Show off your beater SAKs.

[Fattsgalore]

My windows phone takes such better photos than an Iphone.

@sakguy, what do you use to sharpen your blades with? You have a nice wide bevel on that blade.
@Magentus, your beaters are looking kind of pretty....anything a little uglier?

[SAK Guy]

@sakguy, what do you use to sharpen your blades with? You have a nice wide bevel on that blade.

It was re-profiled that way when I got it. It sharpens up like a razor with that thin edge!   I'm debating getting Vic to put a new blade put on it. 

On my pocketknives,  I mostly freehand on a Fallkniven DC4.

[magentus]

@Magentus, your beaters are looking kind of pretty....anything a little uglier?

Nah - it's the soft focus lense - up close they are battered and scratched - I've got a crappy camera is all.

[ducttapetech]

that's us mobile

[dobbi]

love seeing knives that have actually been used, I'd show my beater SACs but their all currently being modified by myself to make some CNC scales for them 

[ironraven]

Every time I look in this thread, I'm reminded about how unusual this people here are. I mean, file work on a "beater". Why... that's downright medieval, when all blades were precious and worthy of at least some decoration. 

[PTRSAK]

Every time I look in this thread, I'm reminded about how unusual this people here are. I mean, file work on a "beater". Why... that's downright medieval, when all blades were precious and worthy of at least some decoration. 

Haha. Actually it's just the opposite. It's because that knife was not precious that I used it to practice filework on.

[Jothra]

While this Climber isn't too old yet, the scales are from an old beater Compact that lived through a 45 km/h downhill skid on some stripped-down highway a few years ago.


It took AGES of polishing to make it look this good again.

I didn't end up sticking with the Compact (driver issues), but I get a tingly nostalgic feeling from the scales. Or maybe it's just phantom road rash that's tingling. It's hard to say.

Anyway, all my pocket tools are beaters.

[Huntsman]

Tinker helping me do a little paint stripping job

More details here:
http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,41342.1500.html

[Fattsgalore]

@ Huntsman, now that's personality!
That SAK could tell some tales. It'd probably break down and need a shoulder to cry on from the looks of it.


Built me a new beater, pretty much part Troubleshooter part Master Craftsman.
A troubling master handyman.

[mrynnr]

[Mr. Blonde]

I´ve got a lot beaters, because I mostly buy 2nd hand saks. But I show you my favorite.
It started with the fact, that I bougth it as wrong knive. It looked on the pictures like a Super Tinker (what I really wanted). But when it arrived, it was a Fieldmaster (I had this often, some sellers don´t know about the woodsaw).
Then the condition. The scales where warped, melted and shrunken. The blades where hard to move (I had to wash and oil it many, many times ) The openers still have to be pushed, back while closing. The main knive blade was already often sharpened, the saw was bend (again, lots of time went in, trying to straighten it, but finally it is straight again). I´ve put some used nylon scales on, because this will never be collectors knive.
I´ve got this knive for some years now, and I take it with me, when I don´t want to mind damaging a vintage sak. But then again, I really like it, because it has that nice squared backside phillips.  I also resisted the temptation to convert it into a Super Tinker with fresh knive blades.

[windson]

My first SAK, 30 year old Swiss Champ, beater for the longest time, now thinking about sending it in for some care.

[strmliner]

Okay, here's my true beater.  Both knives in the picture have lived in my tool boxes/bags or in the shop drawer for over 40yrs.

I fried the tip off the blade of the Wenger working on my VW bus in 1974!  It's now a very dulled blade that I use to remove scales off my used SAK purchases as I begin cleaning them up.

[RiverGhost]

 Here is my EDC Trekker...my "beater"  I have carried it for 15 years or so.  I have used it for most situations but I have never abused it!!.  There is normal use and there is abuse...what I see here is abuse.  I respect the time and craftmanship that goes into making one....what is your excuse?

[Barry Rowland]

Now THESE are SAKS!! When I get a little more time I'll post my beater Spartan, which I found.  Great thread gang!

[SAK Guy]

My beater Pioneer.... (best pic I can muster today..)

[kari_sak]

Hey, great thread! I have a Camper with bent main blade, because my brother used it as a throwing knife  . I also have Wenger Lumberjack that has schratched blade. I will post pics tommorow.

[Huntsman]

Here is my EDC Trekker...my "beater"  I have carried it for 15 years or so.  I have used it for most situations but I have never abused it!!.  There is normal use and there is abuse...what I see here is abuse.  I respect the time and craftmanship that goes into making one....what is your excuse?

Hmmm

Interesting comment RG.

I too really respect the brilliance of the SAK design, and craftsmanship and quality of the product.
I have a few SAKs I carry as EDC and I take care of them.

However some jobs around work, home and garden are demanding of your tool, and may even damage it. Eg the one I posted above. For those jobs you have your beater SAK. It is maybe an old or cheap SAK that you don't mind 'abusing'.
In other words there is a difference between EDC SAK and beater SAK. 

SAKs are quality products, no question, but they are also relatively inexpensive eg this one I bought off the bay for about $6.
As they are so well made they still work and do the job  brilliantly.

So why not use a quality tool for a tough job? 

[Grass]

How many more times can this metal be bent back into line?

Like Huntsman, I have many EDC knives. This trekker is my only beater SAK. Started as a curiosity how much of a beating a sak could take and I've been highly impressed. I haven't done anything that would definitely destroy it but removing flooring, opening those old paint tins, a few dozen accidental droppings on concrete etc was cruel.

Nothing wrong with it though...

I also happily beat my Leatherman Wave ... but that's more because it rusts far too easily and may as well use it before it rusts!

[SAK Guy]

Here is my EDC Trekker...my "beater"  I have carried it for 15 years or so.  I have used it for most situations but I have never abused it!!.  There is normal use and there is abuse...what I see here is abuse.  I respect the time and craftmanship that goes into making one....what is your excuse?

 


My beater was in worse shape when it was given to me......I brought it back to life after about 6 weeks of TLC.....  It fills the role of a "hard use" knife to protect my nice SAKs.

Attached is my original Pioneer bought new in '83 and used/carried daily for 20+ years...see any abuse?

[twiliter]

Another nice one SG! I don't see abuse, but you're a keen user. What I tell new pocket knife owners is #1, a pocket knife is not a hammer and #2, a grinding wheel is not a knife sharpener. I have seen the results of not honoring those 2 suggestions.

 

[twiliter]

I will further add that the most common abuse I see is #3, the knife blade is not a pry tool! I recently had to repair a $500 Japanese damascus kitchen slicer that had almost a 45 degree bend in the tip...

 

[SAK Guy]

I will further add that the most common abuse I see is #3, the knife blade is not a pry tool! I recently had to repair a $500 Japanese damascus kitchen slicer that had almost a 45 degree bend in the tip...

 

+100  Another knife I was given........   

[detron]

I will further add that the most common abuse I see is #3, the knife blade is not a pry tool! I recently had to repair a $500 Japanese damascus kitchen slicer that had almost a 45 degree bend in the tip...

 

+100  Another knife I was given........   

Wow,  all I am ever given is some knock-off junk (not speaking of Gifts I have received from members here, talking local friends).  I know that blade is broke,  but that is STILL a better knife that those $0.99 jobs I get given   

[strmliner]

+1 twiliter on your #3...it's the reason I'm particular about lending my knife to somebody else.   

[SAK Guy]

I will further add that the most common abuse I see is #3, the knife blade is not a pry tool! I recently had to repair a $500 Japanese damascus kitchen slicer that had almost a 45 degree bend in the tip...

 

+100  Another knife I was given........   

Wow,  all I am ever given is some knock-off junk (not speaking of Gifts I have received from members here, talking local friends).  I know that blade is broke,  but that is STILL a better knife that those $0.99 jobs I get given   

My buddy throws these in with my orders....I usually buy $500-$1000+ worth of SAKS a year from him. He occasionally surprises me with cool stuff that just shows up in my mailbox too...   

EDIT:
Forgot to say that the Wenger SI is a real shame....it's absolutely perfect in every respect except for that main blade......     I'll get it fixed some day....

[Smaug]

(old thread, in case no one noticed yet)

RiverGhost has a good point.

I have a couple that were abused. One, by my granddad. He pried with the tip and broke it off. He probably figured it was a light job, and maybe he could get away with it... I don't have a pic of it, but it is a late 60s, early 70s Elinox Standard. (Spartan w/o T&T) Ugly Tomato Red scales. He didn't learn his lesson by breaking the main blade, because the tip of the small blade is bent too. I wish I could go back in time and give him a smack on the back of the head when he was about to do that.

I've posted this one elsewhere. I accidentally abused this Tinker when I cut into a live cord with it. I eventually gave it away, because I hated to look at it and be reminded of what I'd done.


I have several that are well-used, but never abused. Not worth showing in this thread.

[Huntsman]

On the topic of use / abuse:
I guess there are a few levels - And we may have different SAKs for each level?? : ie:

• No Use - ie In the 'collection'
• EDC Light use
• EDC Heavy use
• Beater
• Abuse - ie Doing something to the SAK that should not be done .... Eg Twilters #1, #2, #3 ... & Smaug's ?? above

I would hope no-one here (at least intentianally) abuses their SAKs!

@ Smaug - You may have given it away to forget!  - But it seems that the act is still haunting you 
I guess you got a nice kick too when that happened!

[Smaug]

@ Smaug - You may have given it away to forget!  - But it seems that the act is still haunting you 

Yeah, I should delete that pic too.

I guess you got a nice kick too when that happened!

Luckily not. 'seems the blade was a better conductor to the other wire than I was to ground.