How many layers before a SAK is too big?

Jack -

What model is that Alox? I've been looking for an Alox model with a Phillips forever.
 
Something to be aware of is the bulk aftermarket scales can bring. I put metonboss titanium scales on a tinkerer and the thing is a brick now. I could only imagine what a medium or large cyber tool would be like.
 
The two I carry every day.
Those are two very slick customs you have there. The tool selection on the Compact Cybertool looks very well though out, and I really like how you've got the two opener tools opposite of the inline phillips on the second one. Both of those are very cleverly conceived. Bravo. 👍
 
Thank you. The Cybertool has been through four builds to arrive at that toolset. The Alox came from my own desire for an Alox with a Phillips coupled with seeing posts wishing for what is now available as the Farmer X.
 
Thank you. The Cybertool has been through four builds to arrive at that toolset.
It's as near to perfect as I think I've seen any Swiss army knife and it makes me think two things: first that Victorinox should be making it, and second that it's the first time I've seen a medium size SAK that is clearly not an outdoor oriented multitool but that I actually think is good and worth having anyway. I've never liked the magnifying glass and the flashlight tools, but yet here they are in a package where they actually make sense for a change.

The bit driver is in the center layer exactly where it should be. The light is pointed in the same direction as the bit driver when it's deployed. Opposite that is a magnifying glass for examining PCBs and small print labeling/documentation. Then on the other side is the blade and wire notch on the same layer for simple wire stripping. It still retains the essential fundamental SAK toolset found in a Waiter, which in my opinion is the most basic you can make a SAK before it stops being a SAK. It's 3 layers which IMO is the upper limit for an EDC SAK.

It's so damn good that it almost makes me angry because I don't have one.
The Alox came from my own desire for an Alox with a Phillips coupled with seeing posts wishing for what is now available as the Farmer X.
You increased the toolset on the Farmer X while keeping the same number of layers. In a really good way. The fact that you did it before Victorinox was even making the Farmer X makes it even more impressive than it already is.
 
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The Alox is actually 5 layers, one more than the Farmer X. The Phillips rides on two springs, with spacers on both sides to get the thickness right. I built both of those in the spring of 2017, about 4 years before the Farmer X came out, and I've been carrying both every day for the last 5 years.

The LED flashlight isn't exactly a retina burner, but it does pretty well for seeing where the tip of the driver is. The magnifier gets a little more use every year as my eyes get older.

Oddly enough, the 5 layer Alox is a Celidor scale thinner than the 3 layer Cybertool Compact.
 
The Alox is actually 5 layers, one more than the Farmer X. The Phillips rides on two springs, with spacers on both sides to get the thickness right.
Since tools on a SAK are of varying thicknesses, I find it's best to simply delineate layers by the liners. Look at a Classic SD. It's one layer thick but there are two tools on one side vs one tool on the other side. This is because the scissors are twice as thick as the other tools individually are. Same goes for the Rally model. Then when you look at a Mini Champ, you can easily count three layers by looking at the liners, even though there's three tools on one side and five tools on the other. The liners make it clear.

Following this rule, your custom Farmer X is 4 layers.
 
I usually go by the number of backsprings, but if you insist, you can call it 4.
 
I usually go by the number of backsprings, but if you insist, you can call it 4.
Don't mind if I do! 😁

The backspring thicknesses obviously vary too, and in customization, you can sometimes see situations where a single tool needs two backsprings to make it work when ordinarily that same tool has its own one piece backspring. So you can't go by the number of backsprings if you want any real consistency.

I've thought about this a lot. Going by the liners makes the most sense. They are after all specifically designed to separate layers.

Now, in some customs you'll end up with liners doubled up next to eachother to make extra room for a thicker tool, but you can disregard doubled liners by counting them as a single liner. Same with double backsprings.

🤓
 
For pocket carry & general handling comfort, three layers max. I find the the Camper, Hiker, & Delemont Evowood 14 perfect in the hand; good weights, too.

For use, the Swisschamp is my limit. Because it's so wide, the tools & blades on the outside layers are awkward to use.
 
4 layers.

For a longtime (20yrs) I had the old style handyman which has 4 seperated layers and a double layer for 5 / 6 as my only SAK carry.
Now days I would never use the fish scaler / disgorger or the file

I do use the saw and the awl, fairly regularly and the scissors and large blade every day, Hardly ever use tin opener or cap-lifter these days, Nor the larger flat screwdriver.
It's a toss up between a bottle of plonk or a phillips screw. That leaves the Fieldmaster or Huntsman 4 layers as my most carried. Perfectly pocketable, for all but those lovers of bollock crippling denim. For those fashion victims I recommend the Compact in a belt pouch. The parcel hook can be use to haul on the zip when you need a leak. :)
 
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3 to 4 for me
I carry my sak on a belt pouch so not too worried about the size
 
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