I can't give up the Classic SD

Rambler for me. I usually pair it with a larger knife but I recently went on a 2 week trip to another urban/suburban area with nothing but my Rambler and you know what I was fine. Used the scissors a couple times, used the knife a couple of times, used the bottle opener a bunch of times :D Prior posts really speak the truth re: want vs need.

Knives&Lint Knives&Lint How do you pop off the scales without ruining them. I've only tried replacing the scales once and ruined the old scales. Very cool Mexican Zarape Rambler!
 
Now that I am retired, I might try the SD Classic.
During my working decades I carried a SAK "Signature" for the reserve/backup ink pen, and scissors.
I still have the Signature on my key ring.

I must admit, I have always carrried multiple knives. Usually a stockman, 4 blade Scout/Camp/Demo knife or SAK Huntsman, and a Buck 110 or similar.
Like Wild Willie Wild Willie said in post number 5, the Signature/Classic blade just doen't do it for me 99.x times a day. I need the larger blade of the stockman, scout/camp and whatever else I have on me.

For many years, my most used blade has been the punch/awl, followed by a spey/budding, and sheepsfoot blades when the job required gardening or eletrical work.
Most used "blade" on the Signature and Huntsman was/is the scissors. (the saw on my huntsman got a lot of use, as well.)
 
Knives&Lint Knives&Lint How do you pop off the scales without ruining them. I've only tried replacing the scales once and ruined the old scales. Very cool Mexican Zarape Rambler!

Many thanks!

IIRC (I often don't ;) ), I've always used a classic blade. I start off in the tweezers/toothpick slot, then carefully work the blade in. Once I get the blade between the scales and frame (going very slowly), I very delicately pry until the scales finally give way. I have put some small marks on scales while doing it, but no major damage so far.
 
Rambler for me. I usually pair it with a larger knife but I recently went on a 2 week trip to another urban/suburban area with nothing but my Rambler and you know what I was fine. Used the scissors a couple times, used the knife a couple of times, used the bottle opener a bunch of times :D Prior posts really speak the truth re: want vs need.

Knives&Lint Knives&Lint How do you pop off the scales without ruining them. I've only tried replacing the scales once and ruined the old scales. Very cool Mexican Zarape Rambler!


After removing all the scale tools I keep the knife in hot water (not too hot, just hot to the touch) for two minutes. Then use a small blade of another SAK to pop it off.
 
I carried a 91mm today. There was no use for anything but the small blade on it. Back to the Classic tomorrow!

We took a day trip yesterday. We drove from Georgetown over to Bryan/College Station, Texas. My wife Karen wanted to see the old house where she and her sisters lived while their dad was teaching at The University there. Maybe a hundred miles away. Left the house early and in our rush to ht the road, forgot my larger pocket knife of the day and had just the classic on my keyring. We visited the old home, saw the stadium where Karen and her sister Diane, had dropped rolls of toilet paper off the top of the stadium as young girls getting into mischief. We'd packed a picnic lunch with a baguette, a nice Havarti with caraway seed cheese, some bottles of ice tea in the soft side cooler.

Had no trouble cutting the skinny baguette into mini sub rolls, and slicing the cheese to go into the baguette, and slicing open the little plastic packs of mustard. Stopped for an ice cream on the way back. Maybe a 200 mile round trip in our car, (2016 Toyota Highlander) with our dog, Abby, our 5 year old Australian shepherd. Nice sunny day, temps in the mid 90's, car didn't break down, didn't have to make any lean-to's to survive the wilderness, no Comanche's on the war path to fight, no earthquakes or plagues, or disasters. Arrived back home late afternoon with no mishaps. The teeny weeny little classic served as my sole EDC pocket knife with no problem. No problem cutting open the plastic packaging of the cheese, maybe a little inconvenient slicing the bread but got it done. Didn't need a screw driver, can opener, saw, file, scissors, corkscrew, metal hacksaw, magnifying glass, awl, chisel, parcel hook, or any of the other 50 tools you can get on a SAK.

No, thats not totally true. On the way back, Karen smoothed out a chipped finger nail with her own little yellow classic that she carries in the leather keyring sheath I made for her classic.

Sooooo, a nice day trip in modern America, on modern roads, and no incidents where I needed more knife/SAK. Yes, my bantam would have made cutting up the baguette easier, but the 58mm got it done. Of course if Chinese paratroopers drop out of the sky, I'm gonna feel a little under equipped waving a classic and yelling "WOLVERINES!!!!!"

I'll worry about that when it happens.
 
I get it. I carried one of several peanuts after converting several years ago based on Mr Jackkifes tales. And then found an old classic in my knife box and thought....hmmmm.... what if....So I got me an ALOX Classic and have been carrying it for over a month as my sole knife. It does pretty much everything I've needed to deal with on the daily office/warehouse/greenhouse/suburban lifestyle I live. I have a Buck 102/105, a larger sak and a couple other things in my possibles bag I keep in the back seat of my little Frontier P/U, but hardly ever have need of anything. I've found as I age (I'm 58) I don't need to lug around stuff I don't need. I even recently started wearing khakis instead of jeans to work. That part I can't believe! I've worn jeans everyday my whole life! It's interesting how we age and see the changes in ourselves from one point of life to another. I have more knives than any one person needs, chasing "The One". I've given some away, squirreled away others but I always keep my little SAK's and Peanuts close at hand. They just work for me.
 
I get it. I carried one of several peanuts after converting several years ago based on Mr Jackkifes tales. And then found an old classic in my knife box and thought....hmmmm.... what if....So I got me an ALOX Classic and have been carrying it for over a month as my sole knife. It does pretty much everything I've needed to deal with on the daily office/warehouse/greenhouse/suburban lifestyle I live. I have a Buck 102/105, a larger sak and a couple other things in my possibles bag I keep in the back seat of my little Frontier P/U, but hardly ever have need of anything. I've found as I age (I'm 58) I don't need to lug around stuff I don't need. I even recently started wearing khakis instead of jeans to work. That part I can't believe! I've worn jeans everyday my whole life! It's interesting how we age and see the changes in ourselves from one point of life to another. I have more knives than any one person needs, chasing "The One". I've given some away, squirreled away others but I always keep my little SAK's and Peanuts close at hand. They just work for me.

J Buck, I think we go through distinct stages as we live. The young, the middle age, and the old. Our thoughts and feelings on many things change as we age, and by that aging, gain experience in an increasing amount of things. Like what Is really needed and what is not. Or gaining the presence of mind to keep in mind who we are, what we are, and where we are. In other words, I think as we age, we gain a better grip on reality.

Too many publications, like the knife and gun magazines, are shills of the industry, and promote a very unreal view in the interest of sales of their products. If need be, they will artificially stimulate the market with fantasy and hype. This works on the young and impressionable. When I was 'younger' I bit on the prepper trip. I had the mini 14's and thousands of rounds of ammo and freeze dried food down the basement for "when it all falls apart". Then I think I grew up. I looked at all the crap I had squirreled away, and thought 'what the hell am I doing?" I sold off all of it. Yeah, we keep some extra food on hand, and some extra ammo, but nothing really major. All this happened when I got into middle age. I saw things very different at 40 than I did when I was 30. And yeah, I wear jeans a lot less now that I've found how comfy khakis and cargo pants are, and larger pockets.

I look back on the stuff I was doing in my 20's and even early 30's, and I want to go back like in the 'Back To The Future" movies, find myself, and kick the young me in the butt and ask me "What the hell are you thinking???"

Who we are changes as we age. And if we are changing, then what we are doing will be changing as well. I know at my age, I will not be seeing the true wilderness ever again. I won't be backpacking the Pacific Crest trail or the A.T. like in my younger day. My backpacking days are long gone, and I have no need of the large fixed blades used to covet, like my old Randall model 14. Last time my wife and I saw Yosemite, we took the tourist bus around with the guided tour, and at Yellowstone, it fun to watch Old Faithful do its thing while we sat on the veranda of the Yellowstone Lodge with cocktails in hand. I think that trip I used the peanut to spear the extra shrimp that was in the Bloody Mary. Real roughing it there!

Its been fun getting 'older' and I have few regrets. I've found out that I didn't need all that stuff I had accumulated in my over eager youth, thinking I was going to be some frontier guy. But, frontier guy, buffalo hunter Bat Masterson ended up living the last third of his life in New York City living the good life of luxury. Wyatt Earp went to Los Angeles to take it easy and was friends with actor Tom Mix. They changed as they got older. Things change, life is full of surprise and change. Its fun now to see how much I can unburden myself.
 
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Jackknife...agreed. Life does change your perspective on certain things. Been kind of fun!
 
Rambler for me. I usually pair it with a larger knife but I recently went on a 2 week trip to another urban/suburban area with nothing but my Rambler and you know what I was fine. Used the scissors a couple times, used the knife a couple of times, used the bottle opener a bunch of times :D Prior posts really speak the truth re: want vs need.

Knives&Lint Knives&Lint How do you pop off the scales without ruining them. I've only tried replacing the scales once and ruined the old scales. Very cool Mexican Zarape Rambler!
The Rambler is a great choice. And I agree very much that in an urban setting, not much more than an handful centimeters of sharp steel are needed. Sharp is what matters. Any small but sharp knife will cut just as well as a larger knife. At most you will have to slice back and forth just a bit more. No power cuts obviously but power cuts are the territory of the tactical knives. And they rely on power and pressure, not on sharpness. If some small sharp object was good enough for prehistoric men, I guess it will certainly do in a modern urban setting.
 
The Rambler is a great choice. And I agree very much that in an urban setting, not much more than an handful centimeters of sharp steel are needed. Sharp is what matters. Any small but sharp knife will cut just as well as a larger knife. At most you will have to slice back and forth just a bit more. No power cuts obviously but power cuts are the territory of the tactical knives. And they rely on power and pressure, not on sharpness. If some small sharp object was good enough for prehistoric men, I guess it will certainly do in a modern urban setting.

many years ago, as a much younger man, I was on a cross country trip with he better half and we stopped in Cherokee North Carolina, at the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We were at the most southern edge of the Smoky Mountain National Forest. There was a U.S. Park Ranger giving a demonstration of pre-white man Native American skills. This park ranger was a Native American himself and he had some primitive archery equipment and stuff. He also has a rear haunch of a road killed deer, that he demonstrated the effectiveness of the stone tool. He had a fist size chunk of obsidian and a stick. He struck the obsidian with the stick, knocking off a index finger size flake. He then showed how easy it was to slice through the hair and hide and meat of the deer haunch. I was so amazed that I asked him if I could try it. He handed me the obsidian flake and it was a epiphany moment for me. Like the cartoon of the light bulb going on over my head!

I was amazed and flabbergasted at how well I ocuild cut through the meat with that little flake of stone. It was the start of my obsessive downsize of cutting tools. If ancient man could skin out a whole deer with a little flake of stone, and whittle arrow points, cut rawhide thongs, and clean fish, what the heck did I need all those big knives for? Otsi the iceman survived with a 2 inch flint knife until he got shot in the back with an arrow.

The whole thing with the park ranger brought back what my dad has told me as a kid; "It doesn't have to be big, just sharp." Dad worked wonders with a Case peanut. He knew what it took me a lifetime to figure out, but then he was smarter than me, not to mention a better man.
 
Great thread. My first real knife was a Classic. It’s a favorite of mine. Years later I bought a Rambler, wonderful little knife. I especially like that the key ring/lanyard allows for the knife to be deployed more usefully. Open the nail file and the Phillips driver and you’ve got a nice, impromptu handle for the blade. For a while, I carried the Leatherman Micra, useful tool and very rugged. But the Victorinox 58mm knives are easier to operate and are just made nicer. I also have to agree with many of you, these small knives are usually all that’s needed for most people on a daily basis. I’m not chopping down trees or sawing branches most days. These little pocket tools are perfect for most anyone, including non-knife people. Cheers and enjoy!
 
Great thread. My first real knife was a Classic. It’s a favorite of mine. Years later I bought a Rambler, wonderful little knife. I especially like that the key ring/lanyard allows for the knife to be deployed more usefully. Open the nail file and the Phillips driver and you’ve got a nice, impromptu handle for the blade. For a while, I carried the Leatherman Micra, useful tool and very rugged. But the Victorinox 58mm knives are easier to operate and are just made nicer. I also have to agree with many of you, these small knives are usually all that’s needed for most people on a daily basis. I’m not chopping down trees or sawing branches most days. These little pocket tools are perfect for most anyone, including non-knife people. Cheers and enjoy!

I tried a Leatherman micra for a while. It was impressive in that it was a stronger, more solid unit than the Vic classic, had more in the way of tools. But it annoyed the heck out of me by having to open it up all the way to access the tools or knife blade. I grew to hate the inside tools vs the outside tools of the squirt. The squirt is just sooooo much easier to live with on a daily basis, because of the outside tool access. If I need a sharp little blade to open a package, the squirt is just like a small pen knife; pull out of pocket, pull. open blade and cut. And the Victorinox is a better, smoother, build quality. Vic scissors are operating room sharp. Leatherman scissors are okay, but thats it.
 
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I almost forgot until just now, eating some pistachio nuts. One of my most important nut tools is the SD tip of the classic nail file. You know those pistachios that have just the teeny little crack that you can't get a thumb nail into? The SD tip stuck in there and given a twist opens that stubborn pistachio right up. YUM!

Clasic SD; This arthritic old fart fumble fingers can't eat my beloved pistachios without it! ;)
 
When I’m feeling like I need something bigger then the 58mm, I’ve been considering the 93mm Alox family. Not to replace the 58s mind you but to augment as needed. Only thing is I now have to choose between the Pioneer, Pioneer X, Farmer and FarmerX. And most of those in different colors! And I even have to decide amongst the 58s between cellidor or Alox. Now if only there was a Cadet with an awl instead of or in addition to the nail file. That would be a nice choice. But why stop there? 84 mm versions of the Pioneer and Farmer variants would be so nice to have. The custom versions are expensive and hard to obtain. Victorinox? Please?! Can you do this?!
 
When I’m feeling like I need something bigger then the 58mm, I’ve been considering the 93mm Alox family. Not to replace the 58s mind you but to augment as needed. Only thing is I now have to choose between the Pioneer, Pioneer X, Farmer and FarmerX. And most of those in different colors! And I even have to decide amongst the 58s between cellidor or Alox. Now if only there was a Cadet with an awl instead of or in addition to the nail file. That would be a nice choice. But why stop there? 84 mm versions of the Pioneer and Farmer variants would be so nice to have. The custom versions are expensive and hard to obtain. Victorinox? Please?! Can you do this?!
If all you want is bit larger blade, the 84mm Bantam is a good option. Or even a simple No. 5 Opinel. I sometimes augment my Classic SD with a No. 5 Opinel if cutting is my only concern. Or the Bantam which has the added bonus of the great combo tool.
 
I almost forgot until just now, eating some pistachio nuts. One of my most important nut tools is the SD tip of the classic nail file. You know those pistachios that have just the teeny little crack that you can't get a thumb nail into? The SD tip stuck in there and given a twist opens that stubborn pistachio right up. YUM!

Clasic SD; This arthritic old fart fumble fingers can't eat my beloved pistachios without it! ;)
The SD tip is also great to gently pry open a strong key ring.
 
I’ve carried a Vic Classic off and on over the years, but I find I prefer a slightly larger knife. My favorite right now is an Executive. I like the tool selection, and the increased handle size makes it easier for me to use. Also, it’s still the perfect size to fit in the watch pocket of my jeans. It has a better spring action as well, with the tools having a nice snap without being difficult to open. If it had a bottle opener, I dare say it would be my perfect pocket knife.
 
84 mm versions of the Pioneer and Farmer variants would be so nice to have. The custom versions are expensive and hard to obtain. Victorinox? Please?! Can you do this?!
Beg all ya want, I’m afraid it’s going to fall on deaf ears. Find an excellent modder and have them throw together what ya want. I did and got my 84mm “mini” Pioneer X…fantastic SAK in a compact package.
 
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