SAK's are great

BJE

BJE

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Joined
Apr 12, 2006
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I don't hear much about Swiss Army Knives (Victorinox/Wenger only) on this sub-forum. I think they have been around long enough to be considered a classic/traditional slip-joint. I have lots of SAK's, I don't even remember where I got some of them. They are amazing for the price, I don't think I have ever gotten one with any F+F issues. The blades all have good snap, everything is tight and lines up perfectly, they are always sharp with thin blades and good edge geometry, they are inexpensive, and they are extremely consistant with their quality.

I don't find myself putting one in my pocket much lately, there are just too many other great traditional knives I could carry instead. As nice as they are, I don't really grow fond of them the way I do my other slippies. I see them more as just a tool to get the job done, though I do admire them for their quality.

What are your thoughts on these timeless classics?
 
BJE said:
I don't hear much about Swiss Army Knives (Victorinox/Wenger only) on this sub-forum. I think they have been around long enough to be considered a classic/traditional slip-joint. I have lots of SAK's, I don't even remember where I got some of them. They are amazing for the price, I don't think I have ever gotten one with any F+F issues. The blades all have good snap, everything is tight and lines up perfectly, they are always sharp with thin blades and good edge geometry, they are inexpensive, and they are extremely consistant with their quality.

I don't find myself putting one in my pocket much lately, there are just too many other great traditional knives I could carry instead. As nice as they are, I don't really grow fond of them the way I do my other slippies. I see them more as just a tool to get the job done, though I do admire them for their quality.

What are your thoughts on these timeless classics?
Click to expand...

They've been discussed periodically and I think it's safe to say your opinion of and feelings toward them are shared by many traditional slipjoint buffs. I have several, and the quality rivals top quality slipjoints that are five times the price. However the consensus seems to be they lack style and romance. I've very fond of my SAK's but like you I only tend to pocket them when I think I'm likely to need a versatile tool.

The Alox SAK's are pretty elegant in my opinion. I think they are a little more fun to carry than the plastic handle ones. However the plastic ones tend to be more compact, lighter, and include the tweezer and toothpick, both of which I miss when I don't have them.

I agree with you -- SAK's are amazing and awesome.
 
I carry an Executive almost every day. I have carried a Tinker as my only knife for years on end. I have great respect for them, and am quite attached to that old Tinker. It is semi-retired, though it could go on for many more years w/o trouble.

I usually carry something else for my larger knife, though I have several options on SAKs. If I want a small pair of pliers, as when I'm running my dog in the desert and will need to pull thorns, I carry a Mechanic. I keep them around, but I usually carry a dedicated cutter and the Executive. Many people keep those little Classics on their keychains, even if they don't usually carry a knife, because they really are enough to open packages and trim nails and strings. Practical, everyday little tools, and they always have them because they are with their keys. Don't lose them in their pockets.
 
I always carry one. The model changes depending on where I am going and doing but I always carry one. My at work combo here lately has been either a Buck 503 and a classic or a Case texas jack and the same classic.
Outside of work my fieldmaster or huntsman paired up with a full sized trapper is a favorite combo.
 
Hi,

I think they talk about SAK's over in the multi-tool forum mostly. But they've been around since the 1880's I think. So they are definitely traditional. And I think most of us have at least one.

I'm pretty new to the SAK clan. Only just getting my first this last summer, a Super Tinker that my Daughter now carries. I often carry a Vic Soldier. And I have a Vic Rescue Tool in my jumpbag.

But, longbeachguy hit it pretty well. They just don't have that style and romance that I like. Each and everyone of them is identical the world around. A testament to modern manufacturing. So my Soldier is a tool, a very good, well made tool. But it's only a tool like a pair of pliers. My Case Canoe, with it's slightly mismatched jigged bone scales, is a companion.

dalee
 
Vic SAKs are excellent knives, especially for the price. I have a good number of them, and they see a lot of use. I have a Mini-Champ on my keychain, and humble though it may be, it is one of the most-used knives in my arsenal (mostly for the screwdriver and spatula blades).

I think the main reason SAKs don't get more love in the traditional forum is because of the scale options. You can have either plastic or aluminum, and that's it. If Victorinox offered bone scales, I'm sure they would be well received by the collector community. It's hard to fall in love with a plain plastic or aluminum handled knife, the way you can with bone, or stag, or even micarta. But Victorinox doesn't cater specifically to the collector community, and they don't need to- as they are probably the biggest and most successful cutlery company in the world.

I just returned from another trip to South Korea, and once again, I've found that Victorinox is literally the only option for pocket knives in the country. (I did quite a bit of looking, in Busan, Daegu and Seoul) In Korea, you go Vic, or you go home. If you want anything else, you have to buy online and import it- taking your chances with customs.
 
moonwilson said:
I think the main reason SAKs don't get more love in the traditional forum is because of the scale options. You can have either plastic or aluminum, and that's it.
Click to expand...

Not true...Wenger is offering several models in wood as well as plastic or metal. They are actually quite good looking...

2007410_1652278912.jpg
 
There are pretty much two SAK's within arms reach of me at any time (unless I am in an airport). :D.

Right now there is a classic in front of me under my monitor at work.
An alox soldier and climber II are currently in my briefcase.

I think we just take it for granted that most of us use and carry them. :D.
 
My favorite SAK is an Alox Soldier! I have always had a fondness for SAK's.
 
My blue Alox is almost constantly in the tool pocket of my carpenter jeans. It is in the deep pocket with a lanyard hanging out making it easy to grab.
 
Growing up with a scout knife as my everything knife, I got real used to having a screwdriver and can opener on my pocket knife.

I love many kinds of traditional pocket knives, but I noticed that the red gods of fate loved to mess with me. No sooner I'd go out the door and down the street, I'd have to deal with a loose screw, a non twist off bottle, or something. I ended up with a sodbuster in my pocket and a sak and small flashlight in a nylon belt pouch. then came the downsize.

Karen and I gave a heck of alot of our stuff to the kids, grandkids, nephews, nieces, friends. I got rid of knives, guns, clothes, lots of stuff. The items I kept had to be versitle, multirole. Sak's became my edc. Although some arthritis issues have made opening some pocket knives a hard task, and I've switched to pocket fixed blades for general cutting, I still have a sak for dealing with those little emergencys needing a tool. It's amazing what can be fixed if you have the means to take out some screws and get a cover/shielding off to poke around.

I have a old Wenger SI thats a work horse of a knife, and a Victorinox recruit and bantam that go along alot of the time. My scouts that I advise/teach are doing amazing things for 11 year olds with thier recruits.

I think at this point in time Victorinox is the best fit and finish out there from one knife to the other. Very consistant, smooth operation. Sak's are one of the few knives I can open these days without any trouble. A victoinox sak is one knife you can fly someplace, buy a basic sak like a recruit or tinker, and its going to be just like the one you have at home. No nail breaker issues, no dull blades out of the box, no slop in the construction. A 99.9% chance of a perfect knife. When you leave, you can give them to a local guide and see a big grin on thier face.

A sak has international recognition anywhere in the world. In a tight pinch, you can trqade a sak for a lift inot the next town, or some food and water. The red handles and silver cross are a known standard.

Yes, sak's are great.:thumbup:
 
For the money you can't beat them; they're such a great value! My Alox Recruit is always on my key chain unless it's in use.
 
my Victorinox Electrician has taken back my pocket for the past couple of weeks. the Case Mini Trapper it replaced is getting jealous, but the Electrician is going to stay for a while. I love the main blade, the smaller electrician blade, the awl, and the screwdriver/bottle opener. I have a P-38 on my keychain and don't need another can opener on my knife. I love SAK's and go back and forth from SAK's and traditionals very often.
 
Swiss Army knives are and always have been some of my favorite knives. I always carry one. Have been since I was a kid in the Scouts. As long as I have one of my 20 or so trusty Swiss army knives with me, I feel like I can handle anything that life throws at me. I have always carried one on a chain around my neck along with a small AAA mini mag flash light.
 
I work in a laboratory, with a great deal of state-of-the-art scientific equipment-and I do the primary maintenance myself. Of coiurse, I have drawerfuls of tools, but it is always simpler to reach for the SAK in my pocket--and there always is one in there. In fact, I have modified my SAKs so that they will be optimized for the tasks most often needed in the lab. The pen, for example--I cut the tip of with a dremel and connect the remainder to a micro-phillips.

I have other SAKs best suited for hiking, camping, whatever. It has been years since I have gone anywhere (except airplanes) without a SAK in my pocket. I always think that one of them newfangled multitool thingies would be good too, but never really got into carrying one of those....
 
On some SAK website (SOSAK?), I saw a SAK rehandled with brass bolsters and stag scales. It was absolutely gorgeous.

It does seem like most SAK discussion does go on over at the multi-tool forum anyways.
 
The SAK has hardly any peers when it comes to product quality, given its reasonable pricing. I don't think it will ever age; but it's countless users have come and gone in great numbers that I bet there's someone out there who has/have probably even requested an SAK to be buried along with the "dearly departed" (just in case!).
(Phew! My 1000th post in the Bladeforums at long last. And here's wishing the SAK a thousand years of classic utility).
 
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