SAK it to me

F

freekboi

Joined
Mar 3, 2006
Messages
354
First, let me apologize for the pun :D
OK, for as long as I can remember my dad used to carry a small Victorinox Classic SD SAK to supplement the stockman he usually carried. Actually, that should probably be the other way around, as I can clearly remember him using the SAK far more than the stockman to do everything from opening the mail to cleaning his fingernails. He used to always tell me what a handy little tool it was, and I saw firsthand he was right.

Well, a little over a year ago we lost him to cancer, and I inherited all of his knives except one, that little Classic which was buried with him as he was never without it, even while in the hospital. Well, today I was at my mom's looking through some cabinets trying to find some AA batteries for the camera and I came upon a surprise, an unopened Vic Classic SD in a clampack! It seems my dad had bought it a while back in case he ever lost his so he'd have a back up. Well, I asked her if I could have it and she said sure. So I brought it home and opened it up, and got another surprise. This little Classic has the Emergency blade instead of the regular blade, which is a discontinued model! For those who don't know (and that included me before tonight) the emergency blade is a sheepsfoot instead of the regular blade. And talk about sharp, this thing shaved arm hair right out of the pack. I had been mulling over getting a Classic to add to my keychain for the past little bit, and now here's one delivered right to me.
 
Up until a few weeks ago I never really paid much attention to SAK'S. Then I was given three of them by my mom and dads neighbor, her husband passed away. I've spent a lot of time since really lookin these over and the workmanship on them is impressive... I have a Victorinox camper I was givin about 8 years ago and its been in the gun safe in the original box since. I took it out and looked at, I think I might just start carrying it .... The classic is a great size, you could forget ya even have it.....
 
The sak classic is indeed a great little knife. Exept for having all the apeal of a generic economy car because of the plastic scales and stainless blades, it is a first rate handy as h--l took to have around.

I actually got turned onto them by my other half, Karen. The place where she worked had some with their company logo on them to hand out to clients. Naturally all the employees got one, and she gave me one. I looked at it and kind of thought "what the heck am I going to do with this little thing?"

Well that was many years ago, and after carrying it on my keyring for a while, I made the discovery that I had been wrong. It was a very good edc tool to have around, and the beuity of it grew with the apretation of its usefullness, like other saks such as the tinker and hiker models. And they are a slip joint after all. A couple years ago I gave out classics to all the female and non knife carrying family members for Christmas stocking stuffers, and now they are on all the keyrings of the family and treasured tools by some people who would not carry a knife otherwise.

Sometimes good things come in un-expected small packages.
 
338375 said:
I've spent a lot of time since really lookin these over and the workmanship on them is impressive...
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Thats what gets me, how can Victorinox turn out these things by the millions, and keep that kind of quality control at that high a level, and keep the price down so reasonable?

The workmanship and fit are amazingly consistant.
 
jackknife said:
Oh yeah, you can say that. She's put up with me since that first day we met at a shooting range just outside San Antonio Texas, in 1970!
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Way to go!!! :thumbup:
A marriage that's last for 37 years is truly commendable, and (at least nowadays) something unusual!!
I take my hat off for you and your wife, jackknife.

/ Karl
 
Karl,

I've got to be honest and tell you that it has not been all smooth sailing. There's been some mighty squalls along the trip. With my Irish personality ( a more polite way to say temperment) and Karen's part Mexican temperment, things can get a bit heated from time to time. But then so can the "making up". :D

AND WE BOTH LIKE COLLECTING KNIVES!

There, we have knife content so they won't move it.
 
jackknife said:
Oh yeah, you can say that. She's put up with me since that first day we met at a shooting range just outside San Antonio Texas, in 1970!
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Jackknife--Do you remember the range? I shoot at Bracken, just north of Loop 1604, and at Blackhawk, SW of 1604/90. Not sure how long those have been around. In 1970, you could be just north of the airport and be shooting in the country; now, you'd be in the middle of S.A.!
 
jackknife said:
Karl,

I've got to be honest and tell you that it has not been all smooth sailing. There's been some mighty squalls along the trip. With my Irish personality ( a more polite way to say temperment) and Karen's part Mexican temperment, things can get a bit heated from time to time. But then so can the "making up". :D

AND WE BOTH LIKE COLLECTING KNIVES!

There, we have knife content so they won't move it.
Click to expand...

Well, nobody said it would be easy to stay together for such a long time.
And with heavy squalls during the trip - and still keeping it together - so much more respect to the two of you.
From a personal experience, I feel that sometimes these squalls are needed to brighten up a relationship. As long as you have those "making up" times afterwards, everything is indeed fine... :D

You lucky dog, you, Having a wife that likes collecting knives.
My wife call my interest in knives for my "freakness"... :eek: :D

/ Karl
 
speed01 said:
Jackknife--Do you remember the range? I shoot at Bracken, just north of Loop 1604, and at Blackhawk, SW of 1604/90. Not sure how long those have been around. In 1970, you could be just north of the airport and be shooting in the country; now, you'd be in the middle of S.A.!
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I'll never forget it!

It was a little range called "A Place To Shoot" on farm road 1604. I went there sometimes as a break from the Pershing Pistol range we had on base at Ft. Sam Houston where I was stationed at the time.

It was a sunny Saturday morning and I was out there with my old Model 18 Smith and Wesson .22 revolver. I had a very large soft spot in my heart even back then for the K frame S&W .22 revolvers like the 18 and the K-22. I had been shooting for a while, and I stepped back to take a break for a bit and these guys were staring at someone down the firing line. I stepped back a bit more to see what they were transfixed by, and I see this long haired little gal shooting a 6 inch revolver. About the same time I realized the gun was a beautiful old style K-22 with the tapered barrel, I realized the little gal in the denum shorts and white blouse was just as nice! It seemed a hell of an opurtunity to let slip so I went over and complimented her on her taste in handguns, holding up my own Smith. We ended up having a cup of coffee, her telling how her dad had given her the gun for a high school graduation present, and I think it was about 7 1/2 minutes into the encounter I think I was in love. We were married a little less than a year later. We've been shooting together ever since.

Simply put, she was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Now three children and three grandchildren later I still feel the same way, even if some of the things she does drives me to semi-insanity! But it has'nt been dull!
 
jackknife said:
I'll never forget it!

It was a little range called "A Place To Shoot" on farm road 1604. I went there sometimes as a break from the Pershing Pistol range we had on base at Ft. Sam Houston where I was stationed at the time.
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A Place to Shoot is still there--I went there a while back with a SAPD friend of mine. The SAPD Academy is down there now, on 1604 or 410, and A Place To Shoot is popular with the professional shooters.

Great story!

And back to SAKs, the Classic was my first knife as a kid, and I carried some version of one in an AF flight suit for 20 years. My son and daughter each received one for Christmas as their first knives, several years ago.
 
speed01 said:
A Place to Shoot is still there--I went there a while back with a SAPD friend of mine. The SAPD Academy is down there now, on 1604 or 410, and A Place To Shoot is popular with the professional shooters.

Great story!

And back to SAKs, the Classic was my first knife as a kid, and I carried some version of one in an AF flight suit for 20 years. My son and daughter each received one for Christmas as their first knives, several years ago.
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IT"S STILL THERE?

Aw jeez, that is so neet. It gives me the insane idea of a aniversary gift for Karen-take her back to the place we met for a shooting session. OMG!

Yes, back to the classic, or they might move us to someplace else.

At a late stage in life I found out sak's in general, and classics in particular are really neet knives to have around. I'd love to find a classic with a sheepsfoot blade like freekboi's father had. The sheepsfoot was my most used blade on the stockmen's I carried. Very nice blade!
 
jackknife said:
IT"S STILL THERE?

Aw jeez, that is so neet. It gives me the insane idea of a aniversary gift for Karen-take her back to the place we met for a shooting session. OMG!

Yes, back to the classic, or they might move us to someplace else.

At a late stage in life I found out sak's in general, and classics in particular are really neet knives to have around. I'd love to find a classic with a sheepsfoot blade like freekboi's father had. The sheepsfoot was my most used blade on the stockmen's I carried. Very nice blade!
Click to expand...

Ah, let them move the topic...that's what I love about slipjoints and traditional types of knives and this group of folks on here...they conjure up personal memories of our own pasts and the stories just grow from there. It reminds me of talking to my dad and grandfather, we'd start off talking about knives or something, then the conversation would drift to hunting or fishing or women or just life in general.

See, I'm even rambling a little myself. As for the knife, the one dad carried forever had the regular blade. I don't think even dad knew that the packaged one had a sheepsfoot, or it would have been opened long ago, as the sheepsfoot was his favorite blade on his stockman too!
 
jackknife said:
The sak classic is indeed a great little knife. Exept for having all the apeal of a generic economy car because of the plastic scales and stainless blades, it is a first rate handy as h--l took to have around.

I actually got turned onto them by my other half, Karen. The place where she worked had some with their company logo on them to hand out to clients. Naturally all the employees got one, and she gave me one. I looked at it and kind of thought "what the heck am I going to do with this little thing?"

Well that was many years ago, and after carrying it on my keyring for a while, I made the discovery that I had been wrong. It was a very good edc tool to have around, and the beuity of it grew with the apretation of its usefullness, like other saks such as the tinker and hiker models. And they are a slip joint after all. A couple years ago I gave out classics to all the female and non knife carrying family members for Christmas stocking stuffers, and now they are on all the keyrings of the family and treasured tools by some people who would not carry a knife otherwise.

Sometimes good things come in un-expected small packages.
Click to expand...

I have to admit I thought the same thing.. Always assumed that they were for kids and people that didn't carry real knives. Well we all know what happens when one assumes things :confused: As you mentioned they are a slipjoint, can't be all bad... Man I didn't realize they made so many different versions. Oh great, another thing to start collecting LOL.. Congrats on the longevity of your marriage. Gotta figure if ya met her at a shooting range, she had to be a good one..
 
jackknife said:
Simply put, she was the best thing that ever happened to me.
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A hearty :thumbup: to you! It ain't always easy, but when you can find that one person you just want to share stuff with and who wants to share stuff with you, well, it's just darn special.

I showed my wife one of the toys I was just referring to in that "other" thread and she goes, "Can we go shooting now?!"

I have to say I'm pretty partial to my wife. It took us 21 years and two marriages each to come full circle and finally get hitched. As my old man said one day, "Boy. I'd say you finally found your life mate!" Well, I actually found her years ago, we just had some roads to travel on our own first.

I was telling the fellers at the gun shop, I'm starting to pick my guns on what kind of reaction I'll get from the missus when she sees me holding it. My latest trades hit high on her, rrroowwwl, meter. :D

Oh yeah, and she really likes the little SAK Classic. Unfortunately, she can't have it at school. I've recently commandeered it as part of my daily kit. The screw driver works great for tightening eyeglass screws.

Btw, I think a Classic with a sheepsfoot would be the ultimate tiny knife.
 
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