A reasonable amount of adaptility in order to overcome potential obstacles, along with a fertile and highly active and intelligent imagination is required to see the superiority of a SAK as a pocket tool chest over all other brands. Those without the requisites will never see this reality.
My oh my... seriously... passing judgement on someone because they don't like a $12 knife as much as you do? How embarrassing... the playground just got little meaner.
I have had three or four SAKs and given them all away. Never warmed up to them myself, and I finally figured out why. First, I have never worked with the dreaded specter that haunts so many Bladeforumites - a "sheeple". I can carry what I want on the job with wild abandon.
Second, being in "the trades", I am always near my truck, with another guy in his truck, on the job, etc. which gives us access to full sized tools. If we go somewhere as a group, someone always has tools, even if it is their wife's car. On site, I found NONE of the small tools on a SAK work, operate, or are as easy to use as their full sized counterparts. I have to say though, that I know several guys in the trades that carry a small SAK on their key ring.
Third, I always look at utility value for me. Giving up pocket real estate is a big deal for me, so I took a few minutes to ponder how often I used all the tools on the SAKs I was gifted. Without exception, the only tools I used frequently was the cutting blade and the awl/punch.
So back to the stockman I went. A longer keener blade, and with a bit of grinding and reprofiling, a better awl/punch.
I have to say though, it is a bit of a conundrum for me to see how easily some folks shift gears on their opinions. They love the old world craftsmanship, the careful choice of natural materials for scales, the use of a centuries old simple carbon steel blades on their knife of choice, the idea that many human hands made their knife , the fact that the designs used by their favorite makers are many decades old, and proudly stand at attention when noting their favorite knife is made right here in America in a small, dedicated factory.
The SAKs have exactly none of those attributes, but still have a
fierce (see above) following here in Traditionals.
Always interesting to see which way the wind blows around here.
Robert
