How it began!

[Poncho65]

My story is much like all of yours. My first knife was a Kutmaster "Purina" knife. Promotional item my grandfather received from sales at his ranch and feed supply store. One of my most cherished items to this very day. However, I can specifically blame one particular boy scout for setting my hobby into overdrive. Basically I went to summer camp around age 12 at Camp Simpson with many scouts from all over the region. While sitting under a pavilion on a hot afternoon I see a fellow scout handling two brand new swiss champs. One with red scales and the other with black. Can still remember how all the tools glistened in the sun light just like it was yesterday. After working up some courage I asked him if I could check one out and he told me "NO" emphatically. Keep in mind, both of my parents were simple teachers and could not afford such things, but I promised myself someday I will buy any swiss knife I like. That Christmas my grandmother bought me a super tinker model and that was SAK #1. After scouts I joined the US Army. 4th generation and my daughter is the 5th generation to serve. Any soldier knows you need your tools, because the ones Uncle Sam provides will not always get the job done. Still in the USAR and still hording SAKs and MTs like they are going out of style. Why this forum is so good for all of us. 

Excellent story, pa

Thank you and all of your family for their service

Those Purina knives are sought after in some knife circles these days and it is great that you have one 

         

[Yoda mpb]

Mine began when my dad went to the states in the late 90s, I was early 20s. He came back with a wave and a micra fir us both. I used the wave sll the time, he used the micra dads and still does to this day. My first was wave was nicked from a car and my then wife bought me a replacement straightaway. Roll on a few years and it went back for a repair and was given a 2nd gen on warrenty.

At this point I discovered the other models, skeletool was first, then Oht and Sidekick. Piranha and by numbers. Signal and MUT, all of these were proper users. Then came the collectors and now I generally carry an orange G10 charge, supertool 300 or BO Surge.

I think I own around 40 now. My dad just has the two and both have wear but incredibly great tools.

[Poncho65]

Another great story to hear, Yoda 

[MadPlumbarian]

Ah let’s see, I was 10 and was traveling with my grandparents in their trailer when my grandfather took out his sak, nice flashy red caught my attn. but then I asked about it and he showed me how it works and I was very interested, so of course I asked if I could have one, he’s like these aren’t cheap! It was a champion, so he said how about for your 12th bday I get you one? So needless to say the next two years were so freaking long, yet the day came, I got gifts from my father even a compound bow and I was like ah cool, and then he threw a piece of mail at me and said oh yeah this came for you, I was like and I shredded that thing open to find the same thing inside with a brand new leather sheath, only thing is it didn’t have the steel which his had so I was kinda mad, but hey I got my first sak! The smell of the fresh oil and leather omg needless to say I’d take it in the woods and do whatever, until one day I lost it, we went in with metal detectors going over every square inch and notta, I spoke to my grandfather and he’s like I’m not just going to buy you another one! So I waited and waited, a whole year goes by and we lived in Connecticut, so all seasons, and one day I was running in the woods and I tripped and fell, kinda went a little loopy but as I sat up and everything came into focus I saw something under a few leafs, could it? No way, yes it was, OMG I found my sak! Needless to say I took it home and cleaned it up, the metal was a little pitted but not bad, the sheath did it’s duty, the sheath was nasty, I had to clean that up, that brass wasn’t shiny no more! The red was like green, but it still cleaned up pretty good!
   When my grandfather passed, the one thing I wanted of his was his sak, I broke the corkscrew on mine and I had that replaced with the one off of his, and now mine sits in his sheath retired, I also had a custom sak made and I had them use the saw of his so a part of him will also be in that, but one unique thing is I had the the scales glued together, because he carved our last name into the one side, so it sits next to my retired sak,
JR

[Poncho65]

Great story,  MadP Love the sentimental aspect of it as well

[Barry Rowland]

 

[MadPlumbarian]

Thanks guys, I can write, my thing is I type as if I’m talking. the funny thing is I absolutely hate reading, it took me over 3yrs to read one simple book, yet I come on here and it’s like I’m in a whole diff world, everything else goes blank and I focus on what’s in front of me, if a fellow member asks a question that I know the answer to I’ll spit it out, if not I’ll see if I can dig up info so I can give something! And I’m on here all the time.. it’s like a stress relief which is great for my seizures..
JR

[Poncho65]

Glad MTO is a non stressful place for you MadP I hope most feel that way

[Barry Rowland]

JR you're the best buddy!! 

[Aloha]

 

[MadPlumbarian]

JR you're the best buddy!! 

Why ty, I try to be, outside of this forum believe it or not I don’t have any personal friends, the family has a few but that’s about it, I put myself out there for others in need anytime, as a few on her know my doors always open just pm me if you need to talk or just vent, heck I invite anyone during thanksgiving and Xmas who dont have anyone to go to for a nice hot meal, there’s plenty of food on the table, yet we’ve never met, I know it’s kinda dumb since most of you are hundreds of miles away, but hey the doors open! It’s just the way the wife and I are, if I see a vet wearing a hat in the store and we walk past him, I say “thank you or your services” or like after this I have to go wheel my trash can in, I’ll go next door and wheel my 90yr old neighbors up for him..
JR

[MadPlumbarian]

Like I said, I’d be helping the neighbor out,,

Oh Chako, I noticed the plumbing union belt, I’m guessing of your fathers? way back in the day I used to be in the union myself,
JR

[Chako]

That would be correct JR. 

20211224_010227A by Chako, on Flickr

[MadPlumbarian]

That would be correct JR. 

20211224_010227A by Chako, on Flickr

Well, I wasn’t in the union that long,
JR

[Chako]

I know. 

[Barry Rowland]

 

[buggs]

What a great thread 

For me it all started back when I joined the Boy Scouts (1977-ish) and continued from there. I had my Grandfathers knife then which, thinking about it, was probably a 40's/50's type scout knife folder and a sheath knife (both have long since gone) He also gifted my his proper leather scout belt (complete with belt hooks) and his leather woggle, also lost in the sands of time

From there I had the usual suspect rip off SAKs bought in cheap tourist type shops at places like Windsor Castle and Safari Park or Costal Towns on holidays and school trips etc. I also had what I know know to be a rip off Buck 110 bought from a newspaper ad' back in the early 80's followed by various knives and daggers bought in markets in the early 80's and, do you know what? I loved them all 

I got my first proper SAK type (that I recall  ) from my own money in about '84-85 and that would have been a GAK, which again went MIA  I joined the Army a few years later and was issued a PST, I have no idea what year it was made? and it was lost on excercise in early '88. About a year later I had a Mini  but it was stolen 

Fast forward a couple of years/decades and I had a ParaTool (stolen) followed by a Wave, Charge Tti (given away) Gerber Pro-Scout & Surge (issued and still carried) All these have been accompanied by other LM's and SAKs (OHT, Skeletool CX, Juice CS4 and Spartans and a Climber or two)

Then I found this place and well, you know...

Sounds like we're about the same age.  I was a cub scout around age of 8 and got my first SAK around that time from my dad.  It was a Spartan or equivalent model around 1972.  Had it for a few years until a friend stole it from me.  He pretended to bury it and when we tried to dig it up I couldn't find it.  I was heart broken.  We laugh about it now but he was a dick then.  I was so broken up by it that I kept telling the story for years from that point up until just now it would seem.  But at least one of my other friends took notice.  Around 1985 he traveled to Europe as his father was teaching in Germany.  I stayed at his house to look after the dog and when he returned he brought me a Recruit from Switzerland.  It wasn't the exact same model but at the time we just called them all "Swiss army knives".  I had other pocket knives in the interim but I went about ten years without a SAK.  And that was the era when every kid carried a pocket knife to school.  Nobody threatened anyone with it, nobody hurt anyone and no teacher batted an eye at someone pulling one out in the classroom until they started etching the desk or chair. 

For Leatherman I actually gave my first PST to my wife.  I had a Gerber Recoil (still have it but it's only good for parts if anyone wants it; I suspect it could be repaired but I don't have the tools to do so and with a plethora of Leatherman in the house I don't need to) so didn't need another one.  I never learned the painful lesson from the Recoil but I respected it from the start, plus mine came with a sheath.  So I gave the PST to my wife and she subsequently misplaced it.  I suspect it's still somewhere but I couldn't tell you where; we'll likely find it next time we move. 

I have reasonable enough collection of SAKs now, a few Benchmades, some Kershaws, a Buck or two, a few Gerbers, a few Spyderco's and more than a handful of Leatherman's now.  The latter I'll firmly blame on this site for confirming I'm not particularly weird or if I am, there are others like me.  Couple of Wave+, 4 Signals, 4 Skeletools, a solitary Rebar.  A few more I'd like to get but I'm comfortable waiting for really good deals now.  Top of the list would be a titanium Charge. 

[Poncho65]

Great story, buggs Thanks for sharing that with us I sure wouldn't want a friend like you had when you were young though

[Barry Rowland]

  You exercised a lot more restraint than I think I would have!

[cnlson]

Seemingly the common refrain: boyscouts, 8yrs old, sak tinker, carried through high school. I diverge at 24, got called up for desert storm, I wanted something more capable and by 1991 Leatherman pst had a good reputation so I got one and it saved my bacon more than once. Once I got back I put the pst in my glove box. I got one of many micras that I would eventually own, I've had one on the my Keychain ever since. In 2000. Sam's club had a great deal on the wave, ended up buying 2,one for each car and gave the pst to my dad. At some point I picked up a used charge ti and with the addition of the pocket clip, I started pocket carrying a full size tool. I later switched off with a sidekick for a year or so, then a tti an AL and now a charge +.  Now when I go somewhere without it I feel naked.

[chrono]

My first Leatherman was a Core bundled with a Ledlenser flashlight sold at Costco. It must be 2006-2007 time.

Being gullible as I was back then, I was not aware of what "compromising" meant, and thought I had the greatest thing in the world since sliced bread. I would not need need another screw driver, or knife, or saw... since I had this new shiny toy. Craftman screw drivers would be s#it compared to this fancy 420HC stainless one. Surely enough, I twisted and chipped the Core's flathead screw driver during first use 

The Gen-2 Wave was a game changer for me with its outboard blades and bit exchanger. It also marked the begin of Charge / Wave-bias when it comes to Leatherman tools.

That "original" Core is still in my car glovebox.