My Everyday Carry

[IMR4198]

Greetings to awl,
       I'm the new guy.  One of them anyway.  I thought you should see my every day carry Victorinox.  Exciting stuff, huh?  Well maybe not.  Here goes anyway.  It is a 108mm Trooper that I bought new in Dalton, Georgia back about 1980 or so.  It was in the window of a sporting good's store marked down to $10.  New in the box.  I had $10.
       Honestly I was mostly carrying either some Solingen folder or other or maybe a Case from time to time then.  So I put the Trooper in a drawer.  Well, I always swapped off my stuff and found myself out of a first class knife, so I found the Vic and sharpened it up.  To make a tedious long story short, if I have my pants on then I have this green knife in the right hand pocket.  For more than 40 years now.  I use the saw more than anything else.  Used it today to clip multifloral roses that grow over my driveway. 
        I showed it to an old man years ago.  He shook his head with a condescending little smile and told me, "You won't have this one long.  It doesn't have any jaws (bolsters) and the liners are not brass.  It will fall apart in no time." 
        He was wrong.  It is tight as the day I bought it.  The scales are cracked and have come loose several times.  I keep prying up whatever end is loose and pushing glue under the scales with a toothpick.  Clamp them with a little C-clamp.  Good as new.  I'm not exactly as good as new anymore myself.  I have carried other knives for a day or two all these years, but this one is the old reliable.  It will outlast me.  Unfortunately.
Best wishes,
Gary (IMR4198)

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[nate j]

Welcome, and cool to see a SAK that has gotten daily carry for 40 years!

I’m curious, have you had to sharpen the saw?

[IMR4198]

Hi Nate,
       I have never sharpened the saw, but definitely can tell it has dulled out quite a bit.  It was extremely grabby when it was new.  The saw teeth were rough and sharp as could be.  I am not a very aggressive blade sharpener, so the blade still has lots of life.  I hit it a few strokes with a medium arkansas stone and finish it with a black razor hone.  I saw where Felix sharpened his saw blade on his site, but I haven't done that yet.  I have had to sharpen the awl several times.  I was talking to a knife dealer about the Vic one time, and mentioned that the only thing I didn't like about it was there was no can opener.  He thought a minute and said, "I think it has one.  I will see how to work it."  Sure enough he told me about the combo tool on the end of the saw.  I have dulled it out quite a bit too.  Never have sharpened it either.  Best wishes and good meeting you.
Gary (IMR)

[Aloha]

Heck of a companion.  An old friend is worth a heck of a lot more than most new things  .  40 year is wonderful run, many more years to come to you both.   

[IMR4198]

Hi and Aloha to you,
       You know I can honestly say that I have enjoyed having that battered old thing with me every single day.  I have lost it a time or two and had to do a frantic search to try and find it.  I have loaned it to people to use more times than I can remember.  A girl in the Walmart pharmacy borrowed it to change the battery in a thermometer for her elderly customer.  A groundskeeper at the local library borrowed it the other day to trim away a piece of unused sprinkler hose that he had run over with his mower.  Those are just recently.  So many have used it.  So many people have gotten a moment's utility out of it.  Not just me.  An old friend?  You got that right.  Best wishes and nice to meet you.
Gary (IMR)

[BPRoberts]

I just picked up a red handled version the other day. I have one of the German army ones, but they're getting old and hard to come by. I was glad I could get a backup at a decent price (though not quite as good a deal as you got). Great choice of a knife! Although I'm sure we'll get you to try some others out now that you're here.

[MrToolJunkie]

Very cool story and awesome to hear that you have had so much use out of a single tool - great memories, I am sure.

[IMR4198]

     I am a little queasy about the buying new things part.  I knew good and well that would happen.  This isn't the only multi-tool/SAK that I have ever owned.  I do have a few. 
      I do have a horrible confession to make.  I hope that it doesn't get me kicked off the site on my first day.  I have to confess it just the same.  I can't start this out with a lie.  I stole a picture from the Photos of your SAK outdoors series.  You can see in my photo.  I stole it and used it as a background for my desktop.  Our honored member from South Africa maybe?... took that outrageously good photo of a Pocket Pal or something in the grape vines.  Jnoxid?  Jinoxid?  I tried to find him but failed.  I guess I spelled it wrong.  He has a rhino avatar.  Anyway I stole his photo.  I am a little ashamed.  Well, maybe a little.  If he wants me to take it down, I will put up the old Dr. Who with Daleks background.  Best wishes.
Gary (IMR)

[IMR4198]

Since I am meeting new friends, I am delighted to meet another Tool Junkie.  Is there a secret handshake that we should use?  I did say a few words about where I live and sent a photo (albeit without a SAK in the picture) under the New Member department.  If you want to know a little more, then that might be the place to look.  Best wishes.
Gary (IMR)

[Farmer X]

You got a heck of a lot for your money! Great to see that it's held up so well and is still going strong.

[Simon_Templar]

Welcome to the forum, Gary! 

Having the same EDC for 40 years is quite a feat, you seem to truly appreciate your Trooper. I am amazed to hear all you had to do for maintenance was some blade/awl sharpening and scale gluing. Victorinox sure knows how to get them right.

Thanks for sharing your story, it has brought out fond memories of my first EDC (a Swisschamp I carried in the 90's and 00's before losing it in a move ).

Cheers,

Simon

[IMR4198]

Two more of the Multi-tool hall of fame.  FarmerX Dan and 'The Saint'.  I am getting to make friends with quite a few now.  You know these GAK types are pretty solid.  I also didn't try to use this thing for something it wasn't suited.  Prying heavy stock or beating on it.  That sort of thing.  Also I viewed it as a tool readily at hand when nothing else was around.  If I was where there were pliers, and screwdrivers, or whatever, then that was what I used.  Not my pocket carry.  Best wishes.
Gary (IMR)

[charlie fox]

Welcome! It's nice to see a well loved tool

[IMR4198]

Thanks CharlieFox.  Loving this thing was easy after I got used to the extra mass of it in my pocket.  It is a little heftier than some.  My Dad wanted to carry it to work one day, so I said OK.  He brought it back and said he didn't want anything else to do with it.  Too bulky.  The edges of it are nice and round and smooth, so they don't poke a hole in your pocket like some knives.  It doesn't have a tendency to slip out of your pocket either.  The cellidor ones will end up lying on the ground somewhere if you don't watch out.  At least this one is big enough that you miss having it in your pocket.  Best wishes.
IMR

[Fireman]

Great knife and a great story.  From your forum name I gather you're a reloader, too.   

[IMR4198]

Hi there Fireman Dan.  I knew somebody would recognize the user name's significance.  I have reloaded since about 1976, I think.  I started reloading shot shells.  The Vic corkscrew came in really handy there.  Everytime I would gotch up a shotgun shell, or disassemble one for inspection, I would use the corkscrew to pull the wad.  Worked perfectly.  Best wishes.
IMR

[Barry Rowland]

Gary it's great to have you and I think you're the first person I've come across that truly EDC a 108.  It's going to be great to hear your experiences with it.  Welcome!

[IMR4198]

Thank you Barry.  I didn't exactly intend carrying this thing for so long.  It is just that either you get tired of something, or you get so used to it that it is hard to do without it.  Familiarity breeds contempt, but it sometimes breeds dependence.  Could go either way.  I will have to think about something interesting that I have done with it.  Let me see.... Oh well, something will come to mind.  If it doesn't then I will just have to make something up.  Best wishes.
IMR

[Rizio Il Ghiro]

Great EDC story, and welcome to MTO! I’ve not had a 108mm in my collection, so good to see it can be a daily carry!  I was always put off by having the bottle opener at the end of a saw - just know I’d mess it up somehow when opening a bottle of beer and end up with blood everywhere!  At least the anaesthetic would be on hand, mind you! 

[IMR4198]

Thanks Dormouse.  Using the bottle opener wasn't so bad, but using the screwdriver is tricky.  That is one blade you don't want to close on your hand while you are pushing hard into a screw.  The back springs on these knives are stiffer than normal.  Victorinox listed the hard springs as a 'feature' in some of the old catalogs.  I never paid much attention to the stiffness myself.  I have picked up more cuts and punctures from the saw than from anything else on the knife.  Best wishes.
IMR

[Farmer X]

If I was where there were pliers, and screwdrivers, or whatever, then that was what I used.

I'm the same way. But SAKs have saved me when I've had to get a job done quickly or was just too lazy to go and get a dedicated tool.

[Storm]

Welcome to the site , great story of you and your trusted friend . I think your comment about using it for purpose and using the correct tool when it's available are definitely words to live by so more of us can have such stories

[IMR4198]

Thanks Storm.  You know, I think everybody has to dance to whatever music they hear in their own head.   I saw a young man empty all his pockets on a table while looking for some change.  He had three worn slick knives in one pocket.  One Case and two something else.  Along with keys, coins, hanky, and I don't know what.  He wore Carhartt pants, so they can hold a lot.  Do they have those in NZ?  Anyway they are the heaviest sort of reinforced brownish duck work pants.  Back to the story.  I said he had some nice knives.  He told me that his grandad had owned one of them.  His dad had given him the second and his wife the other.  He also had a Stihl chain saw screwdriver.  That was the way he rolled.  How can I judge?  Do what you think is best for you.  Best wishes. G

[Aloha]

Nice avatar 

[IMR4198]

An Aussie pal sent me that photo from Singapore.  He said the root beer was very refreshing.  Evidently lots of people don't care for it.  Best wishes. G

[Grand_Banana]

Welcome to MTO, Gary. That’s a great EDC story 

Regarding the A&W. The old A&W root beer stands were great as far as memory serves. But, those all closed down or were converted to the modern fast food joints decades ago… now it’s like any soda. Could be different in another country, could be made as a real root beer. I’d like to try!

[IMR4198]

Thanks Grand Banana.  It is good to be here.  I never saw a root beer stand.  All I ever had was bought from a soda machine or a market.  The best root beer sensation might be when you take a glass of it and put a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream in it.  Root beer float.  Just made for a hot day.  Best wishes G