Slipjoint vs. SAK

Hi Guy's, Im fairly new to BF and truly enjoy it. I don't weigh in much but will occasionally from time to time. I like most here love any and all knives, slipjoints, fixed, lock and liner locks, the list is endless.

My love of knives goes back to when I was a boy and of all the people to spark my interest in knives as a young boy it was my grandmother. My grandfather whom I never met used to manage grain elevators on the plains of North Dakota. As a gift to their patrons the elevators would give out small jack knives with the elevators name on them. My grandmother kept as many of these as possible. When I would visit she would say "Honey you can choose one to play with". You won't hear that today!

I'm pretty sure that becasue of those great memories I always have a warm place in my heart and pocket for a traditional slipjoint. My trends of edc change often, SAK"s, Spyderco's, Bencmades, Bucks etc... But in addition to those great knives I always pocket a slipjoint. I feel that whats here and popular today owe their thanks to those that paved the way and to me that's the traditional sliploints.
 
OK........ I'm missing something :confused::confused:

I thought a SAK was a slipjoint?
 
As is apparent by my name, I favor certain stockmans as EDC, generally an older Buck 303 with 440 steel. BUT, to go light for thin air elk chasing I favor a companion to my Buck of a SAK locking blade hunter. This knife had scalloped curved blade I sharpened down for a belly opener. In a pinch you can even saw the large pelvis bone.
This knife was left at a kill site two years ago, darn I bought a new one, but glory be was re-found this year when we wandered by. Now it's my lucky SAK. Took two CO winters and summers in the wide open with no harm....:thumbup:


 
Bors said:
OK........ I'm missing something :confused::confused:

I thought a SAK was a slipjoint?
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It is, but..... ok, think of it this way, if you talk about a slipjoint, you can be talking about SAKs, stockman, Barlows, Trappers, etc. However, if you talk about a SAK, you are NOT talking about Stockman, Trappers, or Barlows. Only Swiss Army Knives.
 
Because life's too short to carry a homely knife?

Just jerking your chain. There is nothing wrong with SAKs. I have several SAKs, but I only carry them when I think I might need the extra tools for some little job. Most of the time I'm just using the knife, so there is no need for me to have the extra stuff. Plus I like the look and feel of my other knives better. But who knows, there may come a time when I'm carrying SAKs most of the time. They can be pretty handy and they have a very comfortable shape and feel.
 
ElCuchillo said:
It is, but..... ok, think of it this way, if you talk about a slipjoint, you can be talking about SAKs, stockman, Barlows, Trappers, etc. However, if you talk about a SAK, you are NOT talking about Stockman, Trappers, or Barlows. Only Swiss Army Knives.
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Yeah but if you talk about a stockman you're not talking about SAK. And if you talk about a SAK you're not talking about a bowie. And a bowie could mean a knife, an American frontiersman, or a British rockstar. However if you mention a trapper then you could be talking about a slipjoint or you may be refering to a person who traps. But if a person traps without the correct documentation or within the fish and game laws then they are a poacher. But a poacher could also mean a person who cooks eggs in boiling water, not to be confused with boiled eggs. So to summarize, a SAK is a slipjoint but a slipjoint is not necessarily a SAK.
 
stevekt said:
Yeah but if you talk about a stockman you're not talking about SAK. And if you talk about a SAK you're not talking about a bowie. And a bowie could mean a knife, an American frontiersman, or a British rockstar. However if you mention a trapper then you could be talking about a slipjoint or you may be refering to a person who traps. But if a person traps without the correct documentation or within the fish and game laws then they are a poacher. But a poacher could also mean a person who cooks eggs in boiling water, not to be confused with boiled eggs. So to summarize, a SAK is a slipjoint but a slipjoint is not necessarily a SAK.
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LOL. David Bowie rules.
 
I've used multitools, including SAKs, since I was 19, but haven't, and don't, always carry one. When I carry one, I mostly use the cutting blades, but when I need to use a different tool that is on there, I'm glad that I have it. When I don't carry one and need a different tool than the cutting blade on my regular pocketknife, I can usually figure out something that takes care of the issue anyway.

But SAKs really are well made, consistent, and useful. I personally have no real problem with carrying one, but they aren't beautiful. I prefer to have a real bone handled knife in my pocket. Aesthetics, as they say. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and all that.
 
I find the steel used in SAKS work fine and no they are not S30V but the kinives edges last thru the tasks I use them for. Also, the resharpening is so much easier. I do own many high tech steel knives but as I get older I prefer simpler things. If you have to re profile one of the super steels you need good sharpening tools and time. And what is amazing is these simple steels CV/1095 worked great for many years that our Grand Parents used them. And a favorite knife is an Ouperator made by STR for me and the blade is 1095 which I love.
RKH
 
popedandy said:
Because life's too short to carry a homely knife?
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That's about the only argument I can think of to carry a traditional over an SAK. Or perhaps it could be amended to: Life is too short to carry a boring knife.

These days the SAK tinker goes in my pocket about 90% of the time. It's even kind of a disappointment to me that after exploring the world of traditional slipjoints for several years, and amassing many, that I've come back around to the prosaic, uninteresting, style-lacking SAK. However, the fact is that I regularly find myself in situations where the toothpick, tweezers, screwdriver or reamer come in very handy. Just today I decided to put my Moore Maker punchblade stockman in my pocket instead of the SAK. Sure enough, my wife brings me one of my daughters toys and wants me to change the batteries. I reach in my pocket and pull out the stockman. I immedately put the stockman away, and replace it with the Tinker, which I use to unscrew the phillips head screw that gives access to the battery compartment. Then the Tinker goes back in my pocket, and it's there now.

I was home, and I could have gotten a phillips out of my toolbox, but it's just so nice to have all that capability right in your pocket.

All that said, I still love traditional slipjoints, but they are seeing less pocket time of late. Maybe that will change. I kind of hope it does.
 
I havet an alox sak soldier & a hiker.they take care of about anything i run across...but..
sometimes i carry a slipjoint because it makes me feel "grown up" like my grandfather

please allow an analogy or two...

I have Sirius satellite radio on boombox and computer...but..
I still fire up an old Zenith table top tube radio in my office because it reminds me of listening when i was a kid

i can make biscuits in a flash using Bisquick. They taste just fine...but...
Sometimes i drag out all the ingredients and make them by scratch for my kids because I want them to know what "homemade" really is.

For me, it seems like i spent the first 20 years of my life trying to get away from the "old tradition" and the rest of my life trying to get back to it.
 
I love traditional slip joints, but nothing compares to a victorinox to me. Sure some knives are nicer to look at, have better steel, but their fit and finish, usefulness and fair price make them my edc of choice. The more I carry them the more I like the looks of the cellidor and alox scales,, and how a 3.25-3.5in knife can do about anything that needs done.
 
There is no denying that SAKs are well made and consistant, but like Longbeachguy said, they can be boring. Most of them. To me, the Cadet is plenty elegant and attractive in ways that the Soldier/SI aren't, and that brings with it a charm of it's own. Someone else compared the Alox SAKs to a Japanese engine. Always dependable. Well, while they may not be the Buick or Chevy that our grandparents grew up with, Toyotas and Hondas are probably among the very best cars on the market today in terms of reliablility and customer satisfaction, and I myself would probably pick a Honda over a Chevy if I were buying my daughter her first car, and there's alot to be said for that. While it may be a DIFFERERNT feel compared to "traditional" knives, there is definitelty a charm all it's own to a SAk. Hmmmm, I might have to rethink this through.
 
Maybe this is some kind of a compromise?

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I guess to me it depends on what watch/ clothing I am wearing. I have a 35 year old Swiss Watch my grandfather gave me that I like to carry the SAK while I wear. If however I am wearing his father's gold hamilton pocketwatch he also gave me, I will take the case stagg bone small trapper.

My Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 isn't ever far away though.
 
I love both. I use both a lot. My business requires a lot of use for both types on a daily basis.
I use my Case CV yellow handle Stockman for all cutting chores. I don't like the SAK blades as much. I've always been a traditional old style of guy.

I carry a Vic Mechanic every day also. Everything on and in it shows lots of use...except the blades. I use the screwdrives and pliers ALL the time. I have bought several alox SAKs lately thinking I would rather carry them than the Mechanic, but after a very short time, I realize the Mechanic is the only one that meets my needs. Its an old friend with all the tools I need.

To me, they both go hand in hand. Get the job done nicely and traditionally. Neither by themselves are perfect for me, but together they make a great pair!!
 
Yes that is an excellent compromise, another excellent compromise is one of the custom SAK modders, there are a few that will rearrange the tools on the SAK to fit your custom needs but there is one who takes existing SAKs and adds traditional scales and bolsters to them. Ah here we are http://www.knifecooperative.com/ he does amazing work.
 
ElCuchillo said:
Well, while they may not be the Buick or Chevy that our grandparents grew up with, Toyotas and Hondas are probably among the very best cars on the market today in terms of reliablility and customer satisfaction, and I myself would probably pick a Honda over a Chevy if I were buying my daughter her first car, and there's alot to be said for that. QUOTE]

What if ya had a choice between a couple year old Honda Accord and a '66 G.T.O., 389 with a six pack?:D:D:D

( oh, it was diven by a little old lady to church on Sunday's)
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GTO! GTO!!!

Anyways, thought I'd chime in on the SAK slipjoint vs. Traditional slipjoint:

I never carried a SAK, mainly because I have always carried a Leatherman. I carry my leatherman almost every single day, except when I know I am not likely to need it, or when I'm wearing slacks, be it for a suit or just khakis. I carry a traditional, which I just recently got for Christmas, for several reasons:

First - I usually have the leatherman, so I only need the blades on my pocket knife.

Second - Aesthetics, traditionals can be as much a conversational piece as they are useful for cutting things.

Third - I find that unless I am working, I hardly have need for anything other than a knife blade or two, and if I do, I can usually improvise something, or find the proper tool close at hand.
 
Damn you, Jackknife. That was a cheap shot!!! As always, just as I am figuring things out, you go and throw a monkey wrench in the works. :grumpy:
 
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