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| The Swiss Explorer from Victorinox, as they used to say over at The Whole Earth Catalog "Tools for Living." |
One
of the nice little surprises to getting older is how much I still rely on my
old friend the Swiss Army Knife (SAK). I used to backpack, camp, fish, and work
in all sorts of factories, warehouses, construction sites, and other places
where a good multitool can be essential, but not anymore, and yet, there is
still a Victorinox Explorer SAK in my pocket and not just for sentimental
reasons. I use it all the time, sometimes for the same old tasks, like
tightening screws and opening bottles, but others too, like cutting open
annoying clamshell packaging with the scissors and reading the very small print
on items at the store with the magnifying glass. Some of the most important
words you will ever read are on the sides of medicine bottles, but who can see them?!
Victorinox
scissors are widely acknowledged for punching above their weight, and those tiny
things can cut open most anything a bigger pair can handle. The magnifying glass, peculiar to only a few
Swiss models, is a less well-known Godsend. If there was a Noble Prize for
usefulness, Victorinox would win, hands down. Even the tools that seem
superfluous pop up to save the day. Few people think of the awl as useful,
until they need to add a notch to their belts. The parcel hook, the pin, the
toothpick, the tweezers, and the corkscrew have all served me in times of need.
Who wants to stare at an unopened bottle of wine all evening? Who wants to keep
that splinter in their finger? Who wants those strings digging into their hands?
The
newest tool for the Swiss Army Knife is the internet, where there are
countless numbers of sites and videos written by clever people to show you all
the things you can use your SAK for. I will mention two. First is a fellow,
named Felix
Immler, who spends a lot of his free time thinking of new uses for the SAK.
He plays The Professor to the world’s Gilligan’s Island. Another good destination
is a video by VineClimber called Good
Night, Swiss Army Knife, where she spends a pleasant hour going over the
pros and cons of the various SAKs in her collection. Oh, and Jon
Gadget, I guess that’s three. Anyway, there are a lot of good people in
this world, some of whom want you to get the most out of your tools, God Bless
‘em.
While
the SAK is naturally at home to the handymen and MacGyver’s of the world, it’s
much more useful to the unhandy. If your tool collection consists of a
screwdriver and a bent steak knife, buy yourself a SAK. If you are always
misplacing your tools, buy a Sak and keep in a safe place, like your pocket or
a kitchen drawer. If your tired of buying tools for every little problem, buy
yourself a SAK, the fifty-some bucks for the Explorer will save you money in
the long run, or, if you want to go whole hog, spend a C-note on the Swiss
Champ, a veritable toolbox of a knife. I can’t recommend them enough. And
please, get the name brand, it will never let you down. If cost is an issue,
check your local pawnshop or thrift store.
Maybe
you got your first scout knife when you were eight years old, now, at 65, it’s
time for your first Swiss Army Knife. Congratulations.
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| The Swiss Champ, a little large but surprisingly practical. |
