Which SAK should I get?

mnblade said:
Tell us a bit about yourself. What do you wear day in and day out? Jeans or slacks? Are you a 25-year-old moose hunting guide in Montana, or a 65-year-old history professor in a college town? Etc.

-- Mark


PS: With that said, just get an 84mm Tourist and add the little screwdriver that fits into the corkscrew. :)

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Thank you everybody for the great responses! You guys are really helpful!
Sorry I didn't put more info about me in the op. I am 18 and headed off to college this fall. I work at a small engine repair shop during the summer. I run errands and do odd jobs around the shop. I do a lot of out door activities like shooting, hunting, bike riding, golfing, etc. I like to make things and fix things (like making knives and fixing bikes etc.) I have too many hobbies to list lol. I'm kind of the handyman around our house. I have a camo huntsman that I use when I'm in the woods. So I think my new SAK will be used mostly in an urban environment, while I am at college. I've never lived in the city before so I'm not sure what tools I'll need most. I'm fairly big and tall and usually wear pretty loose pants, so I don't mind having a slightly larger knife.
Hopefully this info will help :)
 
Da Thurmanator said:
I am 18 and headed off to college this fall. I work at a small engine repair shop during the summer. I run errands and do odd jobs around the shop. I do a lot of out door activities like shooting, hunting, bike riding, golfing, etc. I like to make things and fix things (like making knives and fixing bikes etc.) I have too many hobbies to list lol. I'm kind of the handyman around our house.
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If you don't mind the bulk, check out the Deluxe Tinker. Large blade, small blade, screwdriver, cap lifter with screwdriver and wire stripper, reamer, key ring, tweezers, toothpick, scissors, hook and pliers.

Or you could go (gradually) smaller with the Super Tinker, or Tinker.

-- Mark
 
Unless you want to be a scofflaw - which I strongly encourage you to do in this circumstance - you may wish to check your campus regs as they relate to sharp things. Nothing worse than being placed on double secret probation your very first semester. Trust me on this one.
 
When you start to carry tools and such I found that I loaded up with lots of cool things and then over years of playing around with different configurations a primary goal became "most bang for the size". I carried large SAKs, I carried Leathermans, I carried individual items that were all found in the Midnight Manager SAK. I like a better pen, I like a better light, I like a larger knife...but carrying all that stuff on me was getting annoying. And in the end found that I didn't need to carry every day a 3" dedicated blade, pliers, saw, and all those other things. Don't get me wrong, those are nice to have in the 1.5% of the time you need them in an urban environment. So maybe you think light and very functional for Urban and something more robust for your weekend/employment needs. That is all I got. :) Either way, it is a fun predicament to decide on your EDC items. And there is always a marketplace here to sell what you thought you needed, but found was not working for you.
 
powernoodle said:
Unless you want to be a scofflaw - which I strongly encourage you to do in this circumstance - you may wish to check your campus regs as they relate to sharp things. Nothing worse than being placed on double secret probation your very first semester. Trust me on this one.
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Yeah, good to consider. That is why a small SAK would be your best bet if the rules/regs for "weapons" includes any kind of knife. May even want a TSA safe tool.
 
powernoodle said:
Unless you want to be a scofflaw - which I strongly encourage you to do in this circumstance - you may wish to check your campus regs as they relate to sharp things. Nothing worse than being placed on double secret probation your very first semester. Trust me on this one.
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Good point, I already checked and I can't have a knife on campus :( I'm planning on just having it for when I'm not on campus. I'll be living off campus too. Having a TSA safe tool is a good idea.
 
I'd look for metal detectors after you walk around a bit. I can't imagine not carrying a knife on campus regardless of campus rules. We're not talking grade school here. All of you are adults. Officially speaking... never carry a knife on campus if they forbid it. How do they define "knife"?
 
+1 on the Leatherman PS4. IIRC, the pliers are the same size as the SAK pliers but the teeth are little sharper and precise in a much smaller package with scissors to boot. Otherwise, a Small Tinker or Tourist is just as capable as the larger ones but hardly noticeable in your pocket.
 
By any chance were you a Boy Scout? I ask because you can get the Tinker and Mechanic (has pliers!) and several other models with the Boy Scout shield on the handle. In my experience spending far too many years on college campuses, I've found that if someone raises an eyebrow about your knife it's easy to say "It's just a Boy Scout knife..." and that seems to alleviate people's concerns and/or take the wind out of their sails. Now you could get one even if you weren't a Scout, but you wouldn't want to get hung up with being dishonest. Especially if people ask about merit badges or whatever.

That said, I vote for the Tinker or the Climber, since I have no experience with SAK pliers. Scissors, though, like on the climber or the smaller models are really handy.
 
waltmc said:
By any chance were you a Boy Scout? I ask because you can get the Tinker and Mechanic (has pliers!) and several other models with the Boy Scout shield on the handle. In my experience spending far too many years on college campuses, I've found that if someone raises an eyebrow about your knife it's easy to say "It's just a Boy Scout knife..." and that seems to alleviate people's concerns and/or take the wind out of their sails. Now you could get one even if you weren't a Scout, but you wouldn't want to get hung up with being dishonest. Especially if people ask about merit badges or whatever.

That said, I vote for the Tinker or the Climber, since I have no experience with SAK pliers. Scissors, though, like on the climber or the smaller models are really handy.
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Nope, I wasn't a Boy Scout. It's too bad because that is a good idea!
 
I think I'm leaning towards the regular Tinker or the Mechanic. Both just have the tools that like. I like how thin the Tinker is but I like the pliers on the mechanic. So I guess my last question would be how often do you guys wish that you had pliers on you? I like them but I'm not sure if I would use them enough to justify the extra thickness.
 
Da Thurmanator said:
I think I'm leaning towards the regular Tinker or the Mechanic. Both just have the tools that like. I like how thin the Tinker is but I like the pliers on the mechanic. So I guess my last question would be how often do you guys wish that you had pliers on you? I like them but I'm not sure if I would use them enough to justify the extra thickness.
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I like and use pliers often, I carried the small learherman squirt P4 at work, now on my keys with quick release, a lot of utility & helped me out in a pinch often & helped me not to have to crawl out of a space to get a certain tool, but I also like a small pair of vice grips, tons of uses, can use with all sorts of bits/chucks in tight places that drills can't fit, extra hand, keep a door open the closes automatic, use when soldiering, if you are in a tight place and can only get one arm in, but need to hold something the grips can be your other hand, unlimited uses. So maybe get the tinker and grab a pair of small vice grips, you will,get more utility out of two separate tools, ie. holding a nut with grips & tightening a bolt with the screwdriver on the SAK.

Pete
 
BigBill5953 said:
Classic/Rambler on the keychain and Cadet in the pocket.
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Great minds think alike it is what I was going to recommend. I actually own the Rally and have EDC it for around 7 years now, I think it's about time I retire it as I broke the plastic side to it which held the toothpick (which I lost) and replace it with the Rambler so I can finally retire the Leatherman Micra it's paired up with for those rare occasions a pair of scissors are more appropriate than a blade.

Was going to recommend the Cadet as well as I think it make a great EDC.
 
Stich2442 said:
I like and use pliers often, I carried the small learherman squirt P4 at work, now on my keys with quick release, a lot of utility & helped me out in a pinch often & helped me not to have to crawl out of a space to get a certain tool, but I also like a small pair of vice grips, tons of uses, can use with all sorts of bits/chucks in tight places that drills can't fit, extra hand, keep a door open the closes automatic, use when soldiering, if you are in a tight place and can only get one arm in, but need to hold something the grips can be your other hand, unlimited uses. So maybe get the tinker and grab a pair of small vice grips, you will,get more utility out of two separate tools, ie. holding a nut with grips & tightening a bolt with the screwdriver on the SAK.

Pete
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I like the idea of just having two tools. I can get the Tinker and a leatherman sidekick for only 5 bucks more than just the mechanic. What do you guys think about that combo?
 
22-rimfire said:
I'd look for metal detectors after you walk around a bit. I can't imagine not carrying a knife on campus regardless of campus rules. We're not talking grade school here. All of you are adults. Officially speaking... never carry a knife on campus if they forbid it.

How do they define "knife"?
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That's actually an important question, and so is knowing who/how to ask about it. Maybe a call just confirming that the swiss army knife on your keychain is still ok, since you'll be moving to a new area. Better than a call asking for a blanket policy on knives or asking what specifically you are allowed to have, just figure out what they'll say yes to and then ask in a way that isn't going to get you a rigid answer. You don't want them to say 'no knives', or 'no weapons', because you're asking about a multitool they'll probably never be concerned about. Honestly, given the sheer volume of shitty intimidation weapons advertised everywhere online, it's not surprising that a school with on-campus housing available would write their policies in a way that avoids giving people excuses.

I bet they don't want their RAs telling people what 'weapons' are ok, so they have a no weapons policy, but most of the time a non-locking multitool you carry or wear without making a big deal about it doesn't fit anyone's definition of weapon.
 
Depending how seriously is the campus reg being enforced and how much you'd like to follow them, if you really intend to EDC a SAK, it might be wise to hold on that decision for a bit and observe for a month or two. The boy scout logo is indeed a good tip.

But if EDC a SAK is ok, I'd recommend something that is a little low profile on-campus, so it will not raise too many eye-brows. A sliver alox farmer carried in pocket might be a suitable choice, since it is thin and strong; and if one day you have decided to move onto another model, the sliver alox would still serve you well as a backup knife to your fixed blade in wilderness.
 
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