Swiss Army knife or Camillus Demo knife

[byteblock]

I have a Demo knife. I was eyeballing a SAK of roughly equal size to the Demo at Cabela's. Which knife overall is the better value? Are those Demo knives considered bullet proof? I see Camillus doesn't make them anymore.

 

[RemyKaze]

The SAK is the better value. Very precise, very useful. I traded mine out for a Leatherman because I need the pliers, but I'll often carry it as well in a belt pouch. Can't even tell it's there, and I find mine extremely useful for fine cutting tasks. I'm not afraid to break it as it is only about $30, but there are also many cheaper models catered to different needs. It won't break your bank to pick one up. Try it and see what I mean.

 

[Bellasdaddy]

The Demo appears to be bullet proof but it actually has a very weak back spring; it has something to do with the original heat treatment. Overall, the Swiss Army/Wenger alox Standard Issue is actually the better version of the Camillus Camp Knife (Demo).

If you like the camp knife design, try to get one of the alox military models or the Victorinox Pioneer. The Camillus may never break. But, the spring has a bad reputation and the original Camillus that manufactured that model no longer exists.

I believe there are a few craftsman/tinkerers that do back spring repairs on the Camillus Camp Knife.

You may want to run your question by the multi-tool section.

 

[byteblock]

I have a leatherman as well, I like it a lot. I just like the idea of having a quality multi-tool and a quality "pocket knife". I've had the Demo knife for many years, I just didn't know what their reputation was.

 

[dmattaponi]

I have both, and agree with the others above, the SAK is the better, more useful option.