Just can't warm to SAKs

[AreBeeBee]

If you keep it in your pocket, no. But if you set it down outside and let it come to ambient temperature — and if that temperature is cold enough — then yes, your fingers may stick if they are at all damp.

But remember that it won't take long to heat up the scales and free your fingers. Or to put it another way, you've got a lot more mass that's warm than the knife has mass in the form of a heat-sink.

Or you can bag the physics and just wear gloves.

 

[jackknife]

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??

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

- GT

I've never been to your neck of the woods, so I can't say. But I can tell you this; the second year I was in the army, they shipped my butt up to Ft. Devens Mass. Up north, 2 hours west of Boston. This was far North to me, I'm from Maryland, where w winters day is maybe low 40's to high 30's. A cold spell is 20's on the thermometer.

At Devens, morning formation in January and February was minus something. I hard Massachusetts, too darn cold for me. But at that time we were all carrying the issue MIL-K knife. The all steel 'demo' knife. Since we were the 39th Engineer's that handed them out at supply like lollypops. In the course of my time at Devens, I don't recall anyone ever having his hand stick to a knife. You'll be fen.:thumbup:

 

[5K Qs]

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

That's just a story lots of guys my age used to hear from their dads. Usually the story involved some kid daring another kid to lick cold steel in some form. The legend is memorialized in the movie "A Christmas Story", where I think it's actually a flagpole that a kid licks after being challenged with the dreaded "double dog dare"

- GT

 

[Alnamvet68]

That's just a story lots of guys my age used to hear from their dads. Usually the story involved some kid daring another kid to lick cold steel in some form. The legend is memorialized in the movie "A Christmas Story", where I think it's actually a flagpole that a kid licks after being challenged with the dreaded "double dog dare"

- GT

I was just pulling your leg...I remember those days.

 

[Alnamvet68]

By now, I am confident that most who thought they were left cold by a SAK, especially an Alox SAK, have now changed their minds, and their lives are now much better for it. For those still on the fence on this one, just think of it like this, the warmth and comfort of a SAK, especially an Alox SAK is akin to a feeling similar to being tucked lovingly into a soft-boiled egg.

 

[TacticalPerk]

I like the SAK for what it is intended for, very small tinkering type jobs. In fact I prefer the SAK to a Leatherman, mainly because any job I need a Leatherman for I would be better served using regular hand tools, for jobs that dont require larger tools the SAK works great in most instances.

 

[cards94]

There's no right or wrong. Use whatever blows your skirt up.

 

[thedaver8]

I used to own one as a kid--it was the first knife I bought--but I just can't get into them now. And I have tried to like them. I Guess what turns me off is how "sterile" they appear to me. I woild much rather carry a traditional scout pattern with similar tools because of how old school it looks. But GEC hasn't made one yet...

 

[db]

Like so many others I wasn't a fan of the SAK at all. In fact I thought they were kind of a useless pocket knife, if I was going to need a tool I'd get a real tool. And if I needed a knife I'd get a real knife. Well I carried a Cadet and quickly changed my mind on the SAK. In fact the cadet is now one of my most carried and loved knives. Hey 5K I never had a problem with alox and cold and after last years winter I think I can say I never will.

 

[5K Qs]

Like so many others I wasn't a fan of the SAK at all. In fact I thought they were kind of a useless pocket knife, if I was going to need a tool I'd get a real tool. And if I needed a knife I'd get a real knife. Well I carried a Cadet and quickly changed my mind on the SAK. In fact the cadet is now one of my most carried and loved knives. Hey 5K I never had a problem with alox and cold and after last years winter I think I can say I never will.

Considering last winter, that's a convincing testimonial, db!

- GT

 

[combatjiujitsu]

Cadet is just amazingly handy to me! Just starting to get a little wear from the keys and dropping it lol

 

[stargawker]

Well this has turned into a SAK love-in which surprises me. Only 1-2 other brave souls like me who don't really warm to SAKS.

My traditional pocket knives cut better, are more stable in my hand and and look better.

SAKs are a multi-tool. I do keep one in my car, but I do have a toolbox there as well. I could see a case for taking it camping so it could provide tweezers, screwdriver, etc.

When it is time to whittle or cut something, i reach for my traditional EDC. My SAK never sees any use - it is only a backup tool for me.

 

[paulhilborn]

Well this has turned into a SAK love-in which surprises me. Only 1-2 other brave souls like me who don't really warm to SAKS.

My traditional pocket knives cut better, are more stable in my hand and and look better.

SAKs are a multi-tool. I do keep one in my car, but I do have a toolbox there as well. I could see a case for taking it camping so it could provide tweezers, screwdriver, etc.

When it is time to whittle or cut something, i reach for my traditional EDC. My SAK never sees any use - it is only a backup tool for me.

stargawker---this is a good thread and in my opinion there is no right or wrong answer. I was just brought up with SAKS and Traditional pocket knives and love both:thumbup:

Have a great weekend

 

[Woodrow F Call]

Well this has turned into a SAK love-in which surprises me. Only 1-2 other brave souls like me who don't really warm to SAKS.

My traditional pocket knives cut better, are more stable in my hand and and look better.

SAKs are a multi-tool. I do keep one in my car, but I do have a toolbox there as well. I could see a case for taking it camping so it could provide tweezers, screwdriver, etc.

When it is time to whittle or cut something, i reach for my traditional EDC. My SAK never sees any use - it is only a backup tool for me.

What makes them cut better? I put a nice edge on mine and they cut great. BTW, SAKs are traditional.

 

[davek14]

[video=youtube;Ia7C34aAVi4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia7C34aAVi4[/video]

 

[pmew]

I was recently won over by alox.

I have had SAKs with plastic scales ever since I was wee, and always appreciated their utility but didn't really like them. I was gifted an alox farmer by a member here a while ago (thanks Scruff!) which I have used extensively during the process of moving house. As a result, to me alox now has a pragmatic beauty to it and although I'll never carry it everyday, I do get a lot of joy from the experience and will continue to pop them in my pocket when I suspect odd jobs will need done.

I am converted.

 

[SAK Guy]

stargawker---this is a good thread and in my opinion there is no right or wrong answer. I was just brought up with SAKS and Traditional pocket knives and love both:thumbup:

Have a great weekend

My first knife was an Old Timer 80T given to me by my Dad. My second knife was a Vic Champion so I love both but changes in my life have made me realize that SAKs are the best fit right now (and for the foreseeable future). Still have Trads that I absolutely cherish (some from kind friends here) but SAKs are now my daily carry.

 

[Cory Hess]

To me SAKs have more in common with modern flippers than traditional slipjoints. I really don't care how long something has been made. It's a set of blades/tools sandwiched between two ugly slabs of metal/plastic. There's absolutely no art or character to them. They are mass produced with no love or care put into them at all. They are pretty much the opposite of what companies like GEC and CSC are trying to be. They seem to line up more with the business model of Spyderco or Kershaw. There's nothing traditional about that. I'm sure that they come in handy, just like I'm sure thumb studs come in handy, it's just not for me.

It doesn't really matter to me what anybody else carries or prefers. If a SAK works for you, I'm happy that it does and I am in no way trying to knock that or convince you otherwise. The thread was simply asking for opinions, and stargawker made a good point in saying that we're not really getting much in the way of people saying why they don't get into SAKs. Likewise, trying to convince me that I'm wrong and listing reasons why I should like a SAK is probably wasted time. I respect everybody's opinion, and hope that you can respect mine. I'm going to go crawl into my bunker now and wait out the fallout. :cower:

 

[paulhilborn]

To me SAKs have more in common with modern flippers than traditional slipjoints. I really don't care how long something has been made. It's a set of blades/tools sandwiched between two ugly slabs of metal/plastic. There's absolutely no art or character to them. They are mass produced with no love or care put into them at all. They are pretty much the opposite of what companies like GEC and CSC are trying to be. They seem to line up more with the business model of Spyderco or Kershaw. There's nothing traditional about that. I'm sure that they come in handy, just like I'm sure thumb studs come in handy, it's just not for me.

It doesn't really matter to me what anybody else carries or prefers. If a SAK works for you, I'm happy that it does and I am in no way trying to knock that or convince you otherwise. The thread was simply asking for opinions, and stargawker made a good point in saying that we're not really getting much in the way of people saying why they don't get into SAKs. Likewise, trying to convince me that I'm wrong and listing reasons why I should like a SAK is probably wasted time. I respect everybody's opinion, and hope that you can respect mine. I'm going to go crawl into my bunker now and wait out the fallout. :cower:

No need to head to the bunker Cory, I respect you opinion:thumbup: I think we can both agree to disagree and either carry both or one or the other

 

[Dean51]

It's an easy answer why I never warmed to SAK's, I was gifted a Champ several years ago. (I think that what it was anyway)
While I liked the concept of it, it was just to big to carry. So I re gifted it to my nephew and he loved it.
I think if it had been a Pioneer or Electrician I would have warmed up to them as a handy tool.