off brand multi carry

[IMR4198]

   There hasn't been much movement in the Cheap and sometimes Cheerful section of the forum, so I thought I might try something.  I have a no-name brand SAK alike from Dollar Tree.  It cost originally... wait for it... a dollar.  Plus tax.  Why did I buy it?  Just had an extra dollar and saw the thing on a shelf.  I have actually used the knife a little. 
    This is a picture of it.  No markings on it except Stainless.  I think I will carry it for a week and use it some.  No wood carving or anything of that sort.  I don't need to break a blade off in my hand or something.  So for Day One, I will leave a picture.  Nice stainless steel crimped on scales with some strange plastic nubs.  Best wishes.  Gary
DAY 1
 

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[Old Boy]

I had something like that that looked identical. Great for abusing drivers and prying. Blade was dull like no tomorrow. Worked ok after sharpening but did not hold a edge well.

But a great tool nevertheless. Especially since I would leave it out in the open on my desk. I guess wasn’t worth stealing 

[IMR4198]

    I actually do the same thing with it.  Leave it where it can be seen.  It is a good decoy.  If it disappears, I know two good things.  One, a thief has been around.  Two, they didn't get something worth anything.  Best wishes.  G
 

[ReamerPunch]

My brother bought one of those, shortly after I started getting into SAKs. So I told him it's nowhere near a real SAK, and gave him a Deluxe Tinker.
They certainly are appealing, I'll say that. I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs. But I won't hold my breath. 

[IMR4198]

   The SAK wannabe stays on a little desk that my computer lives on.  Appealing?  Maybe.  I have used it for a-peeling some apples.  I sharpened it once upon a time.  It works fine on apples.  I have used some more of the tools on it. 
    This creation came from Dollar Tree about 2013, I think.  That is when the developers built a new Walmart within a mile of my house.  What was once a strawberry field and some woods where you might see a deer or some geese from the river, became a built-up paved over shopping center.  You know the type.  Giant Walmart, generic Chinese restaurant, shoe store, Dollar Tree, pizza joint, video and game shack, hair salon.  That sort of thing. 
     I bought it for chuckles.  I don't like cheap knives.  I paid a dollar.  I have bought plenty of knives for a dollar through the years.  All were better than this.  Imperials, Camco, several 58mm Classics, some Wengers, and more I can't remember.  Someone gave me a Q-in Star that was a lot like this one but somewhat better. 
     First use of the challenge.  Open some cookies.  Unexpected difficulties.  Already.  I discovered the knife doesn't really have a point.  I already said I had sharpened it a little, but I evidently didn't test the point.  It was rounded off and only poked through the thin wrapper with some pressure.  Of course the blade sliced okay after a hole was started.  Grinding a little point on the knife will be job one.  Best wishes.  G
   DAY 2

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[IMR4198]

    By the way, I think the Deluxe Tinker was a perfect gift for your brother, Reamer.  I have been following the prep work for your challenge.  Very good work. 
     For the record, I think I have only spent 3 dollars on Chinese knives.  So far.  I bought this shiny handled one, a little one bladed pen knife with enameled brass handles, and a flipper/clipper from Walmart.  I have a bunch more but didn't buy them.  Some were sent to me for paying my dues to an organization.  Some were thrown in on a trade.  I found two.  Someone gave me one. 
     Plenty of good usable Chinese knives out there.  All sorts of prices and quality levels.  This one is the bottom of the barrel.
     On to the point grinding.  I used an old two sided carborundum.  Best wishes.  G
 

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[AzteCypher]

I got one of those in the lot but the spring was either bent or broken as the phillips wasn't closing. 

Along the lines of SAK-A-Likes, I've become pretty attached to this beaten up Colonial.  It has a broken awl that I'm thinking of replacing.  The patina on the tools speaks to me.

[ReamerPunch]

    By the way, I think the Deluxe Tinker was a perfect gift for your brother, Reamer.  I have been following the prep work for your challenge.  Very good work. 
     For the record, I think I have only spent 3 dollars on Chinese knives.  So far.  I bought this shiny handled one, a little one bladed pen knife with enameled brass handles, and a flipper/clipper from Walmart.  I have a bunch more but didn't buy them.  Some were sent to me for paying my dues to an organization.  Some were thrown in on a trade.  I found two.  Someone gave me one. 
     Plenty of good usable Chinese knives out there.  All sorts of prices and quality levels.  This one is the bottom of the barrel.
     On to the point grinding.  I used an old two sided carborundum.  Best wishes.  G
   [ Quoting of attachment images from other messages is not allowed ]  

Are the scissors decorative or do they cut?

[Antti Lammi]

Shame that i dissambled one of my fake SAK but now i have parts for mods if i ever sble to actually do it.
Luckily i have one with toolset of Ranger (scissors actually pretty good) only difference is that i have diamond file on it.



Only Tools Matters

[IMR4198]

First some responses:  I didn't know I was setting a trend here.  Antti is working on a mod for a no name brand.  That's a little frightening.  Reamer.  I will try to do an in depth scissors post with the no name tool.  Aztec.  It's a good thing that I don't have your old Colonial.  I would probably be outside trying to find something to make a kite with.  Or making a sling shot.  Hopefully not trying to climb a tree.  These old things have an influence over you.  Take you right back to your childhood.  Got to be careful. 

     Now.  It is nail file day.  There is a little rust here and there on the parts of this knife.  Springs, file, etc.  Probably from apple juice and maybe an orange or two.  I did mention that I used this sad excuse for a knife to cut some apples.  I generally peel them too. 
     Nail file has little cross marks to look like a file.  Files usually have a slant in the rows to get a shearing cut.  I cut a little nick in one thumbnail with my desktop Bijou.  Simulated an annoying little burr that would catch on your clothing.  Then started filing it out.  Eventually it wore down the snag enough to get by.  Then I tried to file a little piece of wood.  Fail.  It burnished the wood a little but didn't take off any file dust.  Verdict:  The file is a flop. 
     The nail cleaner tip didn't take so long to test.  It is thick and not smooth.  No good for nail cleaning.  A twig you could pull from a bush would work better.  Verdict:  Gigantic flop.  I will leave some pix.  Best wishes.  Gary
  DAY 3

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[IMR4198]

   First a small mea culpa.  I remembered some other Chinese knives that I bought.  Besides the ones I already confessed to.  I bought a handful of Chinese Spyderco copes for somewhere less than $2 each.  I wanted something to trade around on.  The handles were made to look like Spyderco, but they didn't have a opener hole in the blade.  Just the Spyderco hump with a plastic button for an opener.  They were sharp and serrated.  I pitched them in on a trade for something or other.  I don't know. 
    No Name went with me to get a hair cut.  Nobody has posted a photo of a barber shop in a long time.  Best wishes.  G
 

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[AzteCypher]

Your barbershop reminds me of the one we used to go to in Allen, TX.  Rob's barbershop.  Great guy, cool old school atmosphere.

We go to another good one near us.  Same atmosphere.

[IMR4198]

   Used to be a man's domain.  Not anymore.  Once the old guy (Steve) finally gets to the point that he can't stand behind the clippers that is over.  One customer used to leave Field and Stream, Outdoor Life (a bear on every cover), and Peterson's for me.  I would just pick them up and take them home.  If I forgot, the barbers would remind me.  Then he died so I can't get free magazines anymore.  Steve is in his 80's and works a couple of days a week to stay busy.  The little girl cuts my hair.  I started going to her when her husband left her with 3 small children.  Might as well pay a little support.  I used to pay Steve or his brother a dollar for a haircut.  When no customers were around, they would pick up guitars and play.  I paid the cute girl $15 yesterday.  Her Dad is an old friend.
   Things are changing.  I talked about fishing with a local yesterday.  The other men sat there and stared off into space.  The effort of smiling would have killed any of them.  Best wishes.  G
  

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View from my front porch rocker.  G

[AzteCypher]

They're not what they used to be, that's for sure.  That's what I like about the one in Allen and the one we go to now.  Everyone's friendly, owner is always there, you get greeted going in and going out, and customers talk to each other and to the barbers.

That's a real nice view right there Gary.  My in-laws have a nice view of their pasture and wooded area from their back porch.  I love going over to their place.  It's quiet and relaxing.

[IMR4198]

   I used to sit right there with Dad in the evenings.  Radio on.  Listening to the Braves game.  Commentators Skip Caray (son of Harry Caray) and Don Sutton.  "The stretch.....the pitch... low and outside.  Count is 1 and 1."
Best wishes.  G

[IMR4198]

     The tools on this one dollar multi are stamped out and thin as can be.  The scissors are flexible and you have to jigger them around to get them to seat in their slot when you close them.  There is the usual hump with the nail cut on top of these things.  I have personally only seen that hump on Chinese knives.  I have seen knives like mine advertised for much more than I paid for mine.  Buyer beware.  If you want Victorinox quality, you have to pay for it.  If you just want something dirt cheap, I don't really have any advice.  You are on your own. 
     Scissors.  Reamer wanted to know about the scissors, so that's what we will do.  This is the normal state of the scissors when they are unfolded.  At least on my knife.
 

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      Lots of flex in the little thin scissors.  The spring has no zip at all.  When something gets a little out of line, the spring goes off to one side and the scissor blades fold themselves up.  Normal state when you get things back in line is for the scissor blades to be less than half open.  The spring just can't keep the blades apart.   You can spread the spring a little, but it doesn't help.  How do they cut?

Notebook paper:  I actually used some junk mail, but it is notebook paper thickness.  It cut that type paper okay.  Good enough to cut out a coupon or something.   The blades don't spring  very far apart, so it takes little nibbles.
Card stock:  Again junk mail.  About as thin as a playing card.  The scissors made several clean cuts, then after a while started just folding the paper as the scissors flexed.  Most pronounced toward tip of scissors. 
Cloth:  I tried a thin cotton/polyester sock.  One with a hole in the heel.  I tried the thinnest section.  Scissors wouldn't cut at all. 
     Verdict:  Scissors are a 90 percent fail.  Best wishes.  G 
DAY 4
 

[IMR4198]

   Let's see.  Might do a Phillips screwdriver story.  I could post one photo and tell the tale, but words don't cost anything.... so here goes. 
    Paragraphs properly indented and double spaces after a period.  First I had to find a phillips screw that I didn't mind turning and possibly stripping.  I used a deeply set screw on a radio.  Soft Chinese screw set in a plastic radio body.  I tried the No Name.  A pretty good fit on the screw.  It cammed out.  Tried again.  Same failure.  Screw looked a little chewed up.  Screw driver showed some definite scars.  The screw never budged.
    I decided to see if the screw could be moved with something else.  A Victorinox Tinker was near.  The driver fit tight and turned the screw out easily.  Tightened it back just as well.  No more damage to the screw as far as I could tell or the Tinker back Phillips.  Screw gave a little click as it broke free.  Might have had a sealant on it.  Maybe just really tight.  I will post a photo comparing the two drivers.  The No Name is the little one.  In case you had any doubt.  You can see the damage from the first time use of this tool.  Thumbs down.  Best wishes.  Gary
  DAY 5
 

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[ReamerPunch]

Yeah, no surprises here. At least, no pleasant ones. 
At least it makes an interesting paperweight. 

[IMR4198]

   It isn't keeping the folks at Ibach up at night, Reamer.  It is better than fingernails for doing a good number of things.  (Speaking of fingernails, the scissors won't trim them.)  You can still clip a string off your jacket, pry the batteries from something, open mail, slice up a box for recycle, and many more mundane chores.  You could do the same thing with a Vic Classic, but the little Classic costs 20 times as much. 
    I REALLY don't like cheap tools, but it is better than an empty pocket.  I don't know if they still sell them at Dollar Tree.  I haven't seen any lately.  Inflation saw to it that nothing in the store is a dollar now. 
     I appreciate you following along and am enjoying your movie comments.  Best wishes.  G
 

[AzteCypher]

I often wonder, how much more effort it would take to make those tools actually useful.  Take the scissors for example.  Could you just use some shims to line them up better?  It would be an effort in futility but, it would also be an exercise in engineering. 

[PitCarver]

Phillips story...
If I don't like the looks of a Phillips driver I won't waste my time, or a dollar on the tool.

I've seen them at the Dollar Tree, in the past.  Checked the website though and see that they're unavailable in store and on line.

[zoidberg]

I think there should be a bigger gap between paragraphs.   

[PitCarver]

I think there should be a bigger gap between paragraphs.   

Call the grammar police.

[IMR4198]

     Let's do No Name can opening.  The vermin haven't been fed lately, so I decided to treat them to a can of soup.  Not cooked, just straight out of the can.  First off I will say that I have used the can opener on the No Name knife before.  I busted the kitchen appliance, and had to use some of the openers on SAKs for a while.  I used the walk-it-forward Vic opener on a Tinker, the walk-it backward combo on a Trooper, and the claw type on the No Name. 
      First a look at the No Name opener.  Claw type.  No screwdriver or wire stripper.  It is punched out of stock.  Not sharpened at all.  There is no bevel on what would be the cutting surface. 
 

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       Looks like it wouldn't work.  Hmmm?  The initial piercing of the can top is harder than it would be with a sharpened point.  After you pry it through the lid, the opener works.  It is small, so it takes little bites.  I did open the can okay.  It left a smoother cut than a Victorinox combo tool.  With an opener that takes such tiny cuts with each little cycle, I generally open a can halfway and then pry up the lid to shake out the goodies.  That doesn't work with everything, of course.  It worked with condensed noodle soup.  Can opener gets an emergency usage only pass. 
  DAY 6
 

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[IMR4198]

   I had planned on posting a photo of the critters feasting on the noodles, but I had camera problems.  I will see if I can remedy that.  I went out in the black dark to fetch the camera.  Singing "Don't bite me possums" to the tune of "Duke of Earl". 
    A note about cans.  I have read comments from members who live somewhere other than the continental US.  They say that there are almost no cans that aren't pull top.  No need for a can opener at all.  I would say that 70% or better of the cans in the stores where I shop don't have pull tops.  Might be different where you live.
    Some may wonder why I wasted money buying this cheapo knife.  I certainly didn't need it.  I have good knives.  I bought it to play with a little.  Of course, I could have bought a pack of shortbread cookies.  Those wouldn't have lasted long. 
    I think I will wrap up this series of reports tomorrow and see if I can get a 7 day badge out of it.  There are still a couple of tools left and the blade to worry with.  Best wishes.  G
 

[ReamerPunch]

 
For a dollar, it's worth it if the can opener is acceptable. How about sharpening it a little? Just a hint of a bevel would improve the performance a lot.
Down here there are still many cans that need an opener. Most are indeed ring-pulls, but not all. What if someone brings you a non ring-pull? Or if you can't find ring-pull cans at the supermarket? And sometimes the ring breaks, so you need an opener anyway.

[IMR4198]

   I actually thought of filing a little bevel on the can opener.  However, it would likely mean expanding this 7 day exercise in futility into the 15 day version.  Could cause fatigue for the reader, not to mention IMR.  I prefer to dole out my tiresome reports in smaller doses. 
   Might as well do a DAY 6, part B since I am already writing.  The corkscrew might be useful for something.  It is soft as annealed wire.  A child could bend the thing easily into all sort of distortions.  I don't have anything with a cork in the house.  You can see the little thing in the photo of the soup can.  It has three and a half turns, using the Victorinox corkscrew counting method.  It might pull a cork.  Might not.  Best wishes. 
 

[AzteCypher]

I long for the days when we had to use can keys and can openers.  Pull tabs... blah... so boring. 

You could use the can opener to dig into a small log so then you can use the off brand as a handle.

[ReamerPunch]

I still have a spam can key.
That was a fun tool to use. I'd buy cans with the key if I had the option. 

[IMR4198]

     Well it's the day we have all been waiting for.  Day 7 and the end of IMR's No Name affair.  First a word or two about the build and various parts of the No Name.  The scales are crimped on to the sides of the knife with little tabs.  Something like an old Imperial or other shell knives.  The springs are all light in their action.  Not much snap.  They do keep the blades closed and have gotten a little rusty from apple juice probably.  Likewise with the tools except for the blade. 
     The blade is marked stainless and probably is.  It is thinner than the other tools.  Only a silly millimeter thick at the tang.  It came dull as a My Mother the Car re-run.  The blade has been polished into a series of ripples and is slightly hollow ground.  The nail nick is on the off side of the knife, so it makes it easy for a southpaw to open.  It will sharpen some.  Cut some paper for a few slices.  Then it dulls out really quickly.  Adequate for opening mail or potato chip bags or slicing kitchen ingredients.  The blade and scissors wobble a little when they are open.
     I will leave you a blade type screwdriver comparison.  The small flathead is only 3mm at the tip, so you would think it would only be good on small slotted screws.  Mmmm..... no.  I tightened some loose doorknob screws with it.  Worked okay.  Then tried some smaller screws.  There is no taper in the tip of the driver, so it wouldn't engage the smaller screws I tried.  Blade is too thick.  It is almost a square now.  There is a cap-lifter, but no bottles with caps in the lair of IMR.  Looks like it would work. 
     There is a small key ring.  Vic counts them as a tool, so I will too.  No rough spots to hang in your pocket.  Light weight.  I looked up some of these tools and the seemingly identical ones with 3 little plastic crescents on the scales.  Some sellers say they are 'vintage swiss army knives' or 'a life-saver in emergency situations.'  Prices range anywhere from $10 to $20.  Often with a discount to show you how much of a bargain it is.  It wasn't anything to jump up and click your heels about when I bought mine for a buck.  No country of origin stamp anywhere.  The package was marked Made in China if I remember correctly.
     I talk to everybody.  Strangely enough, lots of people speak to me.  A young woman turned to me in line at the Dollar Tree a while back and showed me what she was going to buy for a stocking stuffer.  A one-piece tool.  Square stainless thing with the usual hooks and slots and ruler markings.  Said she thought it might be useful and a nice present.  What did I think?  I answered sure it was.
     After today, I will get to put my new Opinel in a pocket.  I think it might be useful and a nice present too.  Best wishes.  G
   DAY 7 

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   Screwdriver and cap lifter next to Tinker.
 

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