SAK & MT Can Opener, Tradition or Function?

[1jump2many]

Maybe someone has brought this topic up in the past, if so please combine this thread.  With the increased popularity of freeze dried food in plastic bags, I wonder just how relevant having a can opener on an SAK or MT really is?  Is it part of the tool lineup of an SAK or MT because of tradition or does it still have a realistic function? 

I don't know anyone that takes can goods on hiking or camping trips.  The weight factor alone is a deterrent.  I don't know what type of rations all the world's Militaries use, but the US Military has been issuing MRE's since the 1980's.  I realize that the can opener on SAK's has the Phillips tip on it but in many examples the same SAK will have a dedicated Phillips driver on it. 

So I guess my question is, should the can opener remain on SAK's and MT's or should that space be used for something more useful?  If you think it should remain, is your reasoning out of tradition or function?  I'm not trying to start a revolution, just curious.       

[Shorty66]

I agree, a can opener isnt necessary anymore. If i ever use cans without pull opener thats when i am at home where i have a dedicated well working can opener (which isnt in use much either).

I even think, that bottle openers are superficial: Its quite easy to open a beer bottle with a lighter and everybody who can do that is able to do it with the pliers of a multi.


My multi only need the following tools:
Blade
Pliers
Diamond File
Ceramic Saw
All kinds of Screwdrivers
Scissors only for finger nail cutting

As there are often situations where you need both, pliers and Screwdrivers i dont want them to be on one tool anymore.
I also need many different kinds of screwdrivers which makes exchangable bits very welcome.

Therefore my perfect multi would look like this:
OHO Blade
Pliers with big cutters (usable as finger nail cutters)
T-Shank holder (for jigsawblades and the LM Diamond file of the surge)

and the Victorinox mini bit ratchet for screwdrivers.

In my special case i want my Multi to be as small as possible while beeing a lot more sturdy and powerful than the Juice or squirt series. As nothing in this range is avaible i am currently working on my first selfmade multi.
I think it will be finished within march...

[Gareth]

You're right, even I find them hard to justify.  Most canned food these days comes with a pull off top so they're not even particularly handy at home let alone out on the trail. 

That said a couple of years back I was out camping with a few buddies, one of them did have some canned food with him for his evening meals.  All was fine on the first night as the can was a pull top, not so the second when he realised that it was a traditional can and he had no opener, he had thought all of them were pull tops.  Needless to say I had a SAK on me (Huntsman IIRC) so all was well, but that really is the only time I can think of that I unexpectedly needed a can opener.

In the end though, much like the corkscrew, I much prefer to have a SAK with a can opener than one without.  It's just one of these tools that a SAK should have.

[Nikos]

If you go the extra mile and super-sharpen that opener, you could use it as a clamshell opener/seat-belt cutter of sorts... no? 

[Zed]

I have to say i have used a can opener on a few camp trips including one last year with my oldest daughter, so i like to have one even if i dont use it that often, also a wood saw a wood/matal file,phillips and a few different flat drivers,blade, pliers, hard notch cutters, kitchen sink   

[gafftapegreenia]

The can opener is one of those things, 98% of the time I never need it, but dang, when I do, I sure am happy its there.

I feel like the *average* person, (not us here) won't buy a multi without a can/bottle opener. Look at the failure of the KF4. The average person sees those two tools as a basic.

[Zed]

my only gripe is with non locking openers, i hate it when they fold while using them 

[ryan1835]

i think there there for the "cool" factor

that and no one knows what to put in there place

[Mr. Whippy]

On the Vic, the can opener redeems itself with the small flat driver on it.  The Vic bottle opener is an awesome pry tool.

Based on that, I like them on the SAK.  Wenger's opener is more singularly focused.

[django.cj]

I use both quite a bit. I like my beer, so a bottle opener is greatly appreciated. Even twist offa have sharp edges that tear up my hands, so it's gets frequent use.

[yud]

my can openers fall under funny screwdrivers

[yud]

However I do still hold the can opening world record

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHzd5kicoJU

[gunga]

What about using a combo tool?  Then you can have the occasional can use, frequent bottle use, and still save a layer on your tool (lose the awl though).

[Sea Monster]

I like the can opener.

I like the can opener in a way that someone who has been stuck with a sealed can and no way of opening it likes a can opener.

However, I think it should be an option on some models, like a File or Scissors or Saw, and not a ubiquitous thing.

What Gunga says about the Combo tool has merit - it's not ideal, but it solves two problems. (Along with LM openers, which allegedly open cans and lift caps)

I like the Vic Cap lifter in its own way as well, that little slab is good for all sorts of general pokery.

Still, my earlier statement stands - it should be an option on models with names like "picnicker" and "camper" and "kitchenhand" and not necessarily on models like "fireman" and "basilisk conqueror"

[Sazabi]

If I can't have an opener layer on a knife, it has to have a combo tool; I use my can opener quite frequently, and the bottle opener has come in handy a couple times, too; the fact that they both offer differently-sized screwdrivers is simply gravy, as is the awl.

[Magnus]

I find it completely useless myself, I have not seen a traditional can for at least 5 years.  IMO it is just there as a filler tool that is cheap to make.

[Sazabi]

I find it completely useless myself, I have not seen a traditional can for at least 5 years.  IMO it is just there as a filler tool that is cheap to make.

You've seriously not seen a traditional can for at least five years? o.o;  Here, the can options are basically 50/50, in terms of pop-top or traditional.

[Sea Monster]

Here, the can options are basically 50/50, in terms of pop-top or traditional.

Here it depends on your budget, and starting to get more ring-pulls even on the absolute base quality canned goods.

Still, as long as a single tin of tomatoes remains sealed, I'll carry a can opener.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Wenger and LM style LM's not so much, as they really only have a couple of secondary uses, But the Vic style one is essential to me, and I wouldn't buy a tool without one

[Neil]

In the interests of science Because I'm sad, I've just been on an expedition to the back of our pantry to survey the ratio of pull top cans to traditional.

I discovered two things 1) We are fine in the event of a nuclear winter   2) A can opener is still a very useful tool, at least in the UK.

Out of 65 cans 24 had pulls and 41 needed an opener.

[Benner]

Never ever needed one and would happily buy a SAK without one.

[Styerman]

I use mine all the time , at least twice a day anyway - when I feed my cats . Vic. can openers are also not bad field expedient phillips drivers . I would never buy a Multi without one . Mine are also the only can openers I use in the kitchen /camp kitchen .

I can't see ever buy a multi or SAK without one .

Chris

[Spoonrobot]

I think the bottle opener is actually more unnecessary than the can opener. It's very easy to open a bottle without a dedicated opener on your multi-tool without doing any damage.

Conversely, in order to open a can using a multi-tool without a can open you're going to at least significantly dull your knife and possibly damage it further.

I don't use mine often but it is one of those specialized tools that people often forget and can be a huge life-saver/convenience if you have one available. So I guess you could say I'd like to see it stay a viable option on tools.

[Woz]

Use it sometimes, but not to often. BUT: From my experience most canned food in southern Europe is sealed. On a camping trip to Croatia, Slovenia or even Italy a can opener is a MUST to have!

[ducktapehero]

A can opener is a MUST HAVE tool for me. Granted a lot of cans nowadays have the pull tab but those can break. And there's still plenty of cans that need an opener, like Spaghettio's.  Plus, I have an irrational fear of starving to death in a bunker full of food because I don't have a can opener. I love the Vic can opener. Not only does it open cans but it's also a scraper, a small flathead screwdriver and a halfway decent makeshift Phillips screwdriver. I use it all the time for that and most of the time it works fine.

I've also fished keys out of a hole once. I tied a rope to the lanyard, opened the can opener and used it as a "hook" to pick up the key ring. Now granted we could reach the keys easily but I just wanted to see if I could do it.

[Shane769]

I like my can opener. I prefer the combo openers like LM has, since it has double use in single space. But I can't eat my Spaghetti-O's without one!

[SlackOne]

I opened a can of tomato sauce with it yesterday, just to use it as something other than a screwdriver.  Frankly, a whole lot of stuff we have in cans doesn't have a pull ring.  However, this is also the stuff that I don't really need to use a pocket knife to open.  How often am I in the woods with just my SAK and a can of white hominy?  I'd love to see an alternate SAK layer with an inline flat, an inline phillips, and the awl.  Then a combo tool elsewhere, just in case

[1jump2many]

So far the consensus seems to be a combination of tradition and function, although I get the impression more for tradition.  I NEVER use a can opener on an MT or SAK at home and if hiking and camping I don't want to lug around cans, "every ounce counts".  At home in our kitchen we have a drawer right next to the pantry that has the can opener and other assorted kitchen tools in it.  It's easier and quicker for me to grab a nice safety cut can opener out of that drawer and use it.  I just don't know what tool could be used to replace the can opener though.  

I agree with the statements about not needing a dedicated bottle opener too.  But at least the SAK bottle opener tip makes a nice flat head screwdriver and the tool itself is good for prying.  And of course let us not forget the handy wire stripper on the bottle opener.  But as for needing it to open a bottle, it's almost a luxury.  I'm sure like most if not all of you, I can open a bottle with a lighter, table edge, etc.  

[Shane769]

See I know backpacking I would never take cans with me, but car camping, why not? No use living in squander if it isn't necessary as my Eco and Adventure Tourism professor always says. When I go on class camping trips, or club group camps, I always end up having to open cans for people that pack canned-food and no opener. Which I don't mind, since I am usually the prepared one anyway, and I make them pay me with beer

[Sazabi]

So far the consensus seems to be a combination of tradition and function, although I get the impression more for tradition.  I NEVER use a can opener on an MT or SAK at home and if hiking and camping I don't want to lug around cans, "every ounce counts".  At home in our kitchen we have a drawer right next to the pantry that has the can opener and other assorted kitchen tools in it.  It's easier and quicker for me to grab a nice safety cut can opener out of that drawer and use it.  I just don't know what tool could be used to replace the can opener though.  

I agree with the statements about not needing a dedicated bottle opener too.  But at least the SAK bottle opener tip makes a nice flat head screwdriver and the tool itself is good for prying.  And of course let us not forget the handy wire stripper on the bottle opener.  But as for needing it to open a bottle, it's almost a luxury.  I'm sure like most if not all of you, I can open a bottle with a lighter, table edge, etc.  

Current items that can replace a can opener on the opener layer are the electrician's blade or the pruner blade, though - and I don't quite know because I've not seen an attempt - the watch case opener blade /may/ fit, but I can't be certain; beyond that, the only other can opener-replacement tool that comes to mind is the discontinued Technician's long screwdriver, which I honestly think shouldn't have been discontinued. :/