Sosakonline Archive

Please note that all content in this section has been imported from our old Sosakonline website and may contain broken links. We are revising it as we can, but these things take time, and it's a lot of content to get through!

    Okay, I admit it, I have a problem.  I like to use a SAK every chance I get, whether it's the best tool to use or not.  Maybe it's an attempt to justify the extensive collection I have, or prove to those around me that a SAK is the handiest thing going, but for whatever reason, it's always the first tool I reach for, wherever I am.  Even in the kitchen I usually open cans with my SAK as after all these years I've yet to master an electric can opener, and finding a manual can opener in a drawer full of various kitchen utensils and gadgets can be a pain.




    That explains the myriad of bottle and can opening SAKtivity pictures I post, as well as many of the other oddball pics, but when do you get to the point where a SAK just isn't enough?  Well, this hit me right on the nose recently, and I decided to forgo my trusty SwissTool in favor of my hacksaw, last seen in the Wood Saw Shootout.

    It all started with another conundrum of mine- I bought a 48” jack for my Jeep after failing utterly to use the tiny bottle jack included with it.  Now anyone who has or has even been in a Jeep Wrangler knows that there is a very limited amount of cargo space inside, meaning that carrying extras like a large, bulky jack is a difficult proposition.  Many folks have had this problem, judging by the large number of different solutions out there- special mounting brackets for the front and back bumpers, special hood mounts, bags, hardshell cases and so on.  My solution was to stand it up in what passes for a trunk, secured to the roll bar with either nylon straps or bungee cords.  The problem was the 48” jack with 1” base was 49” high, and I had all of 44” of height between the floor of the truck and my amazingly fragile rag top, so I decided to cut my 48” jack into a 42” jack, feeling that the loss of 6 inches wouldn't be too detrimental- especially when looking at the alternative, which is leaving the darn thing in the closet and no having it when I needed it.



    So, out comes the measuring tape, and a marking pen, and with 42” marked off, I started the unkindest cut of all.  I'm sure a lot of the 4x4 guys out there are cringing at the idea of cutting off a HiLift, but it has to be done- just not, as I quickly found out, with a SwissTool.  It only took a minute and a few strokes to decide that the ergonomics and cutting edge of the SwissTool were just not up to the task- not when there was a very good alternative less than ten feet away.  Now, had I been in the field and needed to cut a large, heavy piece of steel and all I had was the SwissTool, I'd have done it and been proud of the accomplishment, but since there's an actual hacksaw with a metal cutting blade already in it, well even I am not that dense!

    Long story short, I now have the jack in my Jeep for when I need it, and the SwissTool is ready for the next job... and my arm is still attached and ready to use it next time!