Which SAK for a SAK Virgin?

[SirVicaLot]

A friend of mine’s birthday is coming up soon, and I would like to gift him a SAK. I just don’t know which one. He never carried a SAK or other MT, so I don’t want to go overkill.

He is an architect and also does woodworking. He recently renovated his late grandmas house and made all the doors, furniture and so on from scratch. Which SAK would fit him best? 

[Barry Rowland]

Huntsman or Trekker.  The Philips for the handyman in him, and the saw for the woodworking side.  The Huntsman for it's size and scissors....hmmm possibly the Outrider?  Best of all world's.

[Reinier]

Wenger Giant!

Woodworking... so there should be a woodsaw. Ranger? Good size with five layers and five backspring tools. Or Master Craftsman if he prefers the Phillips. Farmer X comes to mind.

[Aloha]

First off, what a great opportunity to get a terrific tool into a friends hand.  I always feel the best SAK is the one you have on you but over time I believe its one with scissors. 

A couple come to mind.  Pioneer X or Super Tinker.  My partner who was also a SAK newbee got the Super Tinker as her first SAK and loves it.

Being a woodworker initially made me thing a wood saw would be a good implement.  I am not sure since he'd likely have wood working tools on hand.  His SAK might be best kept simple. 

I'll stick to my thoughts above. 

[FolderBeholder]

Good on ya for pulling someone else into the wonderful SAK world! 
My recommendation would be Compact.
It has enough tools to feel as though you're carrying a multi-tool, but slim enough to not be too heavy for a newbie.
The bonus of an ink pen in the scale is noteworthy. 

[Frailer]

My vote goes to the Compact as well.

[Jim the Brave]

Tinker or Spartan. Start off basic but elegant.

[nitram]

What a great gift! One thing to consider is that too large a tool probably won’t be carried.

How about a Climber or a Super Tinker?

A Compact would probably be even easier to carry for a new convert.

Don’t overlook the humble but mighty Classic either.

[SirVicaLot]

Thanks for all the great suggestions so far 

I would like to stay with the 91/93mm or smaller, something easily to carry in the pocket. I doubt that he would carry a 111mm or bigger.

Being a woodworker, my first thought was something with a saw as well, but he has so many saws, i doubt he would use the saw on a SAK while in the work shop.

[SirVicaLot]

I just thought: Are there any SAKs with architect or woodworking related themes on the scales?  Maybe a classic? They make those in so many different designs, you would think there should be something 

[pfrsantos]

I just thought: Are there any SAKs with architect or woodworking related themes on the scales?  Maybe a classic? They make those in so many different designs, you would think there should be something 

I remembered the limited 2017 Classic, with the woodworm design.

[VICMAN]

Good on ya for pulling someone else into the wonderful SAK world! 
My recommendation would be Compact.
It has enough tools to feel as though you're carrying a multi-tool, but slim enough to not be too heavy for a newbie.
The bonus of an ink pen in the scale is noteworthy. 

 

[FolderBeholder]

I've been thinking some more and another that comes to mind if you want to go 58mm is the Signature Lite.
It has a pen (I think this would be a handy tool for drawing a line on wood in an pinch when his pen/pencil is across the room).
It has a strong light for such a small size, plus it has scissors, blade for cutting open boxes, nail file.
Lots of tools in a small package.  No tweezer of toothpick in this model though.

If you buy through Amazon, it may be easy for him to return if he doesn't like it. 
Or buy him something you want and let him know you'll buy it off him if he decides SAKs are not his thing.

A second choice for 91mm would be the Huntsman.  Lots of useful tools and not over the top.

[MadPlumbarian]

I would think maybe a Fieldmaster?
You got your two diff size knives, the two screwdrivers/openers, along with a wood saw and scissors, then on the back a philips, hook, and reamer, and let’s not forget the tweezers and toothpick! I don’t think overkill but just enough tools for a handyman,,
JR

[Reinier]

I did suggest SAKs with wood saws but in fact I agree, it's probably not that useful for a woodworker. I like woodworking too but would never use a SAK saw on a project.

Compact is nice but relatively expensive compared to a Climber. Plus scales would be good though. Or maybe wooden scales?

What do architects like except black turtlenecks?

[gregozedobe]

I'm another vote for a Signature Lite.  Lots of functionality in a very small package that is very pocketable.  You can be sure it won't get left at home just because it is too bulky/heavy.

[wmoco]

There is a tool that I think is a big WOWWWW for every SAK newbie, very needed and useful when you have only your SAK and nothing else:

Scissors

Since he works with wood, as you said, he will almost always have a wood saw if he needs it, so I think it would be very handy to have a metal saw: to cut a bolt, file a nail head, level the border of a metal sheet, etc

It is also important to not overextend, a Swisschamp is cool but, really... a brick. For most people it is unpocketable, handling is kinky, etc.
All in all, i would go with...

Mountaineer

If you wanna go 58 (obviously no metal saw) I would go with Signature. I rank the pen as 2nd in WWWOOOOWWW factor.
Lot of people recommended the Lite version but, really, every phone has a light these days...

[SurgeUk]

Thanks for all the great suggestions so far 

I would like to stay with the 91/93mm or smaller, something easily to carry in the pocket. I doubt that he would carry a 111mm or bigger.

Being a woodworker, my first thought was something with a saw as well, but he has so many saws, i doubt he would use the saw on a SAK while in the work shop.

Alox all the way for me 

I love my Cadet for low profile carry (suit/trouser pocket) Particularly if used with a KeySmart NanoClip 

Also, in its silver guise, it is pretty much a timeless classic (no pun intended  )

If a little extra bulk is ok then maybe the 2021 L.E. PX (special birthday gift etc  ) or just a Pioneer   

[Rizio Il Ghiro]

  alox was a total surprise to me when I first actually had one a few years back (now a total aloxoholic...) and given your friend’s woodworking prowess, the pad saw on a Farmer, Harvester, or Farmer X will be really useful - when I installed a kitchen for a friend, and then for myself I found that pad saw to be invaluable, especially in tight spaces, and they are surprisingly effective even on rubbish material like chipboard, MDF and fibre/hard board (plasterboard too, but careful cleaning is then required!) - and the cap lifter is essential for the after work bottle or two! Just a thought!

[Sakpan74Gr]

Farmer X, because it's Alox, has a saw, the amazing awl, great scissors, and it's indestructible. Or Ranger, because of scissors, saw, file and chisel.

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[ddogu]

What a great gift! One thing to consider is that too large a tool probably won’t be carried.

How about a Climber or a Super Tinker?

A Compact would probably be even easier to carry for a new convert.

Don’t overlook the humble but mighty Classic either.

I also say Climber. The default/basic Vic IMHO.

[enki_ck]

I'd vote Climber as the ultimate entry drug for the SAK addiction. It was my first idea when I read the thread title.
Then reading woodworking, I was inclined to go for Huntsman or Ranger, but do agree that for woodworking dedicated tools would always be the first choice. So slimmer Climber would more likely actually be carried and used.
 And Ranger is a beast for the already initiated. Too much for a newbie and would probably end up in a drawer and not carried due to size and weight. It is my EDC, but it took me 25 years of SAK carry to get there

I agree with Reinier about maybe fitting it with plus scales and definitely adding in the eyeglass screwdriver to the corkscrew. Black plus scaled Climber soulds dreamy and

[SirVicaLot]

Well you guys are not making this any easier 

I think I will go with Cellidor because of the classic look and feel. That is most peoples mind image when you say Swiss Army Knife.

Also I would not go thicker than three layers. So either Compact, Climber or Super Tinker. I think for most people that are not initiated SAK Knights, the opener layer is more useful than the combo tool. So I guess the question is corkscrew or backside Phillips 

[enki_ck]

Corkscrew all the way, you already have much more convenient phillips on the can opener tip than the backlayered one, and the mini screwdriver is a superb addition to a SAK.

[Reinier]

So, that's sorted then. A black Climber with plus scales plus mini screwdriver

[nitram]

So, that's sorted then. A black Climber with plus scales plus mini screwdriver

Don’t forget the pin!

Wouldn’t red be better because that is the archetypical color? Although I do love a black Climber. 

[Sos24]

My thoughts have been going all over the place, as are the recommendations above.

I think instead of specific model, I’ll initially give thoughts on some common tools, which may better help with narrowing down to a specific model.
- Saw- Being a woodworker, he probably has a lot of specialty wood tools around him all the time, so despite seeming obvious, a saw might not really be needed.  Although, Rizio is right that sometimes the small 91/93mm saw works well where bigger ones won’t fit.
- Scissors - SAK scissors are awesome, but on top of that they may be the one tool that isn’t commonly found in toolboxes.  They can really comes in handy for small stuff and saving blades.
- File - this is another wood working tool that comes in handy but he probably has several that would be better suited for the job
- Alox vs Scale tools - the extra durability of Alox is nice, but working with wood often leads to splinters, so the tweezers might come in handy and he wouldn’t get those with an Alox
- Opener layer vs combo tool - as much as I like the combo tool for decreasing layers, I think a wood worker would miss the lack of phillips capability. 
- Cork screw vs Phillips - I used to be Phillips all the way, then discovered the can opener does a good job as a phillips and the backside phillips isn’t good in cramped spaces.  The corkscrew also gives the mini driver for glasses and even if he doesn’t wear regular glasses, he may have safety glasses.

After all those thoughts and your desire to stay 3 layers, I’d go Climber.

[cody6268]

Farmer X in one of the more interesting colors.

[Reinier]

Don’t forget the pin!

Wouldn’t red be better because that is the archetypical color? Although I do love a black Climber. 

Architects only wear black. Accessories like SAKs should be black as well

[nitram]

Architects only wear black. Accessories like SAKs should be black as well

Generalizations, everyone uses them. 

This is a fun thread, we get to virtually spend somebody else’s money.

Just a thought, how about a Classic for on the keys and a 91mm for in the pocket? Maybe a small Tinker, another great gateway SAK. That way you have a handy, pocketable tool and scissors and nailfile.