Have you ever really busted up a SAK ?

appletree_man · **on:** May 17, 2009, 11:43:11 PM

Not just a broken tip or broken back spring, but split the liners apart, snapped the main blade at the tang, that sort of thing ?
I wonder if it's even possible

DaveK · **Reply #1 on:** May 17, 2009, 11:57:30 PM

Oh it's possible alright. Some of the donor knives I've had really make you wonder what on earth the previous owner had been doing with them!

I bet Neil could tell you about some seriously abused SAKs with all the ones he buys.

american lockpicker · **Reply #2 on:** May 18, 2009, 12:25:09 AM

I snapped the blade of my first wenger esquire by throwing it into a tree and trying to pull it out. Also a week before that I had held the blade over a lighter until the entire blade was black and it was to hot to hold.

Neil · **Reply #3 on:** May 18, 2009, 12:47:07 AM

I completely bust them apart, on purpose

OK, less flippant response... I've seen many many poor abused SAKs, my conclusion though is that they are very tough little tools.

Its very unusual to see any kind of damage that hasn't been caused by obvious misuse. On Vics. I've seen quite a few broken springs on the 58mm range but on the larger ones its incredibly rare. After a few decades the scales can begin to warp and pull away from the knife and on knives of a similar age the plastic around the edges can begin to break away. On Wengers there is an issue with older ones having weakened backsprings and most of the older used ones with the locking main blade no longer lock.

Abused SAKs are normally in the form of twisted tools and broken tips. Sometimes the whole knife is damaged as someone has used their SAK as a hammer

Neil

american lockpicker · **Reply #4 on:** May 18, 2009, 02:37:07 AM

or chisel...

Mr. Whippy · **Reply #5 on:** May 18, 2009, 03:37:07 AM

Well, um... uh...

yea. I've broken up a few.

As a boy scout, I broke main blades off using them to chop stuff, hammering on them with a back of a hatchet to split wood, prying stuff open (radio cases and such). Once put a visegrip on the scales so I could get more torque on the screwdriver. Let's just say the cap lifter/standard driver/pry blade can be twisted.

It wasn't until I started doing long distance cycling that I started to respect the SAKs and tool kits/multitools I carried.

Mike, Lord of the Spammers! · **Reply #6 on:** May 18, 2009, 06:53:08 AM

I've never broken one, but apart from a couple of ring spanners, I've never broken any tool

cliosguy · **Reply #7 on:** May 18, 2009, 08:04:52 AM

the worst thing i ever did was bending a knife tip

Sea Monster · **Reply #8 on:** May 18, 2009, 11:22:53 AM

I have no idea how, but the liners on my OHT are twisted.

Generally a good tool won't come to harm unless you're a drongo with them

ringzero · **Reply #9 on:** May 18, 2009, 04:43:30 PM

Quote from: appletree_man on May 17, 2009, 11:43:11 PM

Not just a broken tip or broken back spring, but split the liners apart, snapped the main blade at the tang, that sort of thing ?
I wonder if it's even possible

Busted several Tinkers over the years by - what else? - using the bottleopener/screwdriver implement to pry.

These were semi-functional but messed up badly enough that I immediately bought replacements.

Also snapped the tip off a Tinker mainblade.

These failures were my fault, not the Tinkers'.

.

Gareth · **Reply #10 on:** May 18, 2009, 06:47:59 PM

I've never bust up a SAK myself but I have seen a few. The nearest was slightly bending a Combo tool when using it as a prybar. As with all tools you can push them to far.

I did once watch a bloke shear a bolt that was holding together a pair of bolt-cutters (ironic right?), these weren't cheap cutters either. The bolt looked to have been made from a hardened steel, it was just that the padlock was harder. Oh yeah, the bloke using them was a competition level bodybuilder.

My point is that all tools have their limits.

Craig · **Reply #11 on:** May 18, 2009, 08:32:07 PM

I bent the tip on a lumberjack

.

I once broke a jaw off a spanner trying to slacked a lefthanded thread the wrong way

Precise · **Reply #12 on:** May 18, 2009, 08:36:30 PM

Hold on! You say I *shouldn't* use my SAK as a hammer?

Where's the downside? I break the scales, get to make/buy new shiny scales!

Mike, Lord of the Spammers! · **Reply #13 on:** May 19, 2009, 07:08:55 AM

Quote from: Precise on May 18, 2009, 08:36:30 PM

Hold on! You say I *shouldn't* use my SAK as a hammer?

Where's the downside? I break the scales, get to make/buy new shiny scales!

ducktapehero · **Reply #14 on:** May 19, 2009, 05:05:23 PM

In the past I used my tools hard and the only problems I had with SAK's was the scales getting knocked loose. That was mostly an issue when I worked in a factory. I was using it all the time and the floors were cement so I was always dropping it.

Benner · **Reply #15 on:** May 28, 2009, 03:01:50 PM

I have broken a knock off by using the corkscrew and twisting the liner and the scale off, but not a Vic or Wenger.

I actually found that knock off yesterday when looking for lighters to do a pic. I think it was my first ever sharp so am going to resurrect the crapness.

Neil, stand by for some random questions.

Rodion · **Reply #16 on:** May 30, 2009, 07:42:32 PM

I once hung an Atlas by its keyring inside a rucksack. The pressure, or something, tore the whole layer out of the frame and the blade was freely turning like 320 degrees. The keyring with its "meat" remained outside.

Vic sent me a new one.

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