- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
- Messages
- 2,790
A couple of years ago I had found a broken Tinker outside, used it for a while to throw against a wooden board, and it got left there over the winter. This SAK had no scales, a broken backspring, broken blade tip, the list goes on. So no big loss. But I just thought of it a while back and, after it having sat out on the ground for a year, I retrieved it from my back yard. So, in one year it had endured summer heat and humidity, the frost, snow, and ice of winter, and the rains of spring. It also must have been given the once-over by a lawn mower at some point because it was sitting in a mowed area. Anyway, the amount of rust on it was negligible- and the rust wasn't pitted, and easily came off with some 000 steel wool. So there were maybe a maximum of 5 rust spots with spots no bigger than maybe 2/8" or so. So then, I wanted to test the life-span of the backsprings. UnknownVT has mentioned in the past what Victorinox backsprings are quite durable and constistent over their lifespan. I almost didn't believe it after having used my dad's Explorer or my old SAK's. Then I tried something. I cleaned and lubed my dad's Explorer, which I believe is over 10 years old and sees a good bit of use and plenty of neglect, and with the exception of the small blade (which has some grit in the opening), their walk-and-talk was perfectly revived so that it emulates my brand new Super Tinker (even if I use a little less luba than Victorinox, as many of you know when you find yourself wiping excepss oil off the blades for weeks after you own it 
).
Last night I took the broken Tinker blade (which I separated from the knife to observe the action) and set both it and rest of the SAK into a plastic baggy filled with salt water in a plastic cup. I shook the bag up to really soak the saltwater into the components, then drained 3/4 of it to allow oxygen to react with the other elements, and let the knife sit there, partially submereged and partially exposed (the exposed areas still had salt water droplets on them). This morning upon inspection the blades did have some rust spots, but again: very easy to take off, no apparent pitting, and a lot of it was more yellow staining than 3d brown rust.
Then, I took a pair of pliers to the broken blade to bend the bent tip back in place) and at about 20 degrees 1/4" of the tip broke off. I don't think that's bad flexibility considering that this is a paper thin piece of steel hardened to 55-56 HRC in a spot with the least amount of width and thickness.
So overall, I'm quite convinced of the durability of Victorinox knives. Wenger, unfortunately, is another matter. Those backsprings just can't take use, and even the ones I've seen that are older but in good condition really lose their snap and need good follow-through to open and shut.
).Last night I took the broken Tinker blade (which I separated from the knife to observe the action) and set both it and rest of the SAK into a plastic baggy filled with salt water in a plastic cup. I shook the bag up to really soak the saltwater into the components, then drained 3/4 of it to allow oxygen to react with the other elements, and let the knife sit there, partially submereged and partially exposed (the exposed areas still had salt water droplets on them). This morning upon inspection the blades did have some rust spots, but again: very easy to take off, no apparent pitting, and a lot of it was more yellow staining than 3d brown rust.
Then, I took a pair of pliers to the broken blade to bend the bent tip back in place) and at about 20 degrees 1/4" of the tip broke off. I don't think that's bad flexibility considering that this is a paper thin piece of steel hardened to 55-56 HRC in a spot with the least amount of width and thickness.
So overall, I'm quite convinced of the durability of Victorinox knives. Wenger, unfortunately, is another matter. Those backsprings just can't take use, and even the ones I've seen that are older but in good condition really lose their snap and need good follow-through to open and shut.