Farmer over hyped ?

[SAK Guy]

Actually, it's impossible to over hype an alox SAK!

Really.

I like the way you think! :thumbup:

 

[Woodrow F Call]

I picked up a Victorinox alox Farmer today. To be honest I am a tiny bit let down with it. It is surely handsome and more of a ''gentlemanly'' knife than most of my folders. I guess after all the huff n' puff that I've read about it, I just don't see it as being all that different than my red plastic SAKs. I was considering taking it up with me on a northern trip. Then I realised that some of my Leatherman multi's have a better (in my opinion) can opener and I can hold\manipulate a tin can with the pliers on a multi. I don't know...it is VERY attractive and does have useful tools. But I would never take it as a primary tool. To me it's a back up.

I'm a little confused, why are you let down with it? It's not a leatherman, it's half the size and weighs less than half of your basic leatherman. It really has all the tools you'd need out in the sticks and it's a pretty well executed package. If you want a Leatherman, there is nothing wrong with that, but I think you are comparing apples and oranges.

 

[Woodrow F Call]

Interesting how our own personal needs\uses heavily influence our choices and opinions. I need a knife and tool set that is tough enough to shave wood, and I need a tool selection with longer reach to service a metal detector. It is a real let down to be miles from the car, dead tired, sweaty and covered in spider webs. Then realize that your knife\tool of choice is lacking. I own a Blast, Wave etc. and have always considered them to be feather weights, but then I am a large person. I suppose that our personal needs\uses dictate our choices and opinions. They are not right or wrong, just directly correlated to our own experiences.

I keep a leatherman in my pack and a couple of tools. If you are working on equipment, then a Farmer isn't what you need. If you just need a basic woodcraft/camping tool, I really think the Farmer is a great application.

 

[Raymond1000]

When I designed a 5 lb. BOB, I recommended the Farmer:

Your Victorinox Farmer is as much knife as you need. It’s the Boy Scout Knife with a saw. That pattern served the Scouts and military of many countries for a century. It must have done something right; Not all cans come with pop tops. The can opener still earns its keep. The screwdriver on the end handles straight and small Phillips screws. You can use it to hook a bail and lift the pot off the fire. It also pries staples from paper; There are still crown cork caps requiring a real bottle opener. Especially if you like microbrews. The bottle opener is also a large screwdriver and a light pry bar. You can strip electrical wire with that notch; The awl is great. It sticks out the end. (Location, Location, Location! Most Vic patterns mount an awl on the middle back. It opens T formation. Fail!) The Farmer’s awl is great for scraping a ferro rod. It can drill a hole in wood, leather, plastic. It can clean burs from cut pipe—copper or ABS or PVC. (But this isn’t a do-it-yourself paper.) Use the awl to cut a pilot hole in a fireboard before bow and spindle burn in your friction hole. Use blade/saw to notch the edge. (But this isn’t a bushcraft paper.) It can add a new hole to your belt. (Not just because you’ve lost weight. Drill a hole in the right place and use your belt to bind a fardel of wood.) Lay the end of a thread or light cord in the hollow under the awl’s spine and you can poke it through fabric or leather you need to sew. Use it to clean paint out of a screw head. It’s a scratch-all to mark sheet metal or wood for a cut. It can de-stick a painted-shut window. And make pilot holes before starting a screw. Spin the awl in the other direction and it’s a marlinspike, helping you untie a knot. Oh yeah. There’s also a knife blade. The spear point is a useful general purpose pattern. (Clean the joints, especially if you’ve cut flesh. Remember cross contamination. Cut away from yourself, not towards. When slicing into wood, lead with the little finger side of your hand. If you hit a knot and the knife stops, your had will slide away from the edge.) Slice bread. Open envelopes. Open plastic blister packs. Cut ingredients for a hobo stew. Unfasten zip ties. Carve fuzz sticks. Spread peanut butter. Cut paracord. Skin game. (But this isn’t a hunting paper.); If there is danger of dropping your knife overboard or down a canyon, tie a lanyard to that annoying ring; The saw is gravy. Thin enough to add little bulk in pocket. Great for cutting firewood or making a debris shelter. You do know how to split wood with a saw, right? It also notches trap-triggers. (But this isn’t a bushcraft paper.); If you want to break or splinter a branch, wedge it between two adjacent trees and push. Or bang the wood against a rock. Put a bend on a branch or sapling. Angle your knife towards the root, slice into the bulge. Keep bending the branch and making new cuts. You can harvest surprisingly large saplings this way. Yes, it matters. You might have a knife but no saw-axe-machete. (This is an emergency-survival paper.) http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1200695-An-Educated-BOB

 

[pinnah]

Interesting how our own personal needs\uses heavily influence our choices and opinions. I need a knife and tool set that is tough enough to shave wood, and I need a tool selection with longer reach to service a metal detector. It is a real let down to be miles from the car, dead tired, sweaty and covered in spider webs. Then realize that your knife\tool of choice is lacking. I own a Blast, Wave etc. and have always considered them to be feather weights, but then I am a large person. I suppose that our personal needs\uses dictate our choices and opinions. They are not right or wrong, just directly correlated to our own experiences.

Quoted in full because it's so worth repeating.

Although the Farmer is a Vic classic, has a rightful place in any SAK collection and can manage in most situations, I consider the OH Trekker to be superior in every way for outdoor uses. It's a bit much for urban EDC, but both blade and saw are more effective for dealing with wood, vegetation, heavy canvas and whatever else might be encountered in the "wild" (including your yard.) When in 2008 the Swiss army started issuing their version of the OHT to replace the alox Soldier, they made the right decision.

With my big hands, the Trekkers make a lot more sense to me too.

 

[jackknife]

When I designed a 5 lb. BOB, I recommended the Farmer:

Your Victorinox Farmer is as much knife as you need. It’s the Boy Scout Knife with a saw. That pattern served the Scouts and military of many countries for a century. It must have done something right; Not all cans come with pop tops. The can opener still earns its keep. The screwdriver on the end handles straight and small Phillips screws. You can use it to hook a bail and lift the pot off the fire. It also pries staples from paper; There are still crown cork caps requiring a real bottle opener. Especially if you like microbrews. The bottle opener is also a large screwdriver and a light pry bar. You can strip electrical wire with that notch; The awl is great. It sticks out the end. (Location, Location, Location! Most Vic patterns mount an awl on the middle back. It opens T formation. Fail!) The Farmer’s awl is great for scraping a ferro rod. It can drill a hole in wood, leather, plastic. It can clean burs from cut pipe—copper or ABS or PVC. (But this isn’t a do-it-yourself paper.) Use the awl to cut a pilot hole in a fireboard before bow and spindle burn in your friction hole. Use blade/saw to notch the edge. (But this isn’t a bushcraft paper.) It can add a new hole to your belt. (Not just because you’ve lost weight. Drill a hole in the right place and use your belt to bind a fardel of wood.) Lay the end of a thread or light cord in the hollow under the awl’s spine and you can poke it through fabric or leather you need to sew. Use it to clean paint out of a screw head. It’s a scratch-all to mark sheet metal or wood for a cut. It can de-stick a painted-shut window. And make pilot holes before starting a screw. Spin the awl in the other direction and it’s a marlinspike, helping you untie a knot. Oh yeah. There’s also a knife blade. The spear point is a useful general purpose pattern. (Clean the joints, especially if you’ve cut flesh. Remember cross contamination. Cut away from yourself, not towards. When slicing into wood, lead with the little finger side of your hand. If you hit a knot and the knife stops, your had will slide away from the edge.) Slice bread. Open envelopes. Open plastic blister packs. Cut ingredients for a hobo stew. Unfasten zip ties. Carve fuzz sticks. Spread peanut butter. Cut paracord. Skin game. (But this isn’t a hunting paper.); If there is danger of dropping your knife overboard or down a canyon, tie a lanyard to that annoying ring; The saw is gravy. Thin enough to add little bulk in pocket. Great for cutting firewood or making a debris shelter. You do know how to split wood with a saw, right? It also notches trap-triggers. (But this isn’t a bushcraft paper.); If you want to break or splinter a branch, wedge it between two adjacent trees and push. Or bang the wood against a rock. Put a bend on a branch or sapling. Angle your knife towards the root, slice into the bulge. Keep bending the branch and making new cuts. You can harvest surprisingly large saplings this way. Yes, it matters. You might have a knife but no saw-axe-machete. (This is an emergency-survival paper.) http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1200695-An-Educated-BOB

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

[SAK Guy]

When I designed a 5 lb. BOB, I recommended the Farmer:

Your Victorinox Farmer is as much knife as you need. It’s the Boy Scout Knife with a saw. That pattern served the Scouts and military of many countries for a century. It must have done something right; Not all cans come with pop tops. The can opener still earns its keep. The screwdriver on the end handles straight and small Phillips screws. You can use it to hook a bail and lift the pot off the fire. It also pries staples from paper; There are still crown cork caps requiring a real bottle opener. Especially if you like microbrews. The bottle opener is also a large screwdriver and a light pry bar. You can strip electrical wire with that notch; The awl is great. It sticks out the end. (Location, Location, Location! Most Vic patterns mount an awl on the middle back. It opens T formation. Fail!) The Farmer’s awl is great for scraping a ferro rod. It can drill a hole in wood, leather, plastic. It can clean burs from cut pipe—copper or ABS or PVC. (But this isn’t a do-it-yourself paper.) Use the awl to cut a pilot hole in a fireboard before bow and spindle burn in your friction hole. Use blade/saw to notch the edge. (But this isn’t a bushcraft paper.) It can add a new hole to your belt. (Not just because you’ve lost weight. Drill a hole in the right place and use your belt to bind a fardel of wood.) Lay the end of a thread or light cord in the hollow under the awl’s spine and you can poke it through fabric or leather you need to sew. Use it to clean paint out of a screw head. It’s a scratch-all to mark sheet metal or wood for a cut. It can de-stick a painted-shut window. And make pilot holes before starting a screw. Spin the awl in the other direction and it’s a marlinspike, helping you untie a knot. Oh yeah. There’s also a knife blade. The spear point is a useful general purpose pattern. (Clean the joints, especially if you’ve cut flesh. Remember cross contamination. Cut away from yourself, not towards. When slicing into wood, lead with the little finger side of your hand. If you hit a knot and the knife stops, your had will slide away from the edge.) Slice bread. Open envelopes. Open plastic blister packs. Cut ingredients for a hobo stew. Unfasten zip ties. Carve fuzz sticks. Spread peanut butter. Cut paracord. Skin game. (But this isn’t a hunting paper.); If there is danger of dropping your knife overboard or down a canyon, tie a lanyard to that annoying ring; The saw is gravy. Thin enough to add little bulk in pocket. Great for cutting firewood or making a debris shelter. You do know how to split wood with a saw, right? It also notches trap-triggers. (But this isn’t a bushcraft paper.); If you want to break or splinter a branch, wedge it between two adjacent trees and push. Or bang the wood against a rock. Put a bend on a branch or sapling. Angle your knife towards the root, slice into the bulge. Keep bending the branch and making new cuts. You can harvest surprisingly large saplings this way. Yes, it matters. You might have a knife but no saw-axe-machete. (This is an emergency-survival paper.) http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1200695-An-Educated-BOB

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I rate that response as:

4 Saws!

 

[jacktrades_nbk]

Farmer, always in my backpack.

 

[jackknife]

Ya know, when I think about it, the Vic farmer is the most under hyped knife on the planet. A full three quarters of the human race would benefit greatly from carrying a farmer, and many of the disasters of the past would have been prevented by proper use of a farmer.

If the ill fated Donner party had been equipped with farmers in their pockets, they would not have been snowbound in the Sierra Nevada's. They would have made snowshoes with the saw blade and hiked down out of there.

If the French army at the battle of Agincourt had been issued Vic farmers, they would have made movable palisades of saplings to cover them from the English arrows, and the English would have been defeated.

Maybe if Captain Smith had made sure every crewman on the Titanic had been given a Vic farmer, they cold have jury rigged a patch for the crack in the hull and limped into port at Halifax or St. Johns. Okay, maybe that stretching it a little, but you get the point!.

Think of how many times history may have been changed by a SAK if they had been there?

 

[Woodrow F Call]

When I designed a 5 lb. BOB, I recommended the Farmer:

Your Victorinox Farmer is as much knife as you need. It’s the Boy Scout Knife with a saw. That pattern served the Scouts and military of many countries for a century. It must have done something right; Not all cans come with pop tops. The can opener still earns its keep. The screwdriver on the end handles straight and small Phillips screws. You can use it to hook a bail and lift the pot off the fire. It also pries staples from paper; There are still crown cork caps requiring a real bottle opener. Especially if you like microbrews. The bottle opener is also a large screwdriver and a light pry bar. You can strip electrical wire with that notch; The awl is great. It sticks out the end. (Location, Location, Location! Most Vic patterns mount an awl on the middle back. It opens T formation. Fail!) The Farmer’s awl is great for scraping a ferro rod. It can drill a hole in wood, leather, plastic. It can clean burs from cut pipe—copper or ABS or PVC. (But this isn’t a do-it-yourself paper.) Use the awl to cut a pilot hole in a fireboard before bow and spindle burn in your friction hole. Use blade/saw to notch the edge. (But this isn’t a bushcraft paper.) It can add a new hole to your belt. (Not just because you’ve lost weight. Drill a hole in the right place and use your belt to bind a fardel of wood.) Lay the end of a thread or light cord in the hollow under the awl’s spine and you can poke it through fabric or leather you need to sew. Use it to clean paint out of a screw head. It’s a scratch-all to mark sheet metal or wood for a cut. It can de-stick a painted-shut window. And make pilot holes before starting a screw. Spin the awl in the other direction and it’s a marlinspike, helping you untie a knot. Oh yeah. There’s also a knife blade. The spear point is a useful general purpose pattern. (Clean the joints, especially if you’ve cut flesh. Remember cross contamination. Cut away from yourself, not towards. When slicing into wood, lead with the little finger side of your hand. If you hit a knot and the knife stops, your had will slide away from the edge.) Slice bread. Open envelopes. Open plastic blister packs. Cut ingredients for a hobo stew. Unfasten zip ties. Carve fuzz sticks. Spread peanut butter. Cut paracord. Skin game. (But this isn’t a hunting paper.); If there is danger of dropping your knife overboard or down a canyon, tie a lanyard to that annoying ring; The saw is gravy. Thin enough to add little bulk in pocket. Great for cutting firewood or making a debris shelter. You do know how to split wood with a saw, right? It also notches trap-triggers. (But this isn’t a bushcraft paper.); If you want to break or splinter a branch, wedge it between two adjacent trees and push. Or bang the wood against a rock. Put a bend on a branch or sapling. Angle your knife towards the root, slice into the bulge. Keep bending the branch and making new cuts. You can harvest surprisingly large saplings this way. Yes, it matters. You might have a knife but no saw-axe-machete. (This is an emergency-survival paper.) http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1200695-An-Educated-BOB

Great Post!

 

[pinnah]

When I designed a 5 lb. BOB, I recommended the Farmer:

Your Victorinox Farmer is as much knife as you need. It’s the Boy Scout Knife with a saw. That pattern served the Scouts and military of many countries for a century...

...
(This is an emergency-survival paper.) http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1200695-An-Educated-BOB

The metal scaled camper was cool when Camillus and other made them for the US military in WWII and they were still cool when Victorinox introduced the Alox scales in 1961.

Upnorth hit the nail on the head when he noted that different personal approaches will lead to different personal decisions on best utility.

Most working farmers and such that I know personally, carry full size MUTs. So do most field military personnel that I know. And of the guys I know in the trades, the only multifunction tool they carry is a full size MUT or a smaller Leatherman.

You mentioned bushcrafty stuff. For backcountry travel, I find this combination infinitely more useful than a camper pattern.


Outdoor Carry by Pinnah, on Flickr

The pliers fix things like zippers and stoves and drive needles through heavy fabric. The scissors help with fabric repairs and shape bandages. A single blade knife has many advantages over a multitool slip joint.

For EDC, I find adding a Micra to a single bladed knife much better than a camper.

We're in YMMV territory here. If folks dig the Farmer, that's cool too. But it's not all you'll ever need. All *you* may ever need. But others will reach different conclusions for valid reasons.

Young Upnorth, dangerous to question the utility of the SAK on the senate floor it is.

 

[Raymond1000]

The metal scaled camper was cool when Camillus and other made them for the US military in WWII and they were still cool when Victorinox introduced the Alox scales in 1961.

Upnorth hit the nail on the head when he noted that different personal approaches will lead to different personal decisions on best utility.

Most working farmers and such that I know personally, carry full size MUTs. So do most field military personnel that I know. And of the guys I know in the trades, the only multifunction tool they carry is a full size MUT or a smaller Leatherman.

You mentioned bushcrafty stuff. For backcountry travel, I find this combination infinitely more useful than a camper pattern.


Outdoor Carry by Pinnah, on Flickr

The pliers fix things like zippers and stoves and drive needles through heavy fabric. The scissors help with fabric repairs and shape bandages. A single blade knife has many advantages over a multitool slip joint.

For EDC, I find adding a Micra to a single bladed knife much better than a camper.

We're in YMMV territory here. If folks dig the Farmer, that's cool too. But it's not all you'll ever need. All *you* may ever need. But others will reach different conclusions for valid reasons.

Young Upnorth, dangerous to question the utility of the SAK on the senate floor it is.

Even my mileage varies according to circumstances. I like the One Hand Trekker myself. Except for the back mounted awl. But it does make a lump in my pockets.

That paper was intended for a girl going to college. That means getting the most out of minimum equipment. The Farmer is a lot of tool in a compact package. Easy to carry when not wearing jeans.

I carry a Leatherman Change Ti. But for this kit, for this circumstance, I recommended a Leatherman Juice. Because ounces equal pounds equal left behind.

 

[SAK Guy]

No comment required!

 

[w.t. anderson]

You can't (easily) carry a Leatherman around your neck like you can a Vic Farmer in a kydex neck sheath.

 

[SAK Guy]

You can't (easily) carry a Leatherman around your neck like you can a Vic Farmer in a kydex neck sheath.

:thumbup:

 

[collim1]

I really like the combination of tools on the farmer but there is no way I would take it in the woods as a primary tool. The farmer along with my Mora would be a great combo. I really prefer my Leatherman wave and the tools it has to the SAK. The SAK is my go to when the leatherman on my belt is a no go, like when wearing dress clothes.

 

[James Y]

I have a Farmer, and the only reason I don't carry it (or my Pioneer) is because I always have my Vic Spirit S on my belt, and carrying a Farmer or a Pioneer would be redundant. Otherwise, they are outstanding knives.

Jim

 

[upnorth]

I was wrong, and I am willing to admit it. My initial impressions of the alox SAK's was inaccurate, and they are actually my favourite version now. I say they because I ran out and got a Pioneer after having the Farmer for a few days. And thanks to those that took the time to explain the knives history and unseen (by myself) uses. It IS unfair to put them up against a Leatherman multitool. One is a knife with tools, and the other is tools with a knife. These alox SAK's are quite robust, sleek, well built and quite handsome.

 

[SAK Guy]

I was wrong, and I am willing to admit it. My initial impressions of the alox SAK's was inaccurate, and they are actually my favourite version now. I say they because I ran out and got a Pioneer after having the Farmer for a few days. And thanks to those that took the time to explain the knives history and unseen (by myself) uses. It IS unfair to put them up against a Leatherman multitool. One is a knife with tools, and the other is tools with a knife. These alox SAK's are quite robust, sleek, well built and quite handsome.

You have a Pioneer, a Farmer and like Zappa..... :thumbup:

Well done friend!!!

 

[Woodrow F Call]

I have a Farmer, and the only reason I don't carry it (or my Pioneer) is because I always have my Vic Spirit S on my belt, and carrying a Farmer or a Pioneer would be redundant. Otherwise, they are outstanding knives.

Jim

2 is one and 1 is none?

I was wrong, and I am willing to admit it. My initial impressions of the alox SAK's was inaccurate, and they are actually my favourite version now. I say they because I ran out and got a Pioneer after having the Farmer for a few days. And thanks to those that took the time to explain the knives history and unseen (by myself) uses. It IS unfair to put them up against a Leatherman multitool. One is a knife with tools, and the other is tools with a knife. These alox SAK's are quite robust, sleek, well built and quite handsome.

:thumbup: