The one Victorinox SAK part I'm underwhelmed with...

[KTesh]

Today I got my new "Plus" scales along with an authentic Victorinox straight pin.  I've got two knives, and one of them has a pin that I found on the floor of a department store's changing room.  Now I wish I would have been able to find several more.


Mine is the upper pin, Victorinox's is the lower pin.

The found pin is sharper, thicker, and has more magnetic properties* than the authentic part.  Why is this important?  In the event I need to improvise a compass, magnetic properties are important.  The real advantage is that when pulled out, the found pin likes to stick to the knife if it's dropped, or a magnet can be used to find it.  The Victorinox product refused to budge in the presence of the knife, and required much closer passes with the magnet to pick it up.


My Pin vs Victorinox's Pin...  (Mine's Magnetic)

My conclusion...  I wouldn't begrudge it as a gift (or part of your OEM package), but I'd suggest that you go somewhere and try on a nice shirt rather than shell out $.50USD each for authentic replacements.   

*in experiments the authentic pin was attracted to my rare earth magnet only from a distance of an inch, my found pin leapt to the magnet from over 4 inches.  This was after my attempt to magnetize the authentic pin by rubbing it on the magnet.

[dks]

I fit pins with a plastic, coloured head (i.e. red), because they look nicer.

[KTesh]

I fit pins with a plastic, coloured head (i.e. red), because they look nicer.

They also can be easier to find when dropped, but who really looks at my straight pin, unless I'm showing it to them?

[dks]

I fit pins with a plastic, coloured head (i.e. red), because they look nicer.

They also can be easier to find when dropped, but who really looks at my straight pin, unless I'm showing it to them?

multitool.org members will allways notice!    

[Nikos]

Maybe the authentic pin is less magnetic due to heat treatment? That would make it a "feature" and not a "bug"...

[kkokkolis]

I always thought it as a standard plain vanilla pin. I lost my Swisschamp's pin ages ago and replaced with one from my wife's sewing kit without much thought. I'll try one with a nice head now.

[nuphoria]

Or just replace it with a proper sewing needle which fits, then you have another useful tool

[crackout]

Maybe the authentic pin is less magnetic due to heat treatment? That would make it a "feature" and not a "bug"...

If this is case, then you can rebuild the permanent magnetic moment by using a strong magnet on the little fellow.

[Landrew]

I don't know if my original Scientist had the pin or not, but if I had known about it, I would have used it for sure during all those 20 years when I carried it every day.  I'm still upset about losing it.

[Landrew]

Or just replace it with a proper sewing needle which fits, then you have another useful tool

I had a sewing needle in the Card Logic card tool I got for Christmas a few years ago. I installed a piece of thread in the needle, and wrapped it around the little spindle provided.  Found it totally useless when I tried to use it, due to it snagging and tangling when I tried to extract it from the card.  Better to use one of the little sewing kits they give you in hotels.

[dks]

Also note that some SAKs, like the explorer, have the pin hole, even though no pin is included!
So you can add it yourself.

[KTesh]

I don't know if my original Scientist had the pin or not, but if I had known about it, I would have used it for sure during all those 20 years when I carried it every day.  I'm still upset about losing it.

I presume you mean you lost the knife, not the pin.  I can feel ya there...   I've had 2 SAK's stolen, and lost another 4 (not including the two classics, which are too damn small to be useful for me)

Also note that some SAKs, like the explorer, have the pin hole, even though no pin is included!
So you can add it yourself.

If you haven't guessed it yet...  I love the Ranger Model...  None of mine ever had the pin included.  I didn't learn about the pin hole until less than a year ago.  I immediately tracked down a nice pin for it, and have used it ever since.  I even posted a series of photos on Flickr to expose this oft forgot-about tool.


The Secret Tool of the Swiss Army Knife

If you have a knife like an original Scientist, and it doesn't have a pin in it, it probably never had one.  In my research, I've found that the knives that include the pin are few and far between, and when you look at a "what's included" list, the ones that have them are clearly listed.

My pin has never come loose, or fallen out, except when I removed the scale, unlike the number of toothpicks and tweezers over the years (including another toothpick a few weeks ago). I did notice last night as I was playing with the "Plus" scales that the Authentic Victorinox Part (AVP) flexed a little in it's slot, which would hold it in place a little better than if it was completely uniform width slot.  The photo below might show the "flex", I can't tell with this resolution.



I'll see if I can get a crystal-clear photo of it later today.

[Taxi Dad]

WOW this thread has 'spooked me out' 
only this morning i was thinking of SHARING the fact i had up-graded my pin (in my swisschamp) to one with a large plastic head ! it's so much easier to spot when dropped and more obvious that it's missing if you look at the tool 
and larger head looks like it would be less likely to work its way free in your pocket 

p.s mine is BLUE btw (only cos that was the first to come to hand )

[nuphoria]

That kind of coincidence is not unusual here... idiots seldom differ

Umm... greats minds think alike

[Outback in Idaho]

I always thought it as a standard plain vanilla pin. I lost my Swisschamp's pin ages ago and replaced with one from my wife's sewing kit without much thought. I'll try one with a nice head now.

Aha! You gave me an idea. Looked in the small sewing kit I bought a few years ago, and sure enough there were two straight pins there. Magnetized one and stuck it in my Climber. 

It will do til I find a longer one.

[Thisjk38]

This thread inspired me to look and I just noticed that my Sliver Tech Climber has a pin hole as well. Very cool feature. Thanks for the inspiration.

[Outback in Idaho]

Is strange, SAK Wiki does not mention the pin as an accessory on the Climber, neither does Victorinox. Yet, there it is!

[Landrew]

Is strange, SAK Wiki does not mention the pin as an accessory on the Climber, neither does Victorinox. Yet, there it is!

Very easy to miss if you don't know it's there, by anyone.

[Marius]

My understanding is that all new, hollow, 91 mm Cellidor scales come with the pin hole, including the non Plus scales. Before that only Plus scales had the pin hole since it was introduced. Even the special scales (Webenmuster, Road Tour Climber, Don't thread on me, Bavaria Spartan, etc) that I have they all have the pin hole in there. Knowing about it I always put a pin in there if it was a SAK that I was thinking to EDC (same as the small screwdriver in the corkscrew, for the coskscrew models).