Sosakonline Archive

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I have to be honest when I first read about this contest I wanted to enter and win those custom scales (they would be purple for my wife’s Spartan). So I started thinking what could I write a review on?
After reading Def’s “Minimalism and You” I took the challenge and went out and bought a Wenger SI surprisingly it has been my EDC since the 15th of April.  I know a lot of you don’t think that is long but for me it’s close to marriage.
 
Leaving the city for the weekend I decided I wasn’t going to carry anything extra. Just the Classic on the key ring, the Swiss Tool on my belt and the SI tucked away in my right front pants pocket.
 
Of course in the car was a small tackle box with a Climber, Compact, Spartan, Florist,
Victorinox Soldier, Sog Access Card and a Leatherman Wave (original).
 
I figured since they’re in the car and not on me then they won’t count as carries. Like I said I was leaving the city and I was traveling light.
 
Saturday, my family and I went to an all day gospel sing and bean dinner. Mind you I don’t mind gospel music but I can’t stand beans but since it was my mother-in-law throwing it, I decided to play along.
 
“Necessity is the mother of invention” I believe who ever coined that phrase had to have a SAK in their hand. I decide to invent a review.
 
So out came the SAKs and others and I started whittling. This served as a two fold purpose.
1) It would give me the info I needed.  
2) It would save my sanity.
 
Setting on the porch I laid them out before me (like a surgeon with his instruments) along with different size sticks and twigs.
 
Picking the Florist and the SI,  I started stripping and drilling holes then I grabbed the Climber and used it’s awl for drilling or should I say “try” there was no “bite” it would just slip off the wood.
 
I discovered the same about the Swiss Tool as well as the others. The only one that didn’t give me trouble was the Victorinox Soldier.
 
After making a pile of shavings an elderly gentleman came over and told me “That was a lost art, I remember being a boy and whittling all the time.”  I moved over so he could set and handed him a knife and a stick, there we sat just whittling and talking before I knew it my son and two other teenagers joined us.
 
I have heard rumor, that years ago people would do stuff like that. Just get together and set around and do very little but share their time and thoughts.
 
I also heard of a tradition that once a week (Saturday) the men of the town would gather and trade knives for the week and see how they liked someone else’s  Case, Camillus, Schrade etc. meet next week and trade back.
 
A couple hours passed the wood shaving was getting out of control and hands were getting tired. I gathered up the knives and started home.
 
Can I honestly tell you which did better the Swiss Tool or the Leatherman Wave?
Could I tell you which had a better ”bite” or was able to shave bark easier?
 
Actually no, I can’t because after awhile I forgot about the review and staring having fun and making new friends.
 
 Swiss Man