Salute to the 84mm

[Danielh]

Swiss army knives have been my preferred carry for several years now. With that being said I wouldn't really consider myself a collector. I have about 15 or so SAKS that all fulfill a niche in my carry needs. I have my fieldmaster or ranger for camping, a farmer and a pioneer that I use for more "heavy duty work", and even a rambler for when I only have room for a small SAK. But I have found in terms of normal everyday pocket carry, nothing beats a two layer 84mm. There are always tradeoffs when picking any SAK to edc, functions vs carryability, beefier tools vs weight, etc but 84mm's just seem to hit the sweet spot for me. They're just the perfect size and can get the job done in almost every situation. It seems odd that just 7 millimeters can make such a big difference in carryability vs the 91s put somehow it does. My lineup is: A small tinker, which I carry the most often because of the phillips, a sportsman that I carry occasionally but stays on my desk most of the time, a recruit with black scales that I reserve for special occasions, and a walker that I take when I need a saw but not much else. I feel like I have pretty much all the 84mm's I need, except maybe a cadet or an alox bantam. It's kind of disappointing that Vic is neglecting the 84mm line but in my opinion it's also a miracle they are still keeping it around. 95% of their customers wouldn't even know the difference if they got rid of them altogether. It's just the collectors and enthusiasts who even know they exist in the first place. Is there anyone else out there who has a difficult to explain preference for the 84mm size category?

[Echotech]

There’s not a SAK size I don’t like but have to agree that the 84’s give real bang for the buck, so easy to slip in your pocket or even on a keychain and not notice them until you need them

My first SAK was a waiter and since then I’ve managed to collect many more SAK’s of all sizes but 84’s have a special place for me

Cadet is a major fave, but the walker probably gets carried the most, perfect out on a walk

[Altis]

I was a bit late to the 84mm as I hadn't really considered it too much, but I was humbled by the little Walker and picked one up. I happened to quite like it and thought maybe a Tinker Small would be nice. Low and behold, it feels great both in hand and in pocket.

I'm on the fence with the Cadet as I just wish it had scissors. I have a Climber Small as well that I since got to harvest the scissors to make a Cadet X but I don't know if I can bring myself to do it -- the Climber Small is such a nice carry

You're certainly right that most people probably aren't aware of the 84mm lineup.

[Fast Bill]

It took me a long time to realise just how effective and convenient 84mm could be. It is my sweet spot and the Sportsman is to my mind all I normally need. I'd like to like the Cadet but for all those Alox fans here the corkscrew and small driver plus T&T are a must.

[kottskrapa]

Whehb I was a kid I got a spartan from my father, unfortunately I lost that one, as kids do but after a week or so a  friend to my dad gave me his sportsman and I carried that for a lot of years until I meet my wife and she asked if I had pliers on me.

I tried tinker small but it wasn't meant to be, my wife had one and uses it regularly.

Still have the sportsman but almost never carry it anymore.

But it worked well for fifteen years or so

[It's not failure if you learn something from it]

[Gareth]

I'm a big 84mm fan.  It's the size that I might have to admit to collecting.   The first SAK I bought myself was a Waiter and that started my love affair with the red plastic knives.  

I was a bit late to the 84mm as I hadn't really considered it too much, but I was humbled by the little Walker and picked one up. I happened to quite like it and thought maybe a Tinker Small would be nice. Low and behold, it feels great both in hand and in pocket.

I'm on the fence with the Cadet as I just wish it had scissors. I have a Climber Small as well that I since got to harvest the scissors to make a Cadet X but I don't know if I can bring myself to do it -- the Climber Small is such a nice carry

You're certainly right that most people probably aren't aware of the 84mm lineup.

For what it's worth; I built a Cadet with scissors (and it is indeed an excellent SAK) but I do prefer my Climber Small. 

[Aloha]

Another fan of the 84mm.  It is sad that most would not miss the 84mm line if it disappeared.  Tinker and Recruit in 84mm as well as the Cadet are the ones that have seen a lot of use.  I also have a Saleman which was my go to for a while.     

[Danielh]

Another fan of the 84mm.  It is sad that most would not miss the 84mm line if it disappeared.  Tinker and Recruit in 84mm as well as the Cadet are the ones that have seen a lot of use.  I also have a Saleman which was my go to for a while.     

The salesman seems like it would be a great carry but I can't seem to find one that isn't crazy expensive. It's not something I really need so I'm not gonna try too hard to get one.

[Aloha]

It really ticks a lot of boxes thats for sure.  I love it and carry it but its not the one and done I thought it would be.  I have 84mm Golfers as well and same for those.  Great SAKs but not game changers.  I think over time I've come to realize for me its paring SAKs that really makes sense.  A 84mm in any flavor you like and a 58mm to compliment.  I keep a Manager on my keychain full time. 

[Altis]

It really ticks a lot of boxes thats for sure.  I love it and carry it but its not the one and done I thought it would be.  I have 84mm Golfers as well and same for those.  Great SAKs but not game changers.  I think over time I've come to realize for me its paring SAKs that really makes sense.  A 84mm in any flavor you like and a 58mm to compliment.  I keep a Manager on my keychain full time.

Pairing is essential in any case since we awl know 3 is one, 2 is none, and 1 means you owe yourself a new SAK

[ElevenBlade]

My first knife was a Tinker Small.  I used the small blade quite a bit, for small things that a teenager would do.

Many years later after the SAK bug bit me, and I was carrying an Alox Soldier (several years before I discovered MTo) I was looking at my old Tinker Small again. I really appreciate the size, sleek smooth scales and the small blade.

So I purchased a Recruit, which has a similar tool set. I liked the Recruit just fine but still preferred the Alox Soldier.   At the time I didn't have the "rotation" concept for my EDC.  My thought was that I already had 5, and that was 4 too many for me. So I gave it away.

But I would always go back to the Tinker Small from time to time. It really is a good size for lazy days.  And let's be frank... That's most of my days.

Last year I got an Alox Bantam, since I'm not keen on the file on the Cadet. I have to admit, I was initially disappointed.  The blade was stiff, but the combo tool was really stiff.  I shelfed it and grumbled to myself about spending money that I don't have. 

At some point, the Alox Bantam started finding it's way in my pocket on the weekends. Since it was easily accessible it started getting used.  Before too long I started noticing the benefits of the 84mm blade. It was more slicey, and better at opening letters and food packages... Because what else am I doing on a weekend...

Then we get to this weekend. Alox Bantam in the pocket again for a walk in the park.  Used it to scrape the inside of some dry bark I picked up, for no reason other than to see if I could make serviceable tinder; and to open a pistachio that hadn't fully split.

So, I'm certainly a fan of 84mm SAKs, and the Alox Bantam is my go to. If only it was a Voyageur, I could carry that all the time, and add in something else for particular purposes like outdoor stuff.  I like to think about these things (obsessively) in advance, and not have to think about what SAK I carry on a day to day basis. The comfort of thinking that you're well equipped for things you didn't think of is important to me.

[Storm]

The comfort of thinking that you're well equipped for things you didn't think of is important to me.

This needs to be carved in stone somewhere on the site under "reasons why we love SAKS" and placed in Site Wisdom

Ive had the thought before but never seen it put into words so well

[trichosirius]

I love all my SAKs, but for me nothing feels as good in the hand or pocket as a 2 layer, 84mm Cellidor SAK.  I prefer the CS on most knives, but on the 84mms I like the Phillips because it’s that much nicer feeling.

The biggest tragedy for me is scissors not being an option in the 84mm line. A Climber small or better yet, Cadet X with awl instead of nail file would be my grail SAKs. 

[pfrsantos]

I love all my SAKs, but for me nothing feels as good in the hand or pocket as a 2 layer, 84mm Cellidor SAK.  I prefer the CS on most knives, but on the 84mms I like the Phillips because it’s that much nicer feeling.

The biggest tragedy for me is scissors not being an option in the 84mm line. A Climber small or better yet, Cadet X with awl instead of nail file would be my grail SAKs. 

This.

 

[Helvetica Bold]

It really ticks a lot of boxes thats for sure.  I love it and carry it but its not the one and done I thought it would be.  I have 84mm Golfers as well and same for those.  Great SAKs but not game changers.  I think over time I've come to realize for me its paring SAKs that really makes sense.  A 84mm in any flavor you like and a 58mm to compliment.  I keep a Manager on my keychain full time.

Snap. Always have a manager on the keys and then supplement with sportsman or lumberjack depending on the scenario.

[Helvetica Bold]

This.

 

X2

[Aloha]

Cadet X 

I have a 84mm Golfer that I dream about adding the scissors to my Ribbed Cadet but I know ( hope ) Victorinox will at some point add scissors to their cadets.