In 1897 Karl Elsener created the Original Swiss Army knife in the small village of Ibach, Switzerland.  Ever since then, two things have remained true of Swiss Army knives: they’re red and they contain multiple blades.  The Pioneer is no exception to these rules, but it’s different than any other knife I’ve seen bearing the familiar silver cross — and it’s the only Swiss Army pattern I’ve ever carried daily. 

Even so, I haven’t carried a Swiss Army knife since I was a Boy Scout.  But this last week I was reunited with a childhood friend.  Read on past the jump for the rest of the story.

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It may look like a pirate’s sidearm, but Cepco’s Insul-Knife actually does a pretty good job of slicing through fiberglass insulation and foam board without shredding it.  Normally you wouldn’t want to shell out for one of these unless you’re in the trade, but Amazon has ‘em for $25.01 right now.  (The extra penny qualifies it for free shipping.)   I just ordered one for my basement insulation project.

The IK-10 Insul-Knife [Cepco]
Via Amazon [What's this?]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

I found this Van Hoy Snap Lock Knife by CRKT on Back Country’s website for $28.  Check out the sweet opening mechanism: it opens sideways via a cam-locking system.  Plus, it’s got thumb wheels on both sides and the clip is removable, so you can set it up to open from either side.

Van Hoy Series [CRKT]
Van Hoy Snap Lock Knife [Backcountry]
Street Pricing [Google Product]

What do you get when you cross a carabiner with a 1/2″ adjustable wrench, a 2″ carbon-stainless-steel blade, a high-intensity LED light, and a screwdriver?  Answer: the Guppie multi-tool.  Oh yeah, it’s a church key, too.

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Case recently announced their new vault program, an announcement that took me by surprise to say the least.  It appears to be true, though.  Here’s a portion of the press release that confirms it:

Coins, jewelry, stock certificates and your Case knife collection – all of these are items to be stored away for safekeeping. There are many valuable items at Case, but the most prized would be the knives we make. Or more accurately, the knife patterns we make – like the Case Trapper, Case Peanut or Case Seahorse Whittler. The Case patterns, and there are more than 140, are treasures not only for the factory, but they are prized by our collectors. That’s why the time is right for Case to build a vault – the Case XX Vault – where knife tooling will be stored for safekeeping.

That’s right, starting Jan 1, 2008 Case will toss the Doctor, Lockback, Tuxedo and Cheetah (my personal favorite) into “the vault.”  Sounds like a good thing, right?  Think again.  For those who don’t know what “vaulting” entails or how it’ll work, think Disney – as in “buy one for your kid now ’cause we’re not going to let you buy one for a few years.”

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Like the concept of the Santa Fe Stoneworks’ knife we posted earlier today, but don’t want to sheel out $120?  Try this screen-printed almost-a-Mini-Buck for around $21.

Note: In competition with our friends at The Hardware Aisle, we’re posting lots of patriotic tools today and tomorrow.  Look for a post on Wednesday (the 4th) where you can vote for your favorite.  And don’t forget to submit your favorite patriotic tools!  If your suggestion is the reader favorite, we’ll send you a tool from the test pile — something nice. 

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As you’ve probably noticed, our favorite holiday gift — even on holidays which generally don’t involve gift-giving — is the venerable pocket knife.  Why not treat yourself to one for the 4th?  Our favorite: this 3″ lockback from Santa Fe Stoneworks’ patriotic series.

Note: In competition with our friends at The Hardware Aisle, we’re posting lots of patriotic tools today and tomorrow.  Look for a post on Wednesday (the 4th) where you can vote for your favorite.  And don’t forget to submit your favorite patriotic tools!  If your suggestion is the reader favorite, we’ll send you a tool from the test pile — something nice.

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Remember that guy whose tools you left out in the rain when you were five?  Yep, that’s Dad, and his special day is coming up quickly.  And just like last year, we’d like to recommend a good quality pocket knife as a perfect Father’s Day gift.  We’ve posted about a few already, but here’s another you might consider: the Case Small Congress Mammoth Ivory.  It’s unusual enough that he wouldn’t likely spring for one himself, yet it’s still a strong, usable knife.

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When I first saw these, I thought they were the bee’s knees — perfect for carrying because they’re so much smaller than a standard utility knife.  Then a friend of mine shared a story about cutting the living crap out of himself with one, and I had second thoughts.

Clearly folding-style knives like these aren’t going to provide the same protection as a standard utility knife because you can’t retract the blade.  When I’m using a standard knife, I only extend just enough blade for the task at hand — again impossible with these.

But they still look awfully practical.  What do you think?  Let us know in comments.

Our friends over at Case dropped us a line today to tells us that their damascus-bladed SlimLock picked up a Popular Mechanics “Editor’s Choice” award at this year’s National Hardware Show.  We’re not surprised: when we spent some quality time with their bone damascus Peanut earlier this year, we were impressed.  The Damascus is not only beautiful, it’s also excellent steel, holding an edge longer than you’d imagine.

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The Speed Rocker drywall knife adds a “tape hook” on the thumb rest so you can hold a measuring tape and make a score mark at the same time, and some drywall guys love the fact that there’s a fold-out drywall saw hidden in the handle.  But at $20, it’s a bit expensive for some people’s taste.

It’s solidly built — nice and heavy-feeling in your hand — and one side of the handle is also a drywall rasp for truing up edges, though we wonder if you’d still want to grab it after filing down drywall with the handle.

We’ve seen this knife a couple of times in the toolbelts of professional drywall workers, but we’re still a little held up on the price — and its specific combination of features.  What do you think?  Let us know in comments.

Speed Rocker [CH Hanson]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
Via Amazon [What's This?]

I love the “compactness” of folding lockback utility knives — I’ve been carrying a Superknife model for some time now — but they’re often missing one feature common on standard utility knives: spare blade storage.  Luckily, a number of manufacturers offer blade storage without overly enlarging the knife, including clamp-maker Bessey.  Yep, we were surprised, too.

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Evan writes: “This is a wonderful sharpening set.  I’ve had one for about 15 years now.  It was time to sharpen the kitchen knives again, and I thought I should submit this one.  It’s neat because it can do other stuff besides knives, like fishing hooks, scissors, hatchets, etc.”

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Have you ever wanted to feel like the Toolmonger version of James Bond, pulling out the perfect tool for the job — the job of cutting a lime at a cocktail party or opening the mail at the office?  If so, we’ve found the knife for you: Case’s bone damascus peanut.  It’s beautiful, it’s functional, it’s even a bit rare, and best of all: it’s affordable.

Read on past the jump for our hands-on experiences carrying the damascus peanut for a few weeks.

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I consider a tool a good tool when I paid a fair price for it and it does the job for which it was purchased.  While the Sheffield three-piece tool set isn’t a Leatherman set, that’s not really the point.  It’s useful and boasts a low price point.  I’ve used Sheffield knives before, too, and while they’re no SOG or Buck, they are about a third the price. 

The set starts with a useful one-hand-opening liner lock knife that sports a 4-1/2” drop point pattern blade and a hardwood handle.  The set’s other two pieces are pliers-based mutlis featuring the usual suspects such as saws, screwdrivers, awls, and clip pattern blades, and are also adorned in hardwood.

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Those of you who caught the Mythbusters “pirate special” last week on Discovery may have — as we did — risen a little out of your chair when you saw Tory “sharpening” a kife with an angle grinder.  The result was, well, not promising.  What they really needed was a workstation like this one from Burke.

Rarely — if ever! — is actual grinding required to put an edge back on something that was once sharp.  Even creating an initial edge can often be accomplished by simply using a coarse grit on a paper wheel.  Burke’s unit gives you everything you need: an abrasive paper wheel, a leather wheel, and a buffing wheel.

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I love ToolLogic.  I don’t know a damn thing about them, but I love ‘em.  Why?  Because in the SL3 they bring together two of my favorite things: knives and fire. Ok, so it may not be the best looking knife around — but did I mention it makes fire? 

The SL3’s main features are a 2” serrated stainless blade and a magnesium alloy fire starter which — when combined with a special notch on the SL3 blade — deliver a shower of sparks at over 2500º.  Toollogic says “It will even spark when wet.”  Sweet.

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