Everyone has heard of the famous Swiss Army Knife. MacGyver had one. I have one. You probably have one, and if you don't, you should rectify that lack posthaste. While I love my Leatherman Wave, the S.A.K. is the G.O.A.T. for multitools!
But what other soldier and scout knives are out there? It turns out the good ol' USA had one, too. Why isn't it as iconic?
I am not a veteran. I make no claim to military gear expertise. However, I am a frequent user of pocketknives and multitools, and this one... well, it's not great. There's a much better overview of the tool and its history here. I just want to discuss this example which came into my possession a few days ago and weigh it against the Swiss Army Knife. This isn't a perfect comparison, because I have the Swiss Army Farmer, which adds a saw blade to the proper Model 1961 Soldier's Knife package. Setting that aside, though, we see a similar array of tools: blade, awl, can opener, bottle opener, screwdriver, lanyard ring.
The tip is broken on the can opener. Boo! But then again, this is from 1968, and it looks like it has been used a fair bit. Wear and tear happen. I am also entertained by the stamped label identifying the can opener. Why? The large clevis loop is nice if you want to clip it to a caribiner on your rucksack, I suppose.
This Camillus knife is about the same size as my Farmer. If the latter didn't have that extra saw blade layer, it would be almost the same thickness. Length is also nearly identical. However, the tools fit better in the Farmer, resulting in a more svelte package when closed. The texture of the Swiss Army Knife scales feels more grippy and secure. In fact, any Swiss Army Knife embodies that stereotypical Swiss precision through better fit and finish overall.
My assessment: Neat collection addition. This potentially saw service in 'Nam, if that matters. Not what I would suggest for a serious survival tool, though. It won't replace my EDC Leatherman, and the Swiss Army Farmer will retain its place in my backpacking kit. It's easier to use, and it does more stuff, even setting aside the saw blade bonus in mine. Camillus went out of business in 2007 or so, making this a discontinued orphan.
What military pocket knives have you bought or been issued? Is there something more obscure we should all be carrying instead? Do you prefer a different model of scout-type knife? Share your thoughts below!
Oooo, the Swiss Army farmer. I didn't know there was such a thing. It might do nicely to replace my 30 year old Swiss Army Knife that the blade finally snapped on. Which was my fault, I should never have been using it for what I was using it for which was levering a bit of stone, oops!
I paid a lot less for mine. I was lucky. Someone was actually offering a clearance sale.
I love a good clearance sale!
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lolol it been my experience such obvious markings on an item are due to someone doing something that required it on there as a warning!
this would definitely make an excellent addition to a collection, but i'm leaning with you on it lacking effectiveness as an edc. great find though!
I can see the argument for simpler, all-stainless-steel construction making it a bit more rugged. The ergonomics are bad, though.
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I saw this knife before but didn't know that it's name is Swiss Army Knife. Bu the name MacGyver is really famous in all over the world.
I have a Mora Companion knife and an off-brand leatherman (I legit don't know what brand it is, I picked it up at Home Depot years ago), but I don't have a SAK. The little pocketknife I had in scouts (which I still have too ...somewhere) was just a blade and no other tools, so the leatherman type tool is really the closest thing I have. Do you really like it better than your Leatherman?
My EDC is a Leatherman in a belt pouch. The Swiss Army Knife is much more compact and pocket-friendly. Both have pros and cons. I use the pliers enough to warrant the bulk of the Leathetman, but if not for that, the Swiss Army knife would win out for better packaging.
At first sight, it seems that it is a knell cutter. Hahahha. Anyway, sometimes small instruments come to play a big role. This type of knife has big use sometimes.
"knell cutter"?
I agree, these knives can do a lot of useful things.
Sorry, it would be nail cutter.
I actually stumbled across your post due to one of the comments you made on another post
I could not agree more, but maybe it is due to there being more of a support/commonality between centralized vs decentralized or mom and pop vs big corp. Most people when it comes to government or subjects of politics probably refrain due to lack of exposure or the ability to actually influence anything whereas the others have a more collective brand to it.
As for this subject of this post the Swiss just make great tools and watches so maybe it is just far more refined. And yeah the older model compared to newer ones is probably an apples to oranges comparison as I'm sure if the company was around today it can still be profitable, but marketing cost can get quite extensive nowadays to try to get mainstream traction.
In terms of design though I'm sure SAK has a huge development budget which shows in how sophisticated the overall tool looks, not to mention when comparing the two it seems the knives and stuff stick out a lot less in the SAK. Honestly I don't know of too many other major brands when it comes to pocket knives but maybe someone else will chime in with some info.
I would agree with the apples and oranges comparison due to age, but my swiss army knife is essentially the 1961 model. Less wear and tear, sure, but both designs date back to the same era. The US also has a long history of very good knives of this type for the Boy Scouts. I am therefore perplexed at this particular example for the military.
I appreciate the follow up from comments on other posts! Evidence of actual readership is always welcome.
Oh I just enjoy good/interesting conversations. Now if there was a voice form of all of this I'd be hooked. Somewhat of a 3speak, but a more fluid way for conversations to be recorded and for people to join in and out of discussions.
So back then information was far more secluded so yeah if you were comparing comps in that era. If that was the case for me the little aesthetics are why the swiss army knife ended up winning out. I'm also not sure what marketing tactics occurred back then for each product line but that also plays a pretty vital role.
Nowadays due to meme culture and how our society has changed/evolved I'm sure if they branded one for zombie apocalypses may even end up performing better. I've seen some newer age models have a fire starter built into the pocket knife whereas back then understanding of chemistry and designs were probably not as evolved as they are now.
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