What was your very first SAK?

HolyDeuce · **on:** June 14, 2019, 04:00:48 PM

My very first SAK was a Wenger Backpacker 2 that I found while I was at a scouting event when I was just a kid. That little knife started a lifelong obsession..

What was your first?

kottskrapa · **Reply #1 on:** June 14, 2019, 04:08:31 PM

My first was a Spartan that my dad gave me, lost it a year or so later and got a sportsman from one of his friends and carried that for many years

[It's not failure if you learn something from it]

FolderBeholder · **Reply #2 on:** June 14, 2019, 04:24:08 PM

My first was a Camper I purchased in 1986. See box below.

I lost it in a movie theater but have since replaced it. I looked for a while to get one from the same time period.

comis · **Reply #3 on:** June 14, 2019, 04:27:03 PM

The very first SAK I had was a birthday gift swisschamp from parents decades ago, I knew how special that was and cherished it so much that I didn't want to carry it until many years later.

To this day, swisschamp holds a special place in my heart.

Buzzbait · **Reply #4 on:** June 14, 2019, 04:59:54 PM

My first SAK was this Vic Hiker. I eventually made custom red linen micarta scales for it, and gave it to a friend and coworker as a retirement present. To date, I think this is still my best scale mod. That red linen micarta looked sooooooo good in person. It hurt to let this one out of my hands.

HolyDeuce · **Reply #5 on:** June 14, 2019, 05:15:11 PM

Quote from: Buzzbait on June 14, 2019, 04:59:54 PM

My first SAK was this Vic Hiker. I eventually made custom red linen micarta scales for it, and gave it to a friend and coworker as a retirement present. To date, I think this is still my best scale mod. That red linen micarta looked sooooooo good in person. It hurt to let this one out of my hands.

(Image removed from quote.)
(Image removed from quote.)

Beautiful work Buzzbait! Very generous of you to give that gem away!

HolyDeuce · **Reply #6 on:** June 14, 2019, 05:17:24 PM

Quote from: comis on June 14, 2019, 04:27:03 PM

The very first SAK I had was a birthday gift swisschamp from parents decades ago, I knew how special that was and cherished it so much that I didn't want to carry it until many years later.

To this day, swisschamp holds a special place in my heart.

Great story Comis!

RF52 · **Reply #7 on:** June 14, 2019, 05:21:37 PM

My first SAK was a Wenger Viking I got from my grandfather, still has it but the springs are worn out so it doesn't see much use anymore.

Sent fra min FRD-L09 via Tapatalk

VICMAN · **Reply #8 on:** June 14, 2019, 06:12:51 PM

My first SAK was a Victorinox Champion.

I had collected knives since I was 8 years old, but I never saw a real Swiss Army knife until I was in my 30's. I walked into a MacDonald Sales Center and saw the Victorinox Champion and bought it on the spot.

I was totally in awe of the quality and number of tools.

I was hooked on SAKS!

I ended up being a Victorinox Dealer.

Frailer · **Reply #9 on:** June 14, 2019, 06:14:25 PM

In 1986 I purchased a black Huntsman; I gave it to my oldest son years ago, but an identical one (well, nearly identical, as the new one has a hook) lives on the table beside my chair to handle any tasks that might crop up while I’m lounging.

VICMAN · **Reply #10 on:** June 14, 2019, 06:15:57 PM

Quote from: FolderBeholder on June 14, 2019, 04:24:08 PM

My first was a Camper I purchased in 1986. See box below.

I lost it in a movie theater but have since replaced it. I looked for a while to get one from the same time period.

Nice pics FB!

microbe · **Reply #11 on:** June 14, 2019, 07:21:46 PM

I don't know what model it was, it was over 30 years ago and I was just a kid. It was a red Swiss Army Knife, and that was all that mattered.

MI Yeti · **Reply #12 on:** June 14, 2019, 08:31:19 PM

My first was a wenger esquire.

HolyDeuce · **Reply #13 on:** June 14, 2019, 08:50:02 PM

Quote from: VICMAN on June 14, 2019, 06:12:51 PM

My first SAK was a Victorinox Champion.

I had collected knives since I was 8 years old, but I never saw a real Swiss Army knife until I was in my 30's. I walked into a MacDonald Sales Center and saw the Victorinox Champion and bought it on the spot.

I was totally in awe of the quality and number of tools.

I was hooked on SAKS!

I ended up being a Victorinox Dealer.

Thats Awesome!!

Are you still a Vic dealer today?

VICMAN · **Reply #14 on:** June 14, 2019, 11:09:53 PM

Quote from: HolyDeuce on June 14, 2019, 08:50:02 PM

Thats Awesome!! Are you still a Vic dealer today?

Thank you HolyDeuce!

It has been 19 years since I was a Vic dealer.

Jaredstg · **Reply #15 on:** June 14, 2019, 11:45:15 PM

My first was a Victorinox Waiter. It still sees pocket time here and there.

Reinier · **Reply #16 on:** June 15, 2019, 01:45:11 AM

Quote from: Frailer on June 14, 2019, 06:14:25 PM

In 1986 I purchased a black Huntsman; I gave it to my oldest son years ago, but an identical one (well, nearly identical, as the new one has a hook) lives on the table beside my chair to handle any tasks that might crop up while I’m lounging.

(Image removed from quote.)

Good choice. Mine was a black Huntsman too

Bought it in France in 1993 (I think) but lost it in circa 1999.

nate j · **Reply #17 on:** June 15, 2019, 03:38:52 AM

My first SAK was a Spartan my grandparents got me for my birthday in 1995 or 1996. It was the only pocket knife I carried for about the next ten years. At that point, I decided a model with some additional tools (especially scissors) would be a good upgrade. So, I went online to research my options, which ultimately led me to SOSAK. Though my participation on the forums has ebbed and flowed over the years depending on how busy I am in RL, the rest, as they say, is history.

Sawl Goodman · **Reply #18 on:** June 15, 2019, 07:54:10 AM

My first was a knife I bought at a second hand shop in 1999. I saw someone ask to look at a knife in the cabinet. The shopkeeper passed him a thick red knife that looked like a SAK, and my senses heightened. The customer had a play and asked how much, and was told $15 - between $7-8 USD at the time. It looked genuine. My heart sank - and the customer handed it back! He must have thought it was fake. I asked for a look that confirmed it was indeed "original" and in good condition. It was mine!

I began to carry it everywhere. I didn't know the model, or even much about SAKs. It had lots of what I found to be useful tools. Unfortunately I lost it within a year. I didn't try to replace it.

Seventeen years later I lost my trusty old scout-style pocket knife I'd had since I was a kid. Can't be having no knife! I remembered the Vic I'd owned briefly, and went shopping. To my enormous surprise I found my old one had been a Swisschamp! What a deal it'd been!

Long story short, I've come full circle. I bought another a few months ago and have been carrying it ever since.

Aloha · **Reply #19 on:** June 15, 2019, 04:28:53 PM

My first was a Esquire then Recruit. I didn't get into SAKs till late and found both on clearance. I was hooked on finding the perfect SAK from there.

Edit. I found them within a few days of each other. I gave the Recruit to a member and the Esquire to a friend. This also started my introducing SAK love to others.

Hevy (CT-782) · **Reply #20 on:** June 15, 2019, 04:56:12 PM

My first one. A second hand classic.
I still own it today.

Enviado de meu moto g(6) usando o Tapatalk

Aloha · **Reply #21 on:** June 15, 2019, 05:14:27 PM

Very nice.

Intorikata · **Reply #22 on:** June 22, 2019, 09:33:06 PM

My first was a gift from my uncle in the 80s. It was something of a beast - black cellidor, toothpick and tweezers, scaler/hook disgorger, magnifier, saw, file, large and small blade...maybe scissors? can opener, bottle opener/flathead, can't remember if there was a wire notch, corkscrew, awl (no eye) and a back flathead that may have been a chisel and I just didn't realize it?

I beat the hell out of that knife. I don't know where it is now. Haven't seen it since the mid 90s?

Where it gets weird...the logo was Wenger - cross in a square with rounded corners. But the magnifier was the old Vic style - thick, short, gray "loupe" style with a glass lens.

My uncle worked in advertising, specifically for the outdoor industry - he got lots of goodies from Bushnell (along with the knife he got me great Bushnell compact binoculars that I had from the 80s until they got stolen from my unlocked car on my lunch break at a local lake in the mid 2000s, DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT) - but now that I'm more of a SAK guy, I'm baffled by what that knife could be. There was a box, and it said either "original" or "authentic" somewhere.

All the tools match up with Vic tools, but the logo was definitely square. Thoughts?

HolyDeuce · **Reply #23 on:** June 25, 2019, 03:21:12 PM

Quote from: Intorikata on June 22, 2019, 09:33:06 PM

My first was a gift from my uncle in the 80s. It was something of a beast - black cellidor, toothpick and tweezers, scaler/hook disgorger, magnifier, saw, file, large and small blade...maybe scissors? can opener, bottle opener/flathead, can't remember if there was a wire notch, corkscrew, awl (no eye) and a back flathead that may have been a chisel and I just didn't realize it?

I beat the hell out of that knife. I don't know where it is now. Haven't seen it since the mid 90s?

Where it gets weird...the logo was Wenger - cross in a square with rounded corners. But the magnifier was the old Vic style - thick, short, gray "loupe" style with a glass lens.

My uncle worked in advertising, specifically for the outdoor industry - he got lots of goodies from Bushnell (along with the knife he got me great Bushnell compact binoculars that I had from the 80s until they got stolen from my unlocked car on my lunch break at a local lake in the mid 2000s, DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT) - but now that I'm more of a SAK guy, I'm baffled by what that knife could be. There was a box, and it said either "original" or "authentic" somewhere.

All the tools match up with Vic tools, but the logo was definitely square. Thoughts?

Im curious.. Someone here must be able to shed some light.

Barry Rowland · **Reply #24 on:** June 25, 2019, 05:10:30 PM

My Dad got me a Huntsman in October 1983. I edc'd it almost exclusively for the next 32 years.

WaynejG · **Reply #25 on:** June 25, 2019, 06:51:39 PM

A Mountaineer. A Christmas gift from my wife in the early 90's. Still have it.

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getahl · **Reply #26 on:** June 25, 2019, 07:49:07 PM

My first was a Tinker, which I still have. My grandparents gave me a Tinker for my birthday back in 92 or 93. The backside Phillips is round, and has the can key gap in it. I don't use it much anymore.