Why SAK as a survival tool?

The funny thing about the SAK is that i have read that they use a 420 SS.
No im not putting the SAK down just pointing that as long as you use the knife properly it would work great...

sasha
 
sasha said:
The funny thing about the SAK is that i have read that they use a 420 SS.
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I've heard that as well, the only thing is that debate is soo open ended its hard to say what they use, what ever it is, it works well and has proven its self :thumbup:
 
I'll tell you my reason I carry mine everyday. I get hangnails all the time! That little scissor works so well I really tip my hat to those Swiss engineers! I work in tool & die and constantly get metal slivers. There's the reason for the tweezers.
They are an excellent design also. My favorite beer (Samuel Adams) doesn't have a twist cap and so the bottle opener is a favorite also.
For everyday use, I don't think you can beat it unless you are lost in the wilderness in Alaska.

Like most people here, I have many knives and I suit my carry to what I'm going to be doing. SAK's are simple and effective and many people wouldn't see them as threatening either. I always have a knife on me and I feel comfortable with a SAK for everything in between work to church. If I am going to be walking in the woods in a state park, my SAK will be in my pocket, but also a good fixed blade also on my belt.
 
i don't generally leave the house without a SAK

i sure as hell ain't going into the woods without one

if nothing else, it's a secondary knife to the main one

with the screwdriver and can opener you can take a lot of load off of your main blade that might dull or break it
 
I've read that they use a proprietary SS consisting of .52%C, .45Mn, .6%Si, 15%Cr and .5%Mo. They vary the heat treat based on the specific tool in the SAK, but they use the same SS alloy throughout. Just what I read on the internet, who knows.
 
SAK's are relatively inexepnsive, sold all over, and they are just plain handy. Multi-tools are just an extension of the SAK, but are heavier and more expensive, although the Leatherman Micra fits in with the SAK's somewhere.

SAK's aren't the best knife , but they are a good compromise. You can repair your clothing and gear, clean small game, cut line, saw shelter and fire materials, use it for grooming, etc. Not bad for a tool that fits comfortably in your pocket and costs about $30. Team one up with a 4"-5" knife and a folding saw or hatchet and your can take on the world :)
 
I much prefer a plier based multi over the SAK - more efficient desgn. The main thing about SAK's is that they are universally recognized and non-threatening. They are cheaper, and often good enough, and can be easy to carry. There is also something special, and more traditional about them.
 
I agree With Will in that I generally prefer a Plier based Multi Tool (leatherman Wave) for most applications.

But a SAK does still have a warm place in my heart, as I have carried them since Cub Scouts, and still keep one(adventurer) in my camp box for car camping, I also Keep a Sak Fireman, and an origional Leatherman in my SAR ready bag.

I love Multi function, knives/tools as they simply give you far more options, and allow you to do things more efficiently and safer than you could with a knife alone.
 
My Vic Mechanic goes with me everywhere. At work it gets a good bit of use. Around the house, constantly using the screwdrivers and pliers. In the woods, its in my pocket in case my gun malfunctions and I need it.
 
I just don't have much need for pliers or a screwdriver when I'm out in the timber. However, I have found I do need:

A sharp blade
A saw
A can opener
A bottle opener
an awl
Tweezers
Scissors
 
I just don't have much need for pliers or a screwdriver when I'm out in the timber
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Well, off the top of my head and in the last two weeks while in the field teaching my daughter some things, I've used pliers to:
1. strip the copper wire from the sheath from electrical wire
2. then using the pliers to twist the wire into a snare
3. remove some cacti needles that were in the way (and I would have used them again had I desired to remove some fruit from the cacti)
4. pickup small objects

I used the screwdriver (I know a SAK often has one) to
1. remove the lens out of an old junk bino (firestarter)
2. remove some batteries from an unneeded item and make a spark

I can think of a million other reasons. In a true survival scenario, you may need to repair or commandeer a house or vehicle. Or maybe just remove useful parts of some mechanical skeleton found in the field. Lotsa uses for those multi-tools.
 
The one knife I always had in the Marines on me was my SwissChamp, purchased at Ft. AP Hill, on an excersize. I still have it. I used for everything. On my web gear I had the KaBar, but the SAK was the do all blade. I fixed stuff with it, opened MRE's, adjusted optics, used it to break down my weapons, made repairs on my track, and was constantly asked to use it from other guys who didn't have a knife. I could wear it in my cammies or my nomex.

I still carry an Explorer in my pocket every day. It's not a fighter by any means, but a tool that you can make a weapon with.:D
 
The SAK probably has the longest history of being referred to as "survival" or "multipurose" tool/knife. They are a good standard and view less threatening than other knives. Personally, I make them a part of smaller kits and always carry one when outdoors. My top favorites are the Huntsman, Farmer/Electrician Alox, Rucksack, Trekker and a few of the other locking-blade versions.

I prefer the SAK saws, really like their awl and scissors. Plus, Victorinox's can opener works the best for me.

Now, don't think I'm only a SAK-Snob. I almost always have my Leatherman Charge on me...love the needle nose pliers. I also always carry a locking folder, most of the times two. If I can, I will have a fixed blade on me as well. Here in Iraq, I carry:

Mad Dog PATAK fixed blade
Emerson CQC-8
Spyderco Military (fully-serrated)
Leatherman Charge
SAK Rucksak

I like redundancy:D And, I think the SAK is a great, inexpensive, versatile, quality and ubiquitous took/knife that should be in every kit and recommended for most novices.

ROCK6
 
If you like the Rucksack, try the Outrider. Scissors are nice for some detail work.
 
The Last Confederate hit the nail on the head:
The only thing that limits the uses for the blades in an SAK is the imagination of the user.
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The greatest thing about SAKs and multi-tools is their ability to create other survival equipment from scrap.

Unfortunately, trash is all to common in the lower 48 states...seldom do I find some wilderness without the telltale signs of previous visitors (trash, lost gear, broken camping items, etc...).
With a SAK or a multi-tool, and a little imagination, you can use this stuff to help yourself out in any situation.
A piece of barbed-wire or a nail can become a fishing hook...
An aluminum beer can might be turned in to some fishing lures, or a "hobo stove"...
Plastic, fiberglass, or metal pieces of junk can be fashioned in to arrowheads...
And the pliars are useful for cracking nuts and shells...
The list is never-ending.

A SAK or multi-tool is the thinking man's survival knife.
 
Ever since I started carrying the large locking SAK's in the field, I oculdn't see beiing without one. I find the saw and the awl to be the most used tools. I don't use the blade much and keep it razor sharp for an emergency cutter, I usually have two other knives on me for actual cutting anyway.
 
Hey Guys...

A SAK is just like a Mora, in that you can't have only one of them..
Get yourself a nice SAK and you'll see what the fuss is about...

My wife and I went for dinner the other day, I had a rack of ribs and Wished to god I had a SAK on me... :) Nothing on me and none in the car...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
High quality, easy to sharpen, great cutter. Plus the tools can be useful at times, its uber-lightweight and high vis. Great all around carry.

Why don't I ever carry mine??
 
Robert H. Fort A.P. Hill, spent a couple of weeks there in the early '80's. It was my pleasure to run an M72 LAW range for my fellow Quartermaster Advanced Course class members - a bunch of logistician Captains could sure shoot well!

I've carried a pocketknife since I was 5 years old. While a Captain in Germany in 1980, I noticed all the Vietnam vets carried SAKs, especially those that had been in MACV SOG. My wife gave me one for Christmas that year and I've had one on me ever since. My favorite is the Fieldmaster because I find the Phillips of more utility than the corkscrew (I don't drink). I told my wife to ensure a new Fieldmaster (already purchased and on my shelf) was placed in my pocket when they close the casket. You never know what you might need when you "move"!
 
Why carry a SAK? One little word: VERSATILITY. (Yeah, somebody already said that here.) Of course, to make good use of its capabilities you must be a tool using person to begin with. Otherwise you won't be able to consider your problem and then look at your tools and understand how to use them effectively. Get yourself a Victorinox Soldier or (even better) a Victorinox Farmer and live with it every day. After awhile you can answer your own question.
 
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