True SAK Stories

[user24]

Just came across this amazing ebook, which lists some extreme situations where a SAK has proved useful.

Anyone here got any good stories about their SAK?

I think the most impressive thing I've done with mine is opening tins in our kitchen when someone stole our can opener (hey, if I hadn't had it, we would have starved that night..).

Here's hoping someone has something more impressive to contribute!

 

[dunc5]

I actually have that book that was sent to me from Victorinox Switzerland after I wrote them a nice letter

Dunc

 

[Lucky Lee]

I bought my dad a SAK many years ago when he was a Fireman in London; it had a seatbelt cutting blade, and he used it many times in the later years of his career. He told me that he used it to cut at least two people's seatbelts during rescues at RTAs.

I have a 80's Spartan (the one with the grooved corkscrew) and I used it during an 8 year 'career' as a shopping centre Security Officer, from the late 80's onwards, and used it many times for everything from cutting security tags off evidence to using it cut a seatbelt at a fatal RTA outside our shopping centre.

I've recently decided to start collecting Wegner and Victorinox SAKs

 

[bikermikearchery]

OK this isn't the most exciting story, but it's mine. I've always carried a lot of knives for different purposes, but once while I was a young U.S.Marine, we were falling out for inspection when a comrad pointed out that my moustache was out of regs. He handed me his SAK, the small one with the scissors and file. A quick trip to the mirror and I passed the inspection with flying colors.

 

[the european]

Two stories, both true, the first being very macgyverish, the second more like a Homer Simpson story.

1) At my girlfriend's house, one of the doors locked itself (maybe because of rust, I still can't say) and we were basically stuck in a room. Woman's place, which means no toolbox, no tools, no pliers, no screwdrivers, nothing. What to do? Call a friend, police, God? Naaaa, I just took my Vic Handyman [insert Macgyver theme here] and worked on that locked door until it surrended.

2) Last week, in my kitchen, a bottle of Chianti, me and that very same Vic Handyman. You may ask why I didn't go for the usual, classic corkscrew. The answer is: 'cause I'm a geek.

 

[Tech a Billy]

Here my best SAK story;

We were on our way to Yankee Stadium for a night game and on the way our car kicked up a piece of metal lying in the road which punctured the fuel tank. We heard the noise but didn't know what happened until someone in another car pointed to our rear end which was leaking gas. We pulled over on Jerome Ave. in the Bronx which is not a great neighborhood, if you know what I mean.

I saw a dent in the fuel tank that was the size and shape of a peanut with a 1/4 inch cut in the deepest part of the dent. While one of the guys held his finger in the hole to save the precious gas, I cut a 1 inch section of small vacuum hose off of the engine where there was plenty of slack and slit it open to form a square, flat piece of rubber. Then I borrowed a sheet metal screw from the cars interior trim which had a sort of finish washer already attached. I used the awl to punch a hole in the middle of the flat rubber "washer" and threaded the screw through it making a little "boiler plug". I jammed the screw with the rubber washer into the leaking crack and tightened gently. "Bingo", no leak. We made it to the game OK and I couldn't buy drinks or food for the rest of the night. And the Yankees lost, those bums.

 

[Paul SAK]

Sorry - this is not a survival story, but I thought you might find it interesting. I was once in a Hoffritz knife store in a mall. The lady manager, who I had become very friendly with, was very pleasant but did not know too much about the Victorinox pocket knives that also bore the name "Hoffritz". I was telling her how useful the various tools were. In spite of my praise, she thought some of the things like the saw were just a gimmick - a joke. I bet her that I could cut through a 2x4 with one in one minute. Well, she just happened to have a short 2x4 that she was using to keep a door propped open. In short, we put the 2x4 right on the end of the counter and I cut through it in 34 seconds. I believe she then became a more convincing salesperson.

The funny thing about it is that I really didn't know if I would win the bet, but my faith in the functionality of the tools was such that it seemed reasonable.