Why use a SAK?

[hardheart]

none of my saks have corkscrews. When I switched from my Vic mechanic to a PSTII, the diff in weight was quite noticeable, now I carry a new Wave and haven't pocketed an sak in a couple years. I'll even take the Wave without a one hander clipped to my pocket.

 

[Danzz]

I use neither a SAK nor a multitool. My most often used work tools (screwdrivers, needlenose pliers, mini-crowbar) go in my backpack every day. I assume that if I have the need for a screwdriver, for example, I'd rather have the actual item than a short folding bit attached to a knife. Still I can see how they might be useful.

 

[losangeles]

I use neither a SAK nor a multitool. My most often used work tools (screwdrivers, needlenose pliers, mini-crowbar) go in my backpack every day. I assume that if I have the need for a screwdriver, for example, I'd rather have the actual item than a short folding bit attached to a knife. Still I can see how they might be useful.

You carry screwdrivers, pliers and a crowbar with you every day? K, then I guess you don't need the SAK or multitool. Some of us have jobs where we can't walk around with all that stuff so something smaller just has to do.

 

[Artfully Martial]

I have a ton of SAKs, which is sort of unique for a guy that isn't a fan, I guess. I think they're fine for very specific jobs...but I always carry a benchmade when I bring it....but I do use my Cybertool pretty often, less so than I did in the old days I guess since I now pretend not to know much about computers. I carried it for sheeple friendliness and especially for the great screwdriver. I was going to switch to a Spyderench half a year ago until I realized they were going for 110 usd used on ebay, and I don't want it that bad. But I realllllly want one. I just want one 70 dollars bad.

 

[AA89GTA]

I carry a Vic Compact because it is...ummm...compact. I have no need for pliers in my day to day activities...the scissors on the Compact are much more useful for me. I also like the sheeple friendly knife...some situations I just don't want to create any kind of scene by opening my BM AFCK. The tweezers, toothpick, corkscrew, straight pin and hook don't get used much, but it is nice to have the blade, scissors, bottle opener, ballpoint pen, and eyeglass screwdriver handy in such a small package. This knife gives me the most bang for the size. I already carry too much stuff, so it fits perfect in my already heavy pockets.

--AaronA

 

[freddy1]

during camping time, i carry a SAK because I found the can opener much more usefull than the one in the leatherman.
Also, I do not use that much the plier, if i consider how heavy it is in the pocket...

I always thought that SAK were nice but the blade a bit too small..
I just baught the SAK "trailmaster", and now it's closed to perfection !

 

[Perfectionist]

Perfect Combo .....

LM - Charge Ti - on Belt
+
Vic - SwissCard - for Wallet
+
Vic - Mini Champ - for KeyChain
+
Vic - WorkChamp XL - for Car Glovebox
+
Vic - SwissTool CS - for Garage Workbench
+
LM - Crunch - for Garage Toolbox
+
Vic - SwissChamp XLT - for Office Desk Drawer
+
LM - Squirt S4 - for Wife
+
LM - Juice XE6 - for Son

 

[allenC]

I think it's just a matter of "weight justification"....I very seldom need pliers, or even screwdrivers.
So I really can't justifiy carrying around a 6+ once multi-tool that I might use only once every two or three days.
In fact, it's really hard to justify carrying even a large Swiss Army knife.

I do find the Victorinox scissors to very handy.

Allen.

 

[USAFSP]

how do you open a bottle of wine with your leatherman charge?

When you drink Mad Dog 20/20 you don't need a knife to open it. LOL Seriously a Swiss Army knife is a cool little tool. I think they will always have a place in our hearts.

 

[UnknownVT]

shane wrote: "Why would someone use a swiss army knife over a multi tool?"

Very simple (for me).

A SAK is a KNIFE with useful (other) tools in the handle.

A multitool is a pair of PLIERs with useful tools in the handles.

I have always been a "Knife" person
and not a pliers person

It never occured to me to carry a pair of pliers......
until the very clever Leatherman - after a brief infatuation -
I continued to carry a SAK
and the multitools only get carried on my person when I know I am going to need a pair of pliers -
which goes to show I don't need pliers on a daily basis - YMMV.
But I do have one in the car.....

--
Vincent
http://UnknownVT2005.cjb.net/
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net/
http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net/

 

[Daniel Moore]

Well here are the main reasons I prefer Victorinox over Leatherman/multitools:

Leatherman multitools are not ergonomic and it is much harder to use the blade. I don't need pliers, I need a knife.

Leatherman tools have a lot of design oversights, like tool clumping, and it's a PITA to have to open the knife to get a screwdriver bit etc. and then close it to use it.

Leatherman tools rust easily, and I like my multitools to be able to stand up to both usage and the elements.

Victorinox knives have better blade geometry, a more practical finish (less friction), and are built a lot more ruggedly than my Wave (and other plier tools in my experience), which feels flimsy, uncomfortable, and cheap, which it shouldn't, considering it costs 2-3 times more than most SAKs.

So if you need pliers...get a SAK and a pair of pliers. Just my opinion, but I find Leatherman's to be impractical compared to SAK's.

As far as one-handers go, I just don't like carrying them anymore. It seems like I never need a huge locking blade, but I usually need a screwdriver, scissors, smaller blade and so on.

 

[Don Luis]

Before the times of Leathermans I used to carry slipjoint pliers along with my SAK, now I carry a Leatherman along with my SAK, I also carry another knife (Schrade stockman)and a separate bastard file (I used to wear down the files in SAKs very fast).

What you EDC has to do with what you do every day, don't you often have to hold a nut with a plier while you turn the screw on the other side, therefore needing two separate tools ???.

Luis

 

[Daniel Moore]

What you EDC has to do with what you do every day, don't you often have to hold a nut with a plier while you turn the screw on the other side, therefore needing two separate tools ???.

No. No I don't.

 

[klattman]

Well here are the main reasons I prefer Victorinox over Leatherman/multitools:

Leatherman multitools are not ergonomic and it is much harder to use the blade. I don't need pliers, I need a knife.

Leatherman tools have a lot of design oversights, like tool clumping, and it's a PITA to have to open the knife to get a screwdriver bit etc. and then close it to use it.

I have heard this many many times, but it's unfair...Tool clumping is a problem of the past. Most MTs now have locking implements, which is a clear advantage in some cases. I agree with you on the interior tools though, and I believe we will see improvement there (The SwissTool)

Leatherman tools rust easily, and I like my multitools to be able to stand up to both usage and the elements.

LM rust _easily_? I agree that they can rust, but NOT easily. Vics may be more rust resistant (probably due to the polished finish), but to claim the above is just incorrect. Carbon steel pocket knives rust much much more easily than LMs, but they are still fantastic knives.

Victorinox knives have better blade geometry, a more practical finish (less friction), and are built a lot more ruggedly than my Wave (and other plier tools in my experience), which feels flimsy, uncomfortable, and cheap, which it shouldn't, considering it costs 2-3 times more than most SAKs.

I agree on the ergos, but just because it 'feels' different, doesn't mean it isn't as tough or well made. As you point out, the advantage of the SAK is that it's cheaper to replace

So if you need pliers...get a SAK and a pair of pliers. Just my opinion, but I find Leatherman's to be impractical compared to SAK's.

As far as one-handers go, I just don't like carrying them anymore. It seems like I never need a huge locking blade, but I usually need a screwdriver, scissors, smaller blade and so on.

BOTH companies make extremely tough products that are of very high quality. Putting down one doesn't make the other better.

These threads always end up bashing one type of tool or the other.
Geometry and tool selection are the only real differences. You said it yourself

I don't need pliers, I need a knife.

 

[Daniel Moore]

I'm not saying they're useless, but for me they're impractical, my Wave has shown spots of rust (which is not unprecedented by any means), and I don't like their design or feel. SwissTool is a step up, but all in all I find my plier usage minimal, and it's not worth losing the ergos.

I apologize if it seems like I'm bashing multitools, it's just that this thread's title seems to imply that SAK's are useless now that multitools are out there, when really they're not very comparable.

 

[klattman]

I'm not saying they're useless, but for me they're impractical, my Wave has shown spots of rust (which is not unprecedented by any means), and I don't like their design or feel. SwissTool is a step up, but all in all I find my plier usage minimal, and it's not worth losing the ergos.

I apologize if it seems like I'm bashing multitools, it's just that this thread's title seems to imply that SAK's are useless now that multitools are out there, when really they're not very comparable.

Do the spots of rust affect the function at all? Are they due to neglect? That's almost always the case, I never get rust on any of my tools, but I keep them clean and oiled. Many people are afraid of a little rust.

It all comes down to:

1. You need a pliers (or more importantly sometimes, a wire cutter): Then your best option is a newer MT (any of the top brands are very good, depending on what features you need/want). A SAK and a pliers is okay, but MT pliers fold more compact, and it's only one item if you want to go light. Plus the blades on the newer tools are improving, and you can deal with the cumbersome handles if you have to stick to one item.

2. You have no need for pliers/wirecutters:
Then a SAK is clearly your best option. Why carry extra weight/size when you don't have to?

3. You never know what you might need -- Or you need to use two drivers or drivers and pliers at once:
Then you carry both, or carry a SAK and stash MTs in your car/desk/house etc. Or you form a combo, like the LM Crunch and SAK Cybertool 41 (This combo covers more than any other I have tried, with with the least amount of overlap).

4. You never need any tools, just a knife.
Well, then you have way too many choices, so to make it easy, just carry a SAK anyway

I'm #3

 

[Daniel Moore]

Do the spots of rust affect the function at all? Are they due to neglect? That's almost always the case, I never get rust on any of my tools, but I keep them clean and oiled. Many people are afraid of a little rust.

No neglect at all. At the time, I didn't have any SAK's with the tools I wanted, so I was carrying the old style LM Wave that I got NIB as a gift. I cared for it like I would any EDC: kept it dry, cleaned it with soap and water every week, blew it out with compressed air, blowdried it, and lubricated it (with either TriFlo or Militec1). It got a few rust spots on the main blade (especially in that little indented block that's on the tang) which had to be sanded/wire brushed off. No, it did not affect the function, but eventually it could have been problematic and I do not want to carry a tool that I'm not happy with, and a tool that rusts just from being carried around under normal circumstances that was carried in but not stored in its leather sheath makes me not happy Then I got another Explorer, and I realized how much more it suited what I wanted.

I'm #2 on the list by the way, and my ideal SAK would probably be the Yeoman (large blade, combo tool, scissors, magnifying glass, 90/180 phillips driver, pen, pin, toothpick, tweezers, mini screwdriver, corkscrew, hook with nail file, keyring). A lot of function out of a little knife

 

[klattman]

Wow, I carried my old wave for 4 years. I kept it in the sheath and only really cleaned it when it was dirty (I take better care of my stuff now). Never any rust.

Environment may be a factor, I suppose. Most MT rust I have seen is the superficial, easy fix type (Which is what yours was). The only one that was bad was a supertool that had been neglected for years, and I probably could have fixed it if it was mine.

Yeah, I cannot decide which anyway, my EDC is a SAK Huntsman Lite, and a Spirit (It's the newest )

 

[underaged!]

They're smaller. I'll always have mine on me, but I won't always have my Charge.

 

[Daniel Moore]

I must say, my favorite feature of my Wave is the saw, file, serrated, and plain blades. I don't need them as an EDC, but it's nice to have all of those things in my room.