Finding a specific SAK?

[tm3]

After research and analysis I decided to buy a Swiss Army "Compact" model. Several of the reviews said that it is "always" sold out and that certainly has been my experience with all the online sources that I checked. One reviewer said that Victorinox limits production of this model because its great feature set and popularity eats into sales of their other models. So I have a couple of questions:

1) Online retailers offer the option of notification once the knife comes back in stock, if ever. For those who have done this, will this result in my being bombarded with an endless stream of marketing email?

2) Ebay has this model being sold from Taiwan, but with disclaimers about responsibility for import fees, duty, etc. Info on the US Customs www site was too vague to be helpful. Anyone have experience with buying a knife on ebay from outside the USA?

Thanks!

 

[FarmerTan]

Have you looked at used models on the 'bay that were confiscated by TSA ? LOL, YOU can spend a month in there!

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

That model is fairl easy to get hold of here in the UK, although not as widely stocked as other models like the climber, huntsman, fieldmaster and quite a few others which have more features and yet always seem to be cheaper. It's a pity, because to me it offers the ideal combination of features with lack of bulk.

 

[tm3]

Thanks for the replies, yes I considered used but have not seen any so far.

The features/size combo seems to be what makes it so popular.

I'll continue the hunt for a while and see what happens.

 

[FarmerTan]

True story derail alert:

For the life of me I just couldn't figger out what a "SAK" was. Don't take away my MAN CARD!

I think you should fix it for dyslexics/poor spellers:

S wiss A rmy 'N ife..... SAN.

As my good friend "Barbie" once said, "Math is hard!" .......to which I must add: SO IS ENGLISH!

 

[hydro-magic]

Googling found it in stock at one place I never dealt with before so I won't share a link, but it was on the first page of search results.

 

[silverlifter]

1) It depends on how scrupulous the vendor is. Most will have unsubscribe links in the emails (it is required by law in many jurisdictions), which means it is easy enough to turn off the tap (but still receive the vital notification when necessary).

2) Not from the US, but I regularly purchase from overseas and ebay adds our GST to the final bill, any customs duties are calculated according to the value of the item. I doubt a smaller SAK would attract much, if it qualified at all.

 

[tm3]

True story derail alert:

For the life of me I just couldn't figger out what a "SAK" was. Don't take away my MAN CARD!

I think you should fix it for dyslexics/poor spellers:

S wiss A rmy 'N ife..... SAN.

As my good friend "Barbie" once said, "Math is hard!" .......to which I must add: SO IS ENGLISH!

Yes I considered using ASK -- Army Swiss Knife!

Googling found it in stock at one place I never dealt with before so I won't share a link, but it was on the first page of search results.

OK thanks I had been using DuckDuckGo, switched to G and got a hit. Now I am going to try to research that vendor.

 

[Multum in parvo]

How much do you value the scissors? The pen is so and so usable and the hook is perfectly useless.

For ultralight I like the Waiter with an extra needle and tiny screwdriver or an Alox Cadet.
My goto is a simple Spartan with an aftermarket clip said needle and screwdriver.
The only one with scissors that I use is the Alox Pioneer X.

 

[Multum in parvo]

Lots of good stuff here to find the perfect model for your needs.

I guess the small CLIMBER is the next best thing to the Compact.

SAKWiki | SAKWiki

SAKWiki - The online Swiss Army Knife Encyclopedia. Information and Identification on Swiss Army Knives by Victorinox and Wenger.

www.sakwiki.com

Also don’t discount Wenger they belong nowadays to Victorinox.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

How much do you value the scissors? The pen is so and so usable and the hook is perfectly useless.

While the scissors are my most used tool on my Deluxe Tinker, the hook gets a far bit of use too, mainly on bootlaces, but also for shopping.

If I take off the cord lanyard, loop it through carrier bag handles, and then use the hook, I can lift and carry several heavy bags at once, without the handles digging in. The pen is certainly a last ditch measure though... unless you pair it with the hook

You can trap the pen under the hook, and then hold the knife body while you write, which makes the pen much easier to use. Plus it has the nail file on the Compact, which isn't available on many other models.

 

[tm3]

Great replies, thanks so much!

Long ago I carried a little bitty SAK -- SD, maybe? Anyway, I found that I used the scissors and the file a lot -- much more than I would have guessed.

I'd like to have a hook, too, but the risk here (especially with the way I tend to think) is that I would just figure that every tool would be useful at some point and so I would buy a SwissChamp -- and never carry it because it is too heavy.

Climber is in my sights also, because of the tool set and especially because it comes in blue which I love. I think there might be a way to fit an emergency pen into the corkscrew but have not come across that yet, and at that point it would be probably be preferable to the Compact.

Anyone know of a way to prevent or minimize scratches on the SAK scales? I remember that the little one on my keychain got really scratched up and I'd like to prevent or minimize on a new one if possible.

 

[tm3]

While the scissors are my most used tool on my Deluxe Tinker, the hook gets a far bit of use too, mainly on bootlaces, but also for shopping.

If I take off the cord lanyard, loop it through carrier bag handles, and then use the hook, I can lift and carry several heavy bags at once, without the handles digging in. The pen is certainly a last ditch measure though... unless you pair it with the hook

You can trap the pen under the hook, and then hold the knife body while you write, which makes the pen much easier to use. Plus it has the nail file on the Compact, which isn't available on many other models.

Do you find the weight of the Deluxe Tinker manageable for pocket carry? I realize that this is, like shaving, a YMMV thing but I've heard many say that for pocket carry one needs to try to stay under 3oz.

 

[Multum in parvo]

Great replies, thanks so much!

Long ago I carried a little bitty SAK -- SD, maybe? Anyway, I found that I used the scissors and the file a lot -- much more than I would have guessed.

I'd like to have a hook, too, but the risk here (especially with the way I tend to think) is that I would just figure that every tool would be useful at some point and so I would buy a SwissChamp -- and never carry it because it is too heavy.

Climber is in my sights also, because of the tool set and especially because it comes in blue which I love. I think there might be a way to fit an emergency pen into the corkscrew but have not come across that yet, and at that point it would be probably be preferable to the Compact.

Anyone know of a way to prevent or minimize scratches on the SAK scales? I remember that the little one on my keychain got really scratched up and I'd like to prevent or minimize on a new one if possible.

Against scratches? Alox!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I think there might be a way to fit an emergency pen into the corkscrew but have not come across that yet,

The groove in the scale is there for the pen, even on models that don't have a pen. The only difference, is that the hole it should slide into, isn't there.

So you have two choices... Well, three is you can find a Climber Plus model, but otherwise, you can either replace that scale, or pop that scale off, and use a needle file to open up the end of the groove to receive the pen (i.e. make the cutaway that would be there on the Compact)

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Do you find the weight of the Deluxe Tinker manageable for pocket carry? I realize that this is, like shaving, a YMMV thing but I've heard many say that for pocket carry one needs to try to stay under 3oz.

Yes, but I cheat. I have a cord lanyard on it, which I can either loop through a belt loop, or the belt itself (depending on pocket depth), which keeps the knife vertical in the pocket, and takes all the weight off the pocket lining.

 

[tm3]

Yes, but I cheat. I have a cord lanyard on it, which I can either loop through a belt loop, or the belt itself (depending on pocket depth), which keeps the knife vertical in the pocket, and takes all the weight off the pocket lining.

And yet another great idea that I had not heard!

Armed with this kind of idea, I'll talk myself into that SwissChamp yet (just kidding!).

 

[AimlessWanderer]

And yet another great idea that I had not heard!

Armed with this kind of idea, I'll talk myself into that SwissChamp yet (just kidding!).

Personally, when I want "fully loaded", I prefer a Cybertool 41. Better screwdrivers, but you do lose the magnifier layer and the fish tickler.

 

[Legion]

The best use for the hook is pulling out tent pegs.

 

[tm3]

AW (or anyone else) since you own a Deluxe Tinker maybe you can address something that has puzzled me. In several reviews I have heard the 90 degree phillips screwdriver (like the DT has) criticized as not being as good as the inline phillips on some other models. Do you understand what the complaint is? It looks to me like the inline phillips would be more likely to strip screw heads than the 90 degree phillips.