After reading Def’s “Minimalism and You” I took the challenge and went out and bought a Wenger SI surprisingly it has been my EDC since the 15th of April. I know a lot of you don’t think that is long but for me it’s close to marriage.
Leaving the city for the weekend I decided I wasn’t going to carry
anything extra. Just the Classic on the key ring, the Swiss Tool on my belt and
the SI tucked away in my right front pants pocket.
Of course in the car was a small tackle box with a Climber, Compact,
Spartan, Florist,
Victorinox Soldier, Sog Access Card and a Leatherman Wave
(original).
I figured since they’re in the car and
not on me then they won’t count as carries. Like I said I was leaving the city
and I was traveling light.
Saturday, my family and I went to an all day gospel sing and bean dinner.
Mind you I don’t mind gospel music but I can’t stand beans but since it was my
mother-in-law throwing it, I decided to play along.
“Necessity is the mother of invention” I believe who ever coined that
phrase had to have a SAK in their hand. I decide to invent a review.
So out came the SAKs and others and I started whittling. This served as a
two fold purpose.
1) It would give me the info I needed.
2) It would save my sanity.
Setting on the porch I laid them out before me (like a surgeon with his
instruments) along with different size sticks and twigs.
Picking the Florist and the SI, I
started stripping and drilling holes then I grabbed the Climber and used it’s awl for drilling or
should I say “try” there was no “bite” it would just slip off the wood.
I discovered the same about the Swiss Tool as well as the others. The
only one that didn’t give me trouble was the Victorinox Soldier.
After making a pile of shavings an elderly gentleman came over and told
me “That was a lost art, I remember being a boy and whittling all the time.”
I moved over so he could set and handed
him a knife and a stick, there we sat just whittling and talking before I knew
it my son and two other teenagers joined us.
I have heard rumor, that years ago people would do stuff like that. Just
get together and set around and do very little but share their time and
thoughts.
I also heard of a tradition that once a week (Saturday) the men of the
town would gather and trade knives for the week and see how they liked someone
else’s Case, Camillus, Schrade etc. meet
next week and trade back.
A couple hours passed the wood shaving was getting out of control and
hands were getting tired. I gathered up the knives and started
home.
Can I honestly tell you which did better the Swiss Tool or the Leatherman
Wave?
Could I tell you which had a better ”bite” or was able to shave bark
easier?
Actually no, I can’t because after awhile I forgot about the review and
staring having fun and making new friends.