Vic OH Trekker ???

E

Eyegor

Joined
Feb 22, 2006
Messages
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I have been tempted for a while now to replace my Vic Rucksack with a new Trekker with the thumb hole for EDC carry. My main goal is change to a one-handed lockblade while maintaining the SAK versatility. My only concern with this change is the serrated main blade. Does this make a difference for general utility use? What about camp kitchen type chores? Ideally I would prefer a combo blade like my BM but no SAK with a combo.:(
 
My humble opinion is that serrations are too specialized for most tasks. They are great at ripping through tough material, but are not suited for whittling, maybe food prep, skinning (for all the hunter/trapper types), and anything else that require clean cuts. They are more difficult to sharpen, but that may not be true for others good at it or who have the right sharpeners. Also, they provide a longer cutting surface - that type of design is a great appeal to gearheads like me. Sharpening is not as often, I believe for this very reason.

The points in the serrations provide the additional penetration needed for aggressive cutting. They're great if you want to cut seat belts to rescue someone, though. I also am wary of the liner lock on the OHT, I prefer the cute slide lock on the adventurer and rrucksack model.

(personal preferences only - others may provide good arguments to the contrary!)
 
If the Victorinox OHT came with a small secondary PE blade, the main SE Blade would not be that big of deal. If I only have one blade, I prefer PE.
 
I wouldn’t worry about the OHTM’s serrations, they aren’t too aggressive so they cut smooth and are easy to sharpen with a Sharpmaker or the corners of a dog bone ceramic sharpener – keep in mind that there is also an inch + of blade near the handle with a plain edge for whittling and such.




- Frank
 
The OHT's serrations are very subtle and they are on the tip half of the blade. I had plans of sharpening out the serrations on my trekker but decided against it after I used the blade for a few chores. You can pick one up at QVC.com for $22 + S&H.
 
The chisel ground blade was more upsetting than the serrations.I couldn't cut an apple neatly in half so, I filed a new blade bevel, minus serrations. I resharpened the blade and, now I am very happy with it.
Mike
 
Eyegor said:
My only concern with this change is the serrated main blade. Does this make a difference for general utility use? What about camp kitchen type chores? :(
Click to expand...

Yes, IMHO it makes the blade/knife 100% BETTER!
I have to give it a :thumbup: :thumbup:

My knife is the German Army version of the OTH & I absolutely love it. There has been nothing that it will not cut through! (so far) And the ease at which it cuts... is actually kinda scary. :eek: To me those serrations are OUTSTANDING.

Oh, I did pass those serrations over my Spyderco 204 a few times. That may have helped :rolleyes:
 
Much has been made about the serrations on the OHT. I am a huge fan of the OHT, and I have learned to really enjoy the knife (and serrations!). :)

Andy
 
I agree, Mr. Trooper. You can't go wrong with the OHT. The only thing that it misses is a clip. I don't have any need for a clip on my OHT, but a good many OHT faithful have either 1) seriously considered adding a clip to their OHT, or 2) went ahead and added a clip to their OHT.

Adding a clip to the OHT seems to rank right up there with removing serrations.

Andy
 
That is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. I will probably pick one up. I too, am not a huge fan of liner locks, but I think I can live with it. As for clips for SAK. I have other knives for that. I think a lanyard is a more practical addition to a SAK. But that comes after dropping one off a ledge and more than one over the gunwale.:( :(
 
Eyegor said:
I too, am not a huge fan of liner locks, but I think I can live with it.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind, the OHT isn't a real Walker-style liner lock. It's really a slipjoint with an old-style "safety" liner tab.

On a Walker liner lock, a long tab on the liner wedges against the angled rear of the tang, holding the blade firmly against the stop pin. There is no backspring; the liner tab provides all the stability for the open blade.

On the OHT, like on numerous pre-Walker locking knives, the backspring holds the blade both open and closed. A tab on the liner blocks the bottom of the blade tang, but only if the tension of the backspring is overcome first.

IMHO the old-style lock may not be as mechanically strong, but is actually more secure, than a Walker-style liner lock, unless the latter is fitted just right. The angled tang of a Walker lock means that part of the force from the blade is lateral, in the unlocking direction, so that any slippage of the lock tab can result in complete lock failure. On the older style liner lock used on the OHT, the blade force is 90° from the direction the lock releases, so the only way for it to fail is if the locking tab suffers complete mechanical failure, i.e. is bent or broken off.
 
I like my OHT and I like the way they did the serrations. Instead of a pocket clip, which seems to have a knife in the way if I have other items down inside my pocket, I prefer a lanyard clipped to my belt loop and attached to the knife or a wrist strap and let it ride in the bottom of the pocket.

type1paracordkcwristlanyard.jpg


typeIparacordlanyardwithswivelclipa.jpg
 
Fool4Blades said:
Nice looking lanyard Stormdrane, did you make that?
Click to expand...

Yes, I was playing around with some Type I paracord(from the Supply Captain) that I'd had for a while and was trying to figure out some way to use it. It's a much smaller diameter(1/16") than 550 paracord, but still has about a 100lb breaking strength. The cord seemed to look better with a SAK.
 
I'm no huge fan of serrated blades, but the tiny teeth on the OHT are not a problem. As other have indicated, if they really are not for you then they can be easily gotten rid of. The SAK steel should give up the teeth without much trouble if you use a good stone.

It's a nice knife when all is considered.

:)
 
I am not a big fan of serrations or chisel ground blades either. Nontheless, I picked up an OHT yesterday on a whim. (I really was looking for the Bundeswehr version) but found a standard black one at the local Ace Hardware store. (At $27.00/How could I pass it up?)

I plan to carry it today when I go hiking, but I must admit, I am forcing myself to give this knife pocket time. I guess it was just so odd and ugly, (like my dog) that I had to give it a chance. :D
 
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