John's Shameless Discontinued Challenge Thread

[jalind]

Discontinued Challenge Day 08
Victorinox 93mm Pioneer Solo

The venerated 93mm Pioneer Solo takes on today's challenges. It was in the 2015 catalog, but disappeared from the 2016, which contained only one 84mm (Cadet) and three 93mm Alox models, including the Pioneer.



It starts with slicing the breakfast bagel, using the same safe(er) technique demonstrated with other blades shorter in length than the bagel diameter.



On next to cutting a small slice of ham in half to put on the bagel with the cream cheese . . .



And you know what they say, "An apple a day keeps Medical Bill away!". I start by making partial slices all the way around, and then slicing all the way down on the second go around. The Solo's crazy sharp blade makes this easy work!



Finally to chip the small part out with the seeds. A small slice in and a slight twist of the wrist is usually all it takes.



And, Bob's your Uncle, breakfast is served!



A solid breakfast puts the day off to a great start for the Alox Solo! Mid-morning there's a cup of coffee . . .



After lunch I go to check on how many leaves have dropped as that will determine when I mow next to mulch them up. Most are still on the trees, but they're turning now.



Late afternoon the mail arrives, and it's back to work for the Solo as two packages have arrived. The first one is in a box taped up every which way, so it's hunt to find where all the tape is along the seams.



Inside there's this nice little 58mm Vic Tomo, complete in its egg crate, and with the white leather pouch for it. Got this in mind as a gift for someone as I doubt I'd carry it. It's an interesting variation of the Classic SD.



On to the next package, which feels like hard cardboard around something in a padded Priority Mail pouch. The crazy sharp Solo's blade slices into it effortlessly.



Inside explains probably why the padded, "one rate" envelope! It's a "one rate" Priority Mail box. I've got to look this up, but my best guess is the fixed rate on the padded envelope was less than the fixed rate for the box. Now to cut the tape all around the box . . .



But wait, there's more!! With this padded envelope and this stiff cardboard box, we get mondo size bubble wrap containing something and it's taped down inside the box!



Not done yet folks! Inside that is a Zip Lock bag that's rolled up and taped . . .



Finally, rolled up in fiber cloth, not just plain paper, we get to the prize, a Victorinox 84mm Alox Excelsior in excellent condition, especially considering its age. The blades will need some touchup polishing, and there's a tiny bit of Crudmium inside it. At only 5.3mm thick, it's nearly a millimeter thinner than the Bantam, and its oval shape makes it look smaller. Compared to the 93mm Solo, it takes minimalism to a whole new level in size and weight, and yet it feels incredibly sturdy compared to the small minimalist Cellidor SAKs.



What a day for the Solo! It has a new single layer Alox friend to cavort with.

John

Note:
No oranges were harmed in the making of this forum posting (no guarantee for their future safety though).

[Poncho65]

Some great pics and lovely SAKs in them

[magentus]

Excellent stuff John - Very thorough. Where is Nurse Fanny Payne during all this dangerous work? Not mooning over Medical Bill's Medical Bilabong I hope.

[jalind]

Excellent stuff John - Very thorough. Where is Nurse Fanny Payne during all this dangerous work? Not mooning over Medical Bill's Medical Bilabong I hope.

She hones her nursing skills on Fire Chief Sparks Blaise and Police Commissioner Phil MacOffers. She's quite adept and fearless at performing a very wide range of nursing tasks, including the "less pleasant" ones, as Chief Blaise and Commissioner MacOffers will attest to. I have learned not to disturb them when she's practicing her skills. She's anxious to demonstrate them to Medical Bill as she's certain a fellow medical practitioner would fully appreciate them.



John

[jalind]

Discontinued Challenge Day 09
Victorinox 84mm Alox Excelsior 2070s

The Alox Excelsior dates to the 1970's and at 5.3 millimeters thick, it's one of the thinnest Victorinox knives ever made. The waffle pattern scales are very fine compared to the current 84mm and 93mm scales found on the Cadet and Pioneer. There are have been several variants, with and without keyring, with and without the "Old Cross", and silver and red anodized finish. The only ones I've seen without the Old Cross are the silver. These epitomize minimalism and the definition of a "Gentleman's Knife". In addition to being exceptionally thin, its shape also reduces its apparent size. It looks noticeably smaller than the Alox Bantam even though both are 84mm.



The day started with a cup of strong java, and the Excelsior was there . . .



A Mandarin orange finishes off breakfast, and the same technique as shown before choking up on the small blade with my thumb will be used to to set the cutting depth.



The small blade slices through the peel with ease, and does so well it's hard to see where the cut has been made as I spiral down the orange.



It's done quickly and the peel comes off easily in a nice spiral as before.



Lunch time and I'm finishing off the last of the beer bread made a week or so ago. Frozen butter again! No challenge for the Excelsior.



With the last of this beer bread loaf consumed I will probably make the Hawaiian beer bread tomorrow morning. 30 seconds in the microwave has the bread warm and butter melted!



Late afternoon an the mail arrives - with another small, very thin padded envelope! The small blade makes quick work of opening it.



Inside is a "challenge coin" that I had ordered a while ago and almost forgotten about.



I've got a number of these related to my military service and this one is quite nicely minted! A better look at the obverse out of the clamshell, which depicts the newer version of the U.S. Army Retired uniform badge (I prefer the older one and still use it).



And the reverse has some very good detail in the U.S. Great Seal (obverse) which is used by the U.S. Army for the its cap device, all dress uniform buttons and other general insignia, the only one of the uniformed services to use it.



A great day it's been for the Alox Excelsior, which may be small in size, but it's big in performance.

John

[jalind]

Sadly, Photobucket.com has been completely down, apparently much of the night and half of today (USA EDT). If you're wondering about all the broken photo links, that's the reason.

John

[jalind]

Discontinued Challenge Day 10
Victorinox 91mm Woodsman circa 1978

Photobucket has been down for nearly 16 hours. I'm trying another photo upload site. If it's not successful, I will add a Part 2 later. I can see these photos, but if someone cannot, please post something telling me. It's bad enough with all the Photobucket photo links broken!

The Victorinox 5-layer Woodsman is an enigma as the name was also used in the 1980's for a 4-layer now called a Huntsman. The 5-layer is a melding of the Explorer and Huntsman into one SAK, with wood saw, magnifier and in-line Phillips. This one was bought circa 1978 or 1979 in Europe. It's apparent that Victorinox has made the 5-layer Woodsman off and on over the years as there are much newer ones with post-1991 changes such as the sewing eye in the awl, multi-purpose hook, 90 degree stop on the cap lifter, and v2 and v3 magnifiers with the shorter Phillips. Decided to do a series of photos showing the details of this vintage one to post for the Discontinued Challenge.



The first, most readily noticed aspect is the v1 Magnifier with gray frame, its 8x glass lens, and long Phillips. The v2 is a larger clear frame magnifier with 5x plastic lens, and the v3 is has the same larger clear frame with a 6x glass lens. The Phillips had to be shortened for the v2 and v3 magnifiers to accommodate their larger diameter within the layer.



Next are the back layer tools. There are only two, the corkscrew, which is fluted, and an eyeless awl. The hook is not present (scissors layer), nor is the small flat tip driver (wood saw layer). It did not come with a mini-driver in the Phillips. I added one earlier this year, and it did not fit well. Found an older round one and it fits better.



Also not present is the pin hole in the scales under the corkscrew for storage of a straight pin.



The keyring split ring mount is on a spacer next to the small pen blade in the blade layer, versus its current location as part of the opener layer spring.



The combination cap lifter, wire stripper and large flat tip driver does not have the 90 degree stop, which would be a secondary flat on the back of the tool. Here, it's rounded and the flat tip should only be used fully open as it's unstable at 90 degrees.



Nor does it have the "notch" to help prevent inadvertent closure under pressure when fully open. Here, the driver is partially opened to show the flat without the notch.



As would be expected from other characteristics, the scissors has a screw.



On the underside, there is no spring follower groove, and the spring end is flat. It does not have the spoon tip the current ones have to mate with the spring follower groove.



Tang stamp on the right side of the large blade.



Tang stamp on the left side of the large blade.




Large blade Tang width of 2.4mm, versus the current, narrower 2.0mm. The knife itself is about 0.4mm thicker than the newest ones with teh narrower large blade tang.



This Woodsman has been through thick and thin for over three and a half decades, and it's till going strong! It's a shame Victorinox isn't making them, most likely because the four layer Explorer and Huntsman are too close in tool sets. I believe it would be one of their more popular.



John

[Barry Rowland]

+1....keep up the great work John!!

[jalind]

+1....keep up the great work John!!

Thanks Barry!

On a different topic, Photobucket is at least serving up linked pictures now, even if you cannot upload any new ones or log into your account. I'll see how long that lasts, fearing I may be speaking too soon.


John

[jalind]

Discontinued Challenge Day 11
Wenger 85mm Evolution S101

Wenger's Evolution version of their locking blade Adirondack. The closest Victorinox are the 91mm Spartan or 84mm Tourist, albeit not with locking blade. The Evolution was a Wenger innovation using sculpted scales that would fit the hand better, and with sufficient symmetry it wouldn't matter which tools were being used.



Bought some LED lights to replace more of the CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs in my house, including a couple that had burned out. I've been slowly converting all the lamps in the house from CFL to LED as they draw even less power than CFL, and allegedly have a longer life span. They also emit much less RF noise, for which fluorescents have been notorious. The bubble packaging leaves a lot to be desired. It becomes a quest to get the bulbs out. Even when there's perforation to allegedly aid in opening the bubble pack, it doesn't work. The Evo S101 clip point blade easily slices down through the perforations in hopes that will facilitate success.



Apparently not, but it did enough damage weakening the layered cardboard I was able to rip the back of the bubble pack apart and finally get the bulb out.



While at the store getting groceries and the bulbs, the mail arrived, with yet another padded envelope. The clip point sliced through it effortlessly.



Inside another "challenge coin", and this one has some special meaning. Not just the one I had ordered, but she included a second one as a bonus! I need to write a thank you email tomorrow. NDCQ is an acronym for "Not Dead, Can't Quit" which sums up every succinctly the state of mind developed and reinforced in all my military training. Goes along with one I've used for decades: "Persevere and prevail." Some of you may know who the creator of NDCQ is, Mack Machowicz, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, who had a program about future weapons on the Discovery Channel.



What makes this personal on several levels is Mack was diagnosed a year ago with GBM4, which the acronym for Glioblastoma Multiforme, stage IV, an incurable and eventually terminal brain cancer. It's the worst of the brain cancers. You can buy some time, knock it back, perform some "debulking surgery" to remove tumor tissue, and even achieve partial remission, but eventually whatever chemo is being used no longer works and it's on to the next chemo cocktail, until there are no more weapons left in the arsenal and it responds to nothing. His NDCQ program has taken on a completely new meaning for Mack Machowicz.

I'm a six year, 9 month stage IV head & neck cancer survivor, and an exceptionally lucky one as I've been NED (no evidence of disease) for six and a half years. Most with my diagnosis and its dim prognosis are pushing up daisies within 3 years. It's not something I generally discuss much, except among other cancer survivors, and survivors tend to be a tight group, just like military veterans. If one time around wasn't enough I had melanoma three and a half years ago, and was very fortunate we got that one early. They still took their pound of flesh excising the lesion, literally. Wide excision for it is extremely W-I-D-E as they want enormous "clear" margins. Gives you a different perspective on life. Every day above ground since then is another good day, and it takes a lot to get me upset about much of anything anymore. Got one of these coins about six or so months ago because it struck such a chord with me regarding my service and cancer survivorship. Just found out a couple weeks ago a close friend has colon cancer. He just went through surgery and will be seeing a medical oncologist about chemo in a week or so. He's a melanoma survivor from years ago, and his wife is a two-time breast cancer survivor. Just what they needed between the two of them, dealing with cancer a fourth time. Sent him a "care package" of stuff to deal with bedridden boredom for a while, and included my coin. This one is a replacement for it. I'll eventually find a deserving soul for the second one Mack's wife put in the package.



The next part of this will be about the Wenger Evolution line and how Victorinox has modified it as they brought it in to create their Delemont line after acquiring Wenger. Many know about the tool changes which most feel is a good thing: Victorinox T&T, awl, and can opener. There are more changes under the scales that aren't readily visible until you take a close look at a Wenger Evolution alongside a Victorinox Delemont Evolution. I also have a Victorinox Evolution S111. The difference between them is corkscrew (S101) versus Phillips (S111), plus the implementation of several Vic tools. A close look at the fit of the scales and outer liners shows the Wenger Evo scales (on top in the image) wrap around the edge of the liners. However, the Victorinox Evo scales do not. The edge of the outer liners is exposed as the edge of the scales and outer liners are flush. The Wenger S101 is on top in this photo, and the Victorinox is on the bottom.



Wenger has had three versions of outer liners and scales attachment methods on their 85mm knives that I'm aware of. The first one is quite old and would be found on very vintage knives. Most folks would encounter the second or third. Wenger moved to the third version when they created the Evolution line. A closer look at the Wenger Evolution scales and outer liners is revealing of their shrewedness in liner and scales design. Here's just the Wenger Evo S101 by itself with a good view of the outer liner and edge of the scales along the top side. The liners are not the kidney shape of the Evo scales. They're oval.



The same oval outer liners with the curved kidney shaped Evolution scales wrapped around them shows on the back in these next two photos.





Why would Wenger do this? Had to think about it for a while, and then it dawned on me. I've also got a Commander and a Highlander. The Commander has the 2nd version of outer liners, but the Highlander has the 3rd version. Had a hunch, got the Highlander out and looked at it. Then the dots all connected. The only difference between a Wenger Evolution S101 and a Wenger Adirondack is the scales. The outer liners and inner liners, as well as all the tools, are identical. If I got a set of classic Wenger scales for the third version of attachment points I could convert this Evo S101 into an Adirondack in no more than a minute or two, simply by swapping the scales. The simplification for Wenger in their manufacturing is profound and it's brilliant design engineering. All the same parts are used in both except for two: the left and right scales.

When the knives were redesigned to accommodate the Victorinox tools and scales with Vic logo and cutouts for Vic T&T, they also redesigned the outer liners, making them the same kidney shape as the scales. I would guess this makes it less likely for scales to chip or crack if the knife is dropped as the liner becomes part of the edge that will strike the ground. There was no longer a need for a common oval knife shape under the scales as all the manufacturing of the classic shaped Wenger models ceased, with only the Evolution remaining. Below are photos of the Victorinox Evolution S111, and you can see how its outer liner edges are flush with the scales edges.



The back side with shows the liners also matching the curvature of the scales now.



I've grown to appreciate the Wenger models more after owning a number of them now. They have their own "character" compared to Victorinox. Wenger was willing to take more risk and try bold designs and design changes. Their Evolution line was one of them. Victorinox has been more conservative, not evolving as much or as quickly.

John

[Poncho65]

More good pics and knives in the pics Keep'em coming John

[jalind]

Discontinued Challenge Day 12
Victorinox 91mm Can Key Tinker

Today I've been using an older Tinker made sometime between 1991 and ~1995:



The Tinker itself isn't discontinued, but this one has a discontinued tool, the Can Key Phillips. Some of you may have noticed a slot cut into the back layer Phillips on some older Victorinox SAKs. It came and went over a period of some years spanning the older style with squared corners and file along one side, and he newer round one that replaced it.



This was no accident, and contrary to what I've seen touted elsewhere by the unknowing, it's not to allow the tip to squeeze together for #1 Phillips heads. It's a can key, sometimes also called a sardine tin key. Can key cans come with a key attached to the can for winding up the strip of metal, but occasionally the key get detached and lost. Always handy to have a can key around in the event the one that came with, or was supposed to come with, the can is lost.



I thought I was going to use the can key today, but that was overtaken by other events. I've been slowly replacing the remaining few incandescent bulbs and some of the CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs in my home with LED bulb that use even less power than a CFL. I've got two table lamps on end tables that have 3-way sockets and switches. They were made for 30/70/100 Watt 3-way bulbs. I've had a 60 Watt equivalent LED in one and CFL in the other. Finally found a local hardware store today that carries 3-way LED bulbs, and they were relatively inexpensive; much less than I had expected. Got a pair of them, but as has been typical lately, getting the packaging open becomes a challenge. This box has a tab that's inserted into the flap tongue to keep it more secure and prevent it from accidentally opening. Couldn't pull the tab out on either one. No way were they going to suddenly fly open accidentally! The cap lifter on the Tinker is good for opening more than just beer bottles!



3-way bulbs installed no problem, freeing up a 60W (equivalent) for elsewhere. Now on to a 60 year old candelabra in the dining room (it was my mother's), to replace its 40 Watt incandescent bulbs with dimmable LED bulbs. There is, however, a small problem. The bulb won't screw all the way into the socket. The tubular plastic socket covers had shrunk from age and heat, slowly rising up the socket until the incandescent bulb stopped them. The base of the LED replacement bulbs is wider at the screw base preventing it from seating completely in the socket. No project is ever a single hardware store trip. There will be at least two trips. The first on to get what I think I need, and the second to get the rest of what's required. Back to the hardware store, and fortunately they do have socket covers. Now to get the old ones off the sockets, and since they've shrunk like large pieces of heat shrink tubing, they're not simply sliding off. Out comes the Tinker and the small blade to start cutting the old covers, which are hardened, spewing chips occasionally. Some care must be taken as there's also a cardboard tube around the metal socket that must be reused.



Eventually I work out a scheme slipping the knife in between the socket cover and cardboard tube, and slice down the side. It isn't easy going, but I eventually get there. Having recently sharpened and honed that blade helped immensely.



Now we're down to just the cardboard tube, and we can slide the cover on.



Oh, but wait, we're not done yet! The socket covers are 4 inches, and they're too long! Turns out the old ones are ~3.75 inches. I need to cut about a quarter inch off of five plastic tubes. I could hack at it with the Tinker's large blade, but that's going to take too long and I'd have to set up a quick jig to ensure a straight cut. Doing this just to use the Tinker doesn't make sense when the proper tool for it is sitting out in the garage: a band saw with fine-tooth non-ferrous metals and plastics blade already mounted. It's out to the garage with all five tubes. For those of you familiar with Sears Craftsman power tools, this is a color and style you've probably not seen before. That's because it's a 13 inch band saw that was made in 1936. It was my father's, and he bought it used in the mid-1960's. Typical of my father, who couldn't pass up a good deal on a used one to save money. They don't make 'em like they used to. This one has a cast iron bed, and very heavy cast iron wheels with divots the edge of the rims made by a drill to balance them. The covers are the kind of heavy gauge steel that was used on a 1956 Buick Roadmaster's fenders. Motor isn't built in, it's completely separate and drives the band saw with a belt. Should have a 1/2-half horse motor on it, but 1/3 horse is sufficient. The massive wheels are like flywheels. Once they're up to speed, the energy in them will tend to keep the saw from bogging down. Takes forever for the saw to stop when the power is turned off. The table on this also tilts, although I've never used that feature.



The Old School setup for making nice straight and smooth cuts on a band saw. A rip fence using the straight edge on a scrap piece of wood, clamped down to the band saw table. Since both edges of this piece are very parallel, I can ensure it's parallel to the bed and blade by using a ruler under it from the bed edge to the edge of the piece of wood.



Just roll them through along the fence and it's done. After cutting the first one I measured it to be certain it was the right length, and then cut the other four. Band saws are to be respected. They can take off a finger in a heartbeat. Why the long part against the fence? If I had put the short, scrap part against the fence, I'd be pushing against the saw kerf (the slot left behind from the cut). This material isn't massive enough to bind the blade doing that, but the piece would turn near the end of the cut, squeezing the kerf, and it would invariably prevent getting a straight cut and very straight edge.



Cleaned the burr off the outside with a very fine crosscut file (made for metal), and used the awl to ream off the burr in the inside of the tubes. Note the sewing eye in the awl. That means the knife is no older than 1991, narrowing down when it was made to about a four year window.



One of the socket cover tubes mounted onto the candelabra socket. Fits like it was made for it now!



And I can now get back to my regularly scheduled but severely delayed task of changing the bulbs from incandescent to LED. The bulb screws in completely now.



It's taken the entire afternoon now, and it's too late to use the can key as had been planned earlier. That will have to wait for another time, perhaps with the Small Tinker, Super Tinker or Deluxe Tinker (all have the Can Key Phillips). Another Great Day, and the Tinker does everything it's called on to do.

John

[Poncho65]

Bunches and bunches of awesome pics jalind

[jalind]

Discontinued Challenge Day 13
Victorinox 84mm Can Key Small Tinker

Yesterday was the full size 91mm Tinker, and today is its little brother, the 84mm Tinker, older than it's bigger brother with a blind awl and key ring split ring on the blade layer spacer (versus the opener layer spring). Also does not have a 90 degree stop on the cap lifter. It was made some time prior to 1991, and prior to the 90 degree cap lifter stop, but after the round Phillips was introduced. The nifty thing about the 84mm, with all the same tool set as the 91mm Tinker, is it's more pocket friendly.



Also has a Can Key Phillips with a slot down the middle.



Unlike yesterday, which was sidetracked into a longer than anticipated chandelier LED lamp implementation project requiring new lamp socket covers, I'm going to make some corned beef sandwich spread. The corned beef, which is canned in Brazil, comes in a can key can!



There's a minor learning curve to opening one of these trapezoidal cans (more correctly: truncated pyramid with rectangular base). Can key cans with a paper label are more easily opened if the portion of the label covering the can key strip is removed before winding up the strip on the can key. The can is scored, but not that deeply. The very soft and thin steel will readily shear along the score lines.



Now I insert the Phillips slot into the tab on the can and start slowly winding up the strip around the Phillips. Care is taken to keep the strip from spiraling up or down the Phillips as it's wound up, which it has a tendency to do, especially on cans with this shape.



Breaking off the last bit of strip at the can seam may take a slight bit of flexing, but if it was wound up correctly it will be a nice tight spiral around the can key.



It should pull off of the Phillips without much effort. The can edges are sharp! The edge of the strip also is, but wound up it's not the cut hazard of the can edges.



The top of the can comes off of the corned beef without any problem as it's tapered. The bottom of the can is a bit easier if a tiny hole is punched in the bottom to let a bit of air in, as pulling on it tends to seal the sides of the can to the meat slab. The Tinker's can opener is pefect for the task, and the hole need not be very large.



Now to make the sandwich spread! I use a shallow 1 quart (liter) bowl and start by breaking up the corned beef, and first adding the mayonnaise and horseradish sauce to give it more of a paste consistency. I don't worry about how thick it feels for the moment, as other ingredients will add moisture.



Next I'll add the pickle relish and finely diced jalapeño peppers. While I'm doing that I've put the dried minced onion into a very tiny bowl, added a little water, and microwaved it on high for about 15 seconds. This rehydrates the onion chips and keeps them from pulling moisture out of the sandwich spread overnight. Don't add too much water, just a little is sufficient and if it needs a bit more it can be added and nuked a second time for 5-10 seconds. Too much water will require draining it off which is a PITA. I do the same with dried minced garlic. Everything is thoroughly mixed as new ingredients are added, ensuring the entire bottom of the bowl is folded over multiple times.



The last ingredients are added: black pepper and red cayenne pepper, and a very small amount of the latter goes a l-o-n-g way! It must be very, very thoroughly mixed in to prevent a mouthful of sandwich spread containing a pile of the pepper. In spite of using perhaps 1/8th-1/4  teaspoon, it will slowly diffuse itself over 12 hours or so. The cayenne pepper, horseradish and (I use *hot*) jalapeños give it a bite with a delayed fuse that hits in the aftertaste.



Now that it's thoroughly mixed I'm ready to put it into a storage jar. My favorite for this kind of home made food is a 1 pint Ball jar, aka Mason jar. I use the non-canning plastic lids, which can be bought separately when the jars are used for refrigerated storage or purposes other than canning (do NOT use these lids for canning). Keeps from having to deal with two piece lids. I have a nice semi-rigid spoon shaped spatula (aka spoonula) that works well at scooping out the mix and getting it into the jar. The wide-mouth version of the Ball jars works better for this than the type that necks down to the top.



As is typical, there's a bit more than will fit into the pint jar, in spite of packing it down as each bit is added to remove air voids. This is a routine occurrence, for which I have a handful of small (former relish) jars to handle the overflow.



All of it is finally in the jars and ready to go into the refrigerator, and as you can see, there near zero left in the bowl. I didn't lick it out, it's the spatula I use that leaves nothing behind!



Only one more thing to do. I cannot make something like this without sampling at least a bit of it to see how it turned out, even though I know the various flavors will diffuse overnight. However, before I can do that, the day's mail has been delivered, and that is more important as I know (from tracking numbers) there should be some SAKs. Sure enough, two pakages, one in a box and the other in a padded mailer, both from Canada! I'm glad I sharpened and honed both blades this morning (they needed it). The small blade in particular is really sharp now. The box has got quite a bit of packing tape, but it's no match for that blade.



Inside is the 5th Victorinox Woodsman, that magical SAK with both Wood Saw and in-line Phillips/magnifier layers! This one has beautiful ruby scales. I really don't NEED five Woodsman (four of them these newer ones), but have a long-term plan for a couple of them. The Woodsman is my favorite SAK. For some reason, the picture on the back of the box doesn't show the fourth back layer tool, a small flat-tip driver. These were made circa 2014 or 2015 for the Mexico market only, which is why the box is in Spanish. They have the most current version of all the tools.



The other package from Canada is in a heavy manila envelope. The contents inside are obviously heavily padded. The manila envelope was mummified in very heavy clear packing tape. I think there's more tape than there is heavy manila paper envelope! It wasn't going to split open accidentally, even if handled by the American Tourister Luggage Gorilla (sorry, you gotta be old enough to remember those commercials). No match for the tip of the Tinker's small blade.



But wait, inside this is cardboard wrapped around everything, with yet more heavy clear packing tape!



It was some kind of Quaker cereal or breakfast bar box, repurposed into packaging (kudos for recycling in this manner), and tape to are some SAKs in cocooned in bubble wrap, taped down to the cardboard! There was no way this stuff was going to escape its packaging! Nor was it going to get damaged en route, except perhaps for the Monty Python 16 ton weight falling directly on it from at least 10 feet (~3 meters).



Inside were what I had anticipated: a Manager Lite in Silver Tech scales and an older SwissChamp with the V1 magnifier. Other than some minimal scale wear, these are in immaculate condition. Were they ever actually used, or just carried a bit? A bit of polishing work on the SwissChamp scales would them looking like new, and unlike some others I've polished in the past (like this Small Tinker's black scales), it wouldn't take much to get them looking new. Scale wear on the Manager Lite is near zero, and it's the white LED (which I would expect with Silver Tech scales). Don't know why I pulled the trigger on this SwissChamp (wasn't for the Manager Lite bundled with it), except the price for the pair, including the shipping from Canada to U.S. was too good to pass up. With five Woodsman now, a Craftsman (newer version), and a Champion Plus, did I really, really NEED A SwissChamp which merely adds pliers to the Champions Plus? It's an affliction.
 



Back to our regularly scheduled taste testing. A couple saltines laden with the sandwich spread should be good . . . maybe. Could require more sampling just to be certain it turned out as intended!



Passes the initial taste test! Jars go into the refrigerator, and I'm predicting a corned beef sandwich spread sandwich for lunch tomorrow! Attached a PDF with the basic recipe for this sandwich spread.

John

[jalind]

Discontinued Challenge Day 14
Victorinox 93mm 08 Model 1961 Soldier

Found this recently and couldn't pass it by. 2008 was the last year Victorinox made the Model 1961 Soldier for the Swiss Army. Excellent condition considering it was an actual issue.



Not as much activity today as yesterday. Spent most of the day working on some projects that didn't require any tools. Wasn't going to invent something just to use the awesome awl. Had a late afternoon snack, and the Soldier's blade made short work of it! As before I start with partial slices, about 2/3 down the apple, first quartering it, and then halving each of the quarters.



Then I finish each of the eight cuts and get very clean wedges down the middle.



A little cleanup to take out the seed sections and the wedges are ready. I made short work of the wedges after the Soldier was done!



Like the Pioneer, the Soldier is a very sturdy knife with strong springs and a robust blade. I've always been impressed with it as a general utility knife, and it pockets well with its slimness in spite of its 93mm length.

John

[jalind]

Discontinued Challenge Day 15
Wenger 85mm Highlander

The Wenger Highlander was their equivalent of the Victorinox Small Tinker, albeit with a nail file and nail cleaner in lieu of a small pen blade.



Finally a replacement LED bulb arrived for the microwave mounted over the oven. There are a pair of these on the underside of the microwave that illuminate the stove top. The originals were 20 Watt, 110 VAC incandescent. These pull on the order of 3.5 watts or less and give off what appears to be brighter light as their light closer to daylight than the heavy yellow and red spectrum of an incandescent bulb.



The Highlander's back layer Phillips is perfect for removing and replacing the screw holding the hinged lamp cover on the underside of the microwave. Success! The new lamp passes the "Smoke Test" with no problem and now there's even illumination of the stove top.



Not all that dramatic today, but a simple example of the utility of a SAK and the convenience of it as EDC.

John

[Poncho65]

Dude, you got some nice pics  How do I miss this thread for a day or two at a time

 

[jalind]

Dude, you got some nice pics  How do I miss this thread for a day or two at a time

 

Thanks!

It tends to get buried into page two of the threads, and I'm posting later in the day in the U.S. EST zone, after I've accumulated some pix of what I've used it for. Also trying to do a different discontinued every day as I've got very nearly enough of them for all 30 days, to show some different SAKs as the thread progresses. Already have an idea for which one will be used tomorrow, but will finally decide when selecting the carry for the day.

Thanks

John

[jalind]

Discontinued Challenge Day 16
Victorinox 74mm Alox OC Beginner

The only thing I've done with this SAK is unwrap it. USPS showed up with the registered package containing it very late this afternoon. I've not seen an Alox Beginner on the forum, although I'm certain at some point in years past a few have appeared. This one was well cared for considering its age. It wasn't kept in a drawer or on a shelf, so it's not "Like New" but it is in quite excellent condition. At 74mm, it's the length of an Ambassador or Executive. Has the elliptical shape of the older minimalist Alox, smooth or grid scales, versus the oval found on the Bantam and Solo.

Without further ado, the Victorinox Alox OC Beginner



The photo above has nothing from which to reference its small size. Below are length/height and width comparisons with the 84mm Excelsior and Bantam, which highlight how truly minimalist the Alox Beginner is. It also shows its miniature Alox grid pattern, the same (or nearly so) as the Excelsior, as compared to the current Alox grid being used as shown on the Bantam.

Top to bottom:

• Beginner
• Excelsior
• Bantam

I will dig out the calipers later tonight, but it looks slightly thinner than the Excelsior!



As a last comparison, here it is with a 74mm stainless steel Prince . . .



This tiny gem is at the apex of Victorinox minimalism!

Edit:
Comparative thicknesses as measured by a carbon fiber calipers

• 6.2mm: 74mm Stainless Steel Prince (single layer with external liners and stainless scales; no T&T)
• 5.8mm: 84mm Alox Bantam
• 5.3mm: 84mm Excelsior
• 4.5mm: 74mm Beginner

The Alox Beginner is an astounding 0.8mm thinner than the Excelsior, and 1.3mm thinner than the Alox Bantam!

John

[jalind]

Discontinued Challenge Day 17
Victorinox 91mm Scientist

I have two of these. The Scientist is a two-layer with Plus scales and is the thinnest SAK containing a magnifier and in-line Phillips. Putting a combo opener in the blade layer eliminates the opener layer and awl. The 3-D inl-line Phillips allows the corkscrew with a mini-driver on the back layer. The first one with the blue scales was found BNIB. The second one required some cleaning, lube and scales polishing. It came out better than I had anticipated. The Scientist is directly related to the three layer Passenger which has the complete opener layer and a small blade opposite the large one in the blade layer with the middle layer containing the magnifier and Phillips. It's also related to a couple other SAKs. Replace the combo opener with a small in-line flat-tip screwdriver and you have an Engineer (a relatively rare and also discontinued SAK). Add a third scissors layer and you have the discontinued Yeoman. I can only guess that it was discontinued as a compact, partial Explorer Plus, and the magnifier/Philips layer hasn't been as popular as the Compact with scissors that, along with its cousin the Duke of Edinburgh, are the only two two layer SAKs with combo openers that have continued in production. I've found them useful in minimalist situations when I want the magnifier (and often the straight pin), and the scissors aren't a necessity. The pen in the Plus scales is a bonus.



I bought this red one first to use as part of a cycling tool kit, and combined it with a 74mm Executive to replace a 5-layer Woodsman. The Executive provides a good size set of scissors and the pair are more compact and lighter than the Woodsman was. Not certain I'd replace the pair with a Yeoman as the Executive has some additional tools. It cleaned up nicely and exceeded expectations when all the Crudmium plating was finally stripped off.



The Scientist is relatively rare and might be considered an oddity as a partial Yeoman. Nevertheless, I've found utility for some specific situations, especially in cycling where space is at a premium for tools.

Like yesterday with the Beginner, there are no photos of the Scientist in actual use today. Was tied up with other pressing matters. For those that haven't seen the Scientist or were aware of it having existed, I hope this gives some details about it.

John

[twiliter]

This is a good thread John. 

 

[jalind]

This is a good thread John. 

 

Thanks!

John

[jalind]

Discontinued Challenge Day 18
Victorinox 91mm Can Key Super Tinker

Add a third scissors layer to a Tinker and you get a Super Tinker. Note the location of the logo on the toothpick and Phillips back side, the opposite of the norm. Reverse scales are typically used on 91mm made for logo, marketing or other imprinting on the front side. This one doesn't have any imprinting on the front. I do have a red Tinker in storage that does have a company logo on the front with the Victorniox logo on the back side. I don't know if the smaller 84mm have reverse scales like these as all the 84mm I've seen have either the Vic logo on the front or sterile scales without a Vic logo.



Like the Small Tinker and the Tinker, this one has a Can Key Phillips with a slot down the tip. Its manufacturing year somewhere in the middle of a number of changes circa 1991. It doesn't have the hook under the scissors, and has the keyring on the blade layer spacer (versus the opener layer spring). It does, however, have a sewing eye in the awl. In addition, the scissors have a screw and there is no spring follower groove. The spring is original with a flat tip.



The scissors can come in handy with opening some padded mailer envelopes, more so than the small blade, if reuse of the envelope is desired. I will keep some of these to be reused and repurposed rather than adding to a landfill as they're not recyclable as paper or a plastic. They're better at cutting precisely down the packing tape folded over the edge.



Likewise it can get under a flap edge and cut the tape over it more precisely than using the blade.



Sometimes, however, there's a surprise once it's opened that can explain why the end was mummified in packing tape . . .



Kudos to the person who mailed it to me as they recycled the envelope by reusing it!

John
(who realizes he might still be able to reuse it)

[Poncho65]

Great bunch of pics John I really like the Beginner OC alox as well

 

[Barry Rowland]

This has been a great thread John... Keep it up  !!

[Thunderpants]

Great stuff, great pics, great text!

[jalind]

Thanks guys!

[jalind]

Discontinued Challenge Day 19
Wenger 93mm '04 Model 1961 Standard Issue

Wenger not only made the Model 1961 for the Swiss Army, using Victorinox's Alox scales and can opener, they also marketed it as the "Standard Issue" to the general public. Unlike those delivered to the Swiss Army, these sometimes had the year stamped on the tang and sometimes not. This one has "04" stamped on the tang. Other than the hollow rivet and bail, it is identical to the ones issued to Swiss soldiers. There were a couple years in which, for some reason, Wenger delivered knives with bails to the Swiss government, but AFAIK this wasn't one of them. One has to look very closely at these beyond the Wenger tang proof marks to see the differences. One of them is in the exact shape in the flange on the awl. It has a very slightly sharper bend on the Wenger than the Victorinox. That's the only tool difference I've been able to find.



I could do Standard Issue slicing an apple photos . . .



Indeed, this apple was one of the "chosen" delivered to the "Great Beyond" . . .



[cue sound of turnable needle scratching its way across a record]

Already did that with the Victorinox '08 Soldier a few days ago. What is the Model 1961 most noted for? Its awlsome awl! Today I used it to support Mags in his effort to maintain "The 'Never Used an Awl' Club" thread. There's nothing that can compare to the Model 1961 Awl in serving that essential task. As posted in that thread . . .



 

John

[Thunderpants]

You know that movie Outbreak in which a remote army outpost is bombed to bits to prevent the spread of a virulent disease?
For some reason I'm hoping the same fate awaits the Awl thread.... it won't die and it's certainly not doing humanity any favours...

I'm digging the Wenger. It's one of those SAKs I should want...and I kind of do - but then I remember 25% of the payload is an awl and another 25% is a tin-opener - another tool I never use. What you're left with is a cap lifter/screwdriver and a blade - so effectively it's just a glorified Bantam!
I am sure I will see the light, one day, and cave in....

[Poncho65]

Poor apple never had a chance 


 

Great pics