Waterproof?

[meanx]

Don't know if this has been discussed or not,(can't find anything with a quick search) but are knives like the Traveller, Voyager,and all the other lite versions waterproof? I am

thinking of getting a Spartan Lite but I do a lot of fishing and time and again walk waste high in the water,lost a couple of Cellphones this way already,

will it still work after being submerged? 

[Benner]

Ooooo interesting question.  I'm guessing no, but then what about cleaning?

I'm curious to see what those in the know have to say. 

[stressmaster5000]

I have never dunked or sprayed my Spartan Lite model but I would definitely say it is NOT waterproof since the battery compartment just pops off very easily by your thumbnails. No seal of any kind for it.

Have heard similar things about the electronic models as well.

[meanx]

I have never dunked or sprayed my Spartan Lite model but I would definitely say it is NOT waterproof since the battery compartment just pops off very easily by your thumbnails. No seal of any kind for it.

Have heard similar things about the electronic models as well.

Thanks,does it say anything about water on the leaflet you get with?

[Sidhartha]

the linner next to the scale with the electronics has a couple of holes to make space for the electonic components and the battery, soo its absolutly not waterproof...  about the led module, its very easy to open and has no seal to be considered waterproof, the users manual of my voyaguer lite doesnt say anything about it... 

[jazzbass]

The LED models can all be cleaned in soap/water - just pop the batteries out first, clean, rinse well (preferably in distilled water) and let them dry thoroughly afterward. I've done this many, many times. They are just a switch, an LED and a resistor. None of these things will be damaged by cleaning in water with the batteries removed.

The electronic models.... well, that's a little different. The scales are NOT waterproof, so if you submerge them, the circuitry inside will get wet. Now, will this be a bad thing? That depends. There is a circuit board inside, and depending on the type the board itself can be damaged by water. Most electrical components themselves are sealed, so water won't affect them or their solder connections. If the circuit is energized when it's submerged, damage can occur if the water becomes a conductor and various parts short circuit. This is more of a danger with devices that have higher output batteries (like cell phones) as opposed to something running off a 1.5V watch battery, but it can happen.

I personally wouldn't submerge for cleaning an electronic scale model. If I did have one and it got dropped into some water, I'd immediately pull the battery and give it a couple days to dry out complete. Most of the time it'll be fine after that. If I did need to clean one with a liquid, I'd use something like Chemtronics Electro-Wash PX - a PCB-friendly spray solvent that will degrease, is volatile (evaporates quickly) and doesn't dissolve plastic.

[bren10man]

Now, after hearing the above, I am GLAD I am NOT taking my brand new Traveler Lite SAK out to the field the next two weeks (yep, I may not be around for a stretch).  Forecast calls for rain.   I thought about it but, nah......it was WAY too expensive to get it screwed.

Just think: the thought of the scales not waterproof on the electronic scale makes the Expedition and the SwissChamp XAVT (the BIG one) worthless in a survival situation.  Snow is water when melted...no good for mountain use.  How about scaling fish?  Nope, definately water there, let alone salt water that will ruin electronics if dunked or whatever.   Someone was not thinking when they designed the scales then.

I will have my old reliable Champion, 2008 Soldier, and SOG PowerPlier handy with me on my LAST field exercise in Korea,  ......

[Mr. Whippy]

On the older analog Timekeeper and Supertimer, the battery cover has a small Oring in it, so perhaps fairly water resistant.

[jazzbass]

The LED models can all be cleaned in soap/water - just pop the batteries out first, clean, rinse well (preferably in distilled water) and let them dry thoroughly afterward. I've done this many, many times. They are just a switch, an LED and a resistor. None of these things will be damaged by cleaning in water with the batteries removed.

The electronic models.... well, that's a little different. The scales are NOT waterproof, so if you submerge them, the circuitry inside will get wet. Now, will this be a bad thing? That depends. There is a circuit board inside, and depending on the type the board itself can be damaged by water. Most electrical components themselves are sealed, so water won't affect them or their solder connections. If the circuit is energized when it's submerged, damage can occur if the water becomes a conductor and various parts short circuit. This is more of a danger with devices that have higher output batteries (like cell phones) as opposed to something running off a 1.5V watch battery, but it can happen.

I personally wouldn't submerge for cleaning an electronic scale model. If I did have one and it got dropped into some water, I'd immediately pull the battery and give it a couple days to dry out complete. Most of the time it'll be fine after that. If I did need to clean one with a liquid, I'd use something like Chemtronics Electro-Wash PX - a PCB-friendly spray solvent that will degrease, is volatile (evaporates quickly) and doesn't dissolve plastic.

Just thought I'd update this. I recently received a Traveller knife from eBay. It was in great shape, but crusty from typical pocket carry. I cleaned it up pretty good and all is in working order. Here's what I did:

- Remove the battery, let sit overnight for all components inside to discharge. These knives have a capacitor inside that can keep the knife running while the battery is out to allow you to change the battery without having to reset everything. Waiting overnight was probably overkill, but better safe than sorry.

- Using an old toothbrush and some dish soap, I scrubbed the knife to remove the gunk. The knife got wet, even inside the scales, but I avoided submerging it.

- Rinse the knife off using running water, again not submerging. However, water DID get into the scales.

- Shake to remove as much soapy water as possible.

- Submerge in a container of distilled water for 10-20 sec to get rid of all soap residue from the cleaning. Shake the water out of the scales, repeat 2 more times.

- Shake all of the water out, and then blow the water out of the scales with compressed air (I use one of those cans of compressed gas for blowing dust out of electronics).

- Let dry for a day

- Replace battery

Worked great. The electronics work fine, and the knife is clean.

[Landrew]

Don't know if this has been discussed or not,(can't find anything with a quick search) but are knives like the Traveller, Voyager,and all the other lite versions waterproof? I am

thinking of getting a Spartan Lite but I do a lot of fishing and time and again walk waste high in the water,lost a couple of Cellphones this way already,

will it still work after being submerged?

Anything electronic of mine that I had washed accidentally, only worked once afterwards. I turned it on, seems to work, then off for the last time, ever.

Strange phenomenon.

[kkokkolis]

I think that a regular SAK with no electronics and separate  multisensor watch (I have the Casio Protrek, Suuntos and Tissot T-Touch are more fancy) is a better choice for the field. All these watches are waterproof, I dive with mine and wear it in the shower.

[kkokkolis]

Anything electronic of mine that I had washed accidentally, only worked once afterwards. I turned it on, seems to work, then off for the last time, ever.

Strange phenomenon.

That happend to me once. My explanation is that, after the water is expelled and evaporated, it leaves shalts behind. Salts conduct electricity, so they short- circuit. Just a thought, I'm not sure about it.

[Landrew]

Anything electronic of mine that I had washed accidentally, only worked once afterwards. I turned it on, seems to work, then off for the last time, ever.

Strange phenomenon.

That happend to me once. My explanation is that, after the water is expelled and evaporated, it leaves shalts behind. Salts conduct electricity, so they short- circuit. Just a thought, I'm not sure about it.

I actually thought of that once, and submerged the device in pure solvent. No help whatsoever.

[kkokkolis]

Short circuit might "burn" the "motherboard"? 

[ilader]

I have used Swiss Army Midnite Minichamp II extensively in salt water, sand, and orange juice environments. The switch does not seem affected by contaminants, but the battery contacts corrode. I have been able to revive them by scraping and polishing. I have also ruined the contacts by waiting too long (years) to clean them.

[Landrew]

Orange juice environments are the worst. 

I prefer grapefruit. 

[MARIOS7319]

Short circuit might "burn" the "motherboard"? 

It all depends on what type of liquid was on a electronic component.
Sea water is the worst. It corrodes (because of the salts) the metal components of a electronic cirquit and if the cirquit has live components (batteries,capacitors etc), creates short circuits.
Short circuits may burn some areas of the electronic board.
One good way to clean a electronic board from water is to rince it with isopropyl alcohol, or better a ultrasonic bath in isopropyl alcohol.

[enki_ck]

@ilader

Welcome to the forum

[Lynn LeFey]

Orange juice environments are the worst. 

You beat me to it. While the phrase 'orange juice environments' is not one you expect to hear, and sounds hilarious, orange juice really is horrible. High acid and sugars which turn into a sticky mess. I worked in the computer field for 10 years, and had the joy of getting to clean several keyboards that folks decided to bathe in soda.

I don't think I'd want to get anything more complex than an LED light wet.

Interesting thread, and I appreciate the info, as a Midnite Manager might be in my future.

[Landrew]

Orange juice environments are the worst. 

You beat me to it. While the phrase 'orange juice environments' is not one you expect to hear, and sounds hilarious, orange juice really is horrible. High acid and sugars which turn into a sticky mess. I worked in the computer field for 10 years, and had the joy of getting to clean several keyboards that folks decided to bathe in soda.

I don't think I'd want to get anything more complex than an LED light wet.

Interesting thread, and I appreciate the info, as a Midnite Manager might be in my future.

I didn't like using sarcasm on the new guy, but i couldn't resist that one.

[Steinar]

In general, electronics with no current handles pure water just fine. Now, for SAKs specifically, Vic says all circuitry is sealed with lacquer or something, so they are supposed to handle submersion, just pop out the battery/-ies first.