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USB Swiss Army Knife
finno writes "The Register has a heads-up on a new Swiss Army knife by Victorinox. As the article says, 'Given that you can buy a Victorinox Swiss Army Knive with just about
every gadget known to man, from horse-hoof awl to Hubble Space
Telescope lens polisher, it's no real surprise that the company - in
association with flash memory outfit Swissbit
- is now offering cutting tools plus USB flash memory stick.' In my
home state of New South Wales, it is illegal
to be carrying a knife without a reasonable excuse such as 'the
lawful pursuit of the
person's occupation'. I got me a reasonable excuse now!"
But I want to know why the SwissFlame isn't allowed for sale in the US.
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
My Swiss Army Knife is with me constantly because it's so useful. Had it for years. I've lost the toothpick and the spring in the scissors, but it's still indispensible.
So, with the recent crackdown in the USA on small scale implements of terrorism such as nail clippers, I try to remember to put my knife in the glove compartment before a flight.
I forgot once. And I sure didn't want to give away my knife. The TSA inspectors must have 10 million pocket knives by now. What to do before getting in line for the security scan?
I found an fake potted plant in an isolated corner of the airport and hid the knife under some bark chips.
When I came back 3-4 days later I just picked it up on the way out.
"Provided by the management for your protection."
- Blade -- Every knife needs one. A combination large and small blade is nice but not necessary on this knife
- Scissors -- From cutting down labels to just about anything else, the Scissors are mandatory
- Phillips head screwdriver -- Or replace this with the socket set
- Flathead screwdriver -- Or replace this with the socket set
- Inanimate carbon-steel rod -- In place of the useless tweezers, for ejecting stubborn CDs or rebooting PDAs
- Micro-flashlight -- Built into the case, a small white LED bulb at one end is activated by pressing on a certain spot on the handle. The battery is stored in the case. I don't think any knife has this yet, but I know I've wanted it for ages. The light switch should be a toggle, so you don't have to keep holding it down while you're working.
That's all I'm looking for in a knife. I'd pay $100 for one like that, especially if they called it the Geekman.I read the internet for the articles.
You think that's bad? In the UK, you can't even buy safety razor blades {eg. Gillette sensor type, which can't make a cut more than 1mm. deep without serious modding, the process of which is likely to cut you} if you're under 16, but you can be expelled from school for not shaving!
Clearly the law was meant to stop kids buying cut-throat razor blades, but it's still a bit idiotic. And if they want knives, they will just steal them.
Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
Leatherman? Bah. They try to fit too much into it, and all the tools end up being too flimsy.
I, on the other hand, have been using the same Gerber Multi-plier for about 12 years (yes, I was 12 when I got it). It has blunt nose pliers instead of needle-nose, and all the tools are heavy-duty. For example, the Philips head isn't just a flat sliver, it's the real deal. The pliers actually work well for tighening bolts and nuts, you know, real bolts and nuts like on cars and bikes. And the real feature is the one-handed snap opening. You just fish it out of your pocket, flick your wrist and *snap* you've got pliers. Every Leatherman I've seen requires you to sit down with it and unfold some complicated metal origami, using two hands and paying very close attention because more often than not, the knives will fold out and you'll cut yourself.
Mine is bead-blasted stainless, and has never rusted...I don't know about the more recent versions. I wouldn't buy a cheap version. If I ever replace it, I might have to go with this: Gerber Multi-Plier 600 DET. I mean, it doesn't have blunt pliers, but how cool is it to have a non-reflective black oxide pocket battlefield tool with such items as "C-4 explosives punch" and "blasting cap crimper"?
...
Take a look at These pics of items apparently confiscated in Sacramento.
All of us in college used it for this purpose...i worked tech support (think rigging lights and speakers, not ethernet) in college for the university union, and we all carried leathermans or schrades (my personal favorite). At the parties after shows, people would yank out their multitools for all sorts of useful stuff...roach clips, shotgunning beers, etc.
--trb
If knives are outlawed, only outlaws will have knives.
Have to admit, I hadn't heard about this law before. I carry a Gerber multitool-whatever-they-call-it. It has a knife blade, but more importantly it has a #2 Phillips screwdriver tip, perfect for opening just about every PC case made. I already have my excuse.
Sleep is just a poor substitute for caffeine, anyway. -Bob Lehmann
The hijackers on September 11th supposedly used box cutters, cheap little disposable knives. If you tried to stab anybody the blade would snap, but you can cut somebody's throat pretty effectively. But you can do more damage with a SAK than a box cutter, and apparently they were pretty effective with the box cutters.
So I wouldn't discount what you can do with a SAK on a plane. Things have changed and an attack of this kind again is extremely unlikely. But an attack of a different kind is not just likely but inevitable, and the law enforcement authorities are trying to cut off as many possible avenues of attack as they can. Often stupidly and ineffectively (you can't do any damange with toenail clippers that you can't do with your teeth), but they have good reason to be paranoid of tiny potential weapons.
I have to agree with you, I have had a leatherman wave for a while. My roommate showed me his gerber and I almost died of jealousy. Seriously, the Leatherman is a nifty toy, but the Gerber is a piece of engineering mastery. It's the little things that count.
Sigs? We don't need no stinking sigs!