I was volunteering at a food packing event today. Postal workers collected donations on their routes, and we packed the food into banana boxes to be trucked to a distribution center. I was the only person with a knife: my trusty Victorinox Classic SD. Some bags were tied with string or zip ties. The main blade cut them with ease. Cans came in cardboard boxes that had to be broken down. People would go at it with keys, but gave that up once they realized there was a knife on hand. Some banana boxes came without bottoms, so the Classic cut up other boxes to cover the hole. When we were done, I gave the blade a good clean and some swipes on the ceramic rod. As usual, the Classic answered the call and got things done.
The Classic comes through, again.
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afishhunter
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Good job. 
Maybe a couple of those there will realize now a knife is first and foremost a cutting tool, immeasurably/infinitely better than keys, and start to carry one, like the generations before did/do.
Unlikely, the way Hollywood and the liberal media portray knives as "evil" ... but we can hope.
Maybe a couple of those there will realize now a knife is first and foremost a cutting tool, immeasurably/infinitely better than keys, and start to carry one, like the generations before did/do.
Unlikely, the way Hollywood and the liberal media portray knives as "evil" ... but we can hope.
This does not surprise me in the least.
for most my life, I've been a minimalist. In fact, somewhere alone the way I coined the term Maximum Minimalism. To do with the least, smallest, you can get by with. And the Victorinox classic is small. Like the Fenix E01, The Photon Freedom, The North American Arms mini .22 revolvers. Golf pencils for taking notes.
Whats a pocket knife for? To cut things. Like those infernal plastic blister packages that defy small charges of explosive. The whole world now has embraced plastic wrap of various forms that are tear resistant. Mail comes every day, theres twine to cut in the garden, and Amazon boxes to open. This is not even going to construction job sites and warehouse jobs, where the mighty box cutter reigns supreme. How many job sites do the humble Huskey, Stanley, and other utility knives rule? And that blade is only an inch long and thinner than the classic blade.
I've used the classic as my only knife in Key West while on vacation. Flying down with no checked luggage to slow us down, I mailed a classic to myself where we stay, and in the course of a week, it cut squid for bait, sliced those little golf ball size limes for cold Vodka tonics, trimmed the end off some nice Dominican cigars in the evening, and adjusted the carb on the beat up Honda motor scooter I had rented. The scissors cut a lot of price tags off souvenir T-shirts from Jimmy Buffetts place on Duval street and other stuff purchased on the trip.
I've went on record as saying that in modern urban conditions, not much knife is really needed. Just a little bit of sharp will will do. Like my old man put it; 'Doesn't have to be big, just sharp."
The classic is a small sharp bit of tool to have anywhere.
for most my life, I've been a minimalist. In fact, somewhere alone the way I coined the term Maximum Minimalism. To do with the least, smallest, you can get by with. And the Victorinox classic is small. Like the Fenix E01, The Photon Freedom, The North American Arms mini .22 revolvers. Golf pencils for taking notes.
Whats a pocket knife for? To cut things. Like those infernal plastic blister packages that defy small charges of explosive. The whole world now has embraced plastic wrap of various forms that are tear resistant. Mail comes every day, theres twine to cut in the garden, and Amazon boxes to open. This is not even going to construction job sites and warehouse jobs, where the mighty box cutter reigns supreme. How many job sites do the humble Huskey, Stanley, and other utility knives rule? And that blade is only an inch long and thinner than the classic blade.
I've used the classic as my only knife in Key West while on vacation. Flying down with no checked luggage to slow us down, I mailed a classic to myself where we stay, and in the course of a week, it cut squid for bait, sliced those little golf ball size limes for cold Vodka tonics, trimmed the end off some nice Dominican cigars in the evening, and adjusted the carb on the beat up Honda motor scooter I had rented. The scissors cut a lot of price tags off souvenir T-shirts from Jimmy Buffetts place on Duval street and other stuff purchased on the trip.
I've went on record as saying that in modern urban conditions, not much knife is really needed. Just a little bit of sharp will will do. Like my old man put it; 'Doesn't have to be big, just sharp."
The classic is a small sharp bit of tool to have anywhere.
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That's why I love the classic. It rides in your keys and is the most harmless knife you can carry and nobody is offended by it - quite the contrary!
Also it's purdy as heck!
Even though it might not be the most convenient work knife it can do a lot more that what first appears.
Also it's purdy as heck!
Even though it might not be the most convenient work knife it can do a lot more that what first appears.
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I carried the Classic for, literally, decades but then came upon the Ambassador and, later, the Executive. These 74mm knives work much better for me. The old style Executive has been my daily carry (along with a pocket clip Benchmade) for at least two years now. Glad I bought a couple spares when they were still in the $30 range. But in a closer apples to apples comparison, the Ambassador is much more useful to me than the Classic.
The Classic SD is surely a great knife to EDC. I have quite a few,and they never fail me. But I prefer the Rambler. Just a little thicker, which I find more comfortable to use. The Philips screwdriver is surprisingly detailed and handles tiny eyeglass sized screws as well as larger ones with ease. And the blade deploys opposite the key ring. This not only allows easier use when attached to a keyring , but when the nail file, cap lifter/driver or both tools are extended, they act as a good handle extension. This allows a surprisingly good grip on the blade, allowing for harder than normal use if needed. I love both knives, but prefer the Rambler in use. Still, Classics do come in many more varieties. Truly the flagship of Victorinox I think. And a little searching online and you’ll find interesting variations of the Rambler out there too.
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Amen, brother! Make mine a Rambler.
The Classic is a great knife. In fact, it may well be the best knife for real world use in an urban/suburban setting where there are dedicated food knives in every home, restaurant and office canteen. With some effort and know-how, a Classic can even handle food duties.
Yes, the humble little classic is a great urban EDC. Package opening, mail, string/cord/twine, loose screws, nail maintenance, stray hair snipping. Food was my only con that I found, not being able to slice off a piece of nice fresh Italian bread. Cheese it could manage, slicing down a corner of the square piece, then the other corner, leaving a wedge shape in the middle that the short classic blade could just manage. Had some trouble with a round Edam or Gouda though.
Food is why I stashed some of those Victorinox red handled paring knives with the matching plastic blade cover in the car glove box, day pack, and the wife has one in her purse. Trying to keep it all Victorinox.
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For that reason the folding pairing knife is in my toget list.
Yeah, if we didn't already have the Vic paring knives stashed around, we'd be ordering a few of the folding paring knives. They are a definite answer to a food on the go problem.
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I lost a pair of keys about a year ago. I had a nice little black classic on there that i used often for the scissors and file. Occasionally the toothpick and tweezers came in handy as well. I realized just how handy that little thing was after i didn't have it. I was in my local ace store today and to my surprise they started carrying knives again. They have some case and gerber knives. Then i spotted the small assortment of victorinox. They have huntsman and tinkers. Climbers and campers. They even had red and black classics. Now i have a nice new red classic back on my key chian. Life is good. I have my pioneer and peanut that i carry every day and now my classic to join in on all the day to day tasks.
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I worked with a guy with a checkered past. When i knew him he hadn't been out of prison very long and still had a couple years of probation left. He is a very nice guy who was pretty wild in his younger days but now wS fully reformed. He couldnt carry big knives as it was a violation of his parole. He knew that he needed a knife and his solution was a victorinox clasic sd. He told me later on that really he didn't need any more than that in his daily life and he was right. I watched him cut many things from zip ties to packages of crackers. He was a bigger man and got along great with just a little classic.
Danny Linguini
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Always nice to hear redemption stories like this, and those helping to keep them on the right track.
This post really strikes home with me. When I was a teen, just getting into motorcycles, there was a guy working at the local bike shop named Ray. He was whiz with bikes, and he acted as a sort of mentor to me and my buddy Eli who also has bought new Honda super 90 on his 16th birthday. Ray showed us hw to rejet the carb, tinker a bit and get a bit more umph out of the little 90cc motor. This was like the dawn of the Japanese motorcycle invasion when they had the commercials "You meet the nicest people on a Honda,"
Ray had served time in the Virginia state pen for a felony, and terms of his parole was no weapons. There on his keyring was a little red classic that did his cutting. On the job, he had a well used Stanley 99 on the workbench. Ray had the rep of a hard customer, and had prison tats and some interesting scars. The classic was eoungh knife for him. If he needed a weapon, he said the Craftsman wrench in his side pocket would do.
Hashishiin
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I honestly prefer a good redemption story, to someone who was perfect all their lives. I like when someone has been down in the muck, raised themselves up, cleaned themselves off, and changed their thought process in a deep way, analyzing their behavior and choosing to become a positive force in society. I've had a lot of trust and respect in the people who have done everything to turn their lives around, from addiction, from whatever.
+1 to these fellows! I kind of like to carry an Escort just a bit more frequently than the SAK, because the blade placement is not on the same side as the keyring, which is a lot more convenient.
+1 to these fellows! I kind of like to carry an Escort just a bit more frequently than the SAK, because the blade placement is not on the same side as the keyring, which is a lot more convenient.
Hashishiin
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Valiant effort. I've only done it once successfully with hairpins.