This all coupled with increasingly unfriendly knife laws in some countries; an increasing expectation of an easy life; less self-sufficiency in society; more throw away - less fixing; more time for kids in front of the telly or computer, instead of in the outdoors creating, exploring and whittling ....
[...] to the general expectations that everything will be easy-open or pre-cut; it is better to attack a stubborn package with keys, ball-point pens, or teeth than to be burdened with a one-ounce knife; and a kid can be expelled or even arrested for bringing even a tiny pen knife to school...
Is our beloved SAK dead?? Has it had its day?
Quote from: Huntsman on August 07, 2014, 07:30:01 AMIs our beloved SAK dead?? Has it had its day?I just was in restaurant for lunch and what I saw made me think of this.Next table: two office ladies one had her keys on the table and on it was a white classicTwo tables over: Some kind of handyman, had a SwissTool on his beltOur table: Me, with Alox MiniChamp, my GF has a Soldier & a Classic in her purse...So at least here in Switzerland I think SAKs are still going strong.BTW: Every person in my office carries a SAK
So at least here in Switzerland I think SAKs are still going strong.BTW: Every person in my office carries a SAK
Quote from: Etherealicer on August 08, 2014, 01:17:31 PMSo at least here in Switzerland I think SAKs are still going strong.BTW: Every person in my office carries a SAK Yeah, but... I mean... aren't Swiss Army Knives issued to you guys at birth? Ohh... hey... That's not a bad idea...
I confess I'm not currently carrying a SAK. I decided I wanted "half-decent" pliers. UK carry rules require non-locking blades so I carry a Juice S2.Before starting this post I checked up my Super Tinker and Evo 16. Beautiful. My SAKs are not dead.Interestingly in a Forum here I spend more time in there is continuous debate about "best 4 inch MT". The carrying of a scissorless MT is defended by saying "I also carry an SAK", so clearly the SAK is not dead. Not every 4" MT has an awl. Not such a common argument but I vote for an awl ahead of a precision screwdriver. The SAK is not dead if an awl is wanted and an MT is awlless.My point is I wish Victorinox would give some thought to the design of "sexy" i.e well designed, standalone pliers, rather than cramming puny pliers into an excessively thick SAK.And when the inevitable happens and a backspring on my Juice S2 fails, one of my non-dead SAKs will return to my pocket.
To me, I think it depends on the social setting you're in. Now more than any time in the past, a large portion of the population is essentially helpless in terms of physical skills. They may be able to manage their electronic devices, but they have no ability or interest in learning skills required for even the simplest fixes. I see it in my own kids and their friends. They're more than happy to pay someone else to put a license plate on their car, hang a picture or God forbid have to replace a light or outlet. That's why there are pull top cans. No one has to know how to open a can with a can opener. Same for twist off bottles. Progress? Maybe. Personally I like to have a diverse skill set.
I personally hate pull top cans. I find them somewhat dangerous. I cut myself on one a couple of years ago. I pulled on the lid and it didn't open. I pulled a little harder, and it still didn't open. So, I pulled a little harder yet. It gave way suddenly, and the lid tore off very abruptly. My arm recoiled in the process and somehow sliced my finger. I am still not sure exactly what happened. It was a minor cut, but it soured me on the whole idea of pull top cans.I find myself frequently using the tools for things other than their intended purposes, such as prying, scraping, drilling, etc. For example last year during a winter storm, my mailbox blew open and freezing drizzle coated the lip around the door and the latch with ice so that it wouldn't close. I noticed it as I was leaving for work, and didn't want to leave it in that condition for fear that my mail would blow away. All I had on me was my Pioneer. I used one of the flat screwdrivers as an ice chipper, and it worked great.While it is true that people don't carry pocketknives in general as much as past generations, there must still be a market for SAKs. While I rarely see people with them, Victorinox boasts producing 34,000 per workday. Also all the major big box stores here in the US stock them, so somebody must be purchasing them still.
Quote from: Etherealicer on August 08, 2014, 01:17:31 PMQuote from: Huntsman on August 07, 2014, 07:30:01 AMIs our beloved SAK dead?? Has it had its day?I just was in restaurant for lunch and what I saw made me think of this.Next table: two office ladies one had her keys on the table and on it was a white classicTwo tables over: Some kind of handyman, had a SwissTool on his beltOur table: Me, with Alox MiniChamp, my GF has a Soldier & a Classic in her purse...So at least here in Switzerland I think SAKs are still going strong.BTW: Every person in my office carries a SAK Your GF carries a Soldier on her purse every day?! Can I meet her?!
Quote from: ebarberena on August 09, 2014, 05:50:50 AMQuote from: Etherealicer on August 08, 2014, 01:17:31 PMQuote from: Huntsman on August 07, 2014, 07:30:01 AMIs our beloved SAK dead?? Has it had its day?I just was in restaurant for lunch and what I saw made me think of this.Next table: two office ladies one had her keys on the table and on it was a white classicTwo tables over: Some kind of handyman, had a SwissTool on his beltOur table: Me, with Alox MiniChamp, my GF has a Soldier & a Classic in her purse...So at least here in Switzerland I think SAKs are still going strong.BTW: Every person in my office carries a SAK Your GF carries a Soldier on her purse every day?! Can I meet her?! Yes, send us two plane tickets Zurich-Mexico-Zurich Its technically my Soldier, you know after your fist week in the Military, you go home, give the Soldier to your GF and then on Monday report it lost
Quote from: Etherealicer on August 09, 2014, 10:22:44 PMQuote from: ebarberena on August 09, 2014, 05:50:50 AMQuote from: Etherealicer on August 08, 2014, 01:17:31 PMQuote from: Huntsman on August 07, 2014, 07:30:01 AMIs our beloved SAK dead?? Has it had its day?I just was in restaurant for lunch and what I saw made me think of this.Next table: two office ladies one had her keys on the table and on it was a white classicTwo tables over: Some kind of handyman, had a SwissTool on his beltOur table: Me, with Alox MiniChamp, my GF has a Soldier & a Classic in her purse...So at least here in Switzerland I think SAKs are still going strong.BTW: Every person in my office carries a SAK Your GF carries a Soldier on her purse every day?! Can I meet her?! Yes, send us two plane tickets Zurich-Mexico-Zurich Its technically my Soldier, you know after your fist week in the Military, you go home, give the Soldier to your GF and then on Monday report it lost Then it doesn't count. I thought she was carrying the Soldier out of her own conviction. Sorry, you just lost those two airplane tickets and the chance to spend some great time in the Riviera Maya.
Quote from: ebarberena on August 11, 2014, 07:57:58 AMQuote from: Etherealicer on August 09, 2014, 10:22:44 PMQuote from: ebarberena on August 09, 2014, 05:50:50 AMQuote from: Etherealicer on August 08, 2014, 01:17:31 PMQuote from: Huntsman on August 07, 2014, 07:30:01 AMIs our beloved SAK dead?? Has it had its day?I just was in restaurant for lunch and what I saw made me think of this.Next table: two office ladies one had her keys on the table and on it was a white classicTwo tables over: Some kind of handyman, had a SwissTool on his beltOur table: Me, with Alox MiniChamp, my GF has a Soldier & a Classic in her purse...So at least here in Switzerland I think SAKs are still going strong.BTW: Every person in my office carries a SAK Your GF carries a Soldier on her purse every day?! Can I meet her?! Yes, send us two plane tickets Zurich-Mexico-Zurich Its technically my Soldier, you know after your fist week in the Military, you go home, give the Soldier to your GF and then on Monday report it lost Then it doesn't count. I thought she was carrying the Soldier out of her own conviction. Sorry, you just lost those two airplane tickets and the chance to spend some great time in the Riviera Maya. You obviously never tried to take something back from your GF once it has entered her purse... Good luck with that
Of course the SAK is dead...Along with the internal combustion engine,rock'n'roll,my love life.... Well,two out of three ain't bad