Split Phillips?

[ringzero]

Seem to have a distinct memory of this, but it's been so long I'm no longer certain.

At some point - likely back in the early 1980s - I can vaguely remember marveling at the Phillips screwdriver on a newly purchased Vic Tinker.

The tip of its Phillips driver was split lengthwise by a narrow -  maybe 1 mm width - slot that cut all the way through the driver tip.  The slot extended back maybe 5 mm from the tip of the driver.

I still remember being blown away the overall clever design and the fit and finish of my first Tinker. Especially when compared to the relatively unsophisticated design of the American knives I was used to carrying, such as the Case Camper model.

At the time I speculated that the purpose of the slot was to allow the tip of the Phillips to flex slightly inwards as it was pushed into a screw head.  Perhaps to give a firmer grip or allow a better fit into slightly smaller screw heads.

That Tinker was lost long ago - I've probably gone through 3 or 4 Tinkers since then - and I can't recall any subsequent Tinker with that slot in the Phillips.

Anyone else remember that style of Phillips?

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[I'm Still Bison]

I never owned any Vic with that style Phillips,but that slot was meant to be used as key on certain types of canned goods that used a key to open them,sardines,canned hams,etc.Pretty handy when the original key would get lost or bunged up.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I have several of them like that and the purpose was far less ingenious than flexing the head for proper fit.

In the good old days, many cans could be opened with a key, and often the key would be lost before you could get at what was inside, so Victorinox cut the little slot in the phillips to replace lost keys.  The problem was, you'd buy three canned hams, and when you opened the first one, the key would be missing, so you'd take the key off the next one.  Of course that meant that the next time you needed one, the key was missing off that one, so you'd grab the key off the third one.  This was fine until you wanted to open the third one and there was no key anywhere!   

The problem with the keys that came with the cans is that they were usually a closed loop, which meant that after you used it, if you wanted to keep it (and why would anyone want to keep one?  They are on everything...) you had to unwind the metal strip that you had just wound up.  Of course, that usually ended up with you cutting your hands on the razor sharp strip of metal that you just peeled off!  The beauty of the Vic design was that while it may not remove the razored strip as fast or efficiently as the key did, the slot meant you could pull the knife out without a problem.

Def

[Benner]

Any chance of a pic?  Not seen that feature before.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Any chance of a pic?  Not seen that feature before.

I think there's one over on sosak somewhere.

[Benner]

Any chance of a pic?  Not seen that feature before.

I think there's one over on sosak somewhere.

Benner sits patiently hoping that Mike posts a link... 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Still...looking

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Curtesy of spork...

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/808196/post/1373527/hl/spam+tin+key/fromsearch/1/#1373527

[Benner]

Thanks!

[Grant Lamontagne]

For non SOSAK members I'll try to post a pic when I get home.

Def

[Levi]

The only tins I've seen with a "key" are corned beef... still, I'm surprised this feature hasn't lived on because as far as I know, corned beef still needs a "key".

[ringzero]

I never owned any Vic with that style Phillips,but that slot was meant to be used as key on certain types of canned goods that used a key to open them,sardines,canned hams,etc.Pretty handy when the original key would get lost or bunged up.

Thanks Bison56.

Duh!  I carried that Tinker for years and never once realized it had the capability to open those pesky keyed cans.  If worse came to worse I used the pliers on my Leatherman Tool to open sardine cans.

Wonder why Vic dropped that feature?

Maybe they reasoned that the key feature wasn't worth weakening the tip of the Phillips by including the slot?

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[Sea Monster]

or maybe they stopped making cans like that?

I have not peeled back a can lid for nigh on ten years!

[Grant Lamontagne]

Cans like that are disappearing fast and there are very few of them left on shelves these days.  I imagine given the declining use and added cost of cutting a perfect little slot in thousands of screwdrivers are the reason for it's demise.

Def

[ringzero]

For non SOSAK members I'll try to post a pic when I get home.

Def

Any luck finding that pic, Def?

I'd like to see how well the pic matches my memory of that Phillips driver, after all the years intervening since I've last seen the real thing.

Thanks for your effort to find the pic.

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[Grant Lamontagne]

Took some just this morning- I'll post them momentarily! 

Def

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Hurry up then, your public are waiting

I did think of nicking sporks, but that would be wrong, and I'm an honest bloke...honest

[Grant Lamontagne]

Don't getcher undies in a bundle, here ya go!







Not the greatest photos I know, but here you are!

Def

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Thanks mate

You've got to give Vic some credit, what other company would have thought to do that

[ringzero]

Don't getcher undies in a bundle, here ya go!
...
Not the greatest photos I know, but here you are!

Def

Thanks Def!

That looks pretty darn close to how I remembered it.

Maybe the aging process hasn't deteriorated my memory quite so much as it sometimes seems.  ;>

.
 

[Benner]

Yeah thanks for the pics. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

No problems guys- glad to be of service! 

Def