The better halfs classics.

J

jackknife

Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Messages
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Years ago, when my better half Karen got turned onto Vic classics, she carried the same red classic for a long time. Then she decided she liked the black because it was a bit more classy and everyone had a red one. Then she got a translucent blue one when we had stopped into the knife shop up the road. That was last year or so. About 6 months ago, she gets a purple one to put on her keys.

So this morning, we're going out to breakfast, and we take her car. She hands me the keys to her Element, and there, in the bright morning sunshine, is a nice yellow classic. I ask her what happen to the other classic, and she said it's right there in her purse, she just felt like a new color.

Now, I now that the little classic is one of Karen's favorite things to carry, aside from her Fenix EO1, and Sear's 4-way screw driver that she pries with to spare her nails. But I have a sneaking suspicion that my better half is turning into a classic collector like our niece. I guess it's better than shoes or jewelry. ;)

The classic is always paired up with her number 8 Opinel. She loves the Opinel because she doesn't chip nails opening it, and it makes a good fruit and pastry knife. I think I'll keep her.

If this belongs more in the 'other' forum for multitools, please feel free to move it, mods.

Carl.
 
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Hey, your better half has to make sure the colors don't clash! :)

You have to admit that this is as good a reason as most of us could come up with for our occasional buys and upgrades. Maybe better. I gave my GF a GEC white owl in cocobolo and she has been swapping back and forth between lanyards since I got it for her. She thinks the knife is very useful and carries it a lot but the biggest reason I settled on it? She could actually open the thing. She has fingernails which are a little longer than mine and cannot open most of my knives or her nail threatens to bend over.

Will
 
I think your better half may be on to something. Somebody could put together a really nice collection of Vic Classics, there are a TON of variants of those things. They're not very expensive, and pretty easy to find...

Oh no.

That's not an idea I need in my head.
 
Carl, I know that Sean appreciates a new collector ;)...

Every time I stop in, he always knows I go right for the alox SAKs.

I don't know if you and Karen like going to flea markets, or big yard sales in the summertime, but I've found boxes and boxes of classics (check them, both Victorinox and China made).

Now you just have to get her a peanut!
 
Well... my wife also has a Classic on her keyring. Next to a Fenix E01. Both seem to have the same taste of their EDC. But my wife doesn´t want any other color, yet. I think Classics are great tools with a lot of use. I own several myself. I wanted to give her my blue bone Peanut, so that I have the case of getting another on in CV. But she doesn´t want to have it... ;) I need to find another reason getting a Peanut in CV...

Kind regards
Andi
 
Carl,
you know, a few days ago I entered a local knife store, and there's a small section filled with Victorinox, half of which were Classic's. As I was looking at them, two things came into my mind (not the first time I thought about them though).
First, that Victorinox is coming out with new colors and designed scales to encourage some sort of collecting for this very model (even if there are many options for the alox ones, they're not even close to the options available for the Classic and it looks like a clear market strategy).
Second, that looking at the recent designed and colored handles, it's clear that they're addressed mainly to the female buyer.
So I suspect that your Karen is in good company on that :)

:cool:
 
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moonwilson said:
I think your better half may be on to something. Somebody could put together a really nice collection of Vic Classics, there are a TON of variants of those things. They're not very expensive, and pretty easy to find...

Oh no.

That's not an idea I need in my head.
Click to expand...

Our niece has already went that route. She's a graphic and industrial design type, and she's done logo's for a lot of overseas companies in Europe and Japan. Since she travels a lot, she collects souvenir classics from her travels around the world. Some have all kinds of colors, some are corporate logo's that she's worked on, some are souvenir classics from tourist sights. She backpacks a lot in her travels and likes to have a small sharp knife so she's a fanatic classic fan. On her wall is a pegboard painted in Victorinox colors (red and silver) and last count she had just over 100 classics from all over.

It's weird to see that many different classics in one place.
 
The Classic is to me what the Peanut was to your dad, and to you. It is my little, go to, do everything knife. It handles chores TOTALLY out of proportion to its size, is incredibly diverse in its abilities, and is probably the most sheeple friendly knife in the world. I normally have a leatherman on my belt, and a larger knife in my left front pocket, but in all honesty, the Classic is really all I need. How do I know? Because its pretty much all I use. Haven't come across a task that my classic hasn't been able to handle.
 
Good story. For women, the cosmetics are as important (if not more so) than the functionality.

I got my wife a nice blue Classic about 7 years ago. She carried it for a few months on her keys, then retired it. Why? I don't know. Maybe she just got bored with the color, like Karen did.

One day, I was browsing Victorinox's website and skipping over the Tomos. But Kate stopped me. She loved the simple, boxy shape, and the feminine colors. I think it is ridiculous; it is more bulky than a Classic, and has fewer tools. Doesn't matter though, because it is "cuter." She used it to snip a thread on a coworker's sweater the other day. If your Karen can do without T&T, this is a good option when she runs out of Classic colors.

Also worth considering for the ladyfolk is the Victorinox Minichamp or Midnight Minichamp. It is a bit thicker, but still not a problem for a typical ladies' keychain. It adds a Wharnecliffe blade, a cuticle pusher, (ladies like these) an orange peeler, (also works on clamshell packaging) and the bottle opener/#1 phillips. It loses the toothpick in favor of a pressurized ballpoint pen. The Midnight version also drops the tweezers in favor of an LED flashlight. Great little knives. I've got an old Minichamp that predates the bottle opener and ballpoint pen, but I quite like it.
 
This past Christmas, I gave knives to family members. My uncle and cousin each got a Spydero UKPK. My dad got a Spyderco Persistence.

I got my aunt, cousin's wife, and Mom each a Classic. Pink, purple and Eidelweiss (floral) were the patterns. Each of the women seemed to really love the Classic. And they are really pleased that I got them in non-standard colors. I felt like it was a good gift choice.
 
Smaug said:
One day, I was browsing Victorinox's website and skipping over the Tomos. But Kate stopped me. She loved the simple, boxy shape, and the feminine colors. I think it is ridiculous; it is more bulky than a Classic, and has fewer tools. Doesn't matter though, because it is "cuter." She used it to snip a thread on a coworker's sweater the other day. If your Karen can do without T&T, this is a good option when she runs out of Classic colors.
Click to expand...

Naa, won't work. Karen is as much a minimalist these days as myself,to the point of cutting off the handles of her make up stuff to ft in a smaller kit. Plus, the tweezers are just too handy to have. As far as I can see, there's much more choice of colors and designs in the classic than the tomo. If Karen gets tired of colors, then there's patterns like the eidleweis and nations flags and argile and...

Carl.
 
I've got a cherished Classic that's got about a million miles on it. 'Round about 1994 or so (I remember because it happened when I was walking the puppy we'd just got) I accidentally made this minimalist gem even more minimalist. See, our rambunctious pup was about to run out into a busy street and the only thing I could think to do in my panic was yell and hurl my keys at him ....... stupid, I know. :o

Anyway, the impact busted the scale that holds the toothpick. Ever since, I've had a Classic with just one scale, the one holding the tweezers. I no longer carry it (I prefer the Rambler), but I do keep it in my travel shaving kit for fingernail emergencies and such.

SAKClassic.jpg


Anyway, if anyone's finding their Classic too heavy to tote :D you might consider throwing your keys at a dog. OR, you could just remove the toothpick side scale.
 
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My dad has a classic on his keyring that rode around with one scale for years. He finally broke the other one off, but it's still on there. He is tough on knives (and not really a knife guy).
 
I had all kinds of random colored classics around because I kept switching the scales.
I do have to agree that the classics are fun to collect and useful to have around.
They aren't very expensive so that is always great.
You should just surprise her with a bunch of different designed classics one day. She would love it I bet.
But don't forget to get a single rose as well lol.
It's just one of those cute things you can do for your wife/girlfriend.
 
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