Codger_64
Moderator
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2004
- Messages
- 62,324
I had a mailer in today's mail from an eBay seller. It contained the Tough Chip I had bid on and the freebie SS1 Simon. Of course, the sheathless knife drew my attention first. I diddled with it for only a moment before noticing the "wobble" others had mentioned. A few quick twists with the T-10 Torx wrench tightened it right up. The flat clip spring seems poorly tempered, and I think that after a few opening and closings, it will remain bent open. A small finger notch or set of grooves on the bottom to keep the forefinger off the blade would have been nice, but a different grip placing the forefinger along the spine of the blade should work to keep me uncut. The lockup is pretty positive, and the micro ball bearing lets the blade fairly glide open and closed. I kinda like the little shrimp, and it is definately worth more than what I paid for it. Nuffin! Heck, I might have even given the $20 MSRP for it back when.
The ST2 Tough Chip was really what I was after. Much smaller than I had imagined from the pictures I had seen, it does pack a lot of features into a small package. Case and all, it will fit easily into a cigarette pack. The nail file/cleaner really works, and locks positivly in place in the lower handle. The tweezers likewise tweeze well, though very cheaply made, and are held adequately in the handle by their spring pressure. The toothpick on the other hand....well it almost falls out by it's own weight. I removed both tools and flexed the compartment divider over hard, and now it fits tightly. Opening the main tool, I notice the detents made by machined in nodes on the shear tangs, one on each for open and closed, which snap in place behind the backspring formed in the handles. A nice touch. The blades of the shears are held open by a small but stiff coil spring internal to the riveted pivot housing. The shear blades nicely sharpened and are accurately alligned. Opening the utility blades is not difficult if you have fingernails, the nicks are tiny. I wondered why the Chip came with a fold out lanyard ring until I opened all the blades at once. Pressing the nail tab on it against a hard surface releases all the locked blades, though the small flat screwdriver/cap lifter on the opposite side does not lock and performs the same function. The hollow ground knife blade is short but good, and the larger/small flat screwdriver blade seems redundant to the one with the cap lifter. The awl looks aggresive enough to bore a new hole in a belt after an evening pigging out at the buffet, but is more of a flat chisel/spear shape than the folded spine awls I am used to seeing on my camp knives. I think the Chip will be a good tool, as long as I remember that it was designed for light duty use. As with the "space debris" knives, I would not have given the $33.00 MSRP for it, but I feel it was worth a bit more than the $13 I did give for it, not even counting the SS1 thrown in with the deal.
Codger (Wait! Do these count as ffff...folders???)
These two were not nearly as bad as reviews I had read led me to believe they would be.
The ST2 Tough Chip was really what I was after. Much smaller than I had imagined from the pictures I had seen, it does pack a lot of features into a small package. Case and all, it will fit easily into a cigarette pack. The nail file/cleaner really works, and locks positivly in place in the lower handle. The tweezers likewise tweeze well, though very cheaply made, and are held adequately in the handle by their spring pressure. The toothpick on the other hand....well it almost falls out by it's own weight. I removed both tools and flexed the compartment divider over hard, and now it fits tightly. Opening the main tool, I notice the detents made by machined in nodes on the shear tangs, one on each for open and closed, which snap in place behind the backspring formed in the handles. A nice touch. The blades of the shears are held open by a small but stiff coil spring internal to the riveted pivot housing. The shear blades nicely sharpened and are accurately alligned. Opening the utility blades is not difficult if you have fingernails, the nicks are tiny. I wondered why the Chip came with a fold out lanyard ring until I opened all the blades at once. Pressing the nail tab on it against a hard surface releases all the locked blades, though the small flat screwdriver/cap lifter on the opposite side does not lock and performs the same function. The hollow ground knife blade is short but good, and the larger/small flat screwdriver blade seems redundant to the one with the cap lifter. The awl looks aggresive enough to bore a new hole in a belt after an evening pigging out at the buffet, but is more of a flat chisel/spear shape than the folded spine awls I am used to seeing on my camp knives. I think the Chip will be a good tool, as long as I remember that it was designed for light duty use. As with the "space debris" knives, I would not have given the $33.00 MSRP for it, but I feel it was worth a bit more than the $13 I did give for it, not even counting the SS1 thrown in with the deal.
Codger (Wait! Do these count as ffff...folders???)
These two were not nearly as bad as reviews I had read led me to believe they would be.
But, I agree, it is a good file. A lot better than the crosshatched lines in some nail blades.