SAK Trekker Question

D

Diamond Dog

Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
695
I was going to get a SAK one-handed trekker at the sportsman's warehouse but noticed two things I had overlooked in the past.

1. The knife is serrated and I wondered if this may be a negative? I mostly used half serrated or just plain edged knives, but the entire knife appears serrated.

2. The serrated knife on the blister package said black annodized serrated knife. What does a black annodized knife mean? Is this unsafe for preparing food, cutting cheese, sausge etc? Does the SAK make a one-handed trekker in a stainless model?

Any info on these two questions will surely help out alot. Thanks
 
Well as the owner of one of each I can tell you this...

First, the serrations only cover part of the blade...the two-thirds of the blade from the tip inwards. It's usually the other way round on any other knife I've seen with partial serrations. It just depends on your preferences as far as whether or not you like/use serrations. I think they are appropriate for the knife since it is intended for outdoor/camping uses (based on its name).

Second, there is apparently a black anodized model. I have one...the 2006 SOSAK knife (I wasn't sure how widely available these were). This is the only Victorinox product that I'm not too impressed with. This knife was purchased just as a collector item and I don't think I knew that it would have the black finish on the blade. If you do some searching on SOSAK, you'll find that people weren't too impressed with the quality and some were saying that the finish seemed to rub off too easily.

They do make the One Handed Trekker (Trailmaster was the name when I purchased it) with all stainless (natural finish in this case) blade/tools...I bought one when they first came out a few years ago. Rarely use it but it is a great knife for what it is intended for. Nice size for a big hand. I normally carry it in a gear bag when traveling as a backup. I normally carry a Soldier/Classic SD combo or an Explorer.

Back to the model you saw with a black anodized blade...the rest of the tools and saw are the regular stainless finish. I would highly recommend the regular stainless model myself just based on the way the finish on the black blade model that I'm looking at right now looks. This is the first time I've had it out of the box since last last summer/early fall when it arrived.

Hope this helps.

John
 
Moreover, I would suggest that you consider whether or not the One Hand Fireman model would be more helpful. It adds a wickedly sharp "seatbelt cutter" blade and it substitutes a corkscrew for the T-bone phillips driver. Since the can opener has a screwdriver tip that can be used quite handily for phillips screws, the corkscrew actually produces a net increase in utility and number of functions.

I have one of these (called "OHF" by some) and I really like it!

OHF.jpg


- Tim
 
Thanks for all your imput. The only problem is that the store I go to does not sell all the various models of SAK's...I like the SAK deer hunter it is very similiar to the fireman I believe. Does anyone know where to purchase on-line SAK that are reasonably priced? I'm thinking that the annodized finish is not very good.
 
Diamond Dog said:
Thanks for all your imput. The only problem is that the store I go to does not sell all the various models of SAK's...I like the SAK deer hunter it is very similiar to the fireman I believe. Does anyone know where to purchase on-line SAK that are reasonably priced? I'm thinking that the annodized finish is not very good.
Click to expand...

Many of us here and over on SOSAK (the Secret Order of the Swiss Army Knife) over on KF buy most of our SAKs from FelineVet. You can just email him at felinevet@sosakonline.com. FelineVet (otherwise known as Tim - but not me!) is a swell fellow who sells SAKs at amazingly low prices, ships amazingly fast, and is just generally a nice guy. The net proceeds of his SAK sales go to a non-profit foundation that he established that provides money for vet care for sick kitties whose owners are unable to afford to pay for that care.

- Tim
 
If one-handed opening is not a crucially important feature and you don't care for serrations, I would recommend the Outrider. It has virtually the same tools as the venerable Huntsman.
 
I use the locksmith as a fishing buddy and camp muti tool. It has a large locking blade plain edge, saw, file, flat tip/bottle opener, phillips and awe. I never like the serrations myself. This model replaced my trekker as a outdoor knife. I bought it around 40 bucks
 
I also have the black SOSAK OHT, and the finish on mine rubs off rather easily, but my father has a black OHT from a normal production run and the finish on his is is tough as nails. I think that since the SOSAK knife was a special run, perhaps it was an anomaly that the finish comes off so easily. My regular finish OHT is one of my favorite knives, and one that I carry almost every day. The addition of a pocket clip (and CF scales) has made it a joy to carry.
 
I bought one of those 1 hand SAK Trekkers at Sportsman's Warehouse. The serrated edge is very shallow and easy to shapren (Spyderco Triangle Sharpmaker). It's had limited OK so far. Besides not much risk at 32 bucks. I'll take it camping in a couple of weeks and give it a good workout.
 
I don't have the Trekker with the black finish but I do EDC the stainless finish a good bit and really like the knife. Wish it was under 3 inches so it could travel more.

If you don't like the serrations they can be removed by a Sharp Maker. Several people here have done it. Just use the search. But I have found them to be quite functional.
 
jthomas said:
I also have the black SOSAK OHT, and the finish on mine rubs off rather easily, but my father has a black OHT from a normal production run and the finish on his is is tough as nails. I think that since the SOSAK knife was a special run, perhaps it was an anomaly that the finish comes off so easily.
Click to expand...

You are absolutely correct. For some reason, the run for SOSAK had a problem with the finish. Not a problem for a collector's knife but might be for carry. The regular production runs have NO problem with the black finish.
 
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