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Thread: Simple, classic pocket folder

  1. #51
    Site Supporter OlongJohnson's Avatar
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    Mar 2015
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    "carbine-infested rural (and suburban) areas"
    Thanks for the suggestions of the SAKs.

    I just received my new Swiss Army 1. It is great so far; seems to satisfy all my objectives in this search. At first, I was annoyed that the blade didn't center up, but then I realized that's on purpose, because there's usually something else slotted in beside it. I wish there was a version of it corresponding to the 84mm Bantam, where the other end of the single slot was populated with the screwdriver/can opener. With my big hands, I prefer the larger 93mm size of the Swiss Army 1, but realize that it would add nearly zero weight, etc. if the additional tool was included, and the parts other than the spring are all made to accommodate it. So it seems there's a hole in the lineup that could be filled just by putting together a new bill of materials. A 93mm version of the Bantam might just be the perfect EDC SAK. As is so often the case, they don’t seem to make that, whether in Alox or red plastic.

    The fracture surface on the edges of the scales isn't cleaned up much, and there is the slightest hint of a burr on the inside edge, so fit and finish could be a little improved, but what do you want for $21? The hand polishing that makes the Buck and Case knives "perfectly" smooth here is also the source of their random variation and quality problems. The Victorinox process isn't as pretty, but it's a tooled, controlled process that will give the exact same result... Every. Single. Time. That's what quality means to me, with a little bit of experience managing manufacturing.

    Getting it directly from the source was by far the best deal I could find online. https://www.swissarmy.com/us/en/Prod...-1/p/0.8000.26 The site kept badgering me to increase my order to $30 to get free shipping, but when I went to check out to see what the shipping would be, it was free anyway.

    So for now, mission accomplished. And thanks to y'all.

    Also, it will look good in a pocket dump with a 3953...
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    Not another dime.

  2. #52
    Site Supporter OlongJohnson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    "carbine-infested rural (and suburban) areas"
    So, of course I couldn't leave well enough alone. The lack of a lock on the SAK bugged me for heavier duty tasks. The risk of it folding onto my hand when applying force in certain directions makes me nervous when contemplating it as a do-all tool. And the impossibility of opening it one-handed limits it.

    Picked up a Buck 110 Slim, which has the same blade as the prettier ones but is light, slim and cheap. I like it for a general outdoor beater carry. After a lot of practice opening it with one hand using the factory stud, I realized the risk of slipping my thumb across the top of the stud and failing to safely control the blade was significantly due to the stud being adjacent to and the same height from the blade surface as the scales. I got out the 220 grit, a socket, nitrile gloves and a pan of water and went to work creating little thumb reliefs in the scales on each side. (I used the same strategies to protect myself as when sanding G10, as the scales are glass-filled nylon.) This provides just enough engagement with the machined steps on the stud to engage it securely and safely control the blade much more reliably and with less force.

    It's a significant safety benefit, and it's weird to me that I had to think of this rather than the experts who designed and manufactured it putting it in the mold.
    .
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    Not another dime.

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