Swiss army knives are all things to all men, or women. I have been a lifetime fan of the red handled beauties. With them I have fixed hotel toilets in Turkey, improvised washing lines in Greece, fixed cameras in Egypt, repaired chairs in Bangkok (and in case you were wondering these were all supposedly 4 or 5 star establishments.) I found after a few encounters with reception desks it was often quicker to do the job myself rather than battle with well meaning but linguistically lacking housekeeping departments in various countries.
My wife has used Swiss army knives for cutting snagged fingernails, grooming, nail filing, tweezering and other female things. The small pliers on my Swiss champ have done running repairs on her jewellery and watch bracelets.
Now the good thing about Swiss army knives is that you can have as little or as much as you want. There are so many models!
If you are a busy Executive and you only need a nail file, a blade to open letters and a pair of scissors, there is a model for you.
If you are a hunter and need a larger blade and a small saw, there is a model for you.
A busy housewife might need a small knife with scissors and tweezers to slip onto her key ring.
An electronics buff might find the Cybertool with interchangeable torx bits and pliers useful.
Elegant models? The Copper Cadet is a small, slim and very elegant knife with copper alox handles, a nail file, a can opener /screwdriver and a cap lifter.
Or there are small silver models that would not look out of place at the most stylish dinner party.
The time you need your knife is when something crops up and you don’t have the tool handy to do the job. Enter the Swiss army knife. One of the first multi tools, the Swiss army knife is incredibly handy for the tool of the moment, with so many uses and often misuses many times it can literally save the day, or save an incredible amount of time.
Long time users of the Swiss army knife (SAK for short) use them many times a day. I remember once trying to check up on the jobs I used mine for and I found that I used it unconsciously all day long. Most jobs were not even registering on my horizon. It had become a part of me, from peeling an orange in the morning, to opening my mail and a hundred other myriad tasks, it was in constant use.
However the greatest joy of the Swiss army knife is the sheer craftsmanship. Generations of fine engineering have gone into the design and manufacture of this superb tool. From the pleasing snap as the tools return into place, to the gleaming shine on the tools and blades there is always something satisfying about using a Victorinox or Wenger knife.
At Sosak we have members who swear by certain models, championing their particular favorite, but in reality a lot depends on a persons occupation or lifestyle, a retired Midwest farmer who spends a lot of time whittlin’ has a very different set of needs from a computer repairman who spends a lot of time on the road. However we have fun arguing about the merits and advantages of this model or that model. There are also the collectors who have vast amounts of knowledge about new and discontinued models. And we have Def (short for Defender) who is probably the best moderator ever. They are a good bunch over at Sosak. If you have a Swiss army knife, Sosak is the best accessory you can have! You will get some good tips, but do not ask about Maximum Minimalism for at least a week. (Remember that I warned you.)
I know that I still get a kick out of producing the right tool at the right time instead of “making do” with whatever odds and ends of tools are handy at the moment. Do it right, get a SAK.
Or as we say in Sosak get two.
Steel Blade