SAK Multi-purpose Hook (Parcel Carrier)

rusty7436 · May 22, 2006

Long time lurker - first time new thread poster. Thanks for all the good info available here.

OK, what is the purpose of the so-called "hook" on the SAK Climber and other SAKs? Does it have various uses? What have you found useful?

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Buz

mrd74 · May 22, 2006

It can be used to tighten boot or skate laces, also makes a great coat hanger for G.I. Joe.

stevekt · May 22, 2006

I tied 550 cord to the keyring, opened the parcel hook and use it as a grapling hook to scale walls ninja-style.

Joe-Dirt · May 23, 2006

It's good to use when camping to take a pot of boiling water off the fire. Think of a large coffee can with a hand made wire handle. That's just something I use sometimes when I'm camping to boil water in.

Zuchus · May 23, 2006

One fellow posted a while back about how the coat hook on the back of public restroom stalls is often missing. He hooks the parcel hook into the screw hole and the body of the SAK makes a nice place to hang your coat.

felinevet · May 23, 2006

rusty7436 said:
Long time lurker - first time new thread poster. Thanks for all the good info available here.

OK, what is the purpose of the so-called "hook" on the SAK Climber and other SAKs? Does it have various uses? What have you found useful?

-------------------------

Buz

The "Official" use is for carrying packages wrapped with string. In Europe it was (and still is to some extent) standard to tie packages with string. The hook keeps it from cutting into your fingers.

znapschatz · May 23, 2006

felinevet said:
The "Official" use is for carrying packages wrapped with string. In Europe it was (and still is to some extent) standard to tie packages with string. The hook keeps it from cutting into your fingers.

for which purpose it works well. I have used it occasionally to pick up tightly bound paper or straw wrapped with wire. Once I used the hook to carry a wire cage with no handle. It's not one of the implements I use often, but has come in handy several times.

Fool4Blades · May 23, 2006

I have used mine for various things, most recently to slide the rack out of my toaster oven after toasting a bagel!

Zwaplat · May 23, 2006

felinevet said:
The "Official" use is for carrying packages wrapped with string. In Europe it was (and still is to some extent) standard to tie packages with string. The hook keeps it from cutting into your fingers.

I'm twenty, I live in Belgium, Europe. And I honestly have never had a package wrapped up in string. Maybe they still do it in remote villages in France and Germany, but believe me, we have already discovered the plastic bag and the cardboard box a really long time ago.

MacTech · May 23, 2006

i found that using two SAK's with hooks makes it much easier to carry hay bales for the horses, one hook around each twine string securing the hay bale together

cool_hand_luke · May 28, 2006

Zuchus said:
One fellow posted a while back about how the coat hook on the back of public restroom stalls is often missing. He hooks the parcel hook into the screw hole and the body of the SAK makes a nice place to hang your coat.

I have tried many, many things to try to find some utility for the sak hook. Although I haven't tried it, I believe that using the hook and sak as a makeshift coathanger in a public restroom stall is brilliant.

Andy

P.S. I recently rid myself of any saks with hooks. I am hook-free and loving it. (Not a big fan of the hook)

Hateman · May 28, 2006

I tend to use the hook whenever I clean a SAK. If I ever zap a SAK with WD-40 or allow a SAK to dry, I usually hang it on a wire coat hanger by the hook and let it dry.

ging · May 28, 2006

Zwaplat said:
I'm twenty, I live in Belgium, Europe. And I honestly have never had a package wrapped up in string. Maybe they still do it in remote villages in France and Germany, but believe me, we have already discovered the plastic bag and the cardboard box a really long time ago.

I was going to say the same think but I an 18 and live in Britain. You could use it to carry plastic bags.

stevekt · May 28, 2006

I gotta agree with ging and Zwaplat. I lived in Europe from 1996 to 1999. I don't recall seeing too many string tied packages. I do recall that many people in Germany use their own cloth market bags rather than disposable plastic ones.

allenC · May 30, 2006

I've used the hook a few times to handle fishing line so that it would not cut my hands.

bill_G · May 30, 2006

as a last resort, you could use it like a Cometech stinger.

open it up and put the SAK in your hand with the hook between your third and fourth finger. instant impact devive. kind of like a mini brass knuckle

geothorn · May 30, 2006

bill_G said:
as a last resort, you could use it like a Cometech stinger.

open it up and put the SAK in your hand with the hook between your third and fourth finger. instant impact devive. kind of like a mini brass knuckle

Well, using either the parcel hook or the reamer (with sewing eye), and proper placement, you could scramble someone's eggs pretty good....

I was thinking of trying to use a Vic parcel hook on those danged ubiquitous cheap/flimsy plastic grocery/shopping bags. By the time I climb a few flights of stairs up to my place, carrying a few/several heavy plastic bags, my fingers have grown some nice new blood-red creases, that soon start doing the old "pins and needles" trick. The thing is, with a couple or three plastic-bagged gallon-sized jugs on a single Vic parcel hook, how shortly will the narrow width of the parcel hook break/"cut" through the flimsy plastic...?

That's a test. Carrying a bagged gallon-size jug, then two, then three at a time, up three flights of stairs, and see if the parcel hook cuts or otherwise breaks through the plastic bag handle(s). Could be messy, so, one would need to be careful.

GeoThorn

Zwaplat · May 31, 2006

You could make a bigger hook that you hang on the parcel hook on the Vic.

cool_hand_luke · May 31, 2006

allenC said:
I've used the hook a few times to handle fishing line so that it would not cut my hands.

Hey, that's another good idea.

The actual opening of the hook isn't that wide. I don't have anymore saks with hooks, so I can't measure to tell you exactly how wide the opening is, but it can't be but a few millimeters. IMO impractical save a few specialty uses (such as coathanger or handling fishing line).

Andy

(Also liked the idea to 'hang' the sak after squirting with wd-40.)

Highland Park · Jun 6, 2006

Zwaplat said:
I'm twenty, I live in Belgium, Europe. And I honestly have never had a package wrapped up in string. Maybe they still do it in remote villages in France and Germany, but believe me, we have already discovered the plastic bag and the cardboard box a really long time ago.

i'm 36 and live in germany. my dad still sends me packages wrapped up in string (he does not know about my passion for saks, otherwise i'd be tempted to say he does this on purpose). most occasions i use the hook i have to carry some darn heavy xerox paper boxes and i am very glad i got this fellow with me!