Victorinox Bantam on the way, WOOHOO!

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dogstar

Joined
Jan 23, 2011
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I currently have a Tinker and a Classic; looking forward to getting my Bantam! I like the minimalist concept... a lot rides on how well the combo tool performs its duties, especially can opening. I've read that it's not as good as the dedicated opener on most SAKs, but I hope it is serviceable.

This little guy will perform EDC duty with my pen knives, the Buck 309 and Case 32087. I tried carrying the Tinker, but it felt a little too chunky in the pocket for me. For camping, I wonder if the Bantam will replace the Tinker, which gets used for opening cans and cutting food.

It's hard to know how a knife will click until you carry it for a while. I guess that's the fun of being a knife nut!
 
I have an Alox Bantam. The combo tool works at opening cans I can assure you. The Alox version disappears in your pocket & you hardly know its there. You will get attached to the Bantam I guarantee!
 
dogstar said:
This little guy will perform EDC duty with my pen knives, the Buck 309 and Case 32087. I tried carrying the Tinker, but it felt a little too chunky in the pocket for me. For camping, I wonder if the Bantam will replace the Tinker, which gets used for opening cans and cutting food.
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Hey bud, you're gonna love the bantam. It's one of my favorite SAK's, aside form my clasic of course. The combo tool is one of Victorinox's greatest strokes of pure genius. It effectively does away with one whole layer of a pocket knife, while not giving away much in the way of utility. If you can find an alox bantam to fool around with, they really do disapear in a pocket. The downside is, they can be hard to get a decent grip on. The cellidor or eco nylon handles give more grip, plus you don't loose the tweezers.

As a die hard minimalist myself, I find the bantam size SAK to be a great edc for urban and suburban use. I put it in the same class as the Buck 309. A darn fine little pocket knife. Mine does duty now and then with my Case peanut. For 98% of what one really needs in a day to day life in the great suburbia wilderness, I find the bantam teamed up with a classic is a great combo. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Carl.
 
I keep threatening to buy myself a Waiter: sort of my ideal minimalist SAK. I like having the corkscrew/tiny screwdriver, plus, it's a wee bit thicker than the Bantam, thus easier to get a comfy grip on. But for now, I'll have to "make due" lugging around my 84mm Tourist.
 
The alox will disappear in your pocket, yes, but it will disappear OUT of it as well. Lost two of those suckers. Goes to show how much I like the model because I perchased a third!
 
Armadew said:
The alox will disappear in your pocket, yes, but it will disappear OUT of it as well. Lost two of those suckers. Goes to show how much I like the model because I perchased a third!
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Mine has slipped out of my pocket several times. It's a wonder that I have not lost it to date. But I also don't carry it very often because I fear to lose it. I wish it had a lanyard ring on it!
 
I love my Bantam Alox. Its my "dress" knife. I have used it to open a can and its not the greatest but it gets the job done. It opens bottles very well, which is more important to me although my Atwood Prybaby gets more of a bottle opener workout at functions.

Also, the blade is nice and sharp for light work but I've never used it for more than cutting string or thread and opening letters.

Its a handy nice looking knife and its very inexpensive. Almost perfect for a "Gent's knife"
 
Yep..its slipped out of my pocket several times while sitting on a couch as well!!! I dont think its made for heavy duty cutting as its more of a Gents knife IMO
 
I don't know about heavy or light duty. If I actually ever break a knife, that means I have reason to buy another one!
 
Shann said:
I love my Bantam Alox. Its my "dress" knife. I have used it to open a can and its not the greatest but it gets the job done. It opens bottles very well, which is more important to me although my Atwood Prybaby gets more of a bottle opener workout at functions.

Also, the blade is nice and sharp for light work but I've never used it for more than cutting string or thread and opening letters.

Its a handy nice looking knife and its very inexpensive. Almost perfect for a "Gent's knife"
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Wait wait wait wait wait....you can open cans with that tool too?!?! How did I not know this?! Well, I am going to have to grab myself a SAK with this tool one of these days.
 
DeadFall27 said:
Wait wait wait wait wait....you can open cans with that tool too?!?! How did I not know this?! Well, I am going to have to grab myself a SAK with this tool one of these days.
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You did not know this because the combo tool is deceptively simple... the hallmark of good design.
 
Without a doubt, one of the best SAKs. And at about $13, very nearly disposable (not that I'd intentionally lose one, of course, but they're easily replaceable if you do manage to lose one).
 
I just saw a photo of how thin the Alox Bantam is... it's almost a Douk Douk or k55k. I'm happy I went with the cellidor handles.
 
dogstar said:
I just saw a photo of how thin the Alox Bantam is... it's almost a Douk Douk or k55k. I'm happy I went with the cellidor handles.
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Good choice. The alox bantam is nice to carry, but sometimes a pain to use. I found it too flat. The tiny bit more bulk from the cellidor or nylon eco scales are not really noticeable in real world carry, but offer lots more user comfort. I don't think there is more than a small fraction of an ounce difference in weight. Plus, they did away with the keyring on the later alox bantams, and that made it a deal breaker for me. All SAK's should have a keyring for a lanyard attachment. I think it's an unwritten law somewhere.

Carl.
 
Own both the red and Alox versions. I agree with Carl about the genius of the combo tool. That tool alone caused me to purchase the Bantams, the GAK, and the Compact. And I just used the GAK's saw/combo tool to open a can of green chile today, worked perfectly.
 
As jacknife said, for actual use, the cellidor or nylon scales are best. The alox version is so skinny that it can be painful and hard to control if you do much cutting with it. However, it's great to carry when you don't expect to use it but feel incomplete without a SAK in your pocket. When wearing Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes, I have it in a back pocket. It is undetectable, and you can't even feel that it's there.
 
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