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Getting ALL the saks

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us Offline Barry Rowland

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #30 on: January 23, 2016, 07:03:40 AM
Right on!  Those are some of the greatest scores!
Barry


Offline ulli

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #31 on: January 23, 2016, 07:26:45 AM
To be honest, I collect them all, doesn`t matter what size or color. Hopefully, I still have 20 - 30 years to collect. There are so many models and so many variations to explore, so I`m sure I`ll never get bored of. Often, I buy something that looks interesting to me and after I check what I bought.
One problem is, that I don`t have all the models in mind. Yesterday, I was at a place where a son sold the knives of his passed away father. He had about 300 knives, victorinox and wenger mixed, most after 1970. I had to check them in around 15 minutes and I took the ones that I know are collectable and some that looked special. I`m sure I missed some special knives because I didn`t recognize them as special. So collecting saks is also a good memory training that keeps your mind in shape.

I think the way is the aim, its ok that your collection isn`t finished, because there`s alway a model you don`t know of yet and there`s alway a knife in better shape and condition than the one you possess.


us Offline ColoSwiss

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #32 on: January 23, 2016, 08:11:06 AM
To be honest, I collect them all, doesn`t matter what size or color. Hopefully, I still have 20 - 30 years to collect. There are so many models and so many variations to explore, so I`m sure I`ll never get bored of. Often, I buy something that looks interesting to me and after I check what I bought.
One problem is, that I don`t have all the models in mind. Yesterday, I was at a place where a son sold the knives of his passed away father. He had about 300 knives, victorinox and wenger mixed, most after 1970. I had to check them in around 15 minutes and I took the ones that I know are collectable and some that looked special. I`m sure I missed some special knives because I didn`t recognize them as special. So collecting saks is also a good memory training that keeps your mind in shape.

I think the way is the aim, its ok that your collection isn`t finished, because there`s alway a model you don`t know of yet and there`s alway a knife in better shape and condition than the one you possess.

Nice score! Hope some of them were super special.   :cheers:


no Offline Steinar

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #33 on: January 23, 2016, 01:26:22 PM
The hunt is the funniest part of collecting to me, so I have never sought completing my SAK collection anyway. I have a focus, but happily stray from it if something looks interesting. I admire the knowledge of those of you who really dive into this.


ca Offline Chako

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #34 on: January 23, 2016, 02:35:09 PM
I have enough. I have upwards of a thousand knives. I am a generalist, and have a little of everything. I never tried to get them all. For a time, I tried that with Leatherman and knew soon thereafter that I wasn't going to accomplish that at all.
A little Leatherman information.

Leatherman series articles


gb Offline tosh

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #35 on: January 23, 2016, 07:51:55 PM
I have enough. I have upwards of a thousand knives. I am a generalist, and have a little of everything. I never tried to get them all. For a time, I tried that with Leatherman and knew soon thereafter that I wasn't going to accomplish that at all.

Do you know the actual count on your leathermans Dan?
Are you still collecting as much these days or have you drifted off into firearms?
I don't claim to know it all, but what I do know is right.


us Offline El Corkscrew

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #36 on: November 02, 2017, 04:35:41 PM
So I've thought about this a little...

To me, collecting has always been about "completing" a collection. With SAK collecting, there are so many ways to look at variations, that you have to decide for yourself how you want to define your collection, and then go after that. Here is how I define my collection:

I primarily collect all 84mm and 91mm Victorinox Swiss Army Knife by model. This means my goal is to get all model variations that exist. I define a "model" as a knife with the same basic tool set - so a Climber from 1965 with a bail, old style scissors, caplifter w/ scraper and 5 turn corkscrew counts as a "Climber". A Climber from 2015 with a 4 turn corkscrew, keyring, new scissors w/ hook, and plan caplifter counts as the same model.

Secondarily, I also collect age-related variations of the same model. So the Climber from 1965 and the Climber from 2015 are both in my collection.

So what determines what a "model" is? Well, except in certain circumstances, I do NOT consider scale variations (different celidor color, horn/stag/plastic/etc) as different models or variations. The main exception here is that I do consider alox and cellidor/horn/etc to be different. So to me an alox 84mm Lumberjack is a different model than a cellidor 84mm Lumberjack. If I have two knives that differ only by their scales, I consider them the same knife. I do have a few exceptions to this rule (e.g. Blue and Red Fischemessers), but in general I do not collect based on scales. I also do not consider t&t and keyring variations to be different models. So a Tourist with a keyring and a Tourist without one are the same as far as I'm concerned.

I also have a 93mm collection that is (from my perspective) more-or-less complete. Here I've broken it apart into two groups - old style also and new style alox - and tried to find one model of each from both periods. In the old alox I think I'm only missing the Pioneer 2223 and a special Pioneer model that has pruning blade instead of the awl. In the new also I have all the models I think. Again, scale variations aren't my thing to I don't collect all the various colors that everyone loves so much. I need a new style Farmer in my collection? Blue, green, red, copper, whatever - any color will due.

So - given the scope of what I've decided to collect, how hard is it? Pretty damn hard if I'm honest. I have over 1000 knives in my collection, and I'd guess that when it comes to collecting the different models I'm probably about as close to being complete as anyone. You can really break down this type of collection into four groups:

1. Standard, common catalog models. These are your Spartans, Tinkers, Huntsmans, etc. Getting a full set of these is pretty straightforward. Of about 70 different models here, and I'm at 100% for both 91mm and 84mm. This is a pretty easy collection to amass.

2. Uncommon yet official models. Scientists, Yeomans, Fischermessers, Outdoorsmans, etc. All of these were once catalog models but not anymore. These can be challenging to get, but if you watch the forums and eBay long enough, you can fill out most of this collection as well. Even the rarest of this group - the SwissChamp XL - comes up from time to time. Of about 55 different models here, and I'm at 100% for 84mm and missing 2 91mm models.

3. Custom models made for customers. This is where things start get interesting. Some custom models were made in large quantities (e.g. Trail Guide, Troubleshooter) and are pretty easy to pick up. Some are well know but made in lesser quantities (SMKW knives, WMF special knives) so you'll need to wait a bit to get some of these. Finally, there's the "holy crap I've never seen this before" knife. There are a lot of these - knives that you didn't even know were missing from your collection until you saw them for the first time. My "Unusual Knife" thread has several of those - the Fischermesser Jr is a good example. Never in a catalog, never seen another one. The biggest challenge here is you never know really if you're complete, because another new model could pop up tomorrow. Of about 40 different models here, I'm missing 1 84mm and 5 91mm models - that I know of.

4. Weird pre-WWII catalog models. These are odd knives shown in the 1903 catalog and the bain of anyone trying to amass a "complete" collection. Very few knives of any type from 1930 and before still exist, and most that do are standard Spartan/Tourist/Camper models. The unusual ones with augers, shotgun shell extractors, and hoof picks are almost impossible to find. The ones that are out there are in Switzerland, Germany or France, so if you don't live in one of those countries, good luck. Of about 6 different models here, I have 0. With the exception of my 100mm Model 290, I don't have any weird pre-WWII knives - and since that one's not 91mm or 844mm, I'm at a solid 0% for this group.

Officer's knives from Victorinox are definitely the hardest to complete a collection of IMO. They've been made for so long, with so many weird variations, that finding them all is something that would take at least a decade to do, and that if you were serious about it. Other models are a lot easier I think, even alox if you're not obsessed with the different colors. Yeah, some key knives like the 2223 and Damascus Pioneer will cost you some money, but they're out there. In fact, I could buy both of these knives right now if I felt like dropping several thousand dollars on them. There are exactly zero Model 238s (Spartan with shotgun shell extractor) for sale right now that I know of.

Just finding this thread, actually in search of a Camper club... interesting stuff....
“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.” - Mark Twain


00 Offline Mechanickal

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #37 on: November 02, 2017, 05:33:00 PM
So I've thought about this a little...

To me, collecting has always been about "completing" a collection. With SAK collecting, there are so many ways to look at variations, that you have to decide for yourself how you want to define your collection, and then go after that. Here is how I define my collection:

I primarily collect all 84mm and 91mm Victorinox Swiss Army Knife by model. This means my goal is to get all model variations that exist. I define a "model" as a knife with the same basic tool set - so a Climber from 1965 with a bail, old style scissors, caplifter w/ scraper and 5 turn corkscrew counts as a "Climber". A Climber from 2015 with a 4 turn corkscrew, keyring, new scissors w/ hook, and plan caplifter counts as the same model.

Secondarily, I also collect age-related variations of the same model. So the Climber from 1965 and the Climber from 2015 are both in my collection.

So what determines what a "model" is? Well, except in certain circumstances, I do NOT consider scale variations (different celidor color, horn/stag/plastic/etc) as different models or variations. The main exception here is that I do consider alox and cellidor/horn/etc to be different. So to me an alox 84mm Lumberjack is a different model than a cellidor 84mm Lumberjack. If I have two knives that differ only by their scales, I consider them the same knife. I do have a few exceptions to this rule (e.g. Blue and Red Fischemessers), but in general I do not collect based on scales. I also do not consider t&t and keyring variations to be different models. So a Tourist with a keyring and a Tourist without one are the same as far as I'm concerned.

I also have a 93mm collection that is (from my perspective) more-or-less complete. Here I've broken it apart into two groups - old style also and new style alox - and tried to find one model of each from both periods. In the old alox I think I'm only missing the Pioneer 2223 and a special Pioneer model that has pruning blade instead of the awl. In the new also I have all the models I think. Again, scale variations aren't my thing to I don't collect all the various colors that everyone loves so much. I need a new style Farmer in my collection? Blue, green, red, copper, whatever - any color will due.

So - given the scope of what I've decided to collect, how hard is it? Pretty damn hard if I'm honest. I have over 1000 knives in my collection, and I'd guess that when it comes to collecting the different models I'm probably about as close to being complete as anyone. You can really break down this type of collection into four groups:

1. Standard, common catalog models. These are your Spartans, Tinkers, Huntsmans, etc. Getting a full set of these is pretty straightforward. Of about 70 different models here, and I'm at 100% for both 91mm and 84mm. This is a pretty easy collection to amass.

2. Uncommon yet official models. Scientists, Yeomans, Fischermessers, Outdoorsmans, etc. All of these were once catalog models but not anymore. These can be challenging to get, but if you watch the forums and eBay long enough, you can fill out most of this collection as well. Even the rarest of this group - the SwissChamp XL - comes up from time to time. Of about 55 different models here, and I'm at 100% for 84mm and missing 2 91mm models.

3. Custom models made for customers. This is where things start get interesting. Some custom models were made in large quantities (e.g. Trail Guide, Troubleshooter) and are pretty easy to pick up. Some are well know but made in lesser quantities (SMKW knives, WMF special knives) so you'll need to wait a bit to get some of these. Finally, there's the "holy crap I've never seen this before" knife. There are a lot of these - knives that you didn't even know were missing from your collection until you saw them for the first time. My "Unusual Knife" thread has several of those - the Fischermesser Jr is a good example. Never in a catalog, never seen another one. The biggest challenge here is you never know really if you're complete, because another new model could pop up tomorrow. Of about 40 different models here, I'm missing 1 84mm and 5 91mm models - that I know of.

4. Weird pre-WWII catalog models. These are odd knives shown in the 1903 catalog and the bain of anyone trying to amass a "complete" collection. Very few knives of any type from 1930 and before still exist, and most that do are standard Spartan/Tourist/Camper models. The unusual ones with augers, shotgun shell extractors, and hoof picks are almost impossible to find. The ones that are out there are in Switzerland, Germany or France, so if you don't live in one of those countries, good luck. Of about 6 different models here, I have 0. With the exception of my 100mm Model 290, I don't have any weird pre-WWII knives - and since that one's not 91mm or 844mm, I'm at a solid 0% for this group.

Officer's knives from Victorinox are definitely the hardest to complete a collection of IMO. They've been made for so long, with so many weird variations, that finding them all is something that would take at least a decade to do, and that if you were serious about it. Other models are a lot easier I think, even alox if you're not obsessed with the different colors. Yeah, some key knives like the 2223 and Damascus Pioneer will cost you some money, but they're out there. In fact, I could buy both of these knives right now if I felt like dropping several thousand dollars on them. There are exactly zero Model 238s (Spartan with shotgun shell extractor) for sale right now that I know of.

Just finding this thread, actually in search of a Camper club... interesting stuff....
Found this thread because you found it and I have to agree.

I would like to add that I came across 2 contacts with large SAK stocks from airport seizures and 1 former collector who had over 300 SAKs since I started the collection. This means I've got access to virtualy any relatively common model out there.
Spirit S BO? No problem.
Old ribbed cadet? No problem
Swissflame? Just one, but no problem.
A 1920 Spartan? Sure!
1 contact showed me "a small part" of the Alox stock last week and came out with 3 (!!) Buckets.
This means that the hunt became less interesting.
I used to go to a flea market and think "I hope there's a SAK somewhere" but now I'm like "I would like one of those... let's send a text message"

Sad part is... still no 58mm :facepalm:


nl Online Ron Who

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #38 on: November 02, 2017, 06:27:37 PM
Once upon a time, happily ignorant, I decided to collect them all. I soon had to give up.

I have about 15 little ones (58mm), most of my other SAKs (about 60) are geared towards gardening/outdoor, as I´m not much of a tinkerer.
There is no specific goal I´m aiming for.


00 Offline Dutch_Tooler

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #39 on: November 02, 2017, 09:13:20 PM
"Gotta get them all..." :rofl:

Sent on my SM-G930F with Tapatalk

Cheers!
Dutch_Tooler

Location: Southern Germany, most of the time


us Offline Butch

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #40 on: November 02, 2017, 09:27:13 PM
Seems to me just getting all the various vic champs would be a worthy passtime........getting all of the SAK would break  Billy boy of the gates family. :viking:
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I would like to apologise to anyone I have not offended. Please be patient, I will get to you shortly.
Just a small personal observation.  ...........I would not be at all surprised that when God created the Earth & the heavens, that the SwissChamp was the tool he used. .............. :hatsoff:


ch Offline Etherealicer

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #41 on: November 03, 2017, 08:34:22 AM
All is a big word...
Was in the factory store recently, they sell the Classics with Enamel (and stone) scales for cheap there. Like with wood every one of them looks different but still close enough to form an unit. But then I realized that there were at least two production runs for the blue ones. One is a lot more shiny than the other and the pattern is quite different. I could kick myself for not buying one each (they had loads of them, so maybe next time).

Personally, I collect the oddballs (not too many of them)... Bernina, Minathor, SwissFlame etc. so far the SGT models eluded me :P
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no Offline Steinar

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #42 on: November 03, 2017, 09:52:51 AM
Seems to me just getting all the various vic champs would be a worthy passtime........getting all of the SAK would break  Billy boy of the gates family. :viking:

Well... let's say 125 years of knife production (round numbers are easy), let's say a ridiculous mean price of USD 1000, and let's say a mean number of unique knives per year of 100. 125 × 1000 × 100 = 12.5e6. Twelve and a half million dollars is less than old Billy earns in stock market fluctuations while brushing his teeth. And you could multiply this by a 1000, and it still wouldn't be even close to bankrupting him. It's pretty hard wrapping your head around exactly how rich the super rich are...


dk Offline T14

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #43 on: November 03, 2017, 10:29:49 AM
I only collect ruby red swisscards... so my set of major models is complete.  :)

I am also hunting for a swisscard dr. model, but I don't think they come in ruby  :think:
-Tom
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au Offline Huntsman

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Re: Getting ALL the saks
Reply #44 on: November 07, 2017, 05:26:19 AM
Thanks for resurfacing this thread El CS

I remember it from last year and was very interested to read everybody's comments particularly our big collectors eg JB, CS, SG, Chaks etc

I thought I'd share my collection focus/rules - I have a few ....  ;)

The main one for sure is all 91mm tools including all tool variations - As described in the brilliant SAAMS blog or even my tool dating spreadsheet - link here
NB:This is for post  WWII tool variations - As others have pointed out in this thread - Before WWII is way too hard, way too expensive, and way too difficult to definef!

I'm pretty happy to say I have all of the tools and variations - So have finished my collection  :tu:
.... Well not quite   :o 
- I am missing a couple of tools - I don't have the lighter or even any of the electronic scales - although i do have the Timkeeper now   :D
- I am also missing one tool variation - The square Phillips with no file and no can key - El CS and I have debated whether this even exists - But I think JB said somewhere that it did

I also like and half collect the metal inlays
- I have all the common ones: Tent, Fish, Shamrock; Boy Scout - A few rarer ones St. Chris, Space Shuttle (yay), HoFFritz; Vintage Car - And one unusual one (I think) the World Wildlife Fund Panda which was a nice surprise.
I think that's it - I'd love a few more - There was a fab motorbike inlay - available here on the  forum a couple of years ago - But I missed it  :(

I explicitly did not collect all the models - and initially did not even allow myself duplicate models - But somehow a collection of Climbers emerged
So now I have a few of those:
 Classic red (actually a Traveller); Blue; Silvertech; 125 Anniversary; 2011 Damascus (yay); Matterhorn Tourist knife; Beijing Opera; Nylon; Battle Series;  2016 Olympic Gold

I'd love to collect the weird Wenger tools - as I call them
- eg All the sports tools - eg roller blade, football stud cleat etc and the Minathor, toilet paper, sewing machine tools etc etc - But that is all a bit too difficult now

And of course there is always some little something that tickles your fancy   :pok:   (MTo PX ??? ;) )
 - So you do indulge yourself every now and again   -   :D  But I am trying not to do that too much    :twak:
« Last Edit: November 07, 2017, 07:27:02 AM by Huntsman »


 

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