Quick SAK classic Q

Shotgun

Shotgun

Joined
Feb 3, 2006
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How is the screwdriver on this little guy? Pretty useful on flatheads? Can it be used on phillips?

Okay that was 3 quick Q's but I can get it locally for under 10 bucks.:D
 
Shotgun said:
How is the screwdriver on this little guy? Pretty useful on flatheads? Can it be used on phillips?

Okay that was 3 quick Q's but I can get it locally for under 10 bucks.:D
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Depends on the screws in your life. Small size and a (relatively) weak pivot point limit screwdriver effectiveness in either mode, and the polished edges don't help. The Classic driver has seldom worked well for me, but I don't know what you need screwed. It could work for you. The smallest pocket tool I have found effective on little screw heads has been the Leatherman Micra. The drivers are mounted a little stronger and are sharply cut.
 
Be sure to distinguish between the Classic, which has no driver, and the Classic SD, which does. Link.

:thumbup:

Story: Mrs. Powernoodle and I just visited my bro-in-law in Michigan for the weekend. The bed in the guest room was squeaky, and every time you moved in the slightest, it made a big squeaky noise. So I dismantled the headboard with my Vic Explorer. The Classic SD could not have handled the big metal screws I had to deal with. The punch line is not to think that the Classic SD can handle most tasks requiring a driver. It can handle some, but there are many it cannot. Just my experience. Being an EDC geek, I had the Vic Explorer in my pocket, and a Swisstool Spirit in my Man Sack, so I was good to go.

As Brother Nutnfancy properly notes on youtube, it is a continuum. A Classic SD is better than nothing, and larger SAK or multitool is better yet.
 
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The SD tip on the Classic (and a similarly modded Wenger Esquire) has saved my butt a few times. I find it to be tremendously useful not only as a screwdriver, but as a general blade saver, when I need to poke, prod, pry or just about anything I might use a blade for that isn't actually cutting.
 
shecky said:
The SD tip on the Classic (and a similarly modded Wenger Esquire) has saved my butt a few times. I find it to be tremendously useful not only as a screwdriver, but as a general blade saver, when I need to poke, prod, pry or just about anything I might use a blade for that isn't actually cutting.
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That's been my experiance, plus some.

I've found the classic sd to be a daily used tool in the real world. I've installed a new doorknob and dead bolt set in my front door with one, took apart my clothes dryer door to fix a broken latch, and reassembled said door with it. As a cutting tool, it cuts about 98% of what I need to cut in daily suburban life.

For the 8 dollars and some change that Walmart charges for these little things, it's a must have for the keyring. :thumbup::thumbup:

For larger screws, I just use the .99 cent sear's keychain screwdriver. It's one piece of tool steel, and very tough.
 
I find the classic SD, or in my case the Rambler (same flat driver) is not great at screwdriving, but it's a great prybar for lots of stuff (opening automotive wiring clips, etc). It will work, and if you only flip the driver to 90 degrees, and put some downward force on the back of the knife, you can get a good amount of torque on the screw. I agree with the above post that says the polished finish makes it less effective. If it had fairly sharp machined edges, it would be more effective. I carry a Soldier too, and it does what I need quite well.
 
manowar669 said:
I need to get one of these. Are they a disc with 4 "bits" or what? What's it look like?
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Yes, 4 bits of different widths around the outer edge. About the size between a half dollar and a silver dollar. The smallest bit makes a very decent phillips driver. I've used the livin heck out of mine, both as a screw driver, and a mini prybar. It doesn't weight enough to notice on a keyring.

It's the best .99 cents you can ever spend. :thumbup::thumbup:
 
Victorinox makes a similar screwdriver as those Craftsman coin-like ones, but a bit smaller. They also have two flat drivers and two flat Phllips rather than four flats. They are part of some of the Swisscard line, and can sometimes be found inexpensively on ebay as a spare part. I carried one for a while, but retired it when I found that the SD tipped Classic/Esquire pretty much did all I needed to do for a keychain sized tool.
 
using the light duty SD on classic for heavy duty is kindda "abuse"... for light duty, its gonna do some usefull emergency task....
 
By no means is the restricted screw driving capability of the Classic driver a deal breaker. I use the one on mine almost every day (actually, a Rambler, but same implement) and have used it often for all kinds of poking, prying, and even, if you can believe, screw driving in both flat and ph modes. It provides the extras my Leatherman EDC lacks and is an elegant finger toy, as well ;) .
Leathermen, regardless of merit, do not match that special Victorinox finesse.
 
jackknife said:
...For larger screws, I just use the .99 cent sear's keychain screwdriver. It's one piece of tool steel, and very tough.
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I found mine! Putting it on my keychain now...

4-way-screwdrivers.jpg


craftsman-4-way-screwdriver.jpg
 
Good going supra!:thumbup::thumbup:

Now the only thing you may want to do, it take a large mill smooth file, and square up the screwdriver blades on the craffsman as they are a wee bit too polished and rounded over on the edge of the 'blade', I did that to mine, and it made a 100% difference in how effective the screw driver was. I had to do this to my sak screw driver blades as well to keep them from jumping out of the screw slots under pressure. The Victorinox screw driver blades are too polished as well. Plus, a well squared off screw driver blade makes for a better scaper. A few strokes of a large mill smooth file works well.


Carl.
 
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