SAK's - Corkscrew or Phillips?

[MacGyver]

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 used to be firmly in that camp too, absolutely loved the Philips (and Tinker line) and hated the corkscrew because of the phillips felt smoother and didn't sticked out of the tool, and a SD is way more useful than a corkscrew (at least to "Tinkering" 'ol me... ), after messing up the Philips on one of my super tinkers with moderate torque some time ago, my opinion change a bit about the usefulness on that specific Philips on that location. But i kept liking the Phillips for light use only and especially for it's looks and the way it makes the sak slimmer and smoother. So i continued to favor Philips models vs corkscrew for a while.
Lately my opinion change, and i'm very much split between the two, i've even been carrying more corkscrew models than Philips models these days.

The corkscrew is more because of the classic look, not really for the terrible need for it or having the micro SD there. Either one of them id more for the looks or feel than actual usefulness for me these days.
As far as SD goes, i always carry my modified bit's on my little coin pouch, so i really have no actual need of use for the backside Phillips, as for the corkscrew i really don't have mush need for it as a corkscrew as i don't drink whine often and if i do i have dedicated ones to use. As a multi purpose tool it can come in handy but it's not essential. As for the micro SD it comes in handy and i use it, but i don't actually mind very much if i can't carry it physically on the sak, besides that one of the bits i carry is the same size as Vic's micro SD, so that is always covered if i carry corkscrew or Phillips models.

One of the things i've come to realize is, even if corkscrew models don't feel as smooth on the hand as the corkscrew ones, a corkscrew model with the micro SD fitted feels ok, and actualy provide a better grip on the Sak overall than the Phillips ones 

Like i've said, for me it's an even split between the two, but more for looks and feel than actual usability. I really only "need" on a 84/91mm sak for edc is the blades, opening layer and preferably an awl, everything else is just a bonus... 

[Tired_Yeti]

...I really only "need" on a 84/91mm sak for edc is the blades, opening layer and preferably an awl, everything else is just a bonus... 

So you could happily get by with a Pioneer?
I think the minimum for me would either be a Pioneer X for the scissors or a Farmer for the saw. If I was *truly* limited to one for life, I'd take the Farmer. IMO, a sharp blade can handle jobs the scissors are for, but it couldn't handle the job of a saw.
So when it boils down, I guess I can manage without either the corkscrew or the side mounted #2 Phillips--as long as I can have a saw.



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[lister]

Philips all the way. I've got the fieldmaster for that reason.

If and when they come out with the farmer X I will EDC that when possible. The fieldmaster is a bit more cuddly than a alox counterpart and thus less likely to freak people out.

I might also like a 84 mm version of fieldmaster if it exsisted... 

[MacGyver]

...I really only "need" on a 84/91mm sak for edc is the blades, opening layer and preferably an awl, everything else is just a bonus... 

So you could happily get by with a Pioneer?
I think the minimum for me would either be a Pioneer X for the scissors or a Farmer for the saw. If I was *truly* limited to one for life, I'd take the Farmer. IMO, a sharp blade can handle jobs the scissors are for, but it couldn't handle the job of a saw.
So when it boils down, I guess I can manage without either the corkscrew or the side mounted #2 Phillips--as long as I can have a saw.



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Well... yeah i could get by perfectly with a Pioneer, but it wouldn't be my first choice as a sak edc (regular urban at least). I'm a cellidor guy as far as sak's go, a Pioneer as much as i like it and as much as it is tougher than cellidor models, to me it just looks like a regular (high quality) pocket knife. I would prefer to edc a recruit over a Pioneer (or cadet) any day
A Swiss Army Knife to me has to have cellidor red handles with the inlaid cross and shield logo apart from everything else, it's just something deep in my mind from very early childhood that has stuck till this day. 

[strmliner]

...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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From what others here have shared over the years, it was primarily the American market in the '40s and '50s that really drove the backside phillips. Generally speaking, back in those days, Euros drank wine while Americans didn't very much. 

[Zhenchok]

...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.


Makes sense, I also wonder if certain countires used phillips more than others. 

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From what others here have shared over the years, it was primarily the American market in the '40s and '50s that really drove the backside phillips. Generally speaking, back in those days, Euros drank wine while Americans didn't very much. 

[El Corkscrew]

hmmmm....  lemme think on this 

[El Corkscrew]

In the spirit of starting polls, I thought I'd start this one. 

So, which do you prefer?  For me a SAK just has to have a corkscrew (not including glorious Alox  ).  I hardly ever need one, but cellidor SAK's just scream corkscrew to me and I always have a phillips on my multitool.

Benner, we're cut from the same cloth.  Hope you're checking in on this thread 9 years later.      

[Borg]

Interesting how tight the voting is, i'm a corkscrew guy though so it got my vote 

[Wspeed]

Phillips for me 
But I do like the corkscrew as it holds the tiny flathead screwdriver 

[Greg Jones]

Corkscrew all the way, I'm a working Mechanic and I see no use for a stubby t-handle Phillips, an inline would be useful though and I use the end of the can opener all the time on #2 Phillips when it's convenient to reach into my pocket and extreme torque isn't required

[McStitchy]

Did someone mention the MTO way? 

Personally I couldn't decide so I ended up with multiple different SAKs (went from DeLue Tinker to Ranger...).
The closest "solution" to have both functions would be a Swisschamp or Cybertool 41 maybe.

I use the corkscrew for example to help untie shoelaces when they got wet.



... sorry for the un-SAKky pic

As for the backside Philips I find that it has better grip than the inline one. But I do need to be careful not to overtorque it

[Greg Jones]

Corkscrew all the way, I'm a working Mechanic and I see no use for a stubby t-handle Phillips, an inline would be useful though and I use the end of the can opener all the time on #2 Phillips when it's convenient to reach into my pocket and extreme torque isn't required

Well, after saying this I purchased a Fieldmaster, I guess I'll see if I was right
 

[Nick4]

I prefer the corkscrew.
First, it’s works fine (for me) as a wine bottle opener; and it's a great tool to untie knots too.
Second, it holds the micro screwdriver (I wear glasses, so it’s a very good option for me).
And the last, but not least: hоw to differ a soldier from an officer? Only by the presence of a corkscrew in the knife.

[an0nemus]

A year ago I was in the Phillips camp and now after going through several SAKs, I'm now in the corkscrew camp to the point that I even AVOID getting a SAK with a Phillips at the back. I find the ones on the bottle and can opener more than adequate than the one on the back

 

[Thunderpants]

I am another of those who started out anti-corkscrew but changed my mind when I realised how yummy wine is when I realised that the back of a SAK is a terrible place for a screwdriver, especially on the 111mm models.
Furthermore, as someone mentions just a few inches up this page, phillips screwdrivers wear down quite quickly. Use a corkscrew for its intended purpose and it should last forever. Use a phillips for its intended purpose and it probably won't last an afternoon of, uh, serious screwing. Settle down, Beavis!

[MaverickMCS]

For years I carried a corkscrew thinking that I should have a phillips. When I finally decided to get a phillips I stoped to think about the many times when I used the corkscrew vs the amount of times I wished I had a phillips...The corkscrew won hands down.

Most of the times when I needed a phillips screwdriver I could improvise something, or I had propper tools readily avaliable. To me, corkscrew+small screwdriver have way more uses than just the phillips driver.

[ThePeacent]

corkscrew all the way
Backside Phillips is too awkward to use, corkscrew has sooo many uses   

[hiraethus]

I seem to have voted for the corkscrew at some point, but I can't for the life of me think why.  The one true answer is, of course, neither.

[El Corkscrew]

Famous last words before the Corkscrew Crusades 

[hiraethus]

 

 

[Thunderpants]

A far more interesting question would have been Philips or Panasonic...

[Greg Jones]

A far more interesting question would have been Philips or Panasonic...

 

[Captain Hook]

For me it depends if I'm carrying my leatherman with me. W/ Leatherman I prefer a corkscrew for added versatility. (I mainly use it for untying knots and cleaning fingernails, I don't drink nor do I encourage it) w/o a leatherman I'm kind of torn. Victorinox has the 2d Phillips on the can opener so I'd be cool with a corkscrew on a vic. But I'm more of a Wenger guy so if I don't have a Phillips on the back I don't get one. (Although you can jam the flathead in diagonally and turn a Philip's screw)

If could only carry the SAK it would be:
Victorinox-> Corkscrew
Wenger-> Phillip's

[Don Pablo]

A far more interesting question would have been Philips or Panasonic...

Philips doesn’t sell eneloops.
So, Panasonic. 

[King]

I dont own a SAK yet, working on it ASAP, but to answer this question, I rather have phillips then corkscrew ( I dont drink wine lol )

[El Corkscrew]

Sir King, the corkscrew  is capable of much more than just opening El Vino (see previous posts), and will also carry your mini screwdriver. And your Phillips is pretty much covered with the can opener... So you see the question is more complicated than screws vs. wine.

[Huntsman]

The never ending debate continues ............           

[docfossil]

Corkscrew for me, its been that was on all the SAKs I have carried

[MacGyver]

Geezz guys... is this debate still going on...?   

I'll have to say that i've been on both camps, each at a time, through the years... I believe now i have one foot on each camp (50-50) now.

If anything for regular urban/suburban edc the Philips models get more use just because there is less bulk and the sak looks more sleek, but not really because either of the tool's  "actual" use. I don't drink wine, and i've already have a driver bit same as the micro SD on my pocket kit so i don't really "need" another one on the Sak, and also the backside Phillips can only really take light torque so not much degree of more heavy usability.
So one Vs another as far as function goes, for me, it's really irrelevant. It's more a matter of aesthetics/feel than anything else for me now...