SAK sanity.

[cbl51]

A cold winters day and I'm sitting here looking out the window at the birds coming and going at the feeder, a hot cup of tea in hand, and random thoughts going through whats left of the rest of my mind. I notice the binocular case has a loose screw, so a small SAK from the pocket takes care of that in a brief moment.

I think of all the little things a SAK does that solve those little problems in life that pop up with regularity. But then, that's life, isn't it?  A series of little things. It's not often that we have hostile paratroopers dropping out of the sky and we have to take to the hill fighting a guerrilla war while shouting "Wolverines!" or surviving the wilds of Alaska after the bush plane goes down. MOst people I know have a hard time dealing with life in modern suburbia.

I guess that's why I love SAK's so much. There's no attitude with them and they go almost anywhere. No sinister black blade with car door piercing capability, no hype about de-animating enemy sentries while on a black ops mission way behind enemy lines. Just the friendly red, or yellow or whatever color handles with the Silver Swiss cross that everyone recognizes from either the boy scouts or a favorite TV show from the 80's. A SAK has that low profile that slides under the radar of most security outside of a TSA run airport scan.

I grew up in Washington D.C., and even today, I live in the Maryland suburbs about 25 miles north of the city. Being retired, the better half and I find cheap or even free things to do that doesn't affect our fixed income social security. LIke going downtown to the museums. Washington D.C. has great museums, like the Smithsonian complex, the National Gallery Of Art, The Smithsonian zoo. Of course, D.C. being D.C., theres  security to go through. Government federal buildings have a 2 or 2 1/2 inch rule on knife blades, so the SAK will slide on through. And if they get a second look, it's usually favorable. Heck, I've never had anyone actuyally measure the SAK blade, they just look at it and wave me through. Not long ago, I was passing though a security checkpoint, and the lady guard looked at my little red Victorinox recruit in the tray, and remarked "Oh, a Swiss Army Knife! I just gave one of those to my nephew for his birthday."  ON another occasion, I was going through a security check at another federal building when a young guard looked at my SAK and didn't know if it was allowed. He asked an older guard, a big guy that looked like a seasoned old pro. The older guard just glances at it and said, "Heck, that's a Swiss Army Knife. They're cool." and I get waved past. I can only wonder if I had some black handle one hand tactical wonder knife if it would have been that amicable.

Maybe that's the secret of the SAK, that it's not selling some ego trip, or fantasy warrior trip that needs a knife capable of being stabbed through car doors like one well known tactical knife company. I've been around this earth a long while now, and even in some of the less well developed places I've been while in the army, like North Africa, Vietnam, I've never been attacked by a rogue Chevy or Ford. Every time I've needed a knife, it was just to cut something. I've fixed things in the middle of some strange places with the SAK in my pocket. It's surprising what you can fix or jury rig if you have a screw driver to get into it. Toss in a paper clip from the wallet and you're often on your way.

I've carried other kinds of knives in my life. An old Buck stockman, a Case peanut, an Opinel. I liked them, and I still like the old fashioned traditional pocketknife. But when it comes to the sane choice, my SAK beats out all comers. It's not just a knife, but a small selection of tools for real world problem solving that comes up in life.

[Monrogue]

Another great read and I agree completely:salute: 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I know I say this every time, but you really ought to put all your musings in an eBook mate

[SAK Guy]

  SAKs handled everything the 3 months we backpacked through Europe.Taking a side trip in Germany, we drove down to Bavaria and my buddy fixed his mom's broke down VW beetle with just his Explorer.

[jerseydevil]

Another excellent read.   I agree, my big folders haven't seen much carry time at all lately.  Very little I can't accomplish with a SAK....

[metasyntax]

Very well said. This philosophy meshes well with the "your companion for life" motto.

I recently started reconsidering my knife collection (meagre as it is) with a focus on pragmatism. I have a few tacticool Kershaw assisted openers, some modern Bucks, a few Case traditionals, and random things like Aitors and Mercators... but I rarely ever carry any of those because I find that I don't actually need a dedicated folding knife. I always have a perfectly serviceable blade in my SAK. And for jobs a little bigger than that, I grab my Leatherman or Mora. It feels good to simplify.

[Caranthanus]

 


 

[colt 1911]

You nailed it !


Sak's  rule !

[Werkzeug]

Another great piece. Thanks for writing it for us.

[ducttapetech]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.................LOL!

Good read. So far my SAKs and LM Surge make threw the Fed buildings in OH and WV. They tend to say that's a Swiss Army Knife, its cool or hey nice Leatherman, its cool. The only place so far beside TSA is the court house. Nothing goes through. And I mean nothing. No SAKs, no LMs, nothing. They wouldn't let me even keep my torch.

[papercut]

On a recent visit to an abroad USA Department of State facility I informed the security guy that I was carrying a knife (they usually only get phones over here).  I pulled out my keys with an alox classic and he had no reaction, then I pulled out my slightly blackened SI and he said "Oh."  What really got his attention was my recently shined up 1 troy oz silver coin.  He did not know what to make of it. 

What can I say, I work in bulk materials, and I like to have multiple materials on hand.  Steel, aluminum, brass, silver and gold- a plethora of richness!