Taking a look at the knife I’ve carried daily since December 1990.
I’ve been a “knife” guy my whole life. A trait inherited from my father. When old enough to carry my own, which was pretty young in rural Kansas, I started with a single-blade, lock-back import. When older my father gifted me a beautiful Buck 501 Classic Squire lock-back. As much as possible I carried that 501 daily into adulthood including my time in the U.S. Navy until I received a phone call on Thanksgiving leave in 1990. That call notified me my Seabee Battalion was being deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm. In those days before the popularity of multi-tools I knew I needed something more versatile than a single-blade knife for that deployment. I don’t remember how and I don’t remember why, but I chose the Victorinox Tinker for the purpose.
Above: The Buck 501 Classic Squire.
Above: My original engraved Tinker, note how short the blade depth is from sharpening, and my current daily carry Tinker.
The Tinker had what I felt was important; a blade to be kept sharp for cutting and slicing, a smaller blade that could be used for more utility type work (but not abuse) like stripping wires, two flat-blade screwdrivers, one Phillips screwdriver, a bottle-opener and a can opener. The awl, toothpick, wire-stripper itself and tweezers were bonuses. Twenty-one years later I’ve retired one Tinker, lost one nearly new Tinker doing yard work, carry a third Tinker and still consider it the best tool available for my daily needs.
Above: The Victorinox Camo Hunter.
It is small enough and light enough to fit in my trouser pocket whether in casual, work or dress clothes. A multi-tool can’t match that. Bigger cousins like the Victorinox Hunter, see my review here, can’t match that. The more intermediate cousin, the Super Tinker, has scissors, but I’ve never found a use for pocket scissors that couldn’t be handled by a knife blade. The Tinker has enough functions to repair things, skin things, prepare food, hold the yard gate open in windy weather, act as a weight for throwing a scent dripper line over a branch and much, much more. A doubting cityite once asked how often I used my knife to justify carrying it. I would gauge it gets used at least daily if not more often. On the rare occasion that I misplace it I am lost until it turns up. It has yet a smaller cousin, the Mini Tinker, but it is too much of a compromise in size.
With proper care and maintenance the blades remain scary sharp. See How To – Use A Sharpening Steel here. While the knife receives frequent use it does not receive hard abuse. I have never broken any blade or tool on the Tinker. Over the years the prices have actually gotten cheaper. Normally they run about $18, but I’ve bought one for as low as $6 and another somewhere in between with carry pouch and diamond sharpener. Bargains in all cases.
The title was “perfect” in quotes as the Tinker isn’t actually perfect – just the best of all worlds for my needs. What would I change to make it perfect? I’d change the large blade shape to a drop point, make it slightly thicker and hollow ground and add a locking mechanism even if that meant a liner lock which I’m not all that fond of. Anything else? Yep, although initially an “extra” I’ve used that toothpick countless times over the years and replaced lost ones many times too. However, the tips, as purchased now, seem to have gotten flimsier over the years. I’d like them to be a little stouter. I might remove the awl to save weight. It has gotten use over the years, but not enough that I’d miss it.
One last point – on two occasions I have been surprised by security checks including x-rays machines and metal detectors while sight-seeing as a tourist. In these instances it seems the Tinker makes an excellent camera repair tool in addition to all the other good things it can accomplish.
So that’s it – dv’s “Perfect” pocket knife – the Victorinox Tinker. What is your favorite daily carry knife?
happy hunting, dv
If you liked this blog you may like the following:
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- A dv Gear Review – Victorinox Hunter Camo Knife
- dv Tests Thermos Bottles
- The Versatile Eberlestock X2 Pack
- Forschner Knives – Buy Now, Thank Me Later
- How To – Use A Sharpening Steel
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Copyright © Jerry E Long, 2009-2011
