The Victorinox Paring Knife Part Deux
- This topic is empty.
-
The 3/4oz Victorinox paring knife is one my favorite ultralight finds. The bulk version comes with a simple plastic sleeve and seeing that the serrated blade is razor sharp, a sheath would be a good option. BUT, there is little sense in increasing the weight drastically with a sheath.
Lo' and behold, I was in REI today and looking around the knives and tools, and I spotted the paring knife with a fitted cover. They are calling it a "Little Vickie utility knife."
http://www.rei.com/product/836226/victorinox-little-vickie-utility-knife
$9.00. the knife itself is 0.7oz and the cover adds 0.2oz. These are fantastic knives for food prep and light repairs.
That cover also fits my coveted Forschner plain-edged version with a rosewood handle
I recently got a drill press and bandsaw to start experimenting with Kydex sheaths for these small knives, but this is had to beat if you want to stow it in your pack.
I once adapted a sheath for a Dexter Russell paring knife that had a longer sheath, turning it into a neck knife. 1.8oz with a cord substituted for the chain and tubing.
We have a couple Kuhn Rikon knives, with one in the car camping cook kit. Works great.
The cover fit on the Vickie is good. Not good enough for my taste for a neck knife, but it has enough grip to ride well in the pack in the ziplock with my pot and stove. I can hold the knife by the handle and shake it hard and the sheath stays on. I wouldn't put it in my pocket, but I'm chicken that way :). I hazard to guess that you could "adjust" the sheath grip with a heat gun. There is enough room in the tip to drill for a lanyard if you wanted to use it on a neck lanyard.
The Kydex project I have in mind is to make a good "necker" sheath for the Vickie as well as one with a belt loop, and yet another with an uber-minimal edge cover. I doubt I will improve on the weight of the Victorinox offering, and certainly wouldn't improve on the cost.
You can get light enough edge guards in a cook's supply store. Most are too long for a paring knife, but they are easy to cut down.
The real ummmmm point to all this is that you can reach in the kitchen drawer and find a good inexpensive fixed blade knife for food prep and repairs on the trail. The Kuhn Rikon is a good example. Wusthof makes the Silverpoint 4023/8cm which is another 3/4oz example. I got one at TJ Maxx for $8. I like the handle ergonomics a lot.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
