An Ode to the Tinker

If you’re over the age of 35 it’s likely that your first pocket knife was some kind of Swiss Army Knife. Most of us got the Victorinox Spartan (sorry all you Wenger kids) because it’s what our dad’s carried. It was a symbol that you were old enough to be trusted with something sharp; for me it made me feel like a “real man.” Suddenly I had something with two(!) blades, two flathead screwdrivers, a can opener, a corkscrew(?) and an awl. I walked around with a sense of independence, adventure and a little swagger. Oh, need something cut? I got you. That thing over there needs a hole punched in it? Awl over it (wocka wocka). Bottles got opened, cans were attempted to open (it took me into my late teens to figure out the can opener), I was amazed at everything I could do and supremely confused though. WTF was an 8-year-old supposed to do with a cork screw at scout camp? It became just another, more inconvenient way to punch holes in things.

Once I inevitably lost my first Spartan, I was gifted a Victorinox Tinker next, and with that little Phillips head screwdriver I never looked back. The Tinker is, in my opinion, the ultimate EDC multitool. Yes, I love my Leatherman, but it’s bigger and heavier than I like to carry on the regular. No matter if I’m carrying a separate blade, I’ve always got my Tinker on me. I’ve put entire pieces of furniture together with it. It’s saved many a picnic being the only knife around to cut bread, meat and cheese. And I’d be lying if I didn’t feel like the shit any time I’ve been somewhere and someone utters the magic words, “anybody got a pocket knife?” or its close cousin, “if only I had something to cut/screw/poke/open this.”

At under $40 for such a classic piece of gear, it’s a no-brainer and a little easier on the mind and wallet if something happens to it. I’m famous for carrying it so often that I forget when we’re going somewhere like a concert where knives are prohibited and having it confiscated. I always re-order one as soon as I’m inside the venue. The Tinker is likely never going to make the fancy lists that gear heads love to compile online, but it’s always the first thing I grab for EDC. 

The Victorinox Tinker - SRP $36