I've been backsliding.
I used to carry a regular size sak edc on a pretty regular basis. My old Wenger SI has traveled with me in Germany, al over the U.S., and my old bantam was a regular for many years. But of late, like in the last year, my only sak carry has been my old beloved 58mm classic. All I can do is blame it on my peanut.
Almost a year ago, I was gifted a Case damascus bladed peanut. I'd never had a damascus blade before, and I love Case peanut's, so it was inevitable it became my edc pocket knife. My impressions of the damscus was that it was weird stuff. It held a great edge, cut like the dickens, and was not too hard to re-sharpen. Harder than a sak, and different. Felt different on the hone. But the weird thing was even after the razor edge gone, it kept cutting just fine. It had a weird toothy edge that worked even less than optimal sharp.
So how did this affect my sak use?
I stopped carrying my regular size sak because it got bumped right out of use by the damascus peanut. But I still worried over the occasional can that didn't have a pull tab, or loose screw I'd be running into. It was then I reverted to my old army days, and maybe the worlds smallest multi-tool.
The U.S. army issue P-38 can opener. I'd carried mine all through the 60's, the 70's, and well into the 80's were I dabbled with the red handled Swiss wonder. I took it off my keychain, and it went into the zipper part of my wallet. There it stayed until last year, semi forgotten. Then I stopped carrying a full size ask for the obsession with a damascus peanut. Over the past year, I've went back to my days as a young GI that used a P-38 for everything. Screw driver, scraper, small pry tool, awl, and even a can opener now and then. I'd forgotten how useful the tiny thing was. Back in my days in the army, we all had one on our dog tag chain, and being young GI's, we used them for all manor of makeshift tool.
Since the P-38 was brought out in 1942, well before the Leatherman and Gerber multi-tools, I wonder if it could be considered the first, or smallest multi-tool? Someplace I saw a list of 101 things to do with a P-38, and I think I've done most of them. I've sharpened up the inside of the can opener blade a bit, and it cuts string and twine well. Openes boxes. Pries open Flying Dutchman or other imported tobacco tins.
I hate to admit this, but the only sak I've carried in the past year has been my trusty 58mm classic. It's like I've back slid to a point were if I need a screw driver for flat or phillips, I use the P-38. If I need a can opener, I use the P-38. If I have to remove staples from a box or papers, I use the P-38. It takes the place of an entire layer of a tinker for me.
I feel like I've been bad, bordering on treason for mostly deserting the rans of sakdom. This little gray patines 1942 device has lured me away from most saks and now only the 58's hold a use for me. I will still carry my TSA classics to hand out to non knife people, like a Giddeons bible of knifedom.
So I wonder, can the P-38 be considered the worlds smallest multitool?
I used to carry a regular size sak edc on a pretty regular basis. My old Wenger SI has traveled with me in Germany, al over the U.S., and my old bantam was a regular for many years. But of late, like in the last year, my only sak carry has been my old beloved 58mm classic. All I can do is blame it on my peanut.
Almost a year ago, I was gifted a Case damascus bladed peanut. I'd never had a damascus blade before, and I love Case peanut's, so it was inevitable it became my edc pocket knife. My impressions of the damscus was that it was weird stuff. It held a great edge, cut like the dickens, and was not too hard to re-sharpen. Harder than a sak, and different. Felt different on the hone. But the weird thing was even after the razor edge gone, it kept cutting just fine. It had a weird toothy edge that worked even less than optimal sharp.
So how did this affect my sak use?
I stopped carrying my regular size sak because it got bumped right out of use by the damascus peanut. But I still worried over the occasional can that didn't have a pull tab, or loose screw I'd be running into. It was then I reverted to my old army days, and maybe the worlds smallest multi-tool.
The U.S. army issue P-38 can opener. I'd carried mine all through the 60's, the 70's, and well into the 80's were I dabbled with the red handled Swiss wonder. I took it off my keychain, and it went into the zipper part of my wallet. There it stayed until last year, semi forgotten. Then I stopped carrying a full size ask for the obsession with a damascus peanut. Over the past year, I've went back to my days as a young GI that used a P-38 for everything. Screw driver, scraper, small pry tool, awl, and even a can opener now and then. I'd forgotten how useful the tiny thing was. Back in my days in the army, we all had one on our dog tag chain, and being young GI's, we used them for all manor of makeshift tool.
Since the P-38 was brought out in 1942, well before the Leatherman and Gerber multi-tools, I wonder if it could be considered the first, or smallest multi-tool? Someplace I saw a list of 101 things to do with a P-38, and I think I've done most of them. I've sharpened up the inside of the can opener blade a bit, and it cuts string and twine well. Openes boxes. Pries open Flying Dutchman or other imported tobacco tins.
I hate to admit this, but the only sak I've carried in the past year has been my trusty 58mm classic. It's like I've back slid to a point were if I need a screw driver for flat or phillips, I use the P-38. If I need a can opener, I use the P-38. If I have to remove staples from a box or papers, I use the P-38. It takes the place of an entire layer of a tinker for me.
I feel like I've been bad, bordering on treason for mostly deserting the rans of sakdom. This little gray patines 1942 device has lured me away from most saks and now only the 58's hold a use for me. I will still carry my TSA classics to hand out to non knife people, like a Giddeons bible of knifedom.
So I wonder, can the P-38 be considered the worlds smallest multitool?
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