And a close-up of the knife itself:
This one is a strange mixture of the old and the new; the main blade is made of carbon steel, 1095 to be exact, and the other tools (can opener, bottle opener, punch) are made of stainless steel. So it's a knife with a main blade that will sharpen easily, hold an edge, and develop a patina with use, while the supplemental tools, which normally won't get as much use, will stay rust-free and not subject to pitting. I have heard of knives like this done by accident, assembled from available parts in a knife factory, but this is the first time I've seen it done intentionally. It comes with easy-to-see yellow handles; fit and finish are above average, indicating that it was possibly manufactured using modern CMC machining.
A nice example of a scout pattern. I'll EDC (Every Day Carry) it for a while, see how it compares to others I have.
Purchased from Smoky Mountain Knife Works. Note: I had to back order it to get it, and the web page indicates it's on backorder status; I don't know if that means that the web page hasn't been updated, or if the knife has sold out again already.
3 comments:
Would you say that this is a better one than the Victorinox knives?
I'm not being silly. I've been carrying Swiss Army knives over 20 years.
The Swiss Army Knives, both Victorinox and Wenger, are superior to most boy scout pattern knives; better fit, finish, lighter, more modern and intelligent design.
The only thing I hate about most of the SAK's are the stupid toothpick and tweezers, which are included on most models. I have some that don't have them. The SAK's with aluminum handles are my favorites, the Soldier Model from Wenger has been my EDC knife since 2001.
The only thing that SAK's don't offer is carbon steel blades, old-fashioned steel that discolors and takes a black patina with use. Carbon steel cuts better and is a superior steel to the stainless steels that SAK's utilize, but takes more care to keep it from rusting.
I have to admit, I like the toothpick, despite the gross factor. Turns out we have an alternative to fingernails.
In 1969, I dreamed of owning a boyscout knife. I finally acquired a cub scout knife in '72, and I remember how the blade did darken. I thought that was a sign of cheapness. That was probably my favorite knife of all.
The Swiss knives were on sale in the geedunk and we weren't allowed to carry tools when we flew in the H-2 and H-60. So it was important, professionally, to carry the best we had access to. The Swiss knives had a phillips head tool. And toothpick.
Today, I require the cork screw.
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