming up with some form of a slip-on pocket clip for the SAK.
there must be a better way of securing down an SAK along with the loose change and keys into a pants pocket...
 
someone could sure make a lot of money by coming up with some form of a slip-on pocket clip for the SAK.
there must be a better way of securing down an SAK along with the loose change and keys into a pants pocket...

You can actually get the Farmer and a couple of other SAK's online at the SOSAK online site, in the Felinevet section. They come with a dark hard anodizing (2X thicker and 4X harder than stock) and with a pocket clip if you desire. Pretty nice stuff.
 
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