Super Tinker, Deluxe Tinker and Climber

M

Mud Shrimp Moe

Joined
Nov 6, 2011
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I'm sitting here looking at eBay and Amazon pics and it appears that the Deluxe Tinker is just the Super Tinker plus pliers. Is this true? How much width does this add to the knife? And are the pliers any good? The Deluxe Tinker is about 27% more than the Super ... admittedly just $6 at Amazon. But I wonder if the pliers on it are good enough to justify $6 plus some extra girth and weight.

Also, if I look at the Climber II and the Super Tinker photos, it looks like the same exact knife except the Climber has a corkscrew and the Super Tinker has a phillips head screw driver instead. Is this accurate?
 
Yes, that's quite accurate.

Here's almost all the information you'll ever need: http://sakwiki.com

Just look at the upper right and click the tab that says 91mm. All those 3 knives are there and you can compare.
:D

Regarding the pliers, they are very good for what they are meant to do. But consider first what you want the knife for. That's the only time you'll know if you want pliers in em. :)
 
Thanks. You know the Super Tinker or Climber is probably about as many tools as I can bear on a SAK. I may be unusual, but I vastly prefer the blades with four tools per row or fewer.

My favorite model, I believe, is the Minichamp. But I like the regular Tinker, but miss scissors sometimes. So I'm trying the Super Tinker or Climber out. Prefer a phillips head to a corkscrew, however.
 
My Deluxe Tinker from A-zon was in today's mail. Although it's larger than my Climber, it doesn't feel awkward, and I like the Vic pliers. Can't beat it for ~ $29 shipped.

Jeff
 
jds1 said:
My Deluxe Tinker from A-zon was in today's mail. Although it's larger than my Climber, it doesn't feel awkward, and I like the Vic pliers. Can't beat it for ~ $29 shipped.
Click to expand...


So you like the pliers, huh? Do they feel strong enough ... obviously not to rebuild a house or anything, but to be usable for common tasks?

I already have a Tinker, but it's quite old. And the Deluxe does appear to the be "ultimate" on the larger end that I can stand. I also am curious about the Explorer.
 
For their size, the pliers seem very solid with no play. Obviously not for heavy duty projects, but I'll bet they hold up just fine for light duty tasks. I'm only going on first impressions, perhaps someone with some actual experience will chime in.

Jeff
 
The Vic pliers are plenty strong for most anything you can use pliers that small for, they can come in handy but I personally don't find the added bulk worth it, but I am a minimalist of sorts and don't like carrying more than I practically need.
 
BJE, I'm also one who outright balks at the larger combination SAK's. They're cool designs, but I prefer the Mini Champ, Spartan, Classic and original Tinker. I was flirting with the Explorer, Deluxe Tinker and Champion Plus, but realistically they are too much weight and bulk for me to really carry.
 
Since you are really sensitive when it comes to size, just go for Super Tinker. The effectivity and usefulness of the scissors contrasted to the added size is far worth it compared to the usefulness of the pliers contrasted to its added size.

Don't get me wrong though, I also really like the pliers as they give me a way to cut more things (wires) without allowing other blades to unnecessarilry dull, and the holding/grabbing power of the pliers are very good and makes them very useful. Also, they are small enough to fit a lot of tight spaces that other pliers would not fit into (they are more comparable to long-nosed pliers). But also, I like the pliers because I am very much okay with fatter SAK's. I love the SwissChamp and it's size is okay for me and I like the pliers on it. But for a guy who is wary of size increase, the pliers might not be such a good idea as compared to just getting scissors.

Btw, I always EDC a SwissChamp in my bag/car or anywhere I can put it that I travel with and can get to when I need it. But for my pocket EDC, I carry a Super Tinker. I love the scissors because there are some things that are too delicate to be properly cut with a knife. Or sometimes you only have one hand and it's easier to cut with the scissors (like a frayed thread on the sleeve of your arm). Also, I've found that pulling the scissors out don't really freak people out. The knife blade sometimes does.

Cheers and sorry for the long reply. :)
 
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Carloxicus,

Thanks for the reply. Part of the reason I don't like the larger SAK folders is that I always carry a Leatherman type tool in my briefcase and am going to start carrying one in the car as well, so that I have one relatively close on non-work days. This gives me access to pliers and other tools. The pocket SAK, to me, should be a lightweight tool. I like the blade, nail file and nail cleaners, toothpick, scissors, tweezers, bottle opener, flat head screwdriver and phillips head the most. Hence, this is one reason the MiniChamp is my favorite SAK. I'm carrying it on my keychain now. It's a little heavy for keychain (I prefer the classic on a keychain), but tolerable.

I may yet pick up a larger SAK model and just keep it in the briefcase or "bug out bag" in the car. But in the pocket they feel like a rock to me. And for carrying the extra weight, I'm benefited by tools that I will only use very occasionally. It's not quite worth it to me.

Thanks,

Moe
 
Wow. According to the SAKwiki, the Deluxe Tinker is 125g and 21.9mm wide while the Super Tinker is 84g and 17mm wide. That's QUITE a weight/size increase to only add those pliers.

BTW, I've just ordered a Climber II (translucent sapphire), Cadet (silver alox), Tinker (translucent sapphire) and Spartain (silver tech). The prices at Amazon right now are excellent, and there's a $10 off any Swiss Army order over $50.

I was very tempted to get a Deluxe Tinker, Explorer Plus, Champion Plus or Fieldmaster. But I know myself. After the first week, I wouldn't carry it due to the weight. I might keep it in my work bag. But it makes little sense to carry both a larger SAK folder and a Leatherman in addition to a small SAK. I'm excited to have some of the translucent and clear colors.

Mostly I want a SAK for a blade, nail care*, screwdrivers, toothpick/tweezers, and bottle opener.


* can't emphasize this enough ... I find myself using the nail file and cleaner pretty frequently.
 
Buy a Super Tinker, if you carry a LM in your bag. The small pliers on a SAK is only good for light duties. Even the plier of a small Leatherman like the Freestyle or Juice is much better to work with. The problem is thatyou can´t buiold up much force with the SAK plier to grab something very tightly. For example i have tried to turn a key that deadlocked in the lock. With the LM Freestyle no problem. With the plier of my SAK: No way, because i cant´t kepp the pliers closed because of the unergonomic design. It´s just good for emergency cases.
 
Mud Shrimp Moe said:
Wow. According to the SAKwiki, the Deluxe Tinker is 125g and 21.9mm wide while the Super Tinker is 84g and 17mm wide. That's QUITE a weight/size increase to only add those pliers.
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Yup. That's what I was talking about. In terms of weight and size, the jump from Super Tinker to Deluxe Tinker is way bigger than the jump from a Tinker to Super Tinker. However, in terms of added desirability in tools, the jump from Tinker to Super Tinker is better than the jump from Super Tinker to Deluxe Tinker. Therefore the Super Tinker is a good stopping point when increasing your SAK size. If you want to add pliers, might as well not stop there and go on to a Handyman, a Craftsman or even a SwissChamp.

Of course, all in my humble opinion. :)

But yeah I understand the preference for lightweight/thin pocket knives and the Alox models are great for that. I would really love em except they don't have scissors. :( That's why yay for your Climber. :) But yeah for your purposes and what you mentioned as your preferences, that Silver Alox Cadet will do great for you. :)

Cheers.
 
Carloxicus,

One reason I'm a huge fan of the Classic and the MiniChamp is that the tiny scissors are so handy, and work so well. I always have one on my keychain. I also just ordered a Climber, so I'll see how I like the scissors in that size of a knife. The Super Tinker might have been better due to the phillips head, but (a) I wanted Silver Tech and (b) found a good deal on the Climber.

One of these days, especially if I stumble upon the right eBay deal or Amazon sale, I'll get a SwissChamp or other large SAK just for the pride of ownership more than anything. But I may carry it in my workbag and use it more than I think I will.

Thanks again.

Moe
 
Mud Shrimp Moe said:
One reason I'm a huge fan of the Classic and the MiniChamp is that the tiny scissors are so handy, and work so well. I always have one on my keychain. I also just ordered a Climber, so I'll see how I like the scissors in that size of a knife. The Super Tinker might have been better due to the phillips head, but (a) I wanted Silver Tech and (b) found a good deal on the Climber.

One of these days, especially if I stumble upon the right eBay deal or Amazon sale, I'll get a SwissChamp or other large SAK just for the pride of ownership more than anything. But I may carry it in my workbag and use it more than I think I will.
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Awesome.

Hey ever tried using a Rambler? It's a size between the Minichamp and the Classic. I has all the tools of the Classic plus the phillips screwdriver/bottle opener tool. It might be a good fit for your keys, lightweight but has the functions that you mentioned.

Yeah those tiny scissors are great. And if you love those, I'm pretty sure you'll love the ones on the Climber.

I chose the Super Tinker over the Climber because I don't usually drink wine. And even if I do, I usually drink white wine so not a lot of cork there... just those things that pop. Also I don't wear eyeglasses so the tiny screwdriver might not be used as much too (however, I've used the one on my SwissChamp a few times on certain other screws so I know it's also good). But yeah, that corkscrew is very useful too. I've untied a lot of stubborn knots using that so the Climber is an awesome package.

As for the Silver Tech, I have to agree, I understand it's appeal. It's very... well... techy. :) Like a tiny Millennium Falcon. :D hehe. However, I heard that translucent scales scratch easily so I'm worried about that. And that it might be easier to crack than the typical cellidor. The ones from my Super Tinker cracked with just one fall on the floor. But since then, I've replaced the scales with hand-carved wooden scales. :D Now I don't have to worry about my keys scratching my scales. :D But yeah, I'm sure you'll love your Silver Tech. Tell us about it when you get it. :)

As for the larger SAK's, a SwissChamp is always a win. But I also want to get a Forester. :) Those bigger saws are really good.

Cheers.
 
fotobaerchi said:
Buy a Super Tinker, if you carry a LM in your bag. The small pliers on a SAK is only good for light duties. Even the plier of a small Leatherman like the Freestyle or Juice is much better to work with.
Click to expand...


I went with the Climber instead of the Super Tinker, because it's basically the same thing except with corkscrew instead of dedicated phillips. I'm also trying to buy a couple of Executives on ebay right now (don't bid against me!).
 
Carloxicus said:
Awesome.

Hey ever tried using a Rambler? It's a size between the Minichamp and the Classic. I has all the tools of the Classic plus the phillips screwdriver/bottle opener tool. It might be a good fit for your keys, lightweight but has the functions that you mentioned.
Click to expand...


That's an awesome recommendation. I'm a sucker for a small SAK with that exact combination. Thanks!

As for the easily scratched translucent liners, thanks for the tip. I'll keep an eye on that. I suppose if scratching is a problem then can be polished, but they would likely become cloudy if I do that.
 
Mud Shrimp Moe said:
That's an awesome recommendation. I'm a sucker for a small SAK with that exact combination. Thanks!

As for the easily scratched translucent liners, thanks for the tip. I'll keep an eye on that. I suppose if scratching is a problem then can be polished, but they would likely become cloudy if I do that.
Click to expand...

One of the best things about the Rambler is that its keyring is in the best position. Unlike the Classic, the Rambler's keyring is at the opposite end of the main blade making use of the knife easy even if there are keys attached to it. At the same time, the tip of the scissors is the one that closes on the end holding the keyring therefore there is no chance of having nicks on a blade edge, unlike the Minichamp. I've had blades nicked because I accidentally closed them while the keyring is hanging in the way of the blade. :)

If you like the pen on the Minichamp though, get a Manager instead. It's just a Rambler with the toothpick replaced with a pen. :)

Cheers.
 
Btw Moe,

All your talk of using smaller and thinner SAK's got my minimalist side working again. So I took my Tinker, removed the red cellidor scales, hand-carved thin, elegant wood scales and then popped it on. :)

I'll use it instead of my wood scale Super Tinker as my pocket EDC. :D

Yep, it's gotta be wooden scale too before it can replace my Super Tinker. Hehe.

Cheers.
 
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