Just can't warm to SAKs

Ha! What a great thread - I'm really enjoying this one. The SAK is a masterpiece of utility and an ingenious tool that I'm now never without. It's just THE ideal companion to my traditional pocket knife. Compact and extremely efficient!

The red Farmer and a Barlow :)
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arizonaranchman said:
Ha! What a great thread - I'm really enjoying this one. The SAK is a masterpiece of utility and an ingenious tool that I'm now never without. It's just THE ideal companion to my traditional pocket knife. Compact and extremely efficient!
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As companion to a traditional main knife, I find my Micra to be more compact and more useful than SAKs. More tools per ounce.

I can get the appeal of the SAK if one is going to carry only one knife/tool. IMO, Leatherman and their ilk have yet to create a decent pocket carry single tool, although their Crater line is a modern update to the traditional 4 blade camper pattern.

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<for those who object to seeing a modern looking Crater in this thread, IMO, the modern SAKs are just as non-traditional so this is a tough thread to post in...>


This said, if one is committed to carrying 2 tool - a main knife and a supplemental multi-function tool, I don't get the appeal of an SAK in that scenario at all. This makes much more sense to me as a combo. YMMV obviously. It's about being happy and if an SAK makes you happy, carry it.

EDIT To ADD: if the issue is the time honored knife knut habit of carrying multiple knife just because, the sure, what the heck, an SAK in the mix makes sense. ;)

image by Pinnah, on Flickr
 
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arizonaranchman said:
Ha! What a great thread - I'm really enjoying this one. The SAK is a masterpiece of utility and an ingenious tool that I'm now never without. It's just THE ideal companion to my traditional pocket knife. Compact and extremely efficient!

The red Farmer and a Barlow :)
0EC9B23A-B441-42FA-B56C-2E552B94CB40_zpsvr32cw7a.jpg
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The black Pioneer and a Barlow:)
 
as much as i love traditionals, the sak is the tool in my pocket,never want to go without it. traditionals are for eating, tinkering, etc when i enjoy to handle a knife. saks do the hard and dirty work most of the time (open packages, cutting rope, punch holes into leather etc). i grew up with mcgyver as my favorite series because i could connect to the "be prepared" motto. i still do, 25 years later.
 
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Bjoern said:
as much as i love traditionals, the sak is the tool in my pocket,never want to go without it. traditionals are for eating, tinkering, etc when i enjoy to handle a knife, saks do the hard and dirty work most of the time (open packages, cutting rope, punch holes into leather etc). i grew up with mcgyver as my favorite series because i could connect to the "be prepared" motto. i still do, 25 years later.
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Well said. The SAK is an given really - no matter what I'm carrying the Pioneer or Farmer are there by default.

Also, daily since 1994 the same Leatherman Classic has been on my belt. It's basically part of my pants. :)
 
I carry a ccompact everyday and at this moment it is my only knife. However I find myself longing for a good Barlow almost everyday. On occasion I will pick one up or another knife I fancy at the time and turn around and sell it and start carrying my compact again. I think they are great tools but lack the soul that a good traditional has. Heck just thinking about the life of the animal or tree that was used for the scales adds so much life to a traditional knife
 
I never had any particular interest in the SAK knives until I got my first Alox-handled one (Electrician - Pioneer sized). It was fairly inexpensive and I had seen enough buzz about them to decide to give it a try. As luck would have it, I got it shortly before a 2-week business trip. I didn't want to risk any of my nicer knives vanishing from checked luggage, so I put the brand new Electrician in my bag, figuring that at worst I would be out the $25 I paid for it, it was easily replaceable, and probably not theft-worthy. It arrived safely, anyway.

When you're living out of a suitcase and don't have access to the kitchen drawer and tool-shed, whatever you have along with you becomes much more important. I bonded with that Electrician during that trip, since it was in fact my only knife and, along with my little Leatherman Squirt, my entire tool-drawer. I wasn't really that into it at first, but the more I carried it and relied on it, the more the quality and functionality of the design just sort of won me over.

When I got back I was able to pick up an Alox Cadet for just over $20 and that one sealed the deal. I don't think there has been a day that I haven't had that Cadet in my pocket, over a year now. It's just so flat and light that it vanishes in my front pocket, but gives me a set of larger tools than the LM Squirt (which I have also carried daily for several years as well).

I will often carry another slipjoint as well, but the SAK is part of my daily pocket loadout now no matter what else I'm carrying.
 
I like a SAK knife/tool in your pocket; and not in mine. Pure preference. ;)
 
Like mentioned before, the SAK is what got me into traditional knives. It was the first knife that meant anything to me. My Dad has carried one for as long as I can remember. But that said a amazingly beautiful example of a bone or wood handled jack or pen or barlow strikes a chord somewhere in my body that just does it for me. That is why I always carry two. The SAK my Dad gave me and (typically) my 15 cap lifter although the autumn bone washington jack has been taking up some pocket time.

Gabe
 
pinnah said:
<for those who object to seeing a modern looking Crater in this thread, IMO, the modern SAKs are just as non-traditional so this is a tough thread to post in...>
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How are " Modern SAK's " not Traditional ?
They meet all the highly patrolled rules of the Traditional forum , while the Leatherman Crater doesn't .

For example this SAK is a Traditional two bladed knife in my opinion , the colour isn't , but neither are many of the coloured bone handle scales coming from the big Traditional companies . It meets all criteria of a Traditional knife .

Edit - after reading through my post again , it might seem confrontational , it's not meant to be .
I'm just intrigued why you think they aren't Traditional .

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Ken
 
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glassjaw said:
How did you get the dark color to the blades?! That is absolutely fantastic! Such a beaut!

Gabe
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The Blade, Awl, Saw, and Cap lifter and two of the back springs are cerakoted black. The scales are cerakoted green. I decided to leave the file and can opener uncoated as I use the file on my nails and I did not want the cerakote to flake off. Same for the can opener. I did not want cerakote to flake off into my food. All the springs used to be black, but their was a problem so they had to be replaced with two SS springs. Its rocking steel pins as well.

I did not do this mod myself.

Here is a custom solo with a cerakoted blade.



No cerakote on this one, but probably my favorite mod I have. I love the tool selection on this one.







I wish I had pictures of a few other customs I have, but they are put away and I would have to dig through a bunch of knives to find them.
 
for the sake of the current argument, the crater can stay. But the opinion of the moderators is that SAKs which do not have one-hand opening blades are traditional. The typical SAK is a lobster pattern. Lobster pattern is very old. 1700's, I think. Plastic covers have been used for over a hundred years. Metal covers even longer.

Knives with thumb studs are not Traditional.

 
Capt. Spaulding said:
The Blade, Awl, Saw, and Cap lifter and two of the back springs are cerakoted black. The scales are cerakoted green. I decided to leave the file and can opener uncoated as I use the file on my nails and I did not want the cerakote to flake off. Same for the can opener. I did not want cerakote to flake off into my food. All the springs used to be black, but their was a problem so they had to be replaced with two SS springs. Its rocking steel pins as well.

I did not do this mod myself.

Here is a custom solo with a cerakoted blade.

No cerakote on this one, but probably my favorite mod I have. I love the tool selection on this one.




I wish I had pictures of a few other customs I have, but they are put away and I would have to dig through a bunch of knives to find them.
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You have some impressive alox Capt.

Gabe
 
Oh, well if you're talking' about a companion piece, then I do that on a real regular basis. Idon't dislike SAK's, in fact I like them. LIke them a whole lot. I just love my traditionals more for insane and illogical reasons. If I had a lick of common sense, I'd carry a SAK and never look back. But I loves the nice smooth woods, and some character. But I'll always have a SAK around. It seems to get along with my "real' knives!
:D

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And with a little Italian buddy;
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And with a big buddy for some brush busting;
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To paraphrase Rick; "We'll always have alox!"

And of course, there's the companion I never leave home without;
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I never really warmed up to SAK's for the main reason of bulk... until I bought an alox pioneer.

Man, that thing is handy. I very frequently carry one at work (in addition to one or two other slipjoints).
 
Alnamvet68 said:
...
Can you feel the heat?:)
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Speaking of heat, and warming to SAKs, and temperature, this will be my first winter with alox in my pocket. Once the weather turns bitterly cold, do I have to worry about bare hands sticking to a cold Pioneer like a tongue to a pump handle?? :D

(First accumulating snow this morning has already triggered a case of SAD, including irrational thoughts.)

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
Speaking of heat, and warming to SAKs, and temperature, this will be my first winter with alox in my pocket. Once the weather turns bitterly cold, do I have to worry about bare hands sticking to a cold Pioneer like a tongue to a pump handle?? :D

(First accumulating snow this morning has already triggered a case of SAD, including irrational thoughts.)

- GT
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Do what I do when I'm snow bound, get on the www, break out the Platinum AMEX, and go hogwild buying stuff.:D Now, I have to ask, what is your tongue doing on a pump handle?:confused:
 
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