So I tried the SAK pouch w/sharpening steel...

desmobob

desmobob

Joined
May 5, 2003
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I love the SAKs I have but don't carry them on me all that often because of their bulky size for pocket carry. (I do have one in all my packs and bags, though.) I finally decided to spring for one of the Victorinox leather pounches so see how I'd like it. I know I really like the leather pouch that came with my Leatherman Wave years ago and the Vic pouches are very similar with the addition of some decorative tooling.

When looking at them on-line, I noticed they offer some with a slot for a neat little sharpening steel that's included with the sheath. I thought that would be a great idea, so I ordered one. The 2.75" steel appears to be a high-quality item; it's marked "SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND." It has longitudinal ridges in it; it's not a smooth type steel.

The stainless SAK blades are both thinly ground and fairly soft, so I thought the steel might be a handy thing to have along. I really haven't standardized my knife sharpening/maintenance tool that I would like to have in all my packs and bags. I have a little folding DMT fine diamond stone (which I really like), a ceramic dogbone, a couple of small Norton stones, and some wet-n-dry paper in various grits. A lot of my knives are convexed, so the sandpaper will probably become the standard pack/bag load for sharpening. The (lack of) weight is a big plus.

Anyway, I'm wondering if I wasted my money on the little steel. It seems too short to be very useful. I've yet to dull down a SAK blade enough to try it in the field (or at home).

Does anyone use one? What do you all think of them?

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
I haven't used one, but I have used steel, as long as there are only small sharpness level drops, it would be handy, small dings maybe.

The thing with steels is that really dont remove steel, but straighten out the edge. And yeah, its hard to get the edge to a point where a steel would work well.
But I think of a steel as a more of a more capable strop while in the field, If I had a small one like that, I would use it.

In other words, I dont think your out any, just use it and get used to it, it will pay for its self.
 
I managed to modify the leather loop for holding the small steel to hold a standard sized firesteel. Much more useful than the sharpening steel IMO.
 
cmdionne said:
I managed to modify the leather loop for holding the small steel to hold a standard sized firesteel. Much more useful than the sharpening steel IMO.
Click to expand...

I could see that, then again, if you have a spot for a firesteel all ready, like on a fixed blade sheath, a steel would be a handy addition.
 
Yeah I actually use the leather belt pouch to hold the firesteel, my ALOX farmer and a capsule of PJCBs. Sometimes it will be the only knife I bring with me, or else if I also have a fixed blade I just wear the pouch "weak-side".
 
I have one of those pouches with the sharpening steel. I love the steel but the pouch itself came unstitched with in a week and I almost lost my Swiss champ plus. Now it sits in my box. I love the Idea of it though. I hate it came undone because I really wanted one and Im not a sewing person.
 
I've had several of the SAKs with the steel pouch. I have found that those steels work just great.
 
Wildone39 said:
I have one of those pouches with the sharpening steel. I love the steel but the pouch itself came unstitched with in a week and I almost lost my Swiss champ plus. Now it sits in my box. I love the Idea of it though. I hate it came undone because I really wanted one and Im not a sewing person.
Click to expand...

But you can be - it's not hard and it's just another (wilderness) skill that you can (easily) learn. In fact, buy a cheap leather awl, the kind with the bobbin of thread enclosed in the handle. It comes with instructions for doing a lock stitch (piece of cake) and is exactly what you need for making that sheath (and any others) serviceable again.

The saddle stitch, with 2 needles, is also very easy to learn and do.

Doc
 
Wildone39 said:
I have one of those pouches with the sharpening steel. I love the steel but the pouch itself came unstitched with in a week and I almost lost my Swiss champ plus.
Click to expand...

The one I got was of questionable quality... not the stitching, but the condition of the leather. It was so dry, I was afraid the top flap would break off when I opened it up to put my knife in. It felt really brittle and had a crack in the surface where the sheath had been flexed during shipping.

I got out the heat gun and a can of Sno-Seal and went to work. The sheath soaked up several heavy applications. It still doesn't feel anything close to "soft" or "supple" but it at least feels like it's not going to crack or break.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
For any leather particularly hard leather, the best thing that you can use is pure neatsfoot oil. You need to be careful here because a lot of "neatsfoot oil" is actually neatsfoot compound and not pure neatsfoot oil. Many times these compunds contain petroleum distillates, which is actually bad for leather but very cheap, hence their virtual ubiquitousness in leather care products. I fear Sno-Seal may contain petroleum distillates too, I actually am not sure it has been I long time since I have seen a can. The best thing to clean leather is saddle soap and water and the best thing to waterproof it as far as the health of the leather is concerned pure mink oil. Now before anyone tries to flame me about some wonder treatment, this is my own opinion based on the literally hundreds of combined years of experience from my hard working large family of farmers and horseback riders who are die hard leather user. I suppose this could still be passed of as pure anecdoteal evidence, you fine people will have to judge for yourselves. To the OP I'm telling you if anything could soften hard leather it's neatsfoot oil!:)
 
Sno-Seal is just beeswax and silicone. It is by far my favorite water-proofer because it doesn't soften the leather. Ironic, because that's what I wanted to do, but I didn't have any mink oil in the house. I stopped using it years ago because it seems to eventually softens things up to the point they loose their shape.

Mink oil would have been my first choice for the job, had it been available. It's hard to tell what you're going to end up with nowadays when you buy "neatsfoot oil."

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
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