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Most popular SAK
- Thread starter bigz89
- Start date
Before it went out of business, I worked for a Cutlery World franchise store. We prided ourselves on carrying every single Victorinox product that had sharp edges. I used to get that question a dozen times a day. Always gave the same (mostly uselss) answer, "There isn't one."
The whole point of having all the different models is so that you can find or pick the one best for your 'wants' or 'needs'. Since everyone is unique, everyone buys something different.
That said, the two SAKs that I had to restock the most were the Classics and the Champs.
The whole point of having all the different models is so that you can find or pick the one best for your 'wants' or 'needs'. Since everyone is unique, everyone buys something different.
That said, the two SAKs that I had to restock the most were the Classics and the Champs.
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2003
- Messages
- 281
The Spartan seems to be very popular/common model as well. I have seen them gifted a lot...have received at least two as gifts myself.
John
John
powernoodle
Power Member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2004
- Messages
- 11,973
Several months ago, I Google'd for threads and polls on people's choices for things like "best Swiss Army Knife" and "favorite SAK", and compiled the results into one list.
Nothing scientific about this... no doubt some individuals' preferences are represented in more than one list; I had to make some subjective judgments when people got chatty about multiple models they like; and no doubt I missed a few good lists.
Victorinox Adventurer 1
Victorinox Apprentice 1
Victorinox Bantam 3
Victorinox Cadet 43
Victorinox Cadet II 1
Victorinox Camper 26
Victorinox Champion 5
Victorinox Classic 41
Victorinox Climber 27
Victorinox Compact 14
Victorinox Craftsman 2
Victorinox Cybertool 1
Victorinox Cybertool 34 4
Victorinox Cybertool 29 2
Victorinox Cybertool 41 3
Victorinox Deluxe Tinker 4
Victorinox Electrician 4
Victorinox Executive 5
Victorinox Explorer 37
Victorinox Farmer 172
Victorinox Fieldmaster 21
Victorinox Forester 3
Victorinox GAK 3
Victorinox Handyman 1
Victorinox Harvester 5
Victorinox Hercules 2
Victorinox Hiker 30
Victorinox Hunter 5
Victorinox Huntsman 88
Victorinox Huntsman Lite 1
Victorinox Locksmith 2
Victorinox Manager 4
Victorinox Mechanic 4
Victorinox MiniChamp 5
Victorinox Money Clip 1
Victorinox One Hand Fireman 1
Victorinox One Hand Trekker 56
Victorinox Outdoorsman 1
Victorinox Outrider 13
Victorinox Pioneer 33
Victorinox Rambler 17
Victorinox Rancher 1
Victorinox Ranger 8
Victorinox Recruit 5
Victorinox Rucksack 10
Victorinox Scientist 1
Victorinox Sentinel 1
Victorinox Signature 1
Victorinox Signature Lite 1
Victorinox Small Climber 1
Victorinox Small Tinker 1
Victorinox Soldier (old) 50
Victorinox Soldier (new) 8
Victorinox Spartan 27
Victorinox Spartan Lite 1
Victorinox Sportsman 2
Victorinox Sportsman II 1
Victorinox Super Tinker 40
Victorinox SwissChamp 54
Victorinox Tinker 61
Victorinox Voyageur 1
Victorinox Waiter 2
Victorinox Woodsman 1
Victorinox Yeoman 2
Wenger Brushed Stainless Pocket Tool Chest 1
Wenger Brushed Stainless Traveller 1
Wenger Clipper 1
Wenger Esquire 1
Wenger EvoGrip 18 1
Wenger Evolution 17 2
Wenger Evoloution S10 1
Wenger Evoloution S14 1
Wenger Ranger 78 4
Wenger Soldatenmesser 1
Wenger Standard Issue 3
Wenger Survivor 3
Observations:
Top 10:
Victorinox Farmer 172
Victorinox Huntsman 88
Victorinox Tinker 61
Victorinox One Hand Trekker 56
Victorinox SwissChamp 54
Victorinox Soldier (old) 50
Victorinox Cadet 43
Victorinox Classic 41
Victorinox Super Tinker 40
Victorinox Explorer 37
The Farmer is the runaway favorite... no surprises there, but the margin is still impressive.
As a fan of smaller SAKs, I was gratified to see the Tinker's strong showing (though I prefer the Spartan).
There seems to be rough a correlation between tolerance for thickness and preference for the corkscrew over Phillips: Tinker 61; Spartan 27 :: Hiker 30; Camper 26 :: Super Tinker 40; Climber 27 :: Fieldmaster 21; Huntsman 88 .
Although there are many more celidor SAKs, three of the top 10 are Alox models (four of the top 11).
It's too bad Victorinox named the Waiter the Waiter. Such a good little knife. I'm sure its very un-sexy name has a lot to do with how little love it gets: 2 votes!
A subjective observation: regardless of that the numbers show, fans of the Farmer, the Explorer, the Compact, and the Rambler tend to be the most passionate when arguing the merits of their preferred SAK.
Search terms used and threads queried:
"favorite swiss army knife"
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/752228-What-s-your-favorite-Swiss-army-knife-POLL!
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?209556-What-s-your-favorite-Vic-Swiss-Army-Knife
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=190480
http://theswissriflesdotcommessageb...favorite-Swiss-Army-Knife?page=1#.URAqpL_LTi4
http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=21087.0
http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?153603-What-is-your-favorite-Swiss-Army-Knife
http://survivalbunker.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=knives&action=display&thread=732
http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php/65531-Favorite-SAK
"favorite SAK knife"
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=182603
http://edcforums.com/threads/what-is-the-best-all-around-swiss-army-knife-and-why.68711/
"best swiss army knife"
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...at-is-the-best-your-favorite-Swiss-Army-Knife
"most useful SAK"
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/976023-Which-SAK-is-BEST
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?271396-Which-swiss-army-knife-do-you-use
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?271396-Which-swiss-army-knife-do-you-use
http://forum.multitool.org/index.php?topic=37796.15
http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php/52818-Ideal-SAK
wow! u really did your homework 
no doubt i suspect
an alox of sorts
would be the top dog
for hardcore sak aficionados.
simply because
it has much thicker blades
and additional lateral strength
due to its solidly thick alox handle.
unlike the rest with much thinner liners,
hidden under those plastic scales to make up bulk.
no doubt, different folks would have different blade tool preferences.
but the legendary victorinox a saw tool is a must have for outdoor types.
no doubt i suspect
an alox of sorts
would be the top dog
for hardcore sak aficionados.
simply because
it has much thicker blades
and additional lateral strength
due to its solidly thick alox handle.
unlike the rest with much thinner liners,
hidden under those plastic scales to make up bulk.
no doubt, different folks would have different blade tool preferences.
but the legendary victorinox a saw tool is a must have for outdoor types.
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2013
- Messages
- 5
I have carried a Super tinker for six years now. Its practical for every day use.
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2013
- Messages
- 73
I didn't think I would use the scissors on my climber as much as I do. So the climber is always in my pocket.
I'd be leery of using those figures as accurate count of SAK popularity. The problem is, the source of those figures. Bladeforums, bushcraft forums, multitool forums, are all slanted by the very nature of their interest. These are outdoor oriented knife people, if not out and out knife nuts. The biggest sales of SAK's are outside that venue, like to just average joe type people who are not knife nuts, nor even outdoors type of people, but maybe just recognize they need a small pocket knife. They go to Walmart, or Target, or even Dick's sporting goods, and look around to see what's available. These people have no idea what a Benchmade is, or a Spyderco, or any of the poluar brands, let alone be inclined to spend that kind of money on them. They see a red handle knife in the case, with a familiar silver cross, and think, "Oh, a Swiss Army knife, I've heard they are good." They make a purchase for 10 or 15 dollars, and the knife gets dropped in a pocket, or put on a keychain, and that's that. I know that most non knife people I've run into don't even know what an alox SAK is when they see it. People who have seen my old Wenger SI or Victorinox pioneer ask what kind of knife that is, and when I tell them it's a Swiss Army knife, they don't believe it. It doesn't look like a Swiss Army knife. I had one idiot tell me that it can't be because it doen't have red handles with a cross on it. Seriously. So I really doubt that the Victorinox farmer is known beyond the very small community of a survival or bush craft forum. John Q. Public wouldn't even think of it. And given that the alox SAK's are such a small percentage of the SAK production, I have serious doubts that it is a runaway favorite of SAK sales or popularity outside of said small community of survival forums.
Several years ago, Knife World Magazine ran an article on Victorinox. In the interview, the factory spokesperson for Victorinox gave the then annual production figures of 35 million knives a year. Of that figure, 9 million was for the classic, the popular selling SAK in the line. It sells at all the 'marts, let alone the number of large business that buy them to put their corporate logo on as a give away to clients. So if actual production and sales figures are any indication, the classic is numero uno. For further info, Blade Magazine after 9-11 ran a cover photo of the classic, with the tittle of "The Most Confiscated Knife in the World." The classic swamped all other times of any sort, in the bins of TSA confiscated knives. I buy up used SAK's at a local gun sshow from a lady who gets the TSA boxes of them. The huge bulk of them are the 58mm's like the classic, rambler, manager. The basic 84mm's like the tinker, spartan, and recruits are numerous. The other SAK's are thin on the ground by comparison. Sometimes I see a waiter, and some occasions a 4 layer or more, but their rare. I see a zillion classic's with advertising logo on them with everything from pharmaceuticals to house paint. I see some other 58's with ad logo like an occasional rambler.
The only way of telling the most popular SAK is not forums that make up a fly speck of humanity that are into knives and other gear, but overall production and sales world wide of the models. And the alox models are at the bottom of the ladder. That's why Victorinox made the decision to drop over half the alox models they make. The popular, the solo, cadet 2, alox bantam, and others are gone to history.
The most popular SAK's? Probably the one at all the discount big box stores selling for 10 bucks, that go on uncounted keychains across the world.
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2013
- Messages
- 360
Has to be the classic.
...your essay was EXACTLY on point...nicely done.
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2012
- Messages
- 1,347
+1
When I go to the big box stores I most commonly see the Classic, the Spartan, the Tinker and the Super Tinker. Lately I've been seeing the Cadet a lot also. Apparently these models sell pretty well to the general public.
Another indicator might be the number of reviews recorded for a particular model on Amazon. If so, then the Classic definitely has the lead.
- Joined
- May 17, 2013
- Messages
- 1,155
Very well written, and make a lot of sense not to merely rely on interest results to estimate SAK popularity.
But to BradGad credit, I don't think he/she is making the exact claim to say which is most popular strictly by internet results, and I believe the conclusion was(quote):
"A subjective observation: regardless of that the numbers show, fans of the Farmer, the Explorer, the Compact, and the Rambler tend to be the most passionate when arguing the merits of their preferred SAK. " <--probably as you have mentioned in your article, those results might have just a reflection of opinions from a few forums that are outdoor/multitool/knife oriented crowd.
Anyhow, I am surprised the number has gone up for the sales volume of SAK, 35 million knives a year is a huge deal. And it probably might have surpass all the major knives makers in the world, if not all.