Top 3 SAKs

[Kraken]

Love to see everyone's picks for their top 3. I felt like my decision was difficult even though I have a modest collection, I can't imagine what it's like for those of you that have serious collections! Great pictures too. It's interesting to see what each of us uses as criteria for their choices as well.

[nate j]

I feel like this could go so many different directions.

Most Carried (recently)
T1 - Rambler - Rides on my key chain, so I always have scissors, nail file, small flat screwdriver, small Phillips screwdriver, bottle opener, and toothpick, regardless of what else I am or am not carrying.
T1 - Alox Bantam - Rides in my wallet, mostly as a backup to whatever else I’m carrying and also in case I need a can opener.
3 - Explorer - This comes in handy during football season.  The equipment has a surprising number of Phillips screws.

Most Carried & Used (all time)
1 - Spartan - This was my first SAK, and my only SAK for about nine years or so.
2 - Mountaineer - This was my work EDC for some years, when I had to wear jeans to work and so  pocket space was at a premium.  I’m surprised the Mountaineer doesn’t get more love here.  The metal saw/file is a great tool, and works fine on fingernails too.
3 - Climber - This was my day off carry for years.  Pretty much everything I need on a SAK and nothing I don’t.  I would occasionally wish for a nail file, but usually could clean up any fingernail issues well enough between the blades and scissors.  Between the tip of the can opener and the mini-screwdriver, most Phillips screws were no problem, so long as they weren’t too deeply recessed.

Most Used (recently)
1 - Explorer - see above, plus when it’s what’s in my pocket I use it for whatever comes up
2 - Rambler - see above
3 - Deluxe Tinker - This is one of my desk knives.  The pliers come in handy, and the lack of a corkscrew isn’t much of a handicap in the house with other SAKs around.

Do Swisstools/Spirits count?  Of course they are also made by Vic, but personally I don’t consider PBMTs to be SAKs.

Or is the question, “What three SAKs would you keep, if you had to get rid of all but three?”  If this is the case, would other MTs and knives be allowed to be kept, or would those three SAKs have to do it all?

If the former, I suppose it would be:
1 - Rambler - see above
2 - Deluxe Climber - Takes the basic but useful Climber tool set and adds the pliers; still a very pocketable four layers.
3 - Farmer X - One of these rides in my hiking pack, mostly as a backup to whatever else I’m carrying.  But if I had to set off on a hike or camping trip with no other knives/MTs, I wouldn’t feel terribly underprepared, except that the blade is on the short side for food use.

If the latter:
1 - Deluxe Climber - see above, and would be my EDC
2 - Ranger Boatsman - This is a good deal heavier than I normally like to carry, but I do like to have access to a marlin spike for stubborn knots.  If these three SAKs were all I got in the way of knives & MTs, the larger OHO blade, larger pliers, and bits would probably come in handy as well.
3 - Venture - Is it a SAK? Not sure, but I would like to have a fixed blade if these three were the sum total of knives and MTs I could use.

[ThundahBeagle]

I would have to say

-HUNTSMAN:  best of both worlds - saw AND scissors on the regular Spartan platform.  Saw for cutting small wood for starting a campfire.  Scissors for bandages and odd jobs.  Ok. It has the corkscrew but I can use it on tight or frozen boot lace knots.  This thing is sort of all you need unless you start talking plyers.

-SUPER TINKER: scissors added to the Tinker platform.  Nice sleek back tool Phillips means less hotspots.  Plus mine has the can key slot.  Bought when I got out of school in 1988 The only Swiss Army Knife I owned or carried from '88 to 2012, when it was destroyed by falling 3 stories and getting run over by a truck.  It wasn't until I first found my way here that I learned I could separate the layers with a screwdriver and buy new scales to slap on the sides.  It continues to be carried periodically as recently as a few days ago.

- EXPLORER:  how could I resist, one that I wanted way back in the 80's but "settled" for the Super Tinker.  Magnifying glass - get a closer look or start a fire if its sunny, noon, everything is dry and you are patient.  Scissors.  Philips AND corkscrew.

I know Loopcutter wants pics.  See below.

And there's so many more to list.  I could make many lists.

Nate J:  big fan of the Mountaineer.  Got one in my collection.  That metal saw/file is a nice switch.  It CAN be used to saw wood in a pinch.

Tinker Deluxe gets honorable mention as does the Champion C but that stays in the pack or vehicle.

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[charlie fox]

Had to think on this for a minute, but here's what I came up with from the tools I already own:

Craftsman - Over the years I've owned and Champion and a Swiss Champ but both of them had tools I didn't need or want (fish scaler - I'm looking at you). The Craftsman has all the tools I need and none that I don't. The only thing I'd change would be to give it an inline Phillips screwdriver.

Alox Cadet - One of my longest carried SAKs was a Recruit. However when I found the Cadet I never looked back. Thin, light, easy to carry and I don't even miss the pen blade.

Rambler - I've found the little extra utility provided by the combo tool really puts this in front of the Classic SD for me.

 

[nate j]

Saw for cutting small wood for starting a campfire.

YMMV, but in my experience just about anything small enough and dry enough to make good kindling can be broken by hand.

Anything large enough for good fuel is probably too large for the SAK saw, or at best wasted effort (i.e. I could saw this limb in half, but it’s easier to feed it into the fire as it burns, or toss it on and let it burn in half).

I see the value in the SAK saw more along the lines of making things, e.g.  what if I had to improvise a tent stake, a spoon, a pair of crutches, a litter, etc.

[ThundahBeagle]

YMMV, but in my experience just about anything small enough and dry enough to make good kindling can be broken by hand.

Anything large enough for good fuel is probably too large for the SAK saw, or at best wasted effort (i.e. I could saw this limb in half, but it’s easier to feed it into the fire as it burns, or toss it on and let it burn in half).

I see the value in the SAK saw more along the lines of making things, e.g.  what if I had to improvise a tent stake, a spoon, a pair of crutches, a litter, etc.

Yep.  I'm on board with that

[Huntsman]

Always a good discussion to have    .......    Also always a very tough decision          

So many good SAKs that I would use pretty regularly: Huntsman (of course !!), Classic, SwissChamp (of course !!), Ranger 55, WorkChamp, Evolution S18, Soldier, Electrician, MiniChamp (alox), Signature Lite, Cybers ........ 

But as this is a top three list I have to prune it down and decide     ..... and I guess the decision has to be based on what I carry most at the moment

I am pretty keen on Kracken's original list - And all the other great suggestions
However I am going for:

• Explorer - Scissors are an absolute must for me - And I am finding the inline Phillips and mag glass really useful - Also I am a Cellidor man and love the toothpick (not so much the tweezers!)
• Compact - Such a fabulous minimalist carry and of course has the scissors, the pen can be very useful, although I miss the awl
• Rambler - Got to have a keychain in the list as it's going to be carried a lot - I should probably have put the Classic - As this would be my most carried historically - But the Rambler is so superior and will be that going forward. Possibly exchanging a pen or lite for the tweezers!!

   

[Steelej1976]

1. Classic SD- I know the Rambler is better but for some reason the Classic is what is on my keychain all the time.  I love the 58mm scissors even more then the 91mm.  The 58mm scissors are precise and all I need.

2. Recruit- The Recruit is just great, simple and effective.  No back later tools which makes it more comfortable in the hand.

3. Cadet/Pioneer (No Pics)- The Cadet/Pioneer are Alox excellence.  The nailfile on the Cadet is useful for small Phillips screws and the Pioneer awl is the best awl on a multi tool. 

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