Swiss Army Knives roll call.

[GMT2330]

Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it I guess.
Not many parcels are tied with string nowadays so the parcel hook will have to find another use!

Edited to add: I used the can opener on my Spartan for the first time this year. It's very effective and well designed. Plus you get that warm glow of helping your family out/being useful. (Holiday home without a can opener).

 

[kilogulf59]

Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it I guess.
Not many parcels are tied with string nowadays so the parcel hook will have to find another use!

You could get carried away using that theory 😁.

 

[ghostguy6]

Does anyone use the saw on a SAK? Or is it a tool that's just nice to have?

I use the saws on my 111mm models quite a bit during hunting seasons to make quick blinds in the field. I also use it to make walking sticks a lot.

Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it I guess.
Not many parcels are tied with string nowadays so the parcel hook will have to find another use!

Edited to add: I used the can opener on my Spartan for the first time this year. It's very effective and well designed. Plus you get that warm glow of helping your family out/being useful (holiday home without a can opener).

Apparently parcels are still wrapped with string quite a bit in Europe so the parcel hook is a regional thing.

I love the Victorinox can openers so much I reused a old one as my dedicated kitchen can opener.

I decided to make my own full tang SAK style can opener for the kitchen as I am sick of the store bought can openers braking every few years. I think this may be the very first full tang SAK style can opener in existence. It was not easy to weld without wrecking the temper but I think I managed as it works and there was no damage to the blade. The tang was made from salvaged 440C. The liners are aluminum and the scales were 3D printed with PETG. Hidden brass pins and a copper through hole for some para-cord I will add later

 

[GMT2330]

That's awesome. I never had can opener envy before 🤣
It looks like an actual Victorinox product.

 

[kilogulf59]

@ghostguy6 that's basically what I use my saw for, that and clearing small branches out of my field of fire. The parcel hook is a relatively new addition, added in the 90s, IIRC. So, yeah, the Euros must still string. The can opener is pretty nice. I used to use P-38 and the larger P-51s also. Then we got one of these about eight years ago and never looked back. Easy to use and clean and it's very fast as well.

 

[ghostguy6]

Every can opener I have bought over the last 25 years or so has broken except the Victorinox version. People were giving me a hard time about it at the hunting camp so I raced them. A total of 5 people, 1 can of beans each and their own can openers from their trailers and me with my lowly swiss army knife. I ended up winning by a few seconds. The way I see it is there are less moving parts to fail, no gears to strip and your not as dependant of your grip strength when you use the Victorinox version.

[H4]GMT2330[/H4], the blade is an actual repurposed Victorinox can opener. The screwdriver tip was bent and replaced under warranty. It was a pain to weld without wrecking the temper. If I make another one I would not include the aluminum liners as they are too thick and I had to sand away some of the plastic scale to get the can opener to function correctly.

 

[Monocrom]

Knife has a few more functions than a regular Camper .
Hmmm , not sure how or why . But looks like a Hunter with Campers clothing .

A bo bo from the factory ? Or did some one change scales after ?

Guessing it's the latter. Perhaps the knife was dropped. One of the scales took the brunt of it, and cracked. Previous owner decided on pragmatism over ordering new scales. Likely had a Camper laying around he never used. Pop off one scale, replace cracked one, done!

 

[Monocrom]

Does anyone use the saw on a SAK? Or is it a tool that's just nice to have?

I've used it. It's far more than just a nice to have feature. One time, older co-worker found a broken broom handle in the garbage bin. Salvaged it. Both ends, split nearly in half. Looked like something useful for staking a vampire. We had a dust-bin scooper in the backroom. No handle though. I used the Rem-grit saw on my Gerber MP600 Bladeless multi-tool to cut off the excess wood on one piece of the broom handle. Made the top nice and flat. Co-worker then screwed the bottom into the scooper. Now, we have a functional scooper. Yes, the handle is quite short. But so is my older co-worker. Perfect size for him.

While cutting the splintered spike off of that handle, oh how I wished I had one of my SAKs with the saw feature. Could have gotten the job done in a few seconds, rather than the few minutes that it took.

 

[wayben]

Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it I guess.

This is why I have several Swiss Champs in various places.

 

[kilogulf59]

Note also that the scale logo is "CampING" with a tent symbol, the "CampER" is a model name of a SAK.

 

[old4570]

Hmmm , I know there is a small group of people out there that LEGO their SAK's ..

I need to youtube some of the LEGO tutorials to see how difficult it might be .

 

[kilogulf59]

LEGO their SAKs? I don't know what that is. I'll look into it. Me, I use mine. It's a tool and now, after all these years, it's a trusted companion. It also has sentimental value as my friend got it for me while he was working in Europe. I needed toe screwdriver blade replaced. When Victorinox did it for me, they offered new scales. I declined wanting to keep the knife as original as possible.

 

[Monocrom]

That's when you switch up a bunch of tools from other SAK's to create custom ones. Or, to create discontinued models. For example, getting hosts, taking the individual tools off of them, to make a SAK Scientist. Though it does take some skill to pull off.

 

[kilogulf59]

Thank you, @Monocrom. It amazes me what grown men will get into.

 

[old4570]

 

[kilogulf59]

Hey, thanks for finding this @old4570.

 

[ghostguy6]

Lego'ing a SAK is actually pretty easy once you get some basic tools. When you disassemble them pay attention to what tools go with which springs. So far the only thing I have found to be absolutely critical is the can opener must be next to a scale ( usually the left side for right handed people) or it will not function correctly. If your off by one layer it can damage the scales. You can even add blades from Spyderco knives.

The hardest part I find is if you choose to make your own pins. When I start peening one end I usually bend the pin.

 

[Unicorn]

I only have a couple anymore. A Fieldmaster is part of my not at work daily carry, and there's an old Swisschamp in the center console of my car. There are a few more floating around my house and my wife has a Camper someplace. I was thinking about the Ranger for the file and another screwdriver but it's starting to get overly thick.