The HOOK brings you back

[Dutch_Tooler]

Another thought on the hook... has anyone ever thought it might have been better placed inline perhaps (the thought did strike me more than once)? If yes, to which other tool's detriment?

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[Don Pablo]

Another thought on the hook... has anyone ever thought it might have been better placed inline perhaps (the thought did strike me more than once)? If yes, to which other tool's detriment?

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Nooooo!
In it's current position, it's great for carrying heavy stuff like heavy bags with wire handles. Make it inline, and it can't do that.

[El Corkscrew]

Another thought on the hook... has anyone ever thought it might have been better placed inline perhaps (the thought did strike me more than once)? If yes, to which other tool's detriment?

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The Wenger Carabiner is a little like that...

I agree about the backside advantage for carrying purposes as prescribed for string bound parcels.

[Don Pablo]

Another thought on the hook... has anyone ever thought it might have been better placed inline perhaps (the thought did strike me more than once)? If yes, to which other tool's detriment?

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The Wenger Carabiner is a little like that...

I agree about the backside advantage for carrying purposes as prescribed for string bound parcels.

Or something more relevant in this day and age...
Heavy shopping bags with string/wire/etc handles. 

[El Corkscrew]

Another thought on the hook... has anyone ever thought it might have been better placed inline perhaps (the thought did strike me more than once)? If yes, to which other tool's detriment?

Sent on my SM-G930F with Tapatalk

The Wenger Carabiner is a little like that...

I agree about the backside advantage for carrying purposes as prescribed for string bound parcels.

Or something more relevant in this day and age...
Heavy shopping bags with string/wire/etc handles. 

don't get upset, bro.  more of a reference to the name.    I got nothing but love for the hook, you did notice I started this thread.   

[Don Pablo]

Another thought on the hook... has anyone ever thought it might have been better placed inline perhaps (the thought did strike me more than once)? If yes, to which other tool's detriment?

Sent on my SM-G930F with Tapatalk

The Wenger Carabiner is a little like that...

I agree about the backside advantage for carrying purposes as prescribed for string bound parcels.

Or something more relevant in this day and age...
Heavy shopping bags with string/wire/etc handles. 

don't get upset, bro.  more of a reference to the name.    I got nothing but love for the hook, you did notice I started this thread.   

I was ranting at the bags, not you. 

[Dutch_Tooler]

As said thought struck me I thought about the advertised use, of course... But when I was fishing for wires it would have been more useful if inline. Limited application, of course

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[El Corkscrew]

I was ranting at the bags, not you. 

Oh!  Sorry for being sensitive.   

[El Corkscrew]

As said thought struck me I thought about the advertised use, of course... But when I was fishing for wires it would have been more useful if inline. Limited application, of course

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that makes sense. 

[Tired_Yeti]

 

My stance on the hook remains the same. Many tools could have done that, but I think what you did is what any Leatherman or Swiss Army Knife- carrying person carries them for, in the big picture...

For real...I challenge anyone to find a use for that vestigial organ of a tool, that I cannot also do with some other implement of a SAK.

Well, I didn't look at the situation as an opportunity to use the hook. I already had the bottle opener out. The problem was that the opening to the release cable was too small. The bottle opener would require me to be able to fit the bit under the cable and turn the tool like a lever to pull the cable up. There wasn't room to do that--and of course the tool and the cable were wet so the whole assembly was slick. I needed to be able to grab the cable and pull vertically.
I don't think another tool on the SAK would have been able to do the task in a timely fashion--under those conditions.
So if we consider the conditions of the circumstances and the objects involved, I think we'll begin to see tasks that the hook can do that the other tools in the SAK cannot accomplish.


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[Nix]

So if we consider the conditions of the circumstances and the objects involved, I think we'll begin to see tasks that the hook can do that the other tools in the SAK cannot accomplish.

Or, if nothing else, with greater elegance. 

[AimlessWanderer]

Another thought on the hook... has anyone ever thought it might have been better placed inline perhaps (the thought did strike me more than once)? If yes, to which other tool's detriment?

Sent on my SM-G930F with Tapatalk

The Wenger Carabiner is a little like that...

I agree about the backside advantage for carrying purposes as prescribed for string bound parcels.

Or something more relevant in this day and age...
Heavy shopping bags with string/wire/etc handles. 

Hmmm   

There I was thinking lanyards are essentially useless and rather annoying, but ....

A simple looped lanyard attached with a cow hitch so it's easily removed, could potentially be passed through the handles of several shopping bags and all carried with more comfort with a knife with hook. I'll try to remember that and try it out.

[Don Pablo]

Another thought on the hook... has anyone ever thought it might have been better placed inline perhaps (the thought did strike me more than once)? If yes, to which other tool's detriment?

Sent on my SM-G930F with Tapatalk

The Wenger Carabiner is a little like that...

I agree about the backside advantage for carrying purposes as prescribed for string bound parcels.

Or something more relevant in this day and age...
Heavy shopping bags with string/wire/etc handles. 

Hmmm   

There I was thinking lanyards are essentially useless and rather annoying, but ....

A simple looped lanyard attached with a cow hitch so it's easily removed, could potentially be passed through the handles of several shopping bags and all carried with more comfort with a knife with hook. I'll try to remember that and try it out.

For if you try it out...

[ThundahBeagle]

My stance on the hook remains the same. Many tools could have done that, but I think what you did is what any Leatherman or Swiss Army Knife- carrying person carries them for, in the big picture...

For real...I challenge anyone to find a use for that vestigial organ of a tool, that I cannot also do with some other implement of a SAK.

Well, I didn't look at the situation as an opportunity to use the hook. I already had the bottle opener out. The problem was that the opening to the release cable was too small. The bottle opener would require me to be able to fit the bit under the cable and turn the tool like a lever to pull the cable up. There wasn't room to do that--and of course the tool and the cable were wet so the whole assembly was slick. I needed to be able to grab the cable and pull vertically.
I don't think another tool on the SAK would have been able to do the task in a timely fashion--under those conditions.
So if we consider the conditions of the circumstances and the objects involved, I think we'll begin to see tasks that the hook can do that the other tools in the SAK cannot accomplish.


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YETI - please don't misconstrue the nature of my post. What you did is honorable and I had no intention of diminishing that in any way. And I wouldn't second guess you, as you were the one with boots on the ground - or ass in the kayak in this case. And naturally, in true MacGyver fashion you used whatever you had on hand to bring a positive outcome to the situation. That happened to be a SAK with a hook. I hate the hook, but that doesn't make you less of a good Samaritan.

Had I been there and had my Deluxe Tinker, I may have done the same. Then again, I carry a LM Surge, and probably would have used it's can opener or plyer heads (or used it as a hammer and bashed the trunk open).

In retrospect, perhaps I should have posted the "anything the hook can do, some other tool can also do" in a separate post.

[ironraven]

In retrospect, perhaps I should have posted the "anything the hook can do, some other tool can also do" in a separate post.

I understand. I was there myself once.

I give you tools. They can be used many ways. There is a tool that you can not use, but you can not throw away. Then one day, you have a problem. If only you had a tool that did something none of the others really do... then, in that moment, the hook will come to you. It really is a revelation.

[Tired_Yeti]

My stance on the hook remains the same. Many tools could have done that, but I think what you did is what any Leatherman or Swiss Army Knife- carrying person carries them for, in the big picture...

For real...I challenge anyone to find a use for that vestigial organ of a tool, that I cannot also do with some other implement of a SAK.

Well, I didn't look at the situation as an opportunity to use the hook. I already had the bottle opener out. The problem was that the opening to the release cable was too small. The bottle opener would require me to be able to fit the bit under the cable and turn the tool like a lever to pull the cable up. There wasn't room to do that--and of course the tool and the cable were wet so the whole assembly was slick. I needed to be able to grab the cable and pull vertically.
I don't think another tool on the SAK would have been able to do the task in a timely fashion--under those conditions.
So if we consider the conditions of the circumstances and the objects involved, I think we'll begin to see tasks that the hook can do that the other tools in the SAK cannot accomplish.


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YETI - please don't misconstrue the nature of my post. What you did is honorable and I had no intention of diminishing that in any way. And I wouldn't second guess you, as you were the one with boots on the ground - or ass in the kayak in this case. And naturally, in true MacGyver fashion you used whatever you had on hand to bring a positive outcome to the situation. That happened to be a SAK with a hook. I hate the hook, but that doesn't make you less of a good Samaritan.

Had I been there and had my Deluxe Tinker, I may have done the same. Then again, I carry a LM Surge, and probably would have used it's can opener or plyer heads (or used it as a hammer and bashed the trunk open).

In retrospect, perhaps I should have posted the "anything the hook can do, some other tool can also do" in a separate post.

I took no offense. I did put some thought into what you had said and tried to imagine what other tool I could have used. It's possible a pliers tip could have fit in the hole; however, the opening seemed impractically small. The hook seemed the easiest. Is it tool that cannot be replaced? Can the hook do something no other tool can do? I have no doubt simply because it's a different size and shape than the other tools. Or maybe NO tool is unique in that fashion. Maybe all the tools are just substitutes for each other. I'm not sure that I've found the answer. Or maybe I did find it in that situation. Each situation, scenario, experience is unique and fluid. The only thing that seems certain is that every tool is a substitute for the human hand in a given situation.
Perhaps the question isn't "which tool is irreplaceable", but "do you value efficiency more or simplicity more?"

In the moment, you'd use whatever tools you had at the ready (as you implied)


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[El Corkscrew]

Man, El hook discussion is getting pretty deep....  Makes me proud I applied for the badge and started this thread.     

[MacGyver]

I'm really puzzled as to why some guys actually "hate" the hook...  I mean, not seeing much (immediate) use for it and not miss it at all if it was not there i understand, but hating it...?
I neither love it or hate it, it's just there and eventually may come in handy, doesn't bother me much. I just happen to like the plain flush back scissor spring look better, especially on 3 layer sak's, but that's just for aesthetic purposes nothing else, so yes i would like a Climber without a hook better because of that,  but it doesn't really bother me much that it's there... 

[Tired_Yeti]

I understand. I was there myself once.

I give you tools. They can be used many ways. There is a tool that you can not use, but you can not throw away. Then one day, you have a problem. If only you had a tool that did something none of the others really do... then, in that moment, the hook will come to you. It really is a revelation.

Yes. I was there! I used to scratch my head at the hook. Perhaps, I was hung up on the label. A "parcel hook"? but I have tape. I don't carry parcels with a hook. What do I need this for? Once I viewed it just as a metal hook, the light came on for me. I started going to it more because I became more conscious of its presence. I have a set of small hooks on my workbench in the garage. I end up using them much more than I expected when I bought them. Once I became "aware" of this tool in the SAK, I started using it more.
Another one is the awl. I have used mine a few times but I still stare at it and scratch my head sometimes.
The worst for me is the corkscrew. I really do think I'd never miss that tool if it disappeared. It's great for holding the mini screwdriver.
....and?!
I don't have a mini screwdriver. Untying knots? Well, I don't encounter small knots that often, and I wonder if another tool could handle that.

What is extremely fascinating to me in this whole thread is the fact that the SAK and these various little tools bring us to so much pondering and analyzing our own lifestyles and philosophies. We are brought to considering our whole lifestyle in regards to our own philosophies of preparedness, efficiency, resourcefulness, and self-reliance all of which effects our EDC choices.

The OP deserves a SAK Philosophy badge for starting such a good, robust discussion.



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[Don Pablo]

I like that. 
The Parcel Hook is a hooked piece of metal.
The Corkscrew is a a twisty piece of metal.
The Awl is a pointy piece of metal with a edge.
The Bottle opener and can opener are pieces of metal with uncountable uses.
The Saw is a piece of metal with lots of teeth.
Etc...
Open your mind, see them for what they are: pieces of metal in various shapes. 

[Nix]

"Open your mind, see them for what they are: pieces of metal in various shapes. " -- Pablo

That's a T-shirt right there:

Swiss Army Knives
"Tools to open your mind"

[MacGyver]

I like that. 
The Parcel Hook is a hooked piece of metal.
The Corkscrew is a a twisty piece of metal.
The Awl is a pointy piece of metal with a edge.
The Bottle opener and can opener are pieces of metal with uncountable uses.
The Saw is a piece of metal with lots of teeth.
Etc...
Open your mind, see them for what they are: pieces of metal in various shapes. 

Well... That's the way i've always saw all of them from the beginning... 

[Faddy Daddy]

I like that. 
The Parcel Hook is a hooked piece of metal.
The Corkscrew is a a twisty piece of metal.
The Awl is a pointy piece of metal with a edge.
The Bottle opener and can opener are pieces of metal with uncountable uses.
The Saw is a piece of metal with lots of teeth.
Etc...
Open your mind, see them for what they are: pieces of metal in various shapes. 

We should start a thread of verbs one can use their SAK and all it's variously shaped pieces of metal for, to me this is the raw simplicity of a SAK or it's inner essence?
1. Pry
2. Twist
3. Gouge
4. Lever
5. Pull
6. Cut
7. Open
8. Clean
9. Scrape
10. Drill
11. Scratch
12. file
13. Abraise
14. bend
15. remove
...

[Don Pablo]

I like that. 
The Parcel Hook is a hooked piece of metal.
The Corkscrew is a a twisty piece of metal.
The Awl is a pointy piece of metal with a edge.
The Bottle opener and can opener are pieces of metal with uncountable uses.
The Saw is a piece of metal with lots of teeth.
Etc...
Open your mind, see them for what they are: pieces of metal in various shapes. 

We should start a thread of verbs one can use their SAK and all it's variously shaped pieces of metal for, to me this is the raw simplicity of a SAK or it's inner essence?
1. Pry
2. Twist
3. Gouge
4. Lever
5. Pull
6. Cut
7. Open
8. Clean
9. Scrape
10. Drill
11. Scratch
12. file
13. Abraise
14. bend
15. remove
...

And which verbs apply to various tools. 

Scissors: 6.
Bottle Opener: 1, 2, 3, 4, etc...

[AimlessWanderer]

I like that. 
The Parcel Hook is a hooked piece of metal.
The Corkscrew is a a twisty piece of metal.
The Awl is a pointy piece of metal with a edge.
The Bottle opener and can opener are pieces of metal with uncountable uses.
The Saw is a piece of metal with lots of teeth.
Etc...
Open your mind, see them for what they are: pieces of metal in various shapes. 

We should start a thread of verbs one can use their SAK and all it's variously shaped pieces of metal for, to me this is the raw simplicity of a SAK or it's inner essence?
1. Pry
2. Twist
3. Gouge
4. Lever
5. Pull
6. Cut
7. Open
8. Clean
9. Scrape
10. Drill
11. Scratch
12. file
13. Abraise
14. bend
15. remove
...

And which verbs apply to various tools. 

Scissors: 6.
Bottle Opener: 1, 2, 3, 4, etc...

For some people it's just gawp, fondle, polish, drool .... 

For me there's only one verb needed - enable. They make life easier, simple as that.

[Faddy Daddy]

For some people it's just gawp, fondle, polish, drool .... 

For me there's only one verb needed - enable. They make life easier, simple as that.

 

[Don Pablo]

For some people it's just gawp, fondle, polish, drool .... 

For me there's only one verb needed - enable. They make life easier, simple as that.

 

The Fondle verb particularly applies to me. 

[pfrsantos]

I like that. 
The Parcel Hook is a hooked piece of metal.
The Corkscrew is a a twisty piece of metal.
The Awl is a pointy piece of metal with a edge.
The Bottle opener and can opener are pieces of metal with uncountable uses.
The Saw is a piece of metal with lots of teeth.
Etc...
Open your mind, see them for what they are: pieces of metal in various shapes. 

We should start a thread of verbs one can use their SAK and all it's variously shaped pieces of metal for, to me this is the raw simplicity of a SAK or it's inner essence?
0. Drool
1. Pry
2. Twist
3. Gouge
4. Lever
5. Pull
6. Cut
7. Open
8. Clean
9. Scrape
10. Drill
11. Scratch
12. file
13. Abraise
14. bend
15. remove
...

FTFY...
 

[Don Pablo]

I like that. 
The Parcel Hook is a hooked piece of metal.
The Corkscrew is a a twisty piece of metal.
The Awl is a pointy piece of metal with a edge.
The Bottle opener and can opener are pieces of metal with uncountable uses.
The Saw is a piece of metal with lots of teeth.
Etc...
Open your mind, see them for what they are: pieces of metal in various shapes. 

We should start a thread of verbs one can use their SAK and all it's variously shaped pieces of metal for, to me this is the raw simplicity of a SAK or it's inner essence?
0. Drool
1. Pry
2. Twist
3. Gouge
4. Lever
5. Pull
6. Cut
7. Open
8. Clean
9. Scrape
10. Drill
11. Scratch
12. file
13. Abraise
14. bend
15. remove
...

FTFY...
 

The zeroth verb for all shiny multitools. 

[pfrsantos]

I like that. 
The Parcel Hook is a hooked piece of metal.
The Corkscrew is a a twisty piece of metal.
The Awl is a pointy piece of metal with a edge.
The Bottle opener and can opener are pieces of metal with uncountable uses.
The Saw is a piece of metal with lots of teeth.
Etc...
Open your mind, see them for what they are: pieces of metal in various shapes. 

We should start a thread of verbs one can use their SAK and all it's variously shaped pieces of metal for, to me this is the raw simplicity of a SAK or it's inner essence?
0. Drool
1. Pry
2. Twist
3. Gouge
4. Lever
5. Pull
6. Cut
7. Open
8. Clean
9. Scrape
10. Drill
11. Scratch
12. file
13. Abraise
14. bend
15. remove
...

FTFY...
 

The zeroth verb for all shiny multitools. 

... and flashlights and pens and watches and pouches and stuff...