Betty

I remember scraping up my pennies (I was in high school at the time) and slipping away from my mother in Wal-Mart for a few moments to head over the sporting goods section to buy a Victorinox Tinker.

"Be careful, little girl, or you'll cut yourself," the sales clerk said.

Lots and lots of knives later , I still enjoy my bright red Swiss Army knife. The Tinker I had is now bobbing around in mom's purse, replaced years ago by a Mechanic model. I had one of those itty-bitty keychain models, but I have no clue where the little guy went.

I've used the bottle opener on Coke bottles, I've actually opened a can of tuna or two with the can opener when my trusty Swing-a-Way is in the washer, the Phillips screwdriver has seen plenty of use, the tweezers have pulled splinters, and of course, the blades get to cut things. I love the pliers the most; it's strong and yet delicate enough to clamp onto small objects - great for fixing jewelry.

My Swiss Army knife brings back fond memories of my youth (not like that's been left very far behind me) and the time before I delved into the tactical, carbon fiber, thumb stud, coated blade phase.



So, who here has a Swiss Army knife and what model? What tool option does Swiss Army not have that maybe they should? (Yes, you can be humorous.)

The SwissChamp XXLT is the largest model and contains 72 features:
• large blade
• small blade
• corkscrew
• can opener with 3mm screwdriver
• cap lifter with 6mm screwdriver
• reamer & punch
• key ring
• tweezers
• toothpick
• scissors
• multi-purpose hook
• wood saw
• fishscaler with hook disgorger and ruler
• nail file with metal file, nail cleaner and metal saw
• 2mm screwdriver
• chisel
• pliers with wire cutters and wire crimping tool
• phillips screwdriver
• magnifying glass
• ballpoint pen
• pin
• mini screwdriver
• sewing eye
• two cases & wrenches with assorted phillips, slotted, hex, and torx bits
• large serrated blade
• lighter with laserflame
• multipurpose hook with nailfile
• reamer & punch (different than other one listed)
• pruning blade
• electrician's blade with wire scraper
• pharmaceutical spatula
• combination tool with cap lifter, can opener, screwdriver, wire stripper
• watch opener
• 2mm screwdriver

__________________
"Americans have the will to resist because you have weapons. If you don't have a gun, freedom of speech has no power." - Yoshimi Ishikawa

Broodings, Blunders and Broadsides: The Betty Blog (Friends only - Email me through there to let me know who you are first!)

Euclidean

I love Victorinox! I currently have 6-7 of them and I've carried at least one for 17 years straight, over 2/3 of my life's span basically.

I'll have to revisit this thread when I have more time.

__________________
I am The Armed Educator.

Euclidean

Seriously here's the SAK I wish existed:

First layer:

Short blade and combination tool*

Second layer:

Scissors

Third layer:

Pliers

Fourth layer:

Inline #2 Phillips Screwdriver
And a special blade that doesn't exist, the straight edge!

Fifth layer:

Fold out geometer's compass with mechanical pencil

Handle tools: Straight pin, tweezers, toothpick, ball point pen, and a tool that doesn't exist yet, a tube for holding some 0.7mm #2 pencil leads.

Underneath: The ubiquitous corkscrew, for the dual purposes of serving as an improvised Marlin Spike and for holding the mini screwdriver

This is entirely possible to make if a little awkward. I'd kill for one if it existed.

*The combination tool is that little guy that serves as a flathead screwdriver and a bottle opener and supposely a wire stripper but it stinks at that.

__________________
I am The Armed Educator.

P95Carry

Mine did not survive my move over here 5 years ago - tho I hope that perhaps it is in someone's good hands and giving service still.

I doubt I'll get another - finding as I do that my Leatherman Wave is pretty much all I need handy.

First SAK was - lemme think - back in school. I guess around 50 years (ouch) ago - one of the smaller versions. Present from a thoughtful Uncle. That became (stupid me) ''currency'' in some exchange or other!

__________________
Chris - P95
NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member.

"To own a gun and assume that you are armed
is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!."

If a BG dies as the result of pointing a gun at me, then he has merely succumbed to an occupational hazard of being a thug

Bumper

I love my Swiss Army Knife but rarely carry it unless I am camping or something similar. As P95 said, now I carry my Gerber multi-tool in it's place. I always took extremely good care of my SAK and never loaned it to anyone to use, except once. And the guy broke the tip off one blade and very slightly bent the edge of one of the other blades. After that I would not have loaned the guy a sledgehammer....

__________________
Bumper
Administrator
DefensiveCarry.com Forum
Coimhéad fearg fhear na foighde; Beware the anger of a patient man.

GoodSamaritan

While my collection of sharp pointy things isn't nearly as impressive or as expensive as some of yall's. I do have my fair share. Most of which are treasures to me if nobody else.

At any rate I don't remember the model name, but it is the one of the mosters. It came in this huge belt holster with everything you can think of including a mag-lite. I had a smaller one I carried often when I was a teen and eventually lost a few weeks before Christmas. Which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as my dad got the idea to buy the big one for me. (Thanks Pop!) These days it mostly lays around the house and gets used by wife far more often than me. (she has worn out two sets of tweezers LOL)
It has been well used, and now that dad is gone it is cherished even more than before. While for daily carry the Gerber, and Leatherman type tools are a bit more to my liking, a Victrinox is hard to beat.

On a side note, My dad was a fanatic about never having a dull knife. "a dull knife is a dangerous knife" At the age of 9 or 10 I got my first pocket knife, it was a tiny little thing. Dad always warned me not to use it for prying, scraping, etc etc. If he caught me mistreating it, he would take it away and I would get the lecture again. Fast forward 10 years...
As 20 year old I worked in a garage with a guy who couldn't keep a decent knife. He used them to pry, turn screws, scrape gasket surfaces, etc etc. He was constantly wanting to borrow my Buck 110 (dad's actually) I would always ask what he was going to do with it, and then hand him the proper tool for the job or tell him where it was in my box and let him get it. It got to be a game for him I think. At last he wanted to cut a piece of heater hose, and so I at long last handed him the 110. I warned him it was very sharp ,but the words were hardly out of my mouth when I heard him make an "uugh!" sound, and drop my knife. I quickly snatched it up, and looked at him just in time to see the blood start flowing.

A few hours and surprisingly many stitches later, I drove him home from the hospital. We worked together for 3 or 4 more months and don't think he asked me for my knife once in all that time.

P95Carry

Know what - folks who (seem to) know nothing about sharpness on blades - actually need a safety course before handling one! Instance that last story with the guy in the garage. He probably thought cutting a hose was ''sawing'' to and fro a dozen times at least - which would also indicate that a blade would do little to a finger!

In fact properly used the ultra sharp blade IS safer - providing user is aware. Put an awesome edge on my fave thin steel (real steel!) kitchen knife a few years back. Told wife it was now ''scary sharp'' - but she had been so used it being dull, she cut herself first time of use. She is now better 'edjumicated' on sharp and pointy things!

Same with chisels and woodworking BTW - a sharp chisel is a joy to use - a dull one just darned dangerous

__________________
Chris - P95
NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member.

"To own a gun and assume that you are armed
is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!."

If a BG dies as the result of pointing a gun at me, then he has merely succumbed to an occupational hazard of being a thug

rstickle

Mine is also a tinker, I decided that the phillips screwdriver was more use than the corkscrew.

Mine went everywhere with me for years, then 9/11 happened and when I travel by air it has to stay home. When I'm on travel, I miss my Swiss Army!

__________________
Rick

EOD - Initial success or total failure

armoredman

I had a Swiss many moons ago - found it on the beach on Catalina Island in 79. Kept it for years until it was stolen from me in 89, on the ship. Both side panels were gone, spring on the scissors was broken, magnifying glass was cracked, poor thing had seen the world HARD. I figured if someone needed it that bad, they could have it.
Now it's the Leatherman, the original. Best pocket buddy yet, for me! I wouldn't mind another Swiss, though.....hmm, give away.....hmmm.....

__________________
If total government control equals safety, why are prisons so dangerous?

RSSZ

Was friends with a Air Force pilot that was forced to make an emergency "landing" on the border of Laos and Cambodia. His controled crash was very sudden and he and his crew did not have time to gather up any of their survival supplies. They exited the aircraft with what they had in their pocket and survival vest. He went on to tell me that one thing that almost all the crews carried was a "Swiss Army Knife". I forget what model his was but he used to tell stories of all the things that he used his for during the 9 day stay in the jungle. I thought that his stories were a little "dreamy" til I talked with one of his crew. Anyway, he told me that he credited his survival of that ordeal to the little "Swiss Army Knife". I immediately bought one of the tools(they're more than a knife) and carried it with me for the rest of my tours in SE Asia. I gave it to a friend of mine on my departure from Vientiane, Laos. He lost it in a poker game about a year after that.(So he says) I think that he used it to"have a good time"! My wife and I own three(or four) of the little tools now. I always have one in my hunting boat and my truck. One of my sports, up in Maine, field dressed a 241 lb. deer with the very small version of the tool.(Said he forgot his hunting knife) They are great for those times that you don't have a clue what to get someone(even a lady) for Christmas. Boy oh boy,you could make a entire thread on what people have used their "Swiss Army Knives" for.-----