Not to be a jerk, but why are SAKs so popular?

klute said:
Give some examples?
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Since I happen to have have the day off today, I will take some time to explain myself further.. I am a contractor, and I carry my leatherman and my izula to work nearly everyday. When I come home, or on the weekends, or a day like today, I will put a SAK in my pocket over the leatherman, 8 of 10 times. Sadly, an example of this, my red hiker i previously posted pictures of was taken from me a few weeks ago at the gate of a Phillies game, I completely forgot it was in my pocket ;). So because of this, I can't comment with current photos of the wood saw, but that is one of the main reasons i carry a SAK. I haven't replaced it yet and I think I am going to try the Farmer model this time around. This is not to say the leatherman isn't a great tool, it truly is. But we are talking about swiss army knives here.

since these are multi tools I'll go over a few of the tools on the SAK that I like better, for EDC over the leatherman.

Ill start with the knife(s)
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With my SAK i get two blades. I find the wider, thinner, longer, flat ground blade on the swiss army knife to be superior to the hollow/sabre ground 420hc (super high quailty steel) blade of the leatherman. I find it slices better, works wood better, and the pen blade is great for whittling - and 100% sheeple friendly.

Here is a shot showing the tips of both blades, i think its well known that thinner blades move thru materials better than thicker blades
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Onto the can/bottle opener. I never use the Leatherman one, why, because it sucks.
since leatherman tried to cram two tools into one, they sacrificed parts of the design.
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the can opener is too blunt to be a good can opener, i find the SAK one to be easier than a modern one sometimes

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but then, the bottle opener its to narrow to be as good of a bottle opener as the SAK (yes i know it works, but you can also use a lighter/rock/table or your teeth if your crazy enough)

I have had this leatherman a long time, and it has developed a little play, it doesn't bother me, but i know there are some on this forum who would gripe about that.
[video=youtube;VR85o1vuR24]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR85o1vuR24&feature=youtu.be[/video]

The leatherman also doesn't have tweezers or a tooth pick, which I use all the time for various things besides picking my teeth and pulling splinters.
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being nearly the same size and thickness, the leatherman is much heavier and much more of a burden in your pocket, I carry a SAK & Bic with the same weight / comfort of the leatherman.

As I said, I can't take pictures of the wood saw, because mine was taken from me recently, and my brother is the owner of the leatherman with the saw (I have used it plenty). but in my experience the SAKs saw works much more effectively

Here is the obvious main difference in the tools,

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which is an awesome thing to be able to carry in your pocket. I use those things allllll the time. Yesterday, I decided that i was going to weed whack the sidewalk infront of this property before we left for our 3 day weekend. So i walked to the garage and grabbed the weed whacker, and I used the wire cutters to cut the cord to length. But this is a heavier tool, that i use for much different applications, like turning bolts and clipping wires, pulling staples, holding small things. its drivers are all better, no question. The SAK screwdriver that is perpendicular to the body to be only useful if your working in a flat open space. its really is a great tool..

But a SAK always has a place in my rotation.
they have stood the test of time in popularity for these qualities at an affordable price..

ISK
 
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I really do think the OP is just trying to understand the phenomenon. SAKs are useful sure, i like some models myself mostly the bigger ones / locking ones and have fewer "blades", but SAKs aren't for everyone's taste.

One hypothetical negative is that they are a false promise in that an inexperienced person may at first think they are THE answer but farther down the road they find they need better tools which work better under certain circumstances. My 02.
 
We need to get together, drink beer then demo and compare knives, tools, multis, and SAKs then arm wrestle for a few hours. :D
 
Right. Like any knife or multitool, SAKs are AN answer--not THE answer. :)
 
klute said:
i'm talking about a knife, not scissors. This thread is a bit loopy because it's easy to interchange meanings ie tool vs. tool set / knife vs. multi-bladed instrument. I'm not here to argue, i'm more interested in differing philosophies of use and if i can learn something about knives and tools by exploring this aspect.
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Been watching too much nutnfancy?

SAKs aren't hard use multitools. They're good for doing a ton of things and they come in all different sizes and tool configurations. The stainless steel they use is very easy to sharpen and it cuts well with the thin blade profile. They come with a good warranty, very nice fit and finish especially for the price, and the quality control is excellent. They're fairly lightweight and can handle a lot of tasks. Most SAKs cost less than $30. I really don't see what's not to like. They are not tactical junk or meant for "hard use" situations. Slip a Vic Tourist in your pocket and you can open bottles of wine, quality beer that doesn't have the screw off cap, open tins of food if need be, cut things, tighten screws, and more. They're versatile, incredibly handy tools to have in the pocket. A Vic Tourist goes with me just about everywhere.
 
My wife and I are going to Honolulu in a couple of weeks. My Vic Climber will be the only knife I bring with me. I found out a couple of vacations ago just how great the Climber was as a travel knife.

Three layer SAK's are about as big as I will go when it comes to SAK's though. Although I have looked at some of their larger locking models to carry in my bag.

SAK's are just very sheeple friendly.
 
You can always find a SAK to fit any kit and it will be useful to you at some point. Most Leathermans will have the extremely useful pliers, but sometimes you can't carry something as big as the smallest Leatherman (city). I have many different tools and find the SAK to mostly fill the role as a compliment to my other gear. When I'm in the woods I'll have an axe or a machete, a medium-sized knife (Mora-esque), a Leatherman AND a small SAK (on keychain) -- perhaps even some double edged razor blades as well. You can never have enough cutting tools -- you'll always find some use for them in the long run. Honestly, if you get a pair of regular palm-sized pliers you'll get very far with just a regular ol' knife on top of that.
 
stoffi said:
You can always find a SAK to fit any kit and it will be useful to you at some point. Most Leathermans will have the extremely useful pliers, but sometimes you can't carry something as big as the smallest Leatherman (city). I have many different tools and find the SAK to mostly fill the role as a compliment to my other gear. When I'm in the woods I'll have an axe or a machete, a medium-sized knife (Mora-esque), a Leatherman AND a small SAK (on keychain) -- perhaps even some double edged razor blades as well. You can never have enough cutting tools -- you'll always find some use for them in the long run. Honestly, if you get a pair of regular palm-sized pliers you'll get very far with just a regular ol' knife on top of that.
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For pliers I really like the Knipex Mini Pliers Wrench. You have NO idea how amazing they are until you get them in hand. They're an item for the Doomsday Everyday kit. :D
 
Better to use the screwdriver on your SAK than to break the tip off of your Spyderco, Benchmade, Hinderer,ect!! I think you get what I mean! Kevin :D:D
 
klute said:
If we are talking the traditional non-locking red handled SAK then i would disagree. The ergos aren't there and a slip joint just doesn't bode well for anything more than light use. I can spend $25 and get a much better knife.
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A slip joint is a folding knife. Just like a locking blade folder. The lock doesn't turn a folding knife into a fixed blade. Treating it like one is asking for a let down.

You'll have to define "light use". The blades on a regular slipjoint SAK are quite robust, and tempered for durability over edge holding. They're profiled to cut stuff. This is what makes SAK blades often much superior to many blades costing several times more. The extra tools add more utility. A sharpened prybar, the SAK is sot.

klute said:
A SAK is a compromise.
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All multitools are a compromise. A one hand opening pocket clipped super steeled locking blade folder is an even bigger compromise in comparison.
 
bdmicarta said:
I carry one of these every day in addition to everything else that I carry. It has real tools in it, they are actually heat treated and will work for their intended function, it is made for more than to just look cute. Compare this to any SAK and you will throw the SAK in the trash can.

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Mmm, no. I have the Juice XE6. It's the one with the corkscrew. It does have some good attributes. The double cut/diamond file is very good. The scissors are a nice design. It has two full size blades, one fully serrated. And of course, it has pliers like most SAKs don't have.

While it is a nice tool, there are several reasons it hasn't replaced the SAK. One, it's quite expensive in comparison. The can/bottle opener is inferior. The blades are unnecessarily stout. The drivers, while having nice crisp edges, are annoyingly short, and fiddly to open, ending up having no appreciable advantage over a regular SAK. And while it does have pliers, they are light duty, and I wouldn't be surprised if they snapped under more rigorous use. I've also noticed that Leatherman tools in general seem more prone to rusting than SAKs.

I wouldn't say it was a bad tool. My family owns four "large" Leatherman tools, including the Juice. After several years of ownership and use, I've been less impressed by the higher end models (Juice XE6, Wave) than by the lower end models (Kick, Wingman). And none has replaced the EDC SAK.

The only Leatherman that's come close to replacing the EDC SAK is the Micra. While somewhat antiquated and fiddly to use, it packs a lot of function into a very easily carried package.
 
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I'm always suspicious when someone says, "Not to be a butthole, but..."
 
I've got to disagree about them being just light duty tools. The alox models are quite strong. I've spent several years working outdoors, and I carried a Farmer or an Electrician Plus (sometimes a beaten up Soldier) and was very happy with their performance. They helped me fix my horses' saddles and gear on long trips, as well as tackle a lot of odd jobs every day.

I still have those SAKs, they look like crap with their blades all scratched up, but are still perfectly functional.
 
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Hater's gonna hate, shrug. I know what I like and what works for me. Luckily, we have the entire knife world to satisfy individual tastes.

If any of you have SAKs sitting around that you just loathe, or are going to give one a try and end up not liking it, just feel free to send them my way for proper disposal. :D
 
I can spend $25 and get a much better knife.
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LOL. With a PDA stylus, scissors, knife blade, and tweezers? I doubt it very much. Not to mention the Victorinox that meets those specs only cost $10.

Just curious now, a question for the doubters, what $13 knife do you think is superior to the Victorinox Recruit in terms of consistency of quality, materials, durability, usefulness, and aesthetics?

I also appreciate the history and tradition of Swiss Army Knives, both Victorinox and Wenger.
 
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