SAK Tinker - factory wooden scales?

[MaximIsayev]

I was looking on the 'bay for a used SAK to take on a trip with me and came across a Tinker for fairly cheap, ended up getting it, it shipped today. When I unpacked it, I discovered that instead of the usual plastic scales, it has what seems like painted wooden scales. No box or papers came with the knife.

I checked SAKWiki's page for the Tinker and found no mention of wooden scales, it was all either Cellidor or Nylon. Stamp on the blade has a logo and "Officer Suisse" on one side, and "Victorinox Switzerland Stainless Rostfrei" on the other.

Does anyone know if this is a regular Tinker model, or another model, or just a Tinker with home-made scales? The logo looks pretty good so I'm not quite sure if it's home-made or not. The toothpick and tweezers fit well, not loose or rattling. The "Officer Suisse" text makes me think it may not necessary be a Tinker, but I'm not familiar enough with SAKs to tell for sure.

Here are some photos, note the texture and imperfections in the wood. I suspect it warped a bit over time. One of the scales isn't flush with the liners in the center, you can sort of see it in the first picture.

 

[sLaughterMed]

The Officer Suisse bit on the tang is normal on Vic knives. What makes you think that is wood? It looks like pretty beaten up Cellidor in the pictures to me.

Easiest way to tell is to try to pry up the scales and see whats underneath.

 

[MaximIsayev]

The Officer Suisse bit on the tang is normal on Vic knives. What makes you think that is wood? It looks like pretty beaten up Cellidor in the pictures to me.

Easiest way to tell is to try to pry up the scales and see whats underneath.

Hmm, you're right, I thought it was wood because it feels exactly like the wooden handle on my Mora Classic, but now that I compare it to photos of well-used SAKs, it does look very similar. I've just never seen that kind of texture on SAKs before, it seems almost organic, looks very much like the painted wood on the Moras. After scraping a tiny piece of it off, it does seem like like Cellidor. Well, I guess thread over.

 

[Capt. Spaulding]

The SAK looks legit. The scales look.... strange. I would guess heat damage of some sort, but it is very hard to tell from the pictures. Possibly chemical damage. The texture does not match well used SAK's in my opinion.

I would get some fresh scales and swap em anyways. If you do you will know for sure if they are homemade or not. I doubt they are, but who knows.