Spartan Vs Compact Which do you prefer?

A

a.manbug

Joined
Sep 13, 2013
Messages
48
Hello All,

I own both these models, but I often find myself torn on which one to carry more. The Compact has a little bit of everything:
>Combo Tool (can/bottle opener + flat head screwdriver)
>Main Blade
>Full Size Scissors
>Cork Screw with Eyeglass Screwdriver and hidden safety pin
>Parcel Hook with nail file
>Toothpick, Tweezers and a Pen

The Spartan on the other hand carries with it that extra value of being the direct descendant of the original Officer's knife and is the base model from which tools are either added or removed. With the Spartan, you lose the scissors, nail file and the pen (I personally don't use the parcel hook all that much, but I don't mind it being there for when I do need it); but you gain the small pen blade, the awl and the dedicated opener layer (which provides more options for flat head screwdrivers as well as a 2D phillips head at the tip of the can opener).

Anyone else have the same dilemma regarding which is better? I like both but I wanted to hear your thoughts on these two 91mm 2-layer models. Which one would you pickup before heading out the door?
 
Its really a tough call for me. I like the tool set on both.

The scissors just don't do it for me, and I would rather have a saw in that layer.

I would love a Compact with saw in place of the scissors and philips driver in place of the corkscrew.
 
As a minimum tool, I really prefer the compact. I don't have a spartan, because I really use the scissors a lot. I use them often enough that not having them is a downside to some of my other fave SAKs like the farmer and rucksack, so much that I often add the compact to the lineup. For me, thats the keystone tool as it were. I could do with either the corkscrew or the philips, and the compact is a good combo for me, especially urban carry. Less for wilderness, but they do come in handy.
 
Compact all the way, since I'm a scissors guy and never need a saw. Plus, you get the pen and pin.
 
The Compact is my choice. I really like having the scissors and the combo tool works good enough for me. The nail file on the back of the hook is a nice touch, not sure why they dont all have that cool feature.

Jim
 
Yeah, I finally decided on the Spartan , or the Tinker on occasion

But, I have the Rambler on my key ring , so the choice was a lot easier

BTW - the Spartan corkscrew holds the mini driver on mine
 
I like the Spartan but usually carry a Climber for.the scissors. Don't mind the extra layer.
 
Scissors are my most used SAK tool, so of those two, I would take the Compact without any hesitation.
 
I've had a similar struggle when I was trying to decide which 91mm SAK to buy. Spent hours on comparing the different models.

The Compact and Climber were eventually on my shortlist.

I chose the Compact because it is the thinnest one with the scissors and corkscrew. The extra small blade and the seperate can opener/cap lifter instead of the combo tool just aren't worth the extra 2mm for me.
 
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