Please note that all content in this section has been imported from our old Sosakonline website and may contain broken links. We are revising it as we can, but these things take time, and it's a lot of content to get through!
When we think of knockoffs we think of the cheap junk manufactured in many developing nations- rarely do we consider “Swiss Army Style” knives from quality manufacturers, but there are some very decently made examples out there.
A while back I had written what was, at the time a pretty decent article describing the various versions of the Soldier model, including the Pioneer, the DAK and the Wenger Standard Issue. Well since there I’ve added a few more to the stable, and it’s only fair that I add them to the list.
Well, this year was the 7th annual Practice What You Preach event down on Chestnut Mountain in North Carolina. The event was started by Terrill Hoffman (Photographer; writer for Tactical Knives magazine; and moderator of Knife Forums Outdoor Survival Forum) back when a lot of forum talk about outdoor survival and skills lead to a “put up or shut up” test. Terrill graciously offered up his property and hosted an event for folks to come out and actually practice what they’d been preaching online and PWYP was born! The first year consisted of only a few people but the event has grown steadily since then and this year there were over 90 folks in attendance! The gathering is a sort of medley of a an adult Boy Scout Jamboree and a Mountain Man Rendezvous with the usual skills training and practice, camp fire cookery and camaraderie, and a brisk and healthy trade and barter business throughout the 4 day event.
Ok first of let me point out that I am far from anti-multitool (Micky_D is a moderator in the forums at Multitool.org), I just feel that SAKs are getting unfairly overlooked these days, and the market emphasise has shifted to plier based tool's, so I'm just trying to redress the balance all on my own!
By now most people should know that I am not a huge fan of single bladed folders. I realize they have their uses, so please don’t throw anything at me, at least until after you’ve read this!
Ok so we all love our Swiss Army Knives right? And I’m guessing we all like the green and blue rock we’re sat on too, right? But you can’t possibly have both; I mean knives are made in dirty, smoky, factories, that are all environmental nightmares right?
Swiss Army Knives have a reputation for quality, reliability and adaptability- they are known the world over for these qualities, and are found in almost every walk of life as a result. Because of this reputation, the humble SAK has grown well beyond a simple pocket knife and into it’s own metaphor.