Swiss Army Knives suck.

derrickd803 said:
I carry my Vic Cadet everywhere, it is quite handy when I dont want to pull out my bigger EDC when im out in public around the sheeple or when im at school. Ive realized alot of the people at my college get a little squeamish around larger folding knives but the SAK doesnt seem to have this effect at all.
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I know exactly what you mean! Usually around campus I carry a sodbuster Jr. in my right pocket and a vic cadet on my keychain. The sodbuster comes out when I'm with my friends who are used to it, but I am really glad I have the cadet as almost everybody recognizes it as a tool.
 
nope. they're a GREAT product line; don't baton with them and you'll be fine. also don't use that corkscrew unless it is a last resort; it will savage most corks (too small)...

i've got the one with a cigar cutter and use it all the time.
 
really like the SAK's. got 4-5 myself. keep one the truck. BUT working in construction ( electrician ) my tools are always with me. got more tools in the truck. got MORE tools at home. the SAK is almost a toy to me. but if i worked in an office i wouldnt be without one. :) paul
 
While I usually carry a traditional slip joint, I have 8 or so SAK's. They rock. My cadet came in handy last weekend busting blue crabs, opening beer and cutting open those push-up popcicles. I truly think I could meet all my needs from butching game, camping, yard chores and such with Mora's and SAK's (& a Leatherman Wave). Don't tell my wife.
 
bladefoolish said:
Okay, I have one. Well, mebbe four or five. But I don't like them as an edc. On most modles I find the blades too thin, and I find they don't hold that good of an edge for very long. And I usually don't need all the crap that comes on them.

I have one in my psk, and one in the glove box of my car. To me they are okay, as a back up, but I don't care for them as an edc.

Anyone else here NOT a fan of these knives?
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I find them to be perfect, the full flat grind with the thin stock makes it an excellent slicer, I use it as a pocket knife, not as an axe or a prybar, I don't need a 1/4" spine in a pocket knife.
 
To be honest, I've had the same experience as the OP with SAKs, and frankly, I don't understand why they have the following that they do.
 
I never leave my house without a SAK. I always have one on my key chain (with a 2gig thumb drive) plus a soldier or something similar in my pocket. I've either found the tools very useful, or realize that the tools they have could come in handy. Excluding the "wire stripper." I never figured out how it could actually be used to strip wires.

Edit to add:

If you're finding the blade too thin or weak to do what you want it to do, you're wanting it to do things it wasn't made to do. My SAKs can open my boxes and mail with blinding speed and precision . I cut herbs delicately and cleanly with very little drag (the aerodynamics are amazing!). If I do something silly and try to make it do what it wasn't made to do I can fix it easily or, if I almost completely destroy it, I can send it back to Victorinox where they will fix and/or replace it for free. Where is the problem?
 
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My EDC knives change from time to time, but I always have an Explorer Plus in my pocket. Every time I have tried to go without it, I find myself reaching for the scissor or magnifier or tweezer.
 
Swiss Army knives are my favorite EDC. I like other knives also, but for most day to day tasks the SAK gets the job. Extremely well made, and cheap in price also. Hard to beat that.

I was checking some fluids on an old car today with a 75 year old professor co-worker. I was surprised to see him pull out a Vic SAK. I commented on the knife, and he said that he'd been carrying it since he was in grad school in the early 1960s. You could tell it had been well used, but it still was holding up just great, and had served him well for over 40 years. That knife was older than me. Kinda made me feel bad for having a dozen of the things around. I like the idea of having one really good knife that I EDC for many decades.
 
Get an Alox handled sak. They are built a little sturdier.

I can't count the number of times having the farmer in my pocket has saved me steps to a toolbox. I've also repaired things around the house that I might not have fixed if it hadn't been convenient and fun to do so with said farmer.

That flathead screwdriver is good enough for hose clamps and putting sliding screen doors back on track. Just the other day I used the saw to cut a root my pain in the butt dog was ripping out across the yard :D

They are a good addition to keep your good knife safe :D
 
I have a like/dislike (less heated than love/hate) think with SAKs.

I carry one every day too, but have to admit that I'd really prefer to have the option of having a better blade steel available for purchase. I'm not saying replace it on everything, but be more like the Spyderco philosophy of earning your real money on cheap knives and then making a few that somebody who's willing to pay more can get with superior materials. You don't have to go exotic---ATS-34 in SAK blade geometry would be a fantastic working blade. If I'm doing any kind of cutting more rigorous than sharpening a pencil or cutting up a potato, I reach for other knives, as I've often had SAK edges become unusable mid-project. I understand that a large majority of the population doesn't know how to sharpen anything, but I do, so I'd like a knife that stayed sharp a little (or a lot) longer. It's not just cardboard cutting or other abrasive types of edge loss. The edges roll and blunt easily because they're tempered into the mid 50s. And yes, I know, somebody knows a guy whose uncle Joey skinned seventeen elephants with his SAK and never missed a beat. My congratulations to him, but it hasn't been my experience.

Again, I realize this is for ease of maintenance for average users and I think it's a brilliant idea for the majority of the Sears and Home Depot knife buyers. However, I've wasted enough hours of my life (as some would see it) actually learning how to work with/on knives so I find maintenance easy regardless.

I won't turn in my Electrician Plus Alox anytime soon---hell the little saw is worth the whole price, but I'd MUCH sooner pay $70 for one with an ATS-34 or VG10 knife blade than I would to get a miniature magnifying glass and a couple odd sizes of allen wrench.

Edit to add: The screwdrivers can be improved enormously but squaring off their ends and roughing up the faces with a medium file. Go look at the screwdrivers in any hardware store and try to find some with mirror polished/rounded tips that don't come from the super-sale box up front. You want sharp edges and friction on the flats to keep the blade in the screw.
 
The Government said:
The only thing that I agree with is that they often have tools which are unnecisary.

*I dont understand that "all purpose hook" that comes on a lot of models. I did some research and found out that its intended purpose was to help you carry things that you have strung up. Like a stack of newspapers. I also thought you could use it to easily carry all your grocery bags in one hand. Not a necisary tool if you ask me.
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I never saw a tool I didn't like. That all purpose hook was the subject of a thread a year or two ago. How many uses can you find for it? I suggested ear wax removal. :D
 
  1. SAKs are about the only knives sure not to get a look from non-knife people (or police.)
  2. SAKs are among the few knives with built-in screwdrivers.
  3. The blades will cut 90% of what a Sebenza et al will do (at least for a little while).
  4. Gadgets are cool.
  5. They are (relatively) cheap and almost never break.
 
Somebody would make good money replacing the blades on those suckers with great steel and heat treat!
 
You know what i own 2-3 but i have never been a huge fan of the SAK it doesnt meet my needs, and for people who work with their hands alot such as soldiers and construction workers i think that the advent of the multi-tool has largely made them obsolete. On the other hand for a lot of people in particular those that dwell in the city and work in a n office and dont go into bad parts of town the SAK may be ideal. :thumbup:

FYIY my first knife was a sak so i really cant hate too much :D
 
Yep, hate them too;) So much that I carry my Wenger Evo to work every day. Have given Swiss Army knives to my wife, older daughter, sis-in-law etc. they all seem to hate them too;)
 
wally@ferguson said:
You have too many SAKs.... give some away to homeless people; they can use them to fix their shopping carts.
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I got a good deal on four mixed models for an absurdly low price on ebay -- supposedly confiscated models. Kept two of 'em, gave the other two away to my secretary's grandkids -- two boys, about 12 and 13. They loved 'em.
 
Well, looks like I AM in the minority. I think everybody should own one or two, but they still are way down my list as an edc. I prefer my mini-grip or a good stout trapper slipjoint.
 
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