Victorinox Climber II - Safari Style

TAH

TAH

Joined
Jul 3, 2001
Messages
6,135
In 1995, my wife and I went on a photo safari with Micato Safaris. Every year, they send their past clients a Christmas gift. Anyway, this year my wife received Maasai beaded bracelets and my gift was a Victorinox Climber II! What makes this SAK special to me is the "Micato Safaris" logo on the handle. This is my first SAK with the nylon scales. What is the consensus on these scales? More durable? Less prone to scuffs?


IMG_2939.jpg
 
Hey TAH, I think there general consensus may be that nylon (what you have) are a little grippier than cellidor (the smooth, shiny plastic scales you traditionally think of), and are pretty durable. But the printing may wear quickly too. Nylon doesn't show scratches and abrasion as quickly either. So I think your scales will give years of good service, but the printed words may not fare well over time.

Consider also that you can easily replace the scales with cellidor or the clear/colored plastic scales. Traditionalists like the cellidor. I'm fine with them all, and I think they all look better with a few years of wear, scratch and dings on them to give them some character. Don't forget about the Stay-glo glow in the dark flavor.

Bladeforums thread.

Multitool.org thread.

Link.

Link.

This has nothing to do with anything, but I found it interesting: Restoring cellidor scales.

By the way, that Climber II is an awesome tool. For me it competes with the Super Tinker and Explorer Plus as the "best" full sized SAK, when functionality vs. size/layers are considered.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your comments, powernoodle. I own four cellidor models. The nylon looks more rugged and less prone to scuffs. The Climber is one of my favorite models - got to have the scissors. Thanks for letting me know about the lettering. I'll definately keep that in mind.
 
Very nice gift!

I recently picked one up for very little $ when I lost my long time companion, the Fieldmaster. I eventually found the Fieldmaster in my van, but I think the Climber has replaced it as my favorite Vic model. I don't have a lot of experience with the nylon handles, so cannot comment on the longevity of wear, etc. as powernoodle has, but I know that I like the look and feel of them better than the cellidor.
 
I actually prefer the nylon scales over the cellidor. My first SAK to have these (nylon scales) was the Victorinox Eurosport in blister pack in the early 2000s from Fry's Electronics for about $8; they were actually rebadged Climbers with nylon scales.

Bought 2 of those; lost one :(
 
I like the look and feel too. It's kind of surprising that these nylon scales are the economy line. To me, they seem like an upgrade.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top