Putting a Date on 84mm SAKs

[marlowe221]

Hey folks,

I've learned a lot about figuring out the approximate age of a SAK from the good people of this forum and the information gathered here and on the SAKwiki.

But a lot of it is focused on the 91mm line for obvious reasons. The alox models get a lot of attention too.

But I'm interested in learning more about the history of the 84mm product line. My understanding is that a lot of the dating-by-tool-evolution information that we have does not apply to the 84mm range in the way that it does to the 91mm line. The 84mm models kept using some tool variations later than the 91mm models did.... except when they made the change earlier than the 91mm models. Is this correct?

If so, are there any date-related resources that focus on the 84mm product line?

 

[Huntsman]

Hi,

I had always assumed that the 84mm range pretty much followed the 91mm line in terms of tool evolution and dating
Eg Introduction of tools, tang stamps (ie big V little v etc)

So this table is probably a reasonably good guide.
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,51872.0.html

It does also call out one difference we know about between the 84 and 91s and that is on the combo tool.

PS. I could be way out on my assumption   

[marlowe221]

Yes, I have seen and downloaded this chart. It's amazing!

But... I've also read folks to say in various threads in this forum (threads of the past found via googling stuff) that the 84mm is a little weird in that regard. Like that the 84mm models kept using the grooved corkscrew way later than 1991, for example. Or that the 84mm models continued using the awl with no sewing eye well into the 90s versus the mid 80s for the 91mm models. Stuff like that.

But with regard to the 84mm models, this kind of thing is usually mentioned by people in an "oh, by the way" sense. I haven't been able to find any dedicated discussion of the differences versus the 91mm line.

Makes me curious!

[Huntsman]

Ah OK - Thanks

We'll need some of th ereal experts to chip in - I hust write it down

Maybe this thread will end up being what you are looking for!!         

[marlowe221]

I would love for that to happen!

I have a modern Tourist and Tinker Small. I also have an older example of each of those SAKs. But I don't know how much older.

Both have tang stamps that I associate with 91mm knives from the 70s-90s (Tourist the 70s-80s, the Tinker Small the 80s-90s). The older Tourist still has the grooved corkscrew and no sewing eye in the awl. The older Tinker Small has no can key and does have the sewing eye. I would love to be able to tell how old they are but I've seen enough comments on the 84mm series being a little different that I'm not sure what to think about them.

Come on Swiss Army Knights Forum experts!