EDC a SAK only?

BMCGear

BMCGear

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Messages
6,930
It seems that most people on the forum carry a SAK as a secondary blade or for the tools. I received a Pioneer recently and I have been carrying it exclusively for the past few days and I am really enjoying it.

Does anyone only carry a SAK most days for EDC or do you find that you need something more?

Thanks!

IMG_20151207_093949_zpsbjkz03n1.jpg
 
until last Christmas, I carried a Classic exclusively for almost 20 years. I found that I rarely needed anything bigger than that. I did add the Spyderco Dragonfly as my 2nd EDC carry, but I like it because it is beautiful and still pretty small. (I went for the Nishijin scales and zdp-189 steel). I don't have a lot of cutting in my daily life, but either knife suits my needs quite well.
 
Yes a SAK does almost everything daily...carry extras for fun, nostalgia or as the need arises. They still have a place in my life.
 
SAK Guy said:
Yes a SAK does almost everything daily...carry extras for fun, nostalgia or as the need arises. They still have a place in my life.
Click to expand...

I envy the wear on your SAKs you post. I cannot wait for mine to look that "worn in."
 
I carried a Pioneer/Farmer exclusively for about 10 years. It handled everyday tasks just fine, but at one point it dawned on me that I wanted better edge retention. In my search for 'harder' steel I discovered Spyderco, one hand opening locking blades in fancy steels and pocket clips. It was a whole new world. :D

The SAK was ditched for a while, but I soon realised I missed the versatility, and began to carry both. They complemented each other so well, it has become my standard combo: Alox Pioneer/Farmer LFP, 3-4 inch Spyderco RFP.

20150320_121812-small_zpsz6rveu5i.jpg
 
Last edited:
In the warmer months I'll often carry only a Cadet or Pioneer if I'm wearing shorts. Most of the time I'll pair a SAK up with my Spyderco Native 5 or with an ESEE Izula or Izula II.
 
When I was growing up, my SAK was my only knife for at least 5 years. Now, I have three in my rotation. Do I need another knife other than a SAK? Of course not:) however, I do enjoy my varied collection!
 
I'd say that most of the time a SAK is my primary, but I do carry other stuff as needs demand. For example, I have been carrying my spyderco roadie at work rather than take any of my saks to the grinder. (no sharp points allowed) But a SAK still lives in the man-bag. Even when out hiking or something, its SAK and then a fixed backup generally speaking.
 
I'm a one knife guy. I hate giving up pocket space on the count of being redundant. Pioneer/soldier is the only thing in my pocket most of the time. Every once in a while I'll rotate it out for a modern or traditional.
 
I don't need a folder, but carry one "just in case". In case of badger attack, hair caught in escalator, that kind of thing. And a last ditch "please leave me alone" appliance. I like the quick deployment and locking blade. I add a SAK for the scissors, drivers, etc.

But I could get by just fine with only a SAK.

However, for the month of December I am carrying only a Leatherman Surge. I'm enjoying it so much that I might not go back to a folder. Though I will definitely add a small to medium SAK for the scissors, drivers and pen.
 
I carry a spyderco salt 1 clipped to my pocket and really feel lost those few times I forget it. But I admit my classic SD does at least 3/4 of my daily cutting chores.
 
I have carried only a sak at diffrent times. Most often it was a Fieldmaster or Huntsman. I have however relied on as small a 84mm Tinker and as large as a Swiss Champ for edc. I usually carry two or three these days simply because i like knives and i am lucky to have several to choose from.
Typically i carry a sak, a traditional and a modern folder. I dont need them all, i just like them and enjoy using them. I can easily get by with a 91mm sak with scissors, Super Tinker, Climber or Compact. That isnt nearly as much fun for me tho and they tell me i am only gonna live once so three it is.

Jim
 
I have a Vic Explorer Plus as my only EDC. It is used usually at least once a day and find it's great at dicing onions as well as other letter opening and cutting tasks. I tried the 2 knife carry for a short while and found it to be silly. My SAK does fine as a tool, it opens bottles, cans, letters. It can punch a hole in leather or ream out a plugged tube. Does fine paper cutting and if fine print is too small it has a magnifying glass. I also over the years have found the corkscrew is great with undoing knots. My particular model even has an ink pen which is a pain to write with but when it's all that I have, I can't complain. Other than outdoorsy stuff when I put my Buck 110 on my belt, the SAK is all I carry and the very few times when I've accidentally left it behind, it's missed. I tried out a one hand opener clipped to my pocket and while it was handy, it was a pain to reach into my pocket for the SAK.
 
I usually have my cadet which sees the most use, but also have a larger folder. In my edc back pack I have a leatherman and an izula. I could easily get along just fine with the SAK, but where is the fun in that? I very rarely need a fixed blade, but when I do, I'm glad I have it. The leatherman is mostly for the pliers.
 
If you want some tools on your person on a daily basis and you don't want to lug around a full-sized MT, I think there are 2 reasonable approaches.

The first, as you've discovered, is to carry a camper patterned slip joint like an SAK. I grew up carrying an Ulster BSA knife and they're quite handy provided that: a) you can live with traditional sized blade for EDC and b) the tool selection is useful to you.

Unfortunately for me, traditional camper patterns fail on both counts for me. The other solution is to carry a key ring sized tool as a companion to a single blade knife. That's the approach that works better for me. Better tool selection (for me) and when I get bored with an EDC knife, I can switch to another without loosing my tools.

Opinel #9 Inox Drop Point & Micra by Pinnah, on Flickr

Buck 500 Duke & Micra by Pinnah, on Flickr
 
I carried a Rangerwood 55 for a while, it's just a little too big for my pocket.
Nice knife though, like the locking blade.
Back to the good old Camper.
 
When I lived overseas in Taiwan, my only knife was an older version of the SAK Spartan that did not have the toothpick/tweezers feature, as my only knife for many years. Even after I returned Stateside, I carried it exclusively for another 5 years until I got back into knives again.

I still EDC a SAK, but now it's an Executive in my RF pocket, usually paired with my Swisstool Spirit on my belt. I also carry a one-hander, nowadays it's a CRK Insingo. There are some cutting charges that a larger knife with more edge retention works better for. But I'll always have an SAK on me.

Jim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top