SAK's - Corkscrew or Phillips?

[thatotherguy]

Phillips, though I am not adamantly opposed to the corkscrew. I carry a Pioneer more often than all of my other SAKs in my small collection put together, so I can easily scrape by without any backspring tools; however, I just don't use a corkscrew all that often, and I wear contact lenses so I have little use for an eyeglass screwdriver anymore (I suppose I could need one for my sunglasses, but they've never needed the screw tightened yet so I don't see much need for one there either). The backspring Phillips is not ideal, but it's got a bit more reach than the can opener at least.

Perhaps I need to pick up a small tinker (I like 84mm cellidor...) and a spartan or a waiter at some point, just to say I've got a tinker (aside from my super tinker and my Delemont equivalent to the small tinker) and a corkscrew... for posterity, you know?

[Danjo]

I love them both and generally carry one of each, but the edge goes to the corkscrew. The screwdriver on the can-opener generally works for Phillips since I'm mainly only loosening or tightening a screw with a SAK. Can't open wine with a Phillips though, and I've used the corkscrew a lot.

[an0nemus]

Phillips for me. I absolutely hate the way the corkscrew the handle feel.

+1

Corkscrew ruins the smooth, sleek lines of a SAK.

A decent Phillips is crucial for me.  The backspring Phillips on my Tinker has proved its utility many times over the years.

Would never buy any SAK with a corkscrew, unless it also  offered an inline Phillips, like the Wenger S557.

.

+2


Exactly how I feel about this matter 

[El Corkscrew]

 

[an0nemus]

I guess the best answer is get both. After getting a Hiker, I now have a Spartan. I'm curious to experience which will be more useful for me

[theonew]

Having a phillips driver, to me, is absolutely essential. 90%* of the things I am likely to be able to fix are hidden behind phillips screws. But the back layer phillips is a lie, it makes you think you actually have a phillips driver but when you go to use it in the 70%* of situations where the screw is located near an obstacle, its only function will be to poke your eyes out to relieve the stress. At least with a corkscrew you can open a bottle of wine to help in that regard.

A corkscrew and one of these on your keyring https://countycomm.com/products/screw-key-ring-set is a much better bet.

*These percentages are pulled from my smurf but are probably not too far off.

[Faddy Daddy]

Having a phillips driver, to me, is absolutely essential. 90%* of the things I am likely to be able to fix are hidden behind phillips screws. But the back layer phillips is a lie, it makes you think you actually have a phillips driver but when you go to use it in the 70%* of situations where the screw is located near an obstacle, its only function will be to poke your eyes out to relieve the stress. At least with a corkscrew you can open a bottle of wine to help in that regard.

A corkscrew and one of these on your keyring https://countycomm.com/products/screw-key-ring-set is a much better bet.

*These percentages are pulled from my smurf but are probably not too far off.

Ha ha ha, well said and I couldn't agree more! 

Corkscrew for me, seeing a Phillips on the back just seems out of place to my learned perception of a SAK.

[an0nemus]

Having a phillips driver, to me, is absolutely essential. 90%* of the things I am likely to be able to fix are hidden behind phillips screws. But the back layer phillips is a lie, it makes you think you actually have a phillips driver but when you go to use it in the 70%* of situations where the screw is located near an obstacle, its only function will be to poke your eyes out to relieve the stress. At least with a corkscrew you can open a bottle of wine to help in that regard.

A corkscrew and one of these on your keyring https://countycomm.com/products/screw-key-ring-set is a much better bet.

*These percentages are pulled from my smurf but are probably not too far off.

How about these.....

[cody6268]

Having a phillips driver, to me, is absolutely essential. 90%* of the things I am likely to be able to fix are hidden behind phillips screws. But the back layer phillips is a lie, it makes you think you actually have a phillips driver but when you go to use it in the 70%* of situations where the screw is located near an obstacle, its only function will be to poke your eyes out to relieve the stress. At least with a corkscrew you can open a bottle of wine to help in that regard.

A corkscrew and one of these on your keyring https://countycomm.com/products/screw-key-ring-set is a much better bet.

*These percentages are pulled from my smurf but are probably not too far off.

How about these.....

(Image removed from quote.)

That's a concept I wish those who built quality products would take on. I have several knives like this, both from childhood and used lots, and none of those tools work quite right--except as always, the No. 1 Phillips works great.

[an0nemus]

Having a phillips driver, to me, is absolutely essential. 90%* of the things I am likely to be able to fix are hidden behind phillips screws. But the back layer phillips is a lie, it makes you think you actually have a phillips driver but when you go to use it in the 70%* of situations where the screw is located near an obstacle, its only function will be to poke your eyes out to relieve the stress. At least with a corkscrew you can open a bottle of wine to help in that regard.

A corkscrew and one of these on your keyring https://countycomm.com/products/screw-key-ring-set is a much better bet.

*These percentages are pulled from my smurf but are probably not too far off.

How about these.....(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

That's a concept I wish those who built quality products would take on. I have several knives like this, both from childhood and used lots, and none of those tools work quite right--except as always, the No. 1 Phillips works great.

I guess quality makers won't build products like these as they will decrease their sales; or maybe its better to offer different models for different segments. In the end, its about profit.

Cheap tools like these are really good only for very, very, very light duties...at best.

[strmliner]

In all actuality, Both!

A few that I carry have both Phillips & CS. Other times it depends on what I'm off to do (ie, work, party, etc.) that determines which I carry. 

[MacGyver]

Having a phillips driver, to me, is absolutely essential. 90%* of the things I am likely to be able to fix are hidden behind phillips screws. But the back layer phillips is a lie, it makes you think you actually have a phillips driver but when you go to use it in the 70%* of situations where the screw is located near an obstacle, its only function will be to poke your eyes out to relieve the stress. At least with a corkscrew you can open a bottle of wine to help in that regard.

A corkscrew and one of these on your keyring https://countycomm.com/products/screw-key-ring-set is a much better bet.

*These percentages are pulled from my smurf but are probably not too far off.

Being a well known Tinker fan (Phillips SD) it may seem strange to say that i generally agree with you, but i do actually, for the most part.
I admit i in reality, the love the back Phillips SD a bit more for it's looks, hand comfort and pocket slimness than for some overwhelming usability of it in that location. I really only use it these days to take apart a office mouse for cleaning, or tighten a loose outlet socket or other very light torque stuff like that. After bending the liner and pin on my first super tinker taking the backplate of an office pc tower i stopped trusting that Phillips as a reliable SD for medium torque (or plus) stuff. 
And as strange as it may be, i actually like the corkscrew look and feel better on 3 layers and up Sak's...    Climber comes to mind... 
For some reason i just like it better than my super tinker.

As far as more serious Phillips or other SD's use with a Sak go i'll stick with my idea of using the bottle opener with the hex bits i modded, the one posted here:
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,69632.0.html   Never failed me, and that's one of the main reason's the standard opening layer is essential to me on a sak 

[twiliter]

Corkscrew or and Phillips. 

[Don Pablo]

Corkscrew or and Phillips. 

+1! 


 

[El Corkscrew]

Teamwork works

[Danjo]

Why choose? Compact=left front pocket, Tinker= right front pocket

[MacGyver]

Why choose? Compact=left front pocket, Tinker= right front pocket

Aww maann...   Just when i'm torn between my small tinker and my tourist and i'm trying to convince myself to rotate between the two and leave one at home while carrying another you throw this one....   

How can i not carry both now... you tell me...   

[Danjo]

Why choose? Compact=left front pocket, Tinker= right front pocket

Aww maann...   Just when i'm torn between my small tinker and my tourist and i'm trying to convince myself to rotate between the two and leave one at home while carrying another you throw this one....   

How can i not carry both now... you tell me...   

LOL. Yeah, sorry man.

[theonew]

Both really is the right answer



This four layer mod was my EDC for well over three years. She has a lot of miles on her. But somehow the inline phillips started to get on my nerves. It never failed me but if I had more than one or two screws to deal with I often found myself going for a better formed phillips driver (if available), one that really lets you know that it is firmly in place and doesn't require as much force to keep it from camming out. So I ended up putting the maratac phillips screw key on my keychain and a fresnel lens in my wallet and went back to a three layer SAK.

[MacGyver]

Why choose? Compact=left front pocket, Tinker= right front pocket

Aww maann...   Just when i'm torn between my small tinker and my tourist and i'm trying to convince myself to rotate between the two and leave one at home while carrying another you throw this one....   

How can i not carry both now... you tell me...   

LOL. Yeah, sorry man.

 

[Tired_Yeti]

I used to be hard against the corkscrew. Couldn't see any reasonable modern use for it. For opening bottles of wine, it's marginal at best and requires a strong grip and shoulder strength since there is no good lever in it. Holding a mini driver is OK...cute little trick, but that doesn't justify the presence of the tool itself. I was a "persecutor of the church", if you will. Really detested the corkscrew.

Now, I see it differently. For campsite work, woodwork, I think it could be more useful than the Phillips.

It may be possible to bore into softer wood (e.g. of a tree trunk or log) and use the entire SAK as a tie off or anchor for something. Might not want to trust your body weight over a cliff with it, but it could have multiple uses.

So I stopped hating the tool. Now I look at it as a possible option to carry on the bush.


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[theonew]

I'm just gonna quote myself here if that is OK

The back spring phillips is all FAIL. The shaft is too thick to fit into most recessed screw slots where its modest reach might be useful. It only works if there are no obstructions around it. And when in the rare case that it does work, it is incredibly cumbersome to use, having to keep changing hand positions for each turn. Also it fails easily if anything more than a small amount of torque is used.
 
Basically it is a single use tool that fails in more applications than it succeeds in. A dreadful waste of space.

Now compare that to the multi-purpose corkscrew and multi-purpose mini-driver:

Corkscrew
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php?topic=40053.0
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,65298.msg1243349.html#msg1243349

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,25596.msg460308.html#msg460308

Mini-driver
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,71279.msg1455211.html#msg1455211
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,71279.msg1450311.html#msg1450311

[Danjo]

Might as well. I always liked that vid. 👍

[El Corkscrew]

I used to be hard against the corkscrew. Couldn't see any reasonable modern use for it. For opening bottles of wine, it's marginal at best and requires a strong grip and shoulder strength since there is no good lever in it. Holding a mini driver is OK...cute little trick, but that doesn't justify the presence of the tool itself. I was a "persecutor of the church", if you will. Really detested the corkscrew.

Now, I see it differently. For campsite work, woodwork, I think it could be more useful than the Phillips.

It may be possible to bore into softer wood (e.g. of a tree trunk or log) and use the entire SAK as a tie off or anchor for something. Might not want to trust your body weight over a cliff with it, but it could have multiple uses.

So I stopped hating the tool. Now I look at it as a possible option to carry on the bush.


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I approve of this message.

[Mechanickal]

I used to be hard against the corkscrew. Couldn't see any reasonable modern use for it. For opening bottles of wine, it's marginal at best and requires a strong grip and shoulder strength since there is no good lever in it. Holding a mini driver is OK...cute little trick, but that doesn't justify the presence of the tool itself. I was a "persecutor of the church", if you will. Really detested the corkscrew.

Now, I see it differently. For campsite work, woodwork, I think it could be more useful than the Phillips.

It may be possible to bore into softer wood (e.g. of a tree trunk or log) and use the entire SAK as a tie off or anchor for something. Might not want to trust your body weight over a cliff with it, but it could have multiple uses.

So I stopped hating the tool. Now I look at it as a possible option to carry on the bush.


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I approve of this message.

And what makes you the godfather of cor...?

Never mind

[AmberDragon]

For opening bottles of wine, it's marginal at best and requires a strong grip and shoulder strength since there is no good lever in it

You don't have to pull on the corkscrew, you can screw it in then wrap your hand around the neck of the bottle, snug it up to the bottom of your knife so the end with the corkscrew cutout rests in the space between your thumb and fingers, and push up against it. You get good leverage and can work the cork out easily.

[SummitCOMike]

I love both, I wish vic made a Drunk/Climber. Lord know there are some out there...

[Tired_Yeti]

For opening bottles of wine, it's marginal at best and requires a strong grip and shoulder strength since there is no good lever in it

You don't have to pull on the corkscrew, you can screw it in then wrap your hand around the neck of the bottle, snug it up to the bottom of your knife so the end with the corkscrew cutout rests in the space between your thumb and fingers, and push up against it. You get good leverage and can work the cork out easily.

True, I've done it that way a couple times too (although I forgot about that until you mentioned it), but I still consider it marginal compared to a dedicated corkscrew. I don't really drink alcohol often so for me, I rarely utilize a corkscrew. I've started to see the tool as a screw shaped piece of steel with a sharp tip. Perhaps it has limited utility, but I'm determined to find uses for it.
The Phillips is easy to utilize, of course; although, it's seems like it's sort a "one trick pony".


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[Zhenchok]

Personally I prefer the corkscrew.  Not that I drink a lot of wine but as others stated a Corkscrew can be used in many situations, when I used the screwdriver on a tinker it felt like it should have been on the side and not the middle.


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[Tired_Yeti]

...when I used the screwdriver on a tinker it felt like it should have been on the side and not the middle.

I think the Phillips was an afterthought. I think they just replaced the corkscrew on a few models with it. The corkscrew has to be in the middle to work. At least that's my uneducated assumption.


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