The 30 Day Victorinox Huntsman Challenge!

[Monrogue]

Vicky (or you ) were being clever with the insulation task   Only limited by our imaginations with these wonderful little tools.

[Grathr]

Go vicky!

[Jothra]

Rain! Rainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrain!

Rain.

What a day. Also mud, by the way.

Anyway, there were two things for Day 13. The first thing was nice and easy. The second thing was nice and easy provided you weren't Vicky. RUBRUC RED WARNING: don't do the second thing. It's bad. It's a bad, bad thing. Of course, it's not a first for Vicky, either, but whatever.

First up, Vicky's nice, non-conductive toothpick helped clean the mud out of a female grounding port.


Don't worry—the picture is not fuzzy because of high-voltage electricity. It just wouldn't focus.

Next up, the chop saw's concrete blade was tight, and hard to put on the saw. All I needed was something like maybe a hammer or something...


Action shot again! Vicky can be very, erm, persuasive.

It took seven bonks to get that blade down the spindle far enough to bolt on. Vicky suffered no damage from the incident.

[KiwiMark]

It is so cool how much you can do with one good SAK.

I'm wondering on your thoughts on the best SAK for the job:
Clearly the Huntsman is doing a good job and most likely you wouldn't want less since you do use the scissors & the saw.
But do you want more?  How about the Victorinox Ranger - same as the Huntsman + file (would that be a valuable addition for what you do?) on the main tools and there is a small flat screwdriver & a chisel on the back layer.
Would a chisel be useful for push cutting stuff?
Would the file be useful for cutting metal and deburring and filing?
Would the extra size & weight be a negative?

I love my Cybertool because I do more with computers but I have a Ranger for taking camping and I really like the mix of tools it has.  Reading the things you put your Huntsman through I can't help wondering if the Ranger would be the perfect SAK for your job.

[Jothra]

I carried a Ranger for a year or two. I love its tool density, but I very rarely used the extra tools, except for filing my nails. It's an excellent carry, but since I almost never use the extra layer, I usually stick with the Huntsman instead.

[KiwiMark]

I carried a Ranger for a year or two. I love its tool density, but I very rarely used the extra tools, except for filing my nails. It's an excellent carry, but since I almost never use the extra layer, I usually stick with the Huntsman instead.

Yeah, you can easily put a Rambler on your keyring for a nail file and carry a lighter main SAK.
It sounds like for your needs the Huntsman may be the perfect SAK, just the right tools to do what you want.
I think that I need a file more than a saw, but that is just me.

For someone that never needs a saw then the Climber/Climber II may be just right.
Then there is the Spartan - great for just the important tools if you don't use scissors ever.
This is one thing I love about Victorinox, they put out a bunch of different models and most people can find one that suits their needs perfectly.

[sawman]

I carried a Ranger for a year or two. I love its tool density, but I very rarely used the extra tools, except for filing my nails. It's an excellent carry, but since I almost never use the extra layer, I usually stick with the Huntsman instead.

Yeah, you can easily put a Rambler on your keyring for a nail file and carry a lighter main SAK.
It sounds like for your needs the Huntsman may be the perfect SAK, just the right tools to do what you want.
I think that I need a file more than a saw, but that is just me.

For someone that never needs a saw then the Climber/Climber II may be just right.
Then there is the Spartan - great for just the important tools if you don't use scissors ever.
This is one thing I love about Victorinox, they put out a bunch of different models and most people can find one that suits their needs perfectly.

I can vouch for the Rambler's nail file as I've used either a Classic or Rambler for years for most all of my nail maintenance 

[enki_ck]

Is Vicky still alive? I'm getting worried.

[Jothra]

enki_ck: how on Earth did you know to post that while I was in the exact middle of writing this post? I hit the preview button, and there you were! Dark hoodoo!

After a long weekend (Heritage Day yeah!), I've got A MONTAGE!

On Day 14, the only new or unusual thing I did was buy a new bike lock!


I know it's pretty low-security. When I need high security, I lug my Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit Mini).

Vicky's scissors can handle zip ties. This shouldn't surprise anyone. This isn't nearly the worst type of zip tie a Huntsman has handled for me. No scissor issues so far, obviously.

Next up: goofy arts and crafts project on Day 15:


Yup. That's a car key.

Transponder-enabled car keys are ugly. Now mine is ugly and has superglue-enabled thread to pretty it up a little (or at least make it stand out in a crowd). It was easier to stick the hook through, grab the string, and pull than to thread the string on its own. For the record, I started over, and now the top of the key is wrapped in purple.

Enough with the potatoes! Time for meat:


Ow! That looks painful!

Remember how Coghlan had to pry out a few feet of broken tile from under a wall? Well, now (Day 17, actually) Vicky has pried a bunch of broken concrete chunks out from under some heavy-gauge steel track. It wasn't easy, but someone had to do it. Someone surprisingly like Vicky! The screwdriver still works just fine. There are a few more scratches, but nothing deep. A half-assed buffing could probably get them all out, if scars weren't a badge of Swiss Army Knife honour.

There's no photo, but on Day 17 my foreman needed to borrow Vicky to take apart and clean a powder-actuated nailer. More screwdriver action! He managed to barely make fun of me when he asked for it, too. Just calling me Macgyver once, without a bunch of laughing and poorly-assembled insult comedy, is a big step for him.

Day 18 (today) saw Vicky get up close and personal with me face. There's no picture, but somehow I picked up a tiny metal sliver in the front of my chin that didn't start hurting until about an hour after I'd been anywhere I could have received it. Fortunately, between the tweezers and the small blade, I managed to get it out (finally—it was tough to get!) without doing any damage to my meal ticket (I use my face for hammering nails).

Also, we were shimming under heating/cooling unit curbs on the roof (hot! Gah!) to level them. We used wedges to level them out so we could measure the gap underneath to size our final shims. What happened when the wedges weren't thick enough to level a curb?


Yeah! That!

I'm telling you, that screwdriver/prybar/bottle opener/wedge/scraper/Macguffin is absolutely the most amazing of things. This was also a test of the scales, since the back scale was helping support all that weight. Good news: no damage!

Now that the complications of the long weekend are over, and I'm back on the construction site, regular updates should resume like nothing ever happened!

Days 14-18!

[Steinar]

Looking good for Vicky, this thread beats most user stories Vic publishes as commercials.

[comis]

Vicky, Go!

After reading this thread, sometimes I wonder am I fooling myself to spend the premium for buying knives with the so-called 'super' steel.

[kirk13]

Vicky, Go!

After reading this thread, sometimes I wonder am I fooling myself to spend the premium for buying knives with the so-called 'super' steel.

I think that's been the biggest lesson I've learnt here at MTo!

[enki_ck]

enki_ck: how on Earth did you know to post that while I was in the exact middle of writing this post? I hit the preview button, and there you were! Dark hoodoo!
...

Never underestimate the power of the Dark Side.




I couldn't sleep, was browsing the swiss forum and this thread and saw the little green light next to your name indicating you were online.

I'm glad Vicky is still going strong.

[bmot]

Hmmm, I'm really starting to wonder what you could do with one of the liner locking 111mm screwdriver/prybar's 


I'm thinking you'll need a modded soldier 08 model with scissors

[Jothra]

Hmmm, I'm really starting to wonder what you could do with one of the liner locking 111mm screwdriver/prybar's 


I'm thinking you'll need a modded soldier 08 model with scissors

I carried a Forester for awhile, and loved the prybar more than anything else it had to offer. The long saw is also amazing. I only stopped carrying it because it's so big (though not too thick, really.)

[nate j]

Hmmm, I'm really starting to wonder what you could do with one of the liner locking 111mm screwdriver/prybar's

I carry a Centurion daily at work, and it is the best folding large screwdriver/small prybar available on any MT today, IMHO.

P.S. Go Vicky!   

[Jothra]

I carry a Centurion daily at work, and it is the best folding large screwdriver/small prybar available on any MT today, IMHO.

Agreed.

So, I know you might be getting tired of this, but bad things happened on Day 19. You probably don't want to read this unless you're a bad person who likes to see innocent tools suffer. You know, like me.

Anyway, the bulk of Vicky's work today was taking out anchor bolt templates, which are made of plywood, and hold anchor bolts in place for when the concrete foundation is poured around them. Each template has the above-pour sections of four anchor bolts coming through it. Some templates are easy toremove, and some are very, very hard.

All the easy ones were done.

First up, one template was just about ready to come up and out, but I couldn't get a grip on it anywhere. I needed to install a handle. If only Vicky had an implement I could misuse...


You know, I almost never use these to open wine.

And success!

Vicky: 1. Templates: 0.

The next template was completely surrounded by concrete on four sides, in a space too small for a sawzall or anything, so our only recourse was to tear it into itty bitty plywood pieces. Unfortunately, my hammer and prybar were too blunt to cut all the way through the plywood around the anchor bolt. What to do?

This is the scary part. Please put on your 3-D glasses now. Warning: not actually in 3-D.

I had a tool on me that had a narrow, chisel-like component, and has nothing to lose.


"Not the face!"

This may be a contender for the position of Worst Thing I Have Ever Done To A Multitool. The prize is derision and scorn.

Anybobanny, I managed to make enough of a split with Vicky to break a chunk of wood out, but my hammer missed the bottom ply of the board. Thus, a return to danger!


Seriously, this must be exactly the kind of thing Swiss Army Knives use for horror movie plots.

I will point out again that this isn't really the sort of thing the Victorinox warranty was meant for. A tool broken through an activity like this doesn't need a warranty—it needs a priest.

Believe it or not, Vicky is very nearly unscathed.


Some slight, cosmetic, non-structural damage from the framing hammer strikes.

And the screwdriver? Well...


It's just a scratch! Well, a few scratches. Nothing serious.

See how little damage there is? I thought I had loosened up the screwdriver spring, because the snap was less snappy, but it turns out all it needed was a little mineral oil. Seriously.

Finally, something less scary: saws sawing sawsily.


Cleaning up gibbled wood so I can get into the real meat of the job.


The aforementioned meat.

A little sawing so the anchor bolts could punch through the wood when it was hammered up, and everything is cool again.

If there's one thing Day 19 has taught us, it's the value of never letting Jothra test your tools. He's a real jerk.

What we actually learned is, of course, that Vicky is still winning. By a lot.

Let's hope I never have to take your anchor bolt templates out, or there will be crying the likes of which have only ever been found on Day 19!

[kirk13]

That is unbelievable!

Go Vicki,go Vicki,go go go!

[Steinar]

 

[enki_ck]

You





I think Vicky will need a lot of cocktails in a tropical location after this 30 day trial is over to forget all the horrors.


Looking forward to the next entry into her diary.

[ducttapetech]

I don't feel so bad now when I use a hammer on a multi or sak.
Nice write up!

sent from Ducttapetech's mobile device

[Monrogue]

Wow, I'm really impressed by how tough these things are proving to be.  Especially to survive your torture and abuse

[Jothra]

I don't feel so bad now when I use a hammer on a multi or sak.
Nice write up!

You should feel bad, and so should I. And thanks!

Day 20 did not, thank goodness, involve using an actual hammer on a Swiss Army Knife. Whew! What it did involve was notching plywood backing to fit it between steel studs. We cut the trenches themselves with a skill saw set to depth, which was easy. Sometimes, however, the notching wasn't 100% thorough. Then it was time for the least popular and most oft-maligned tool to lend another hand:


It's off the...never mind.

For thicker hangers-on that the saw didn't get on its first couple of passes, another tool saved the day (or at least some time and some tension headaches).


"I see you've played knifey-spoony before."

Some other, non-related (and un-notched) backing needed screwing back into place, though unfortunately, some of it wasn't aligned with the beams anymore. I needed Vicky to offer a tool pointy enough to dig into the wood a bit, but strong enough to pry. I was pretty sure this would be bad for the blades or the awl, so I turned to a surprising alternative.


"Hey Vicky, can it?"
"Yes it can...opener.
(Vicky is lousy at punning.)

It wasn't the most hardcore day Vicky's had, but we still got a lot a lot done.

Day 21, on the other hand, was almost nothing except opening a few cardboard packages and zip ties. Done!

Lopsided Days 20 and 21, amigos!

[Gareth]

Sorry, I'm still getting over the trauma of seeing you hit Vicky over the head with a hammer.

Still good reading though.

[bmot]

Sorry, I'm still getting over the trauma of seeing you hit Vicky over the head with a hammer.

Still good reading though.

Nothing like a good horror story, I guess

[RamoN]

Nice workout there, reminds me of demi moore in that seal movie g.i.jane, after all this abuse we can call it G.I.VICKY from now on 

[Jothra]

Nice workout there, reminds me of demi moore in that seal movie g.i.jane, after all this abuse we can call it G.I.VICKY from now on 

Ha! Nice!

Day 22 was nothing but cutting some double-sided mounting tape for fixing a reflector and red light to the back of my bike's seat bag. A'yup.

[3rdpig]

I'm really enjoying this thread, as well as the other 30 day challenges. I use my multitools hard, but I draw the line at hitting them with framing hammers.

Thanks and Go Vicky!

[Grathr]

 

[Jothra]

I'm really enjoying this thread, as well as the other 30 day challenges. I use my multitools hard, but I draw the line at hitting them with framing hammers.

Thanks and Go Vicky!

Normally precision hammer bombings are a bit more than my tools get, though just about everything else Vicky's done so far is something at least one of my past SAKs has survived.

Anyhey, Day 23 had an odd but not at all strenuous use for a nearly ubiquitous tool, and a possibly surprising but surprisingly possible use for another.

Did the pilot hole get drilled all the through the backing and the beam, or am I going to waste a screw? Wait a second, I can answer the first part of the question without resorting to the second! Thanks, Vicky!


Also, thank you, faithful toothpick! I sure wouldn't want to go in there.

Oh, great—I have a huge pile of sixteen-footers on the back of a twelve-foot flat deck. I have flagging, which I need to attach by law, but just tying it never works (it basically always flies off). All I have to attach it with is a #2 Robertson screw. But I don't have any Robertson drivers, and neither does Vicky! How is Vicky going to solve this problem?


That's right...through magic.

In all fairness, I knew this would work, but there are a couple of conditions. The first is that the screw can't be too tight, or the driver just skips out of the hole. The other is that you can't use this trick for too ridiculously many Robertson screws before you wear the driver down just enough to not work with #2 Robertsons anymore (though slot and Phillips screws still work as normal).

Good work, Vicky! Go ahead and take the rest of Day 23 off!