Funny how things go(Alox Bantam story)

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spydutch

Joined
Jul 4, 2005
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Just the other day I was going through my knives what to carry.
My Spydie one handers????
Nah.... Great knives but been there, done that
SAKs??
Farmer? Nah awl still gritty
Pioneer? nah...
Cadet? nah.... hate the file

Well screw it, I'll stick with my Classic
When Carl can, I can.

Then I got to my kitchen sink and there it was. My gunked up Alox Bantam
When I got it I didn't like it's thinness and just the combo tool.
I had been using this knife as a test next to my Opinel au carbon with a srewed up handle to test the differences in edge holding(no considreable differences by the way. They get equally sharp and stay that way for just as long.) between SAK steel and Opinel carbon.

Just out of boredom I cleaned up the knife, sharpened it and suddenly a switch went on and I actually started to like the knife.
I liked how super strong the spring is and the disappearance in my pocket.

I carried the knife for the better half of last week and the funny thing is I don't want to carry another SAK anymore.
I don't want to lose the little bugger either.
I rather loose the Farmer out of my bag than my Bantam.
Before the big "clean up" I ordered a small Tinker.
The thing is perfect, but still sits in it's box.
Will remain ther probably as well.
Can it be that I found "it" ?

Never had this with any of my other knives.

However, for the time being it's the Alox Bantam for me
Maximum minimalism
And I wouldn't want it any other way at the moment.

Just wanted to share.

Thanks for reading:thumbup:
 
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Good stuff spydutch, glad you're enjoying the Bantam.

I have a Bantam II (spear and pen blades) and like yourself i was a little underwhelmed with it's thinness when i got it, but time and again it's proved it'self a worthy EDC knife.

Craig.
 
Arend, you just may have experinced a maximum minimalism moment of enlightenment!:D

It comes when you recognize simple needs vs wants and Walter Mitty fantacies.

Going about the normal day in a suburban or urban environment, we have to ask ourselves "How much stuff do I really need to carry?". If I were heading into the mountains or the woods, of course we carry more stuff. But in a normal day to day life, what is needed?

I've carried my alox batam a great deal as a back-up to my classic. It does mostly food and snak duty. My classic is a wee bit short to slice a bagel and spread some cream cheese, but the batam blade does very well. I can open my cold beer with a house key or Bic lighter, but the combo tool on the bantam is way easier and a bit faster.

The bantam is a great knife. I just wish they would put the darn keyring back on it!!!!

I love my 93mm soldier/SI class of knife, but i rarely carry them outside of hiking or camping trips. I've never owned a farmer, so I wouldn't miss what i've never had. I guess I've felt the need the need for a saw. Our old scoutmaster taught us to just carve a notch as a stress line and break off the wood at that point.

Sometimes, less is more.

Carl.

Edit to add; other nice thing about the alox bantam, like any other alox sak, it's way easier to clean p if gotten grundgy. No hollows under scales to harbor gunk.
 
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where are the pics?

have you use that combi tool to open a can? how difficult is it? i keep looking at the alox bantom and talk myself out of it... :cool:
 
I have a Bantam that I carry when I wear a suit. It gets carried once or twice a year. I'm not sure it's cut more that a loose thread or two.
 
I found that scissors are a very useful tool and I use them a lot in daily life. Sometimes it's just easier to cut something with scissors than with a knife. Also, it seems that scissors are much less threatening than a single blade, especially in an office environment scissors are at almost anyone's desk.

That's why I like to have scissors on my EDSAK. Currently the Victorinox Executive is the one I carry. Its tools are bigger than the Classic and therefore a bit more useful, IMO. The Executive is still small enough to go unnoticed. I have an Ambassador too, but like it that the Executive has just a few more tools.

Knives and multitools are big hobby of mine, but to be honest, the Executive is used most of the time. The only thing I'm missing on it is a pen. There's a pen in my Midnight Manager that's on the keyring and I use it regularly.
 
Thanks for the comments so far:thumbup:
I forgot to say that I carry the Bantam together with my black Classic.
Bantam in front pocket and Classic in watch pocket
You´re right Harayasu, scissors are just too handy not to have with you and so are the tweezers and tooth pick;)

@winkydo: I don't have a camara and a very basic mobile with just 0.3 mega pixels(very bad pics) so a personal shot won't happen. And I rather won't steal someone else's pic.
It's a regular silver Alox Bantam and the combo tool works like a charm for opening my bottles of beer:p:thumbup:
 
to bad no alox bantam available in my country....

i've tried EDC a 84mm waiter... its very light weight and slim but got a full size knife, combo tools with screwdriver tip, corkscrew to untie some tight strings,glasses screwdriver attached to it, tweezer, toothpick and a needle... a very great small SAK!

but lately i really like my tinker small... hold comfortable, compact and lightweight.... combinedwith a small alox classic and i'm all set!

this combination has kept all the other bigger saks in my drawer...

minimalism is maximum pleasure!
 
I think I like my Celidor Bantam a tad more than the Alox because the handles are more comfortable. Anyhow, a Bantam has been my EDC knife for quite a while.
 
Yup,i got a couple of bantam in nylon handles.gave one to a friend and she love it very much. Bantam in nylon dont look as pretty,but very nice to hold and pure usefull. Victorinox doing really well in the affordable series..
 
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