Swiss Army knives

[Shiner]

Ok I have always though Swiss Army Knives were kinda cheesy.....but I have been carrying one daily for the past couple months, and I like it. It's easy to sharpen, holds an edge well, and I find myself using all the gadgets all the time. I've always been a carbon steel Case Trapper kinda guy, or else a Moore Maker Trapper, but this knife has grown on me. Anyone else carry these knives? What are your opinions on them?

[mcwoodduck]

Since the Raypak Boilers went to Phillips head screws instead of the PK screws I carry a Swiss army Cowboy.  Large blade with only a phillips on the back that makes a T handle.  and of course the tweezers and fang pick.
It lives in my truck and I slide it into my pocket when I pull up to a job that I may have to open up one.
Blade comes in handy to jimmy a lock to the equipment room as well.

[burntmuch]

I carry a big one ith locking blade & saw blade at work & while hunting. Then I have smaller ones in the glovebox in both cars. I stopped carring fixed blade knives hile hunting The swiss is lighter & does everything I need it to do

[Joel]

I keep an old Tinkerer in my truck, carry a Super Tinkerer on my belt sheath quite a bit, an carry a Ranger in my backpacks.  Life is livable if you have duct tape, WD-40 and a SAK.

[canon6]

I bought my first one in 1960 in Germany(US Army PX) and have had oen ever since.I now carry a Ruksak .    Joel, hit it on the head.    Doug

[Victor3]

 Compared to some of the modern $100 wunderfolders, they are kinda cheesy I guess; plastic scales, aluminum liners, rather soft stainless blades, etc.

 However, I got a Victorinox "Officer Suisse" as a groomsman's gift at a buddy's wedding 20 years ago. It's been in my desk at work since then and has probably been used more often than any knife I've owned. One of its duties is to cut fruit; just the other day I cut up an over-ripe mango with it and it got covered with sticky juice. As I've done hundreds of times, I took it to the sink, put it under hot water and shook it dry. Never done any other maintenance to it other than sharpening.

 It's opened soup cans, cut rope, plastic ties, de-burred machined aluminum parts, opened many a box, tightened screws, been dropped on concrete several times. It's showing its age, but still works good.

 I usually carry a Leatherman and/or single blade lockback, but I wouldn't be crushed if I had to settle for an SAK on a deserted island. I kekun the Swiss knew what they were doing when they designed them; I can't think of a better value in a knife considering the utility you get out of the things.

[Chappers]

i use the leatherman over the swiss army knife solely because of the pliers. just got my other half a leatherman KICK i bit smaller than a normal leatherman but just as useful, she loves it.

[cbl51]

I got my first swiss army knife in 1969, and I've been hooked on them ever since.

Sure I usually had a 'better' knife around, but after a while I even stopped carrying the other knives. The Victoinox knife did all what I asked of it, the steel held a decent cutting edge good enough for my surburban lifestyle, easy to touch up on the back of my belt, and the tools really do work. These days they're all I carry. I have a couple different models I rotate in my edc depending on what I'm going to be doing that day.

I can't remember the last time I needed a fast draw one hand opneing knife, but it seems everyday, one of the tools on the sak is needed. Plus the sak is a lower prifile knife for use in public.

I love mine.

[Siskiyou]

My wife bought me a small Swiss Army knife 20+ years ago.  I never took a fancy to it because I was required to carry a knife on the job.  They even had a check off for it on an inspection/readiness form.  A single blade Buck or Case was the knife of choice.  They were real handy for cutting seatbelts, taking care of game and other duties.  I knew that I could depend on the heavy blade Buck or Case to open up boxes of cargo or cut twin on fire hose that had been sling loaded into a fire by helicopter.  The single blade knife is not great for opening ration cans, or coffee cans.  But I had a P38 for that.  I must admit that I was a little upset when I had to use my personal sharp knife to collect jaw bones for the wildlife people.  They could have been nice enough to provide me with a knife.  My revenge was to mail them a large box of stinking jaw bones.  I did feel sorry for the lady in the mailroom.

My preference has changed to a Leatherman Wave.  I am using the pliers all the time, from removing jammed staples in a stapler at work, cutting wire, to gutting deer, using the saw blade to split the pelvic into, and cutting the spine into for packing the deer out.  The blade holds a great edge for gutting and skinning.  The saw blade replace the Wyoming saw that had a place in my day pack for twenty years.  The Wyoming saw is still in the gear box.

I must have twenty or more knifes around but I have two go to knifes now days, a three bladed four inch stockmen’s knife that is normally in my pocket 24/7 and the Leatherman Wave that is on my belt when I go into the woods.  Another Wave is in the pack I carry my laptop in when I go to work, never know when the pliers, or screw drivers are needed. 

[udtjim]

My Victorinox Explorer is the last knife on earth that I would give up. They are a great value and well worth the money.