Why any other knife?

[cb51]

I was thinking about this today.

Being a life long user of Victorinox and Wenger products, I've got used to a certain level of fit and finish. Every ask I've had has been fine, with no problems. When there was a problem due to my own blunder and I actually damaged a sak, it was sent to the Shelton Conneticutt place and fixed or replaced.

Last night I was visiting a friend who is a knife buff. He collects all kinds of pocket knives, and loves those American traditional knives. He had Case, some company called GEC, and some other brands I was not familiar with at all. I noticed one thing. He talked about having to send new knives back for defects, and some of his knives I handled seemed to be defective. Some had springs so strong, they could not be opened without the tool he called a pick. WTH?

Why would anyone want a knife that you need a tool to open, or risk a 50/50 chance you have to send  new knife back for defects? Are the American knife companies not capable of making a pocket knife as good as a sak?

I got home and took out some of my Swiss built red wonders, and I couldn't find a hard to open knife in the bunch. All blades and tools pulled smoothly open, and the knives all seemed to have great polish and fit. In the over 40 years I've been using sak's, I've never had a problem from the springs not being strong enough to hold the blade/tool open.

So, why would anyone want any other knife but a sak?  Great quality, easy to use, no other tools needed to open.

[dks]

It's fun, you can get a bigger variety on blade type and size and look.

Some SAKs can have qc problems too; I have one with an unfinished wood saw..

Check the Edged tools sub-forum here; you will find that most people here also have a decent knife selection in addition too multitools.

[AimlessWanderer]

So, why would anyone want any other knife but a sak?

Because I like them. I like traditional slipjoints, particularly wood and brass. I like the in-hand feel of a two bladed barlow. I like the performance of a sheepsfoot/lambsfoot/wharncliffe blade. I have a couple that are just wood scaled, and one that is just stag (no bolsters). I like my Solingen SAKalikes, even though the quality is not the same. I like my OHO slippies like my Byrd Wings, Byrd Tern and SRM H02. Some of my knives are hand built or hand finished, and the feel of them is very different to the almost clinical feel of a perfect SAK - not better, not worse, just different. I like the "way things were" feel when using a traditional slippie, just as much as the 100% reliability of the SAK. I've thought about getting a few old Scout patern knives to thow into the mix for a nice blend of tradition and utility. I'm a big fan of the SAK - but not exclusively, far from it

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I used to carry tacticals, and other reasonably high-end knives 8 or so years ago, but since I went back to sak's, nothing else has every really swayed me to carry anything else

[Sazabi]

I have to mirror 50ft-trad's opinion.  I prefer to have a dedicated knife on me sometimes if I know I'm going to be needing a blade frequently that day.

To be fair, GEC makes wonderful knives; the strong backsprings are not to my liking, but is a mark of their quality.

[Steinar]

Well, there are more knife companies than Wenger and Victorinox with a high level of consistency. (I know of no real competitor in their price range, though. EKA is not too shoddy, but does lack the level of the Swiss companies consistency.) Fällkniven's Japanese OEM is very good, for instance (Moki?), the F&F of a Klötzli is excellent, and so on. I usually carry a SAK, I do as I write this, but I have other knives as well, and, well, I like them. They have other blade geometries, other steels, different handle ergonomics, other strengths. A SAK is a little bit like a Mora in the regard that it's cheap, extremely cheap for what you get, and you can do pretty much whatever you need with one, but, frankly, it's not the best for everything.

My main reason for buying other knives is the same as mentioned before, though, I like them. The same reason why I have several SAKs where the only difference is the tang, I guess. 

[ColoSwiss]

I grew up with the traditional patterns; Boy Scouts, Stockmen, Copperheads, etc., and I have a small collection of them. Most traditional patterns evolved over time and they are very practical tools. Many of them are also very well made and esthetically a nice jigged-bone handle beats red plastic any day.

I also have an assortment of tactical folders (Benchmade, Spyderco, SOG) and a number of fixed-blade knives, including hunting knives and bayonets.

Basically I like all kinds of knives. However its a Victorinox or Wenger that's in my pocket most of the time, and SAKs probably make up 90% of my collection. They're a very neat combination of outstanding industrial design, practical utility, and ruggedness.

Karl

[Syph007]

Other companies could for sure make knives as good as vics, but I doubt they could compete on price.  The swiss can deliver a high quality product for a really low price.  They can crank out perfectly heat treated springs and components in the blink of an eye.

One day I want to make my own slipjoints just for fun, but the cost would be too high to really ever sell for profit.

[dodge_911]

I love my Vics, no doubt about that, but I love my ZT-350 as much as well, but it's as said before, it's a single blade most of the time, so it's limited in it's uses, but therein lies the strength : it's really good at those few instances.

[zoidberg]

So, why would anyone want any other knife but a sak?

Come on mate, life must be good if you get through forty years and a sak keeps you happy.

Swing by and we'll go gut a fish, skin a sheep, stick a pig, split some wood etc.
Even if you still have all your fingers and the knife has survived, trying to get all the blood, grit and grime out will be a mission.

All things being clean, easy to reach and well maintained in a stress free situation, then a sak is perfect.
Mostly though, when it is needed, the sak just won't cut it.

I don't care how good it looks, how much it is worth, who makes it, number of functions or how easy it is to open.
If it can't get the munched ball of twine out of the knotter and I'm going to lose a thousand bales of hay to the storm blowing in, then it is a fail.

[Mr. Whippy]

On my farm, for serious cutting work, the SAK spearpoint is not optimal.  Spyderco folders seem to function much better and my recent fixed blade is even better.  Plus, the guthook on my Leatherman is superior for cutting baling twine and plastic packing straps.

The SAK blade would work, but other blade shapes are better.

[Grateful]

 Sometimes I wonder why I bother with other knives when my sak does everything I need day to day . I guess the most honest reason is because I love knives . Variety is the spice of life .
Jim

[Syph007]

Another reason saks get alot of use too is that they are cheap to replace.  My 200 dollar folders well.. cost 200 to replace...

[Swiss Man]

Somedays I just wanna go "old school" and carry a slippie I have an old John Primble stockman that I just love the feel of it.

It is stout, smooth and heavy and it has a warm feeling to it, (some of you know what I mean).

SAKs are great but sometimes I just wanna carry something different.

[nuphoria]

I'm a fan of a wide range of blade types, however, difficult to open would be a deal breaker for me regardless of brand.

SAKs are consistent over all which is a good thing for a consumer, and certainly makes then more than enough for lots of folks

[evanPGH]

I find that a dedicated blade is a great companion to a sak.

I EDC a Vic Yeoman and a Benchmade 930, I carry the Vic for the tools, and the 930 because it locks, it's lightweight, strong and it opens AND closes with one hand. I can't tell you how many times I've needed to open and close my knife with only one hand available.

Also there are many times that the Vic main blade just doesn't cut it (pun intended) compared to three inches of S30V goodness.

[getahl]

I am going to echo what has already been said: I like knives. I'm particularly fond of bone and wood scales, two blade/ one spring knives (think the Popular), and different steels. I like SAKs, and my Classic cuts everything I need in an urban setting, but I have a Henckels two bladed, stainless pen knife with cherry-red jigged bone that I absolutely adore, that sits in my pocket every day.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I've been asking this for years...

Def

[mvyrmnd]

In order of primary blade use, I carry a Select Fire, Charge TTi and a Vic Climber. I've never cut anything with the SAK, and nearly everything with the Select Fire. The Charge blade is good for more delicate cutting (cables, tape, etc) but the Kershaw is much better at bigger tasks like cutting apart boxes, large zip ties, hoses etc.

While I'm sure the SAK blade is capable, the Kershaw is more capable

Plus I'm a nail biter, and most of the time getting SAK blades or tools open is a massive PITA. OHO all the way for me

[Currahee]

"Why any other knife?"

For the same reason that I carry several different tools in my tool box. Different tasks require different tools. I can't drive a nail with a screwdriver and I wouldn't drive a screw with a hammer. Different tools for different jobs. Simple.

Applying that analogy to the knives I carry is basically the same concept. For most urban tasks an SAK will be sufficient -- granted. However, should I need to deploy a knife for self defense I would most certainly want a tactical folder -- such as my constant companion, the Spyderco Paramilitary 2. I may not be driving a nail but I will definitely be driving a point. If you get my drift!

And then, of course, there is the "two is one and one is none" philosophy. Which I wholeheartedly subscribe to!

[jzmtl]

The same answer to "why more than one knife?".

[Ashley]

Because I'm a knife knut not only a sak knut.

Sent from Ash forum mobile

[Dtrain]

I say to each thier own..I was for quite awhile a dedicated SAK only carrier unless I felt a Fixed Blade would be needed..One day about a year back I looked at all the knives I had and realized I had too many,so my two boys became the lucky recipients of a majority of my users..including many SAK's that I did not carry..One of the knives that made the cut was a GEC..I love SAK's and I love Tacticals,and I love the Traditional...If all there was in the world of cutlery was SAK's no matter how hard Vic/Wenger try it would get to be a pretty boring place

[Biru]

I love the Swisstool blade design better than any blade on any of my multitools. If only it was one-hand opening.

[django.cj]

I carry a different knife every day.  Why?  Variety; just as I eat something different every day, I don't want the same knife in my pocket.

Another reason is that the spear point is probably my least favorite blade shape.


I have a decent sized collection of knives from Case, Buck, and GEC.  I would say Vic puts out the most consistent, well finished knives, for their price. That said, I've never had to send any of the non-SAKs back for any problems.

[victorinox_czech]

It has already been mentioned, like a knife-junkie a have to love all knives 
But vinox are my precious.

[theonew]

I have a few Spyderco and Benchmade folders but none seem to cut as well as a 91mm Vic blade due to geometry. So I basically never carry them. If the blade on my SAK isn't strong enough for the task I then make the leap to a fixed blade knife. For camping I'll always bring a fixed blade, if only just a Mora.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

A SAK meets 99% of my EDC needs.  I also agree that they're the most consistent and high quality pocket-knife/multi-tool for the money.  I've found the quality of their blades in particular to be very high quality, especially compared to the blades on even mid-range plier based MT's such as Gerber and Leatherman.  I also find a SAK to be more pocket friendly, and to have tool-sets most appropriate to my needs.

I do still carry a folder most of the time, either in my EDC bag or in my pocket, as there are just some jobs that I don't like using a SAK for, even one with a large blade like my Outrider or Work Champ.  I don't carry a fixed blade at all unless I'm camping or backpacking, and even then, I don't use it all that often.  SAK's rock; they're the closest thing to a perfect knife/MT for me.