# Pocket knives with corkscrew? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 2, 2016, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902 "2016-07-02T03:12:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902/61 "2016-07-07T14:06:57Z")
My Champion was in need of repair a few years back - something so minor, I can’t recall what it was. When I shipped it in for a repair, they surprised me by sending out a new one. But I wish I still had the old one, with its patina. This one looks so new. I hardly carry it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902/62 "2016-07-07T14:20:31Z")
Well if you carried it, it would get a patina! 😛 In the mid-'80s one of my dad’s coworkers asked to borrow my Champion that was on my belt when he was working on his car. He tried to use the small blade as a screwdriver and nicked the edge at the tip. :mad: I honed it out the best that I could, but it’s still there. I’ve thought from time to time about having the blade replaced, but I suspected they’d just send me a new knife. ETA: The next-door neighbour borrowed by Bali Song butterfly knife around the same time period to do something on his car. He burned a nick in the edge at the tip on the battery. :smack: Note to self: Never allow someone working on a car to borrow your knife. . ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902/63 "2016-07-07T14:49:41Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Well if you carried it, it would get a patina! 😛 If I carried it in my pocket, Lily Von Schtupp might ask me, “Is that a SAK Champion in your pocket, or are you just enjoying the show?” 😛 (35 seconds into this video - [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=py8gZ6-eR2Q](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=py8gZ6-eR2Q)) > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Note to self: Never allow someone working on a car to borrow your knife. No kidding, what were they thinking??? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902/64 "2016-07-07T16:15:02Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > A man would need some special pants to carry all of this ironmongery. Just a hanger… and perhaps a good hanger pole… 😉 “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” - Ben Franklin ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902/65 "2016-07-25T16:24:09Z")
:smack: :smack: :smack: I had no idea until today that [those little colored tabs on the end are the TWEEZERS and TOOTHPICK!](http://bikelah.com/image/data/Victorinox/victorinox_std3_11118.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902/66 "2016-07-25T20:00:27Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Believe it or not I was shown the technique way back in the early 80’s at a survival in-service training. Showed us how to start a fire without matches, open a can without an opener, what to do if we fall through the ice into water, etc… All little things you hope you never have to use because they are easier said than done. Which no-matches method did they show you? > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > By far, the most useful tools are the scissors and the toothpick. I use them the most. I’ve replaced the spring on the scissors of my '82 Swiss Champ twice. Per 13a in the illustration linked in the OP, they’re dandy for trimming fingernails when I don’t have nail clippers handy. The screwdiver that lives in the corkscrew is perfect for tightening my glasses. I’ve never used the hook depicted in 14-14c. The scissors come in different sizes- my new Huntsman has the 2-3/4" pair which are nice for my fat clumsy fingers; whereas the 1-5/8" pair on their smaller models I have trouble with. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902/67 "2016-07-26T15:11:41Z")
I’ve had various SAKs since my first one that Dad gave me when I was 12, a black Classic, IIRC. Once Victorinox came out with the lock blades i’ve carried a Rucksack with me for the last 20 years; I lost one and am on my second now. I’ve (mis)used pretty much every tool in there but the toothpick, blade, bottle opener, eyeglass screwdriver (I bought it as an add-on from Victorinox) are the ones I use the most. I see they have one handed open models now which I may consider if this one kicks the bucket. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902/68 "2016-07-26T16:49:55Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > I’ve had various SAKs since my first one that Dad gave me when I was 12, a black Classic, IIRC. Once Victorinox came out with the lock blades i’ve carried a Rucksack with me for the last 20 years; I lost one and am on my second now. I’ve (mis)used pretty much every tool in there but the toothpick, blade, bottle opener, eyeglass screwdriver (I bought it as an add-on from Victorinox) are the ones I use the most. I see they have one handed open models now which I may consider if this one kicks the bucket. I carry a very similar SAK, a Victorinox Nomad - identical to the Rucksack, except without the saw. I’ve been carrying the Nomad for about 15 years. The locking blade SAKs are great, and the large screwdriver locks as well. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902/69 "2016-07-26T19:45:10Z")
P.S. and TIL that there’s a small hole sized for holding a straight pin: [![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UmnJAT1vBUk/UnIgHVm7ubI/AAAAAAAAagg/Y1mZxTFUhsk/s1600/PA310009.jpg) ](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UmnJAT1vBUk/UnIgHVm7ubI/AAAAAAAAagg/Y1mZxTFUhsk/s1600/PA310009.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902/70 "2016-07-26T20:07:07Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > P.S. and TIL that there’s a small hole sized for holding a straight pin: > > [http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UmnJAT1vBUk/UnIgHVm7ubI/AAAAAAAAagg/Y1mZxTFUhsk/s1600/PA310009.jpg](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UmnJAT1vBUk/UnIgHVm7ubI/AAAAAAAAagg/Y1mZxTFUhsk/s1600/PA310009.jpg) My Champions don’t have that. Neither does the Spartan I have at-hand. My Swiss Champs not only have the hole, they came with the pins in them. (Plain, flat metal head; not like the one in the link.) You learn something new every day! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![davey77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@davey77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davey77)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902/71 "2016-07-27T18:45:15Z")
I find that my Leatherman Micra (New Style) suits me perfectly. For me, it’s all about the SCISSORS. They handle 95% of my cutting needs. About the size of a pack of Wrigley’s gum, it even doubles as a keyring. There’s a carabiner for easy detachment from my keys when I go to COURT, the airPORT, or a SPORT… or concert. Hey, not everything can rhyme. If it were to be lost or confiscated, it can be replaced at any mart store for 20 bucks or less. I also want/need a flashlight that fits in my pocket but doesn’t require expensive coin cell “watch” batteries. (Well, I guess they’re about $3 nowadays, but if you need the dreaded 3 battery combination… ) My light is a plastic solar/handcrank model that hasn’t broken yet. I also smoke, so I have the means to make fire in the unlikely event I should have to. Yeah, I’ve thought this through. But hey, you’d be amazed how many friends you make when you’re the guy with the bottle opener. ---
**Author:** ![davey77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@davey77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davey77)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902/72 "2016-07-27T18:51:05Z")
:smack::smack::smack: Oh yeah, CORKSCREWS! They’re utterly worthless. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902/73 "2016-07-27T22:17:57Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Yep, this. I keep a good SAK in my travel bag. Corkscrew works great. Hate to be somewhere with a bottle of wine and no way to open it. And don’t tell me to pound it with a shoe. I tried that once. It works (depending on the shoe and the type of cork) but it’s a super duper major pain in the ass and takes forever. Ditto. The shoe or tree trick never worked well for me. The corkscrew on a SAK has always been just fine. Just thread it all the way down, and then I hold it with a fist in between my middle and ring finger while pulling the SAK up and the bottle down. I don’t recall any difficulty with this method, and I’m not a particularly muscular guy. Sometimes it helps to apply twisting force on the bottle and corkscrew as you’re pulling. (Clockwise on the SAK, counter on the bottle.) ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902/74 "2016-07-27T22:49:06Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Ditto. The shoe or tree trick never worked well for me. The corkscrew on a SAK has always been just fine. Just thread it all the way down, and then I hold it with a fist in between my middle and ring finger while pulling the SAK up and the bottle down. I don’t recall any difficulty with this method, and I’m not a particularly muscular guy. Sometimes it helps to apply twisting force on the bottle and corkscrew as you’re pulling. (Clockwise on the SAK, counter on the bottle.) That is basically the way I do it as well but I sometimes just hold the bottom of the wine bottle between my feet, reach down and pull up with the SAK held between my fingers as described. It works great and doesn’t require any strength at all. You are also less likely to splatter a little of it on yourself or drop the bottle if the cork pops out suddenly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pocket-knives-with-corkscrew/758902.md?page=3)