TL-29 and the genius of the screwdriver

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nik870

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Apr 2, 2012
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This may not be a new idea but came to me the other day in my shop. I spent 8 years in the army and army national guard so I know how GI’s act. Whomever came up with the design must have known as well. To give the boys a knife with a pry to to save the blade Was very smart. They must have known that that every private with a knife will use the blade as a screwdriver and or pry bar so why not give them one on the knife. Maybe that was not the thinking but I have used that locking blade a lot over the years. I carry one with me in my shop along with a pliers in carpenter pants and both see a lot of use for weird jobs.
 
If it weren’t for SAKs I’d probably carry a TL-29 often. My Camillus takes a wicked edge and the flathead is (was) very handy, and that secondary obtuse edge is great to have for those rough jobs that are hard on knife edges.
I modified the screwdriver on mine to a zero-bevel wharncliffe. Don’t regret it, but need to get another and keep it standard. Another great thing about them is they are cheap and readily available.
 
TL29 is good, but I prefer the "Demo" knife. Both have a screw driver, but the Demo knife has a can opener for (those nasty) C-Rations, and a cap lifter for ... ummm .... 'liberated" ... front line (and officer's) bottles of beer and soda ... plus a handy punch/awl :)
 
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nik870 said:
I carry one with me in my shop along with a pliers in carpenter pants and both see a lot of use for weird jobs.
Click to expand...
The TL-29 was issued along with a pliers in a belt sheath that carried both in vertical configuration. Long ago, i had one in a very stiff OD fabric but I believe there was a leather version too. I assume someone can provide additional information. There's a discussion somewhere about carrying a Swiss Army-type knife and a pliers rather than a multi-tool. The utility of that combination knife/pliers in a single sheath would rival many multi-tools, though the sheath was approximately twice as long as a typical multi-tool sheath.
 
Yes I have one of those sheaths In leather but have never used it much too long and cumbersome.
 
I can remember couple times last year when I used the driver on my Camillus #27 to un-jam the chain on my bicycle.
Haven't carried one of my electricians in a while but they are definitely a good handy utilitarian knife.
 
Because it locks open, and won’t fold up when you bear down on it, the TL-29 screwdriver works a lot better than a demo knife or SAK screwdriver. I usually carry a SAK Electrician for its versatility, but if I expect to use the screwdriver a lot, then I will take a TL-29 instead.
 
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