Last fall I added the Light My Fire Swedish Fireknife to my kit.
They come in many colours but I chose Orange as it should be easy to see when I set it down in the bush.
It is a Mora knife with a Light My Fire Firesteel that locks into the handle at the butt.
The knife came sharp out of the box which is to be expected from a Mora. It has a rubber handle and the knife comes in a plastic scabbard that has a belt loop. The blade is Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel and is 95mm long. Overall the knife is 225mm long, this is with the Firesteel locked into the handle. The Mora knives have a great reputation and provide wonderful value for your dollar.
The Ferro rod is a nice length and the handle on it allows you to hold it in a pinch grip when you are striking. This is enough purchase to make the sparks fly. The rod does make nice sparks when you scrape it against the back of the knife blade. It does leave a bunch of residue on your blade so be sure to clean that up before you use it for any food prep. The good news is that if you have dry tinder set up you will have a nice camp fire started shortly. Out of about a dozen campfires I have had only one where I couldn't get it lit with the Swedish Fireknife and it was completely user error. My tinder wasn't set up properly and I didn't take my time striking. One flick of the Bic got it going though,
I would like to get another Mora for our camping kitchen set...maybe one with a serrated blade to slice the vegetables.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Victorinox Swiss Army Sports Knife
Earlier this summer I picked up a Victorinox Swiss Army Sports Knife from Canadian Tire.
It is a nylon scaled Spartan as far as I can tell.
The features include:
1. Large blade
2. Small blade
3. Corkscrew
4. Can opener with
5. -small screwdriver
6. Cap lifter with
7. -screwdriver
8. -wire stripper
9. Reamer with sewing eye
10. Key ring
11. Tweezers
12. Toothpick
The Canadian Tire website lists the blade steel as X55CrMo14
Closed the knife is 91mm long and with the blade open it is about 160mm long. It is 14mm at its widest point.
So far I have Sports Knife to pop caps off of drinks, to cut suckers off of the tomato plants and I have used the corkscrew to scrape rust and road gunk from the welded nuts under the car. I was hoping to install a Hidden Hitch but the rust was bad enough that the nut needed to be tapped. I like the nylon scales on these economy units from Victorinox. The nylon seems to provide a better grip in the hand than the cellidor scales....although the logo wears off quicker. With the reamer and the corkscrew on the back springs I don't know if they have an equivalent Alox model. These items are thick when combined and the corkscrew would stick out from the Alox scales enough that the bump would be noticeable.
The day I picked up this knife it was on sale at Canadian Tire. I was also able to buy a Swiss Champ on sale that day as well. I will keep watching for more price reductions at Canadian Tire to further grow my collection of Multitools.
My at-work carry recently has been the Victorinox Cadet as it is easy to lug around in my office pants. The Victorinox Swiss Army Sports Knife has been riding in my car though as backup if I forget the Cadet.
It is a nylon scaled Spartan as far as I can tell.
The features include:
1. Large blade
2. Small blade
3. Corkscrew
4. Can opener with
5. -small screwdriver
6. Cap lifter with
7. -screwdriver
8. -wire stripper
9. Reamer with sewing eye
10. Key ring
11. Tweezers
12. Toothpick
The Canadian Tire website lists the blade steel as X55CrMo14
Closed the knife is 91mm long and with the blade open it is about 160mm long. It is 14mm at its widest point.
So far I have Sports Knife to pop caps off of drinks, to cut suckers off of the tomato plants and I have used the corkscrew to scrape rust and road gunk from the welded nuts under the car. I was hoping to install a Hidden Hitch but the rust was bad enough that the nut needed to be tapped. I like the nylon scales on these economy units from Victorinox. The nylon seems to provide a better grip in the hand than the cellidor scales....although the logo wears off quicker. With the reamer and the corkscrew on the back springs I don't know if they have an equivalent Alox model. These items are thick when combined and the corkscrew would stick out from the Alox scales enough that the bump would be noticeable.
The day I picked up this knife it was on sale at Canadian Tire. I was also able to buy a Swiss Champ on sale that day as well. I will keep watching for more price reductions at Canadian Tire to further grow my collection of Multitools.
My at-work carry recently has been the Victorinox Cadet as it is easy to lug around in my office pants. The Victorinox Swiss Army Sports Knife has been riding in my car though as backup if I forget the Cadet.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Leatherman Squirt P4 - Tiny Tool for Light Duty
The Leatherman Squirt P4 is a tidy little package that you should consider for pocket carry The P4 was Leathermans first Plier based miniature multitool. The pliers are spring action which makes it nice to use with one-hand.
The Tools:
420HC Blade
Awl
Extra-small Screwdriver
Flat/Phillips Screwdriver
Medium Screwdriver
Bottle Opener
Spring-action Needlenose Pliers
Wire Cutter
Wood/Metal File
Key-ring
The P4 is diminutive in size and as such should not be expected to handle larger jobs. It excels at being on you and ready to use for those every-day common tasks.I get the most use out of the small blade and the pliers.
The P4 is a retired product from the Leatherman line-up but if you can find a used one at a good price I would recommend picking it up. If I were looking for one today I would feel fine paying $15 for a used one in good condition.
The Tools:
420HC Blade
Awl
Extra-small Screwdriver
Flat/Phillips Screwdriver
Medium Screwdriver
Bottle Opener
Spring-action Needlenose Pliers
Wire Cutter
Wood/Metal File
Key-ring
The P4 is diminutive in size and as such should not be expected to handle larger jobs. It excels at being on you and ready to use for those every-day common tasks.I get the most use out of the small blade and the pliers.
The P4 is a retired product from the Leatherman line-up but if you can find a used one at a good price I would recommend picking it up. If I were looking for one today I would feel fine paying $15 for a used one in good condition.
Monday, August 11, 2014
There when you need it - The Wingman
The Leatherman Wingman is a pliers based multitool that is priced more affordable for the deal seeking buyer. Even though the MSRP is $39.85USD it can often be had for less and I consider it a good tool for the money. It has 14 features and still comes with Leatherman's great 25-year Warranty.
Features List:
Spring-Action Needle Nose Pliers
Spring-Action Regular Pliers
Spring-Action Scissors
Spring-Action Wire Cutters
Wire Stripper
420Hc Combo Knife
Bottle Opener
Can Opener
Medium Screwdriver
Phillips Screwdriver
Package Opener
Ruler (1 In/2.54 cm)
Wood/Metal File
Small Screwdriver
Sure, the pliers head contains 5 of those 14 functions but the Wingman is still about as much Multitool as many folks would need for a regular day around the house or at work. I specifically like the locking One Handed Opening knife blade for its quick access and the larger scissors, which are also on the outside of the tool. When opening the scissors be sure to open them all of the way so that you engage the spring and the liner lock.
If you are shopping online with Amazon or at the Hardware store and these are on sale be sure to pick one up. You won't be disappointed and for the price it makes a nice multitool for the kitchen or for the glove box of your car.
Features List:
Spring-Action Needle Nose Pliers
Spring-Action Regular Pliers
Spring-Action Scissors
Spring-Action Wire Cutters
Wire Stripper
420Hc Combo Knife
Bottle Opener
Can Opener
Medium Screwdriver
Phillips Screwdriver
Package Opener
Ruler (1 In/2.54 cm)
Wood/Metal File
Small Screwdriver
Sure, the pliers head contains 5 of those 14 functions but the Wingman is still about as much Multitool as many folks would need for a regular day around the house or at work. I specifically like the locking One Handed Opening knife blade for its quick access and the larger scissors, which are also on the outside of the tool. When opening the scissors be sure to open them all of the way so that you engage the spring and the liner lock.
If you are shopping online with Amazon or at the Hardware store and these are on sale be sure to pick one up. You won't be disappointed and for the price it makes a nice multitool for the kitchen or for the glove box of your car.
The Leatherman Micra
The diminutive sized Micra is a scissor based multitool that fits nicely in your jeans fifth pocket. I carry it there to avoid the extra weight on my keychain. It features 10 different tools that you may find useful for your daily tasks.
The tools are:
Scissors (spring action)
420HC Blade
Bottle Opener
Flat/Phillips Screwdriver
Medium Screwdriver
Small Screwdriver
Nail File
Nail Cleaner
Tweezers
Ruler (12cm/4.7in)
If you follow Victorinox feature listings you should also include the Keyring on the Micra.
Its main feature that gets the most usage around here is the Scissors.They are quick to access and come in handy for all sorts of snipping tasks....loose threads, small cuts to paper, fishing line, paracord, even 18awg wire no problem. Sometimes the wire cutting dulls up the scissors. To sharpen them I picked up a tip from the internet. Use Aluminum foil. Make several folds in a sheet of foil and cut through them with your scissors. After about a dozen passes through the foil the scissors have an edge back. If I want them sharper then I make more passes through the foil. I find this works for me but YMMV of course.
The only feature that I haven't used yet is the Ruler. The cm markings are stronger and more consistent than the inch markings on my Micra. Fore accuracy I feel that only measuring up to 4cms will be sufficient, either from 0-4cm or 8-12cm. Beyond that and I can't get the marks to match the markings on my 30cm ruler.
Overall the Micra makes for a great companion carry multitool. It complements the Skeletool very well and many folks will be able to get by with just the Leatherman Micra for their everyday carry.
The tools are:
Scissors (spring action)
420HC Blade
Bottle Opener
Flat/Phillips Screwdriver
Medium Screwdriver
Small Screwdriver
Nail File
Nail Cleaner
Tweezers
Ruler (12cm/4.7in)
If you follow Victorinox feature listings you should also include the Keyring on the Micra.
Its main feature that gets the most usage around here is the Scissors.They are quick to access and come in handy for all sorts of snipping tasks....loose threads, small cuts to paper, fishing line, paracord, even 18awg wire no problem. Sometimes the wire cutting dulls up the scissors. To sharpen them I picked up a tip from the internet. Use Aluminum foil. Make several folds in a sheet of foil and cut through them with your scissors. After about a dozen passes through the foil the scissors have an edge back. If I want them sharper then I make more passes through the foil. I find this works for me but YMMV of course.
The only feature that I haven't used yet is the Ruler. The cm markings are stronger and more consistent than the inch markings on my Micra. Fore accuracy I feel that only measuring up to 4cms will be sufficient, either from 0-4cm or 8-12cm. Beyond that and I can't get the marks to match the markings on my 30cm ruler.
Overall the Micra makes for a great companion carry multitool. It complements the Skeletool very well and many folks will be able to get by with just the Leatherman Micra for their everyday carry.
The Midas Touch - A gold plated Skeletool
A few years ago I picked up a 24K gold plated Skeletool from Texas Tool Crafters. This is my usual pliers based EDC and it is pocket carried. After years of use the plating is still holding up very well. Granted it is worn away on some of the edges and there are scratches but that is to be expected with use.
This is the regular Skeletool with the 420HC Combo Blade. If you are looking for a dressed up or colourful Leatherman Skeletool it is certainly worth looking at the offerings from Texas Tool Crafters.
This is the regular Skeletool with the 420HC Combo Blade. If you are looking for a dressed up or colourful Leatherman Skeletool it is certainly worth looking at the offerings from Texas Tool Crafters.
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