Interesting! Diego, thank you for bringing up this very interesting idea- I do not believe anyone else has said this. I never thought of this, and as out of keeping with current sensibilities as it is, I am not at all sure it is wrong. You're thinking that something in males allowed them to them make and use tools. It could be - but I don't think we can speculate with confidence because with at least some chimpanzees that use tools, females hunt with tools more than males - www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/female-chimps-more-likely-males-hunt-tools-180955004/ . They also suspect that the females had to invent the spears because they were smaller and weaker and often had babies on them. I think our use of tools is so old that we would have a hard time figuring out if it were more a male or female thing - but this is out of my area of expertise! If there are any people out there with better education on the matter or with more info on this, please let us know! Diego, thank you again for bringing up this interesting idea!
@@thevineclimber the thought just crossed my mind while watching your video. Chimpanzees are the closest to us, who are still alive, nevertheless we shared a common ancestor. My hypothesis is more directed to fighting. Just grabbing a stone or picking up a stick to multiply your force is more a male related behaviour than than a female one. It took my ex-girlfriend 2 years of seeing me everyday carrying and solving problems with my edc (multitool/flashlight/pen) to start carrying a pink victorinox sd I gave her and a small Olight flashlight I had previously bought. And just seeing her around the house trying to finish tasks with her bare hands without thinking about using a tool to do so, brought this thought into my mind. Maybe it wasn´t a man the one that started using tools, but throught history more males have been involved in designing/perfecting/using heavy tools than females. Times changed and keep changing, I hope we all see the use of them. Good point in your video about how women focus more on how beautiful things look and men go more about function. I guess a couple is therefore better together.
@Diego Lainfiesta Very interesting Diego, and I am so happy that you elaborated on your initial comment! I don't know that this is relevant but I want to share this experience.I was kind of a multitool failure until the Swiss champ.Not that I haven't had a lot of different multi tools over the years, but there is nothing I have used with the frequency that I use the Swiss champ. I stopped carrying all of those other tools because they weren't worth the weight. I wonder if it is because I was always trying to go in a more simple way and with the Swiss champ, there are ample opportunities for me to be creative with what tool I'm using for what. I like having "all" the tools with me! But at first, I needed a little encouragement to be creative with them...
Sorry, that's completely BS - watch gorillas, chimpanzees and orang-utans - from using sticks to get to food deep in holes, rocks to smash nuts to large sticks to fend off predators, everything is used by both, male and female. In TV-series from zoos you often see, that female apes are more inventive and clever than the male "chiefs", which mostly limit themselves to pointing out their "dominance" by jumping around and making a lot of noise - recognize any similarities? ;-))
I’m a woman hurtling towards 70 years old and have been using hand tools and power tools throughout my life. I, too, learned to solder as a child and remember taking my kit to school in third grade to “show and tell” the other kids how to solder. I worked with my dad in his shop from age 3. I joined the Army at 19 and became one of the first women to be an electronics tech who worked on crypto computers and qualified on the M16- this was early 70s. I only just discovered your channel and love your content. I also am pretty girly, and can’t help loving pink and purple. It’s in my DNA. I find all the dark colored edc gear boring and I think you nailed the reasons more women don’t get involved in edc and prepping.
Wow! Phloxy Lady that is an amazing comment! What a remarkable life you are leading! I am completely humbled that my content and this video appealed to you. Thank you SO much for coming by! I really feel like any response I make is going to be inadequate to your comment. I do think it's really interesting that you can be good with electronics and tools and still have a strong feminine side. Tools help you get all sorts of things done! Thank you so much for sharing about your career in the military. And thank you so much for your service.
@@thevineclimber No need for humility. You are doing all of us a favor by filling a hole in the edc web and honoring the men who are the base of the movement.
Wow! New middle aged female subscriber here. GREAT analysis and discussion! I am an allied health professional in hospital and clinic settings and rely on tools to adjust, tweak and repair wheelchairs and various assistive devices, and more. I am all over campus and thus cannot lug a lot with me and so I am a multi tool fan. My fav EDC in pocket is the SAK manager (a pen is still needed sometimes even in our EMR world). You are so insightful and thank you for helping break barriers and stereotypes about women and tools. Tools are not just for men as you say. Tools are what make us HUMAN. Many thanks😊
I lost your comment for 5 months!! Lol thank you for your nice comment. I'm amazed that you can have a knife in the hospital! I love the Manager and hope toy have great success breaking down barriers! ❤️
@@thevineclimber I admired your knowledge of your collection and kept thinking you must have a strong thumbnail, like everyone else who reviews all the SAK tools on UA-cam. You are cute too, and a good presenter. (I know, I wouldn’t call a male presenter cute..) but I do have three cute daughters and four cute granddaughters…
Been thinking about this a lot since watching this a day ago. My first reaction was “This can’t be!” Then I thought maybe my family is unique Even though conservative and believe in gender roles, I have always been taught to hunt, fish, work same as my brothers, just as they were taught to cook, sew and do laundry. These are considered life skills. Then I thought of the time I brought my my Leatherman PST to a ladies event to decorate our church for Christmas. I was teased quite a bit (women can be mean and catty and succumb to mob mentality IMO), but funny enough as the day went on ladies asked to borrow it until eventually it was passed around and lost. Then just now I received marketing from Amazon with pictures of a large metal tool box offered in pink and teal. A few years ago I threatened my husband that I was going to spray paint all my tools pink to stop him from stealing them for work. 😆 I think the cause is a combination of a number of things. I agree with the commenter who said it may be due to lack of female role models. Just like with my misplaced PST, people didn’t understand it’s usefulness until they saw it in use. I’ve been telling my nieces and nephews that everyone should carry a pocket knife or multi tool regardless of gender and not wait to be helped but be capable and the one who helps.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment... I really hesitated for a long time before deciding what to say in this video because 1. It is possible that 99.9% is wrong - for example, I wouldn't be surprised if YT thinks I'm a man, based on the ads it sometimes gives me, and I usually don't give out more information to these companies than I have to, so I probably didn't tell it I'm female at any point. So that really could be extreme - if people who watch knife content are automatically categorized as men, then it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy on my channel. 2. I don't know what things are like in places that I don't live. I tried to research women using multitools, but all I found were some insipid articles by women who tried carrying a multitool and thought it was OK. There was not much data out there that I could find. So it could be that there are places where people just carry around their multitools and use them and there you go, nobody would think it was odd, and so nobody would comment on it. I personally never noticed that I don't know any women that carry a multitool until I saw that statistic. I agree with you; my experience is that other women think it's weird, but then they seem kind of like they want one!! I agree... lack of female role models is an issue, and maybe it's the issue in some areas. I am glad that you teach the young people around you to carry their tools with them and help people - be the one that helps as much as possible! That is a great way to put it. I love that mentality. "Don't wait to be helped, but be capable, and be the one that helps." Thanks so much, again, for your thoughtful comment. :)
May i ask if you learned hunting and fishing by a female role model, and your brothers on the other hand learned sewing and cooking by a male role model? I think the "gender correct" role model (-> that the role model has to be the same gender as the kid) is overrated. Judging by what you mentioned that you explain to your nieces and nephews you are a great role model for both, and the boys won't ignore your advice just because you aren't the same gender as they are. I am male, and work in a job that has only 4 women among almost 170 men. I carry a sak in my pocket, and my male collegues often react like the ladies you mentioned in your church decoration. Making fun of me for having my pocket knife on me but sometimes borrowing it. (never had that experience with my female collegues though) I think that's just common human behaviour: a group of people who have something in common often tends to make fun of someone who does something slightly different until they either understand why, or understand that it is beneficial.
@@nirfz I learned my outdoor skills from male members of my family. Male members of my family learned “homemaking” skills mostly from the female family members. This was not because it was expected, but we were taught by who happened to be the most skilled and willing to teach us. It wasn’t that a woman couldn’t teach me outdoor skills but the guys did it more. By role model, I think of it more as an eye opener for for a girl to see another female doing something and it becoming inspiration to learn it themselves, an “aha” moment let’s call it. It’s about opportunity. It may not be intentional, but if a kid doesn’t see someone like them doing something, they may simply not think of it as an option.
@@kich6172 That's what everybody always gives as reason, and the reason i asked. You did not need females teaching you hunting, and your brothers did not need males teaching them cooking. I think it doesn't matter "who" shows, teaches. Nothing against you, i just think that this is the "easy answer" someone once came up with and everybody copies for convenience. It means parents, relatives as well as the kids themselves "are not at fault" because there just is no fitting role model. So the only ones at fault are the missing role models. (I think this originates from parents who weren't interested in showing and teaching, or exposing their kids to different things, and former children who were uninterested in most things and use it as excuse for not trying something different to what they ended up doing) If it were the case, Marie curie didn't need a female role model to win two nobel prizes (she's still the only person winning two in two different fields). No one would have ever flown to space or built a plane. No one would have ever been the first at doing something. (I would have never attended engineering school if i had needed a role model. My parents didn't have that high education, and neither did anyone i knew.) "Exposure" can help a lot, but i think it doesn't matter by whom.
@@nirfz People are all different and grow up in different environments, so people unlike you may need this sort of inspiration. I was taught by the men in my family but it wouldn’t have happened without stories of my grandmother squirrel hunting to help put food on the table while my grandfather worked. I had plenty of female role models. The question here is more broad as in why aren’t MORE women using multi tools. Her hypothesis is just that. However, as a woman and being open minded about the possibility, I recognize that my situation may be unique and that lack of female role models may be AN answer, not THE answer to the question posed. We’re not focusing on just one individual but women generally. There is a reason why outdoor sports, like archery and trap shooting, saw an upswing after girls saw or read the YA series Hunger Games in which the lead character was a teen proficient in archery or the Olympics highlighted the US female shooter win ANOTHER gold medal in shooting. People GENERALLY, tend to be inspired by someone with whom they can identify. It would be an ideal world if everyone was a strong, independent thinker and as self-determined as you. Most people need to be inspired and everyone is inspired by different things. Same gender role models is just one idea of probably many to answer this.
Many years ago (we’ve been together 43 years), I gave my wife a Victorinox Rambler to carry in her purse. She recently had it ‘confiscated’ (stolen) by the TSA when we flew to Oklahoma for our son’s graduation from Army Boot Camp. She lamented losing it, saying she had often found it very useful over the years. I got her a new Rambler as quickly as possible. She carries every day, as she did the first one.
That's great!! The Rambler is super- functional and really supports someone who wants to intervene in the world to make it a better place. Love it! Mine is green 💚.
When I was 15, my father gifted me a Workchamp XL. What an ugly tool! I loved that thing to death though. He never had to worry about me borrowing and forgetting to return his tools. I still have it nearly 23 years later. But it stays at home, because I already lost it twice. I've purchased several other multitools in the last 7 years. Yes, I upgraded the scales on my 3 other 91mm Vics :) I love to personalize what I buy, if it's possible. Keep up the good work, Ann :)
So, I asked you this in another comment, but ... I think the WorkChamp XL looks amazing. Not too fond of the tool duplication, but still... I have thus far restrained myself from getting one. Since you've upgraded the scales, do you have any advice on stores with good scale options? Thank you so much for the encouragement! You are a true SAK enthusiast! :) I'm so happy to meet you. :) Anne
Loved your video. I am a woman who loves tools because my father used them often. I have many SAKS and multitools. I found a pink folding knife and bought it right away. I think I'm somewhat concerned that if i use "masculine" tools, I won't be considered feminine enough. I carry them anyway, sometimes sheepishly.
I thought for quite a while how to reply to this. This is a very legitimate point you bring up and one I have struggled with quite a bit! Pink tools scream "This is a feminine female person (who likes tools)." It bothers me though that they also sometimes seem to be made by companies that don't put a lot of focus on quality. I'm going to get together a collection of feminine- appearing multitools and start showing them to other women to see what they like. Do you have any suggestions?
@@thevineclimber I am women and now I have 4 Victorinox knifes, 2 Leathermans, the machette and some other knifes. Now I am going to purchase Victorinox Compact or Victorinox Midnite Manager for my sister's birthday. There are not saw, but there are scissors and pen. Compact has the pin and the corcscrew, too. My sister like to drink a vine in hotel. Midnite Manager has a little LED light. Of course, both they has some screwdrivers- as Victorinox standart tools. Compact is 91mm knife, but only 2 lines and 64 grams. Not so bulky even for lady who sometimes travel and stay in hotels. I think, it will be great birthday gift for lady.
It's wonderful! It's great to meet another woman who loves her Swiss army knives! I think that the Compact is going to be such a great gift for your sister. It sounds like we would get along well.I like to drink a little wine in hotel, too! You bring up an excellent point and one which we do not discuss often.A Swiss army knife is fantastic for travel. But because you can't carry it on a plane. I feel like it is really limited. A lot of people like to travel with only their carry on. Thank you so much for watching and I hope your sister loves her gift!
@@thevineclimber Thank you for your answer! I live in Europe and here is allowed to cary to plane knife with blade no longer as 50 mm long. All small 58 mm SAKs blade lenght is 40 mm. It is allowed to take it in plane, if you travel by plane in Europe. By this way I purchased for me the Leatherman Squirt PS4. Last year I liked the idea about knife with small pliers in my EDC carry. The Squirt also has blade, only 36 mm long. It is allowed to take it to plane to travel in Europe. The Compact is excellent ladys EDC, but forbiden to carry on plane. The SAKs Midnite Manager has 40mm blade, scissors, pen, small LED light and combo tool bottle opener with Philips screwdriver. It is allowed to carry to European airplanes. Now I am thinking: what will be beter for sister: the 91mm Compact or 58mm Midnite Manager to carry to plane?
@@thevineclimber As a "backup" I purchased on market small keychain knife. It looks like a key at first moment. It's blade is 50mm, costs only 2.5 Euros. If airport security catch this knife- it wasn't painfull to lost it. I will go to market and purchase next. :) I am carrying knife on my EDC at least 10 years. I cant imagine to travel without any knife.
It's great to hear a woman's perspective on this topic. If you want my personal opinion, the tool being more useful, sturdy, or well thought out is the cute part. I love uncompromisingly efficient, effective designs, with the aesthetics being the last consideration. It's still a consideration, I love a good looking setup, but, I never sacrifice utility for color, or style. When having this stuff on you is important enough to carry with you all day every day, take some time to look around and you'll find what you want, or you'll learn how to make it how you want it. I'd like to see you design what a woman would use. What kinds of implements would a woman want? What is the ideal size/weight/form factor that a woman would tolerate carrying around? How would it be carried? What would women be willing to spend on it? What colors/textures/patterns? What tool would it be based on for the platform? I think this is something you should explore.
Thanks for such a thoughtful comment. I do agree that we should pick the tool set quality and price we want, and after that we can choose what looks the nicest that meets our needs. But not all of us seem to want to do that, and I wonder whether sometimes valuing beauty over function is a female trait. But if it is, there is a purpose to it, and it helps our societies some way. I was very utilitarian as a young girl and had to grow into an appreciation of beauty, so I do see your perspective. What women want in a multitool - that's a tall order. I'm not terribly feminine! And women I know think multitools are silly. Hm...
My wife tells a story of sitting around high maintenance young women all googly over rings and makeup. She looked out the window and was admiring productive young men with slender hineyz! Oh yeah! She snuck out to be tutored into maintenence on classic cars. She never went without manly companionship! Lol!!! She said they always treated her well. No regrets. She was more than happy to delegate the tough jobs to me after 50 or so tho. I remember her helping me roof and keeping the gold diggers away! Haha!!!!!!!
Wow, great content Anne! I am female, a senior, and have been an "edc'er" since the early days of the inception of the term Every Day Carry. But, I am not a " girly girl". I am not a fan of pink either. I guess its safe to say I've always been sort of a TomBoy, but proud of my feminine gender. With that out of the way, I have never owned a SAK because of the nail nick access as I don't have fingernails. I have carried a knife off and on throughout my adult life and when the knife industry moved away from nail nick slip joints, this woman was overjoyed. So SAK tools have never been on my radar. I actually think they are rather bland as far as design goes. Color has nothing to do with it. I have carried a Leatherman Skeletool for decades, and to me the design with all the holes and curved handles is a thing of beauty. i do think many of their tools are quite ugly. Generalizing about gender preferences can be a slippery slope and may bring out the trolls, but I so admire your courage for starting this discussion. I agree with what you said about the problems with marketing to specific genders, (think back to the pink handled hammers and tool boxes for women) and I agree that women are generally attracted to beauty. But, beauty is different for everybody, hugely subjective and often has nothing to do with color. Shape and form play a huge role as you so aptly stated. What bothers me is that a majority of the edc content on UA-cam is generated by men who objectify women, and make no bones about their patriarchal masculinity and "dude-ness". One such channel shows strippers on dancing poles during live streams which makes me sick to my stomach. Many commenters on edc channels denigrate women and this attitude is perpetuated by our patriarchal society. Geography also seems to have a lot to do with this issue. But I digress. I find I am forced to watch channels that bother me on some level in order to learn about tools and edc items. There just are not many women with edc content on UA-cam which is sad. Most of those that are doing edc content are " girly girls" with their pink pouches and Gucci (sp?) purses which is a complete turn off to me. But they are reaching a certain audience and more power to them for doing what they do. My point is that I think there are a lot of women who fall somewhere in the middle or may gravitate back and forth on what they carry based on where they are going on a particular day. Your channel is such a breath of fresh air on all fronts. I would however encourage you to be careful when you make gender based generalizations especially in this modern era. I also think a lot of women do their own thing without advertising it as so many men seem to do. This may fit into the "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" category. I've gone on for too long on this, but what I would really love to see is a live stream panel discussion featuring women edc'ers and content makers discussing tools, knives and everything edc. Your channel would be the perfect place and you would make a great moderator! I for one would love to participate in such an event and can think of one or two women content makers who would be great panelists. Maybe you could make space for a women focused need live stream maybe twice a month. I think you might be surprised at the women who would enjoy this type of content. Or have a new guest each time women edc'ers of various ages, location and occupations. Thanks again for what you do!
Wow, Lauren, that's awesome; thanks! 😀 Your history as an EDCer is awesome. And I actually did assume that a lot of women were carrying multi tools and not really making a biig deal out of it, but I really haven't been able to find that many near where I live when I've asked. I really do appreciate your warning about generalizing about gender. I really wanted to talk about this topic because I do actually feel like the tools themselves are designed with more masculine-appreciated characteristics, and I think that there are attempts made to address this issue, but they don't go far enough. I like the red scales, and I personally do not care for pink scales, but I think it is maybe partly my comfort with masculine stuff that has made me comfortable with multitools and allowed me to really explore this area as an interest. So what about for women that are put together differently? I think when you have the right tool and you find a problem, then you can fix the problem, and fixing the problem encourages you to fix more problems. Or to create more things. But what if the barrier to entry is actually getting the tool in the first place? If the tool is visually unappealing to you or possibly masculine when you see yourself as feminine, then maybe that is a barrier too high to cross. And if it is, you don't get to enter the self- reinforcing cycle of fixing something, feeling good about yourself, and fixing the nectar thing that comes along. Ok. I don't know what to say about this, but... dancing girls during a live stream? I wrote a lot of stuff but deleted it because I think my ancient brand of feminism is mostly offensive to everyone now. Let's just say that there are a lot of women that would not be interested in watching that content! OK I have to go to work. I really wanted to write more but you know life keeps rolling on even though you start a UA-cam channel.Thank you so much for writing Lauren!
I’m a woman and love tools and gears because of my parents, both were always making something clever with tools. Happyfully (?) the beauty factor is why I got, as a multitool, the victorinox spirit x, because it is elegant, and so solid and well made. I really appreciate your tone and midset. Clever unusual thoughts!
Oooh yes, the Spirit X is elegant. THAT is something we should be looking for in multitools. I always think that the brightly-colored multitools, while appealing to me, will probably get me made fun of! Also, I really question the quality of a lot of these tools. So the Spirit X is a great choice. :) Thank you so much for writing about that. Also, good to hear about your parents making clever things - I think when kids see that, it gives them the sense that it's OK to make stuff, and make mistakes while doing it, so that they feel comfortable experimenting... It is so exciting to meet some women on this channel! :) Thank you!
I always assumed it was at least partially a pocket size associated thing, a lot of the utility of a multitool is about being able to easily and quickly access it at any time. Women's clothes in general have small pockets, and if you are going to have to fiddle around in a bag regardless you might as well have a few simple dedicated tools.
That is a very succinct way to. State what I have been thinking about for a while. This is genius. It's so true that if I don't have it right on hand immediately available, then it seems like too much of a hassle to get it out.
I asked my wife why she thought more women didn't carry a SAK or multi-tool on a daily basis. Her immediate answer was "lack of adequate pockets." She has an Evo Grip S17 that she really likes, but it stays primarily in her day pack.
I think everything is related to a cultural issue, at least here in Argentina it is not well seen that girls carry multitools or knives. A few years ago, I gift a classic vic for my 13 y.o. daughter, which at first she said "that was something for men", until she started using it, and carrying it with her keys everywhere. Now she has 19 y.o. and carries her black trailmaster for every trekking hikes. Great video!
2:20 See marketing for razors: ads for women more often emphasize beauty, while ads for men more often emphasize function and technology. And while technically there's not really a reason to build the razors differently, a distinctly different design language is used.
I rarely comment but I appreciated the different perspective you offered here and wanted to at least write a short message to encourage you to keep up the good work. I don't even remember how I stumbled on this video, but I really appreciated your calm and honest demeanor and how genuine you seemed to be. Also, even with notes, pulling off the whole video in one go is super impressive! Of the people I know, I would generalize to say that less than 10% carry a tool on them at all times and of those, 9/10 or more are men. If I had to venture a guess, I have a feeling a lot of it has to do with exposure/experience, social expectations/culture, and (perceived)need and then there are probably a lot of smaller variables at play like how it looks. I hope you continue to be met with polite and authentic commentors and avoid the trolls and drama so prevalent on the internet.
Hello IDanon - great name!! Thank you very much for your comment. :) I do feel very encouraged by your comment, and I thank you so much! I think that it is far more complicated than my video made it seem, and yet I still think that women carrying multitools should be a thing; I think it has a little to do with confidence interfacing with the physical world, and I would love to see all people have that. But you are absolutely correct that the exposure/experience, social expectations/culture and perceived need come into it in a major way. I don't know that we need to change the culture, but I do think that women doing traditionally women's work benefit from having a multitool... I'm not sure this story rises to the level of needing a video, but briefly, a friend saw me use my SAK and was inspired to start carrying her own again - unusually, she does not carry a purse because it holds her back, but is now considering carrying a purse so she can keep her knife on her! Anyhow, a lot of things are at play in there, and I'll leave that analysis for another day. I need to be honest and tell you that there have been probably about 70 attempts at this video in total, many with very small percentages of the content, and some in a very unformed version, over 3 months - definitely NOT a first time through kind of thing! I tend to quit as soon as I make a mistake I'm not willing to live with and then start over from the beginning. I was not faking that ending, though; I had made it to the ending I think twice previously, and both times were just fine, but on this attempt, where everything else had actually gone fine, I started to cry and I was like, NOOOOoooo DON'T CRY but then I was like, you know what, that's actually how I feel so we're going to leave it. I really trust my viewers, or at least the ones who are likely to make it all the way to the end! Anyway, just this morning I was browsing some comments on someone else's channel, and . . . I do not know how he can stand his comment section; everyone is so mean to him! I completely think he is great and his content is great, but if people speak to me like that I just could not keep going. Why? Why keep going if everybody thinks you are an idiot and doesn't even care enough about you not to tell you so directly? So I also hope that I avoid trolls because I love talking to people about EDC and SAKs and I would really miss this! OK, so you hit a bit of a nerve there. Anyhow... Thank you for your awesomely encouraging comment!! :) Anne
I’m a female viewer and own a leatherman as well as a Swiss Army Knife. I was raised to be outdoorsy by a mom who used more outdoor tools than beauty tools. I had a black mud bike while my friends had their banana seat bike with a basket and streamers. Because of this, I was made fun of. I suspect it would have been only slightly more acceptable if it was a pink mud bike. My point is that woman are often encouraged to use tools that go with home and hearth, but not BUILDING/maintaining the home since that has been seen as traditionally male. Since my family descended by hard scrabble Irish farmers, some who had lost their husbands and ran farms on their own (along with raising kids), we didn’t have the ability avoid the push for resourcefulness and self reliance that many women were denied. Lastly, I work in the medical field, therefore we’re used to using tools all the time. The more functions a tool has the better so our pockets aren’t overflowing, but we’re prepared for the worst.
Thank you for this lovely comment! Yes good point, women are traditionally encouraged to use tools that are for homemaking .. but I think we all need a variety of skills now, even the must traditional woman benefits from being able to take care of basic problems. Thanks for sharing the story about your family. It is memorable!
Wow, that is actually a fascinating topic that I had never given much thought about. I had always assumed that if a person needed some type of tool, they would carry it. It’s apparent that you have given this topic quite a bit of thought but I don’t know what the answer is, but I suspect there are numerous reasons with some logical and some illogical. You frequently hear people talk about the philosophy of EDC, but I’ve never heard anyone talk about the psychology of EDC, which would be interesting. “Carry what you need and need what you carry” 😉. Lastly, your ending was honestly touching. I sub’d to your channel for several reasons but the big ones were your honesty and genuineness along with pertinent information. Keep up the good work Anne, you’re doing good my friend 😊
Oh, Michael, thank you!! 😊 Yes, I don't know the answer, either, but I want us to think about it because I think we are all better when we are all living up to our potentials, and tools are a part of that. I love the idea of the psychology of EDC. LOVE it - I think about this but had no phrase for it.
This really hits the nail on the head! I commented on one of your videos recently that I was looking for a pink SAK like you had, for my 8yo daughter. Her and her brother both are getting upgrades from basic multitools. *He* wants every tool on it he can get (that his 6yo hand can hold), and she wants *kind* of the same thing, but it *has* to be pink. Now, I know she's a young girl, but I carry a pink and blue sprinkled donut knife, her brother wears and owns wears a whole range of colors in clothes and items. What she said is that she wants the tool, but she wants it to be "cute and UNIQUE". After talking with Rich a little about this same subject too, I asked her, and my own daughter said that she wants it to really stand out as a "girl tool". There definitely needs to be a better push in ergonomics and image for multitools and SAK as an *every person* tool. Not just as being utilitarian *OR* pretty, but not both! EDIT: I was watching this while typing this comment and just got to the mention of my comment! 🤣 She'll be super excited about this!
I was super-excited that you asked me, because I saw the cherry blossom scaled one, and I bought it. I mean, seriously, I need to make some kind of display case for all these SAKs!! I like the idea of there being "girl tools". Many of them look unmistakeably like boy tools. Another commenter said she liked the Spirit X in part because it is elegant. If you think about design of, say, kitchen knives. This has been going on for a long time, and it has always been both men and women that use them, and I think that the design and ergonomics of the tool, as we expect them to be, account for that. But multitools may need a bit more thought if we want them to look or act like "girl tools". Hmmm. Your kids sound pretty cool. Nice job!
I just ordered my hearts custom huntsman! I’m a very girly girl woman who loves pink but I love everything prepper and homesteading. I am a Capricorn so need everything just right and prepared for every contingency. So I was so torn between a leatherman or a sak and went with the huntsman in custom colors with pink because I just couldn’t with the masculine look of leatherman. I have great quality multi tools for my car and bug out bag but for my edc a nice light weight robust multi tool in pink will do just the trick!
Hi Ann! Great discussion. I am a woman and a retired tradesperson (Tool & Die Maker) and I have a garage with more tools than most men I know. Having said that, I don't particularly like a multi tool. I like to carry a pocket knife (in my pocket not my purse and yes I have some very pretty ones lol) but when I have a job to do around the house I prefer to use a "real" tool than to play around with the miniature versions on a multi tool. I do have a multi-tool in my purse for "emergencies" but I don't like it. I can't open many of the smaller tools without completely tearing my nails up even after loosening the screws; I need a tool to open the tools! Maybe I need to look into the Leatherman one you mention.
Jacquie! Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Your experience is very interesting. That was not a reason I really considered - don't like multitools because I like and have real tools! Lol if you want a Free series item for your purse, consider the Free P4 - it's a pliers- based multitool. I think that, with your tool-bias you will not love it, but you will find it serviceable when needed.
At first I was skeptical about the objective of this video, call me jaded, but continued to watch. This is a gem video if you wanna get your girl a gift EDC tool. Thank you for the thoughtful advice on the beauty of the tool. The flower/cuter explanation made 100% sense in choice selection for the SAK gift. Keep up this valuable content!
Ha! I’m a 50 year old woman who is very into EDC. Have been for decades. I’m more about function and utility. I don’t care about fashion, purses, or makeup one bit. Yet I’m quite concerned with pocket knives, flashlights, multitools, fountain pens, pocket shortwave radios, and typewriters, among other things. 😂 In my pockets today: Case Peanut, Case Sodbuster, Victorinox Evogrip 16, Streamlight Microstream, Kaweco AL-Sport. Keychain EDC: Victorinox alox Minichamp, Spyderco Ladybug hawkbill with spyderedge. The older I get, the less I care about what society says my gender should care about. As a femme lesbian, I find that I often have more in common with straight men. I love chatting up men about knives and pretty much anything else. The conversations are often more real, more genuine than I ever get with straight women. 😄 Men are pretty fascinating!
I wrote you a nice, juicy, clever long reply this morning and then closed my phone and somehow lost it. 😢 What did I say? Let's see if I can remember... 5 knives!!??!! That's awesome! I want a sodbuster. Is yours yellow? (I didn't ask that the first time, but I still wonder. I don't know if they come in different colors). Ok, you don't care about purses, but did you SEE the Tory Burch purse I had in another video? Lol jk, but seriously it's great. (I didn't say this the first time, either. ) I am interested in everything that you listed except pocket shortwave radios. I had a long reminiscing session about typewriters, except that I haven't thought much about them in a while. It was beautiful, veritable typewriter poetry, but it is gone now, and it cannot be recreated. LOL I have had some good conversations with men and some women about knives 'n' stuff. Honestly, I think I've had as many good knife conversations with lesbian women as straight women. But way way more with men. I think I got stuck trying to figure out how much I care about what society says my gender should care about. I still don't know. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I used to have one here, which is why I still have about 300 subs. It was a tobacco pipe smoking channel! I would smoke fancy tobacco blends in my various pipes while chatting about tobacco and pocket knives. 😂 Eh, last year I made all my vids private. YT is cracking down on everything tobacco and flagged one of my vids. 2020 happened, and I stopped making vids, mainly due to being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Two surgeries, chemo, and lost my hair. Doing well now, and hair is growing (though now curly 🤷🏻♀️). I just may start making vids again, but likely not concerning pipe smoking, which is still a very active hobby of mine. 🙂
Yes five knives! 😂 I switch out my daily carry often. Today: Victorinox Spartan, always a Case Peanut of some sort, and a Case medium stockman. Also my trusty Kaweco and my standard keyring setup. I love knives, especially traditionals. Case, Great Eastern Cutlery, and Victorinox are all my jam. There’s just something beautiful about, say, a Case stockman or trapper. Or peanut. Highly functional pocket jewelry. I have several sodbusters. Delrin and bone covers. The one I carried the other day has chestnut jigged bone covers and a carbon blade. Love the patina with carbon. I also like that the Case sodbusters with bone covers are much thinner, so better for pocket carry. The delrin covers on Case sodbusters are thick for some reason. Not so with delrin on other Case knife patterns. I have only one typer. Spent way too much for it on Etsy a couple years ago. It had been fully restored. A 1956 Underwood Quiet Tab De Luxe. A work of art. I use it for writing poetry. In this modern world, it is wonderful to kick back with analog hobbies. Speaking of, radios. I’ve become a radio nut in recent years. FM, MW, and SW. I enjoy lying in bed late at night, because reception is always better at night, and seeing what far flung stations I can pull in. On MW, I can easily pull in NY, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, Chicago, L.A., etc. All on a pocket radio from my bedroom in Austin, TX. SW is a whole different animal. Pulling in stations from other countries is awesome! True, the golden age of radio is behind us, but it’s a fun activity that keeps me off the internet and restores my child-like sense of wonder. I want to tell you that I really appreciate your channel. It’s wonderfully refreshing seeing a fellow female geek out about knives and such. Who doesn’t love a SAK?! If I could only choose one knife for the rest of my life, it would undoubtedly be a SAK. I’m partial to Spartans, Climbers, and Huntsmen. Gotta have that corkscrew for the eyeglass driver! Anyway, thank you for your lovely channel and the excellent vids you make. Much appreciated!
@PositivePineTree Oh, very interesting! YT shutting things down like that irks me to no end. Dutch Bushcraft Knives mentioned that they think YT will be cracking down on knife content. As though bushcrafting were like a gateway drug to violence! I've never smoked a pipe, but a nice Macanudo Orange cigarillo is fantastic to me on rare occasion. Pipe smoking seems like you have to be a lot smarter lol. I work in the medical field, and many of our patients have replaced their tobacco products with ... other products! So, my vote is that you re-start your channel. Drink kombucha and talk about knives! OR find a friend who doesn't like knives, but they like one of the things on the list that you don't like, and find something out of that category that you think the other one would like! Like Jon Gadget and his friend do sometimes. Or just talk about knives!
I am a middle aged female and I LOVE multitools and knives. I own about 45 multitools, and 370 fixed and folding knives. I own over 35 Victorinox Swiss Army Multitools. I asked my father for a pocket knife when I was 5 years old so I could whittle and I chose a small pocket knife with pearl scales. I really expanded my multitool and knife collection during the pandemic. And I prefer function over beauty when it comes to knives and multitools. I am also not a frou-frou type of female and don't like frilly 'pretty' things especially if they are pastel in color. None of the scales on my Victorinox's are 'feminine' in style. I love my Victorinox New York Companion but did not like the Swiss Army Knife (SAK) Sydney or Paris Companions because of the pink coloration. I own a SAK Bigfoot Tinker. My most feminine Victorinox is my Classic SD in mango. I also own a SAK Climber and Huntsman in white, which I adore because they are so clean looking. I also love my Pioneer X in Tiger Orange Alox. I love orange! I also own the Leatherman T4 in Arctic Blue. I admit I bought it because I loved the light blue color, over the silver or red ones, which I found boring. I do not like pink or lavender tools, or anything with flowers on it. I own ONE pink knife in silver pink and its a Civivi Qubit. I love carrying knives and multitools in case of an emergency or just to fiddle around with. It makes me feel ready for anything and handy. When I was a young girl, I loved making things. I made my own pinball machine when I was 6 years old. I made furniture when I was a teen. I own a whole garage full of power tools and still make things, fix things like my lawnmower, broken fences and so on.
Anne, fantastic video! You put a lot of effort and thought into your videos and cover topics about the subject that is new and refreshing, thank you! You bring a unique perspective and voice to the community. I have bought pink SAK's in the past for women who put them on their key chain and forget they have them. But color was definitely a deciding factor in them wanting to put the tool on the key ring! I think a big thing are men will have the tool in their pockets and right there when they need the tool as opposed to women, who will have it on a key chain or purse will grab whatever they want or need if they have to chase something down anyway. In today's society we are rarely very far from actually being able to grab the tool we need, men or women. I grew up on a farm in the country where having the multitool actually saved a lot of time running after tools and things. But now living in an apartment I can always have access to what I need most of the time. I carry my Tinker small all the time, but when I need a can opener I have one in the kitchen where I need it. I told you when you first started, you would be successful! You made me proud, as I'm old enough to be your father! You keep going with this channel!! I'm just jealous of your husband who is able to buy all of his wanted tools because of your new hobby, Keep up the great work young lady! You're awesome, very humble and sincere. Amazing!! Jeff
Jeff, thank you so much for your extremely kind note. :) That is really just so nice, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. OK, the pocket vs purse comment... that is SO huge. If I have my Swiss champ on me, and I see, say, a dead bug, I will rip out the pliers and pick it up and get rid of it. If I have not got it on me, I may just not think it's worth it and the bug will stay there. Maybe that's a bad example, but same thing hold with a loose screw, etc. I feel so annoyed when I am at work (where I can't carry a knife) and I have to get something out of my Swiss card, because it's in my ID badge holder and it takes a little work to free it, which is almost too much! I think I am extremely lazy, but I feel hope because you have noticed the same thing, so maybe I am not too much of an outlier! OK, may I just say, getting rid of the Tinker Small and the Tourist is a mistake. Victorinox, are you listening? We like those tools! Just do a better job describing them online!!! Yes. The can opener. That's why I have the Swiss Army 7, baby!! Yeehaw! I am so touched by your encouraging words. Thank you. :)
Anne, from all the comments I read below, your demographic numbers are off somewhat. You have a lot of female viewers whose number will grow rapidly. They are opening up and commenting because of your presentation and honesty really comes through. 2nd, you brought up a VERY important factor in today's society where we can't have multitools on our person at work. People carried their knives and multitools for daily tasks at work in past generations which was considered part of our everyday lives. So many companies have banned the carry of personal knives it is killing our natural daily pocket carry. Company's now want the employees to use safety knives which for this old man was a pain in the a**. I broke the rules and carried a SAK electrician to perform all my daily chores. I'm an old man so they didn't bother me much If I tried to carry a modern folder flipper blade I'm sure the safety police would have been all over me and been in trouble. Multitools do have their advantage not being threatening to society. I'm also very impressed with your audiences feedback, you are attracting a great group who support you! An Alox #7 would have been the perfect knife for my last job. I like the hook blade better than the half sharpened electrician blade. I used that blade for opening boxes and cutting shrink wrapped pallets during receiving. Can't wait to see what you will discuss in your next video! Stay safe, Jeff
After watching this video a week or so ago I bought my daughter a pink/lavender Leatherman Squirt and last night I saw her hunched over some jewelry doing who knows what with her LM. It was a heart filling moment! Thanks!
That is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing that!! It's so interesting. It's like you gave her a tool that doesn't look like it belongs to someone else (I'm assuming those are colors that she likes) and she used it to work on a project that interests her. And now I think she's probably gonna be just feeling like tools are something that she uses, and you'll see her fixing her own washer and dryer in a few years! Really cool. I kinda think this is my favorite video. Thank you for sharing this!! Nice job!!!!
Thank you very much for tackling this subject! My other half takes care of our pets(farm type) and would use an old chinese multitool with plastic scales falling apart so badly that she would tape them back with masking tape! I'm a huge edc guy and would feel soo bad for her that I would search all stores and online forums to find a tool that would appeal to her. She especially had an aversion to anything with metal scales and literally called any of my two dozen leathermans I would present to her as rubbish(WTH?!). Finally found a cheap Christmas tool with plastic scasles at Walmart she actually liked. Whew! Can't tell you how many hours I spent trying to learn what you just presented. Really glad you made this video and helped to shed some light on how women view tools. This video is worth it's weight in gold!!
Hi Ann (or is it Anne?) Coming over from Gadget Gus. I have news for you. I think guys are first pulled into by looks first as well. Interesting about the 85 mm (dare I say something like "Baby's Got Back!) I do think you are correct about the color palette will make a difference in appeal. I think you have made some exceptionally astute observations and i think Victorinox and Leatherman need to take heed if they want to tap into over have the population on the planet. As a matter of fact every knife company should be watching this. My only disagreement is with the color. It isn't enough to just make the knife pink and call it a "girls knife!" Too many companies go we tried to make knives for women. We issued an entire line of pink knives and it didn't sell! That is almost setting up the knife or multi-tool for failure. Just liked, subscribed and rang the bell. Will also be sharing this video on my channel!
Tobias! Thank you for coming to chat knives with us! Epic video opener, BTW - it is transfixing. I think I watched it five times the first time I saw it. I'm so glad I get to tell you that! :) Wow, thank you so much, and thank you for your thoughtful conversation! :) I see what you are saying about the color, and the "pink it and shrink it" way of making things for women is not effective. But I will say... my new champagne 2019 alox Cadet is just beautiful, and part of that is the feminine color, for me at least. It makes me feel like Cinderella - kind of a cross between Cinderella at the ball, and Cinderella working her butt off, but Cinderella nonetheless. My concern with pink - while I personally do not like it, many small girls love pink. I want them to not cut themselves off from the whole world of multitools, and the confidence that comes from being able to fix things. Many men who are into multitools or SAKs have a childhood memory of their first SAK, and I guess I don't think that is a strictly male domain. Even considering traditionally female tasks or crafts, a SAK or multitool comes in handy! But I'm sorry you took a chance on pink knives that didn't sell. You are not the first person to comment on this video saying that men also get pulled into knives by the looks. But aren't they hard to define? I don't even know exactly what it is for me, much less for women in general. It is confusing. I don't know the answer. In several unpublished iterations of this video I started out by saying that I hoped to start the conversation. I can't thank you enough for taking the time to think and talk to us about this.
Great thoughts. 1. Another thing that makes carrying of tools unequal is the availability of pockets... Let's face it. We often call it pocket knives. 2. Carrying the larger tools is often seen as not preferable for some.
That's funny. I've always considered pockets a drawback because it keeps most men from carrying a bag, which is how you can actually carry what you need.
Anne! I've only recently started watching your videos and just have to say, it is such a joy to get to watch you talk about things and get your point of view! Your content is so refreshing, relatable, honest and fun! I get the feeling you could have been my sibling & that we could have grown up fixing and nerding out on things! :D Regarding women carrying multitools, I have to agree. Marketing does seem to be aimed more at men, but that might be just because that's the demography who mostly buys them. I'd also argue that carrying multitools or doing EDC, is a personality/community/tradition type of thing. For example, my sister grew up without much involvement of my dad, so she didn't get to do things like go camping with him or fix things with him. Recently, for her birthday, I gave her a SAK Manager (red :P) and thought she'd barely use it, but the other day she went off on how handy it's been for her glasses, grooming her eyebrow, trimming her nails, and she even fixed a door the other day! So until someone gave her a multitool, she had no idea how useful one could be! :D The few other women I know who carry or have any type of multitools, either do camping or are involved in some type of arts/crafts type business, so either someone gave them a multitool to start with or they saw someone using one and got themselves one due to need. By the way, have you seen Laura Kampf's content? She has some great videos on mods she's made to some Leatherman tools and knives. PS: YOU ARE AWESOME! Thanks for bringing us smiles and joy to our mundane days! Much love lady!
Josh, my brother-from-anothet-mother thank you so much for your comment! I love that your sister found so much to do with the Manager! I hope all the people who got Signatures from my husband and me last year will put them to good use, too. I hope to get a Manager soon. :) But I already love my Rambler... My husband and I occasionally watch Laura Kampf together - we watch UT instead of TV usually. She is amazing! In one of the articles I found about multi tools for women, the author made the point that if a woman is interested in a particular hobby that has a multi tool that kind of goes with it, such as biking, then she's going to have the same multi tool as a man.The real difference might come in on the day to day multi tool that people carry to make their days go easier and better. I really appreciate your encouragement. You are very kind. :) Kind words spread sunshine. 🌞
Oh that's awesome!! LOL I ❤️ EDC videos. I do not know how people can afford to make a bunch of them. I have been trying to find a question that has not been answered in a video much, or at least not to my satisfaction, and then find an answer and make a video. So I'm really exciting to hear it is refreshing! :) Thanks!
Nice video Anne, My wife Jo-Ann has been carrying a Leatherman Juice XE6 for quite a few years now. She never leaves home without it. One year I had asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she said a Leatherman Juice XE6, so I bought her one. She loves it and says it's really come in handy around the office where she works.
That is great! I carried a Leatherman juice for years. Fantastic product line, and one they would do well to bring back. I actually have been thinking about that line for weeks now. I really regret that I did not keep it. Oh well, can't hold on to mistakes, I guess!
You hit the hammer on the head with a number or items. My wife is very feminine and has during the course of our relations and marriage (coming up on 28yrs) About 2yrs ago, I bought her a cute pink tiny pocket knife and told her to keep it on her purse or pocket all the time. I took almost 3mths before she got into the daily 'habit'. Next thing I know, she was telling me how she used it in her office for packages and envelopes and even to scrape out the random muffin crumbs that dropped onto her keyboard to flick out. She made the choice herself to get a Leatherman Signal about 4mths ago. I know it's not the Swiss Army that you promote, but I cannot tell you how awesome it was, that she figured out the extra stuff for a daily or weekly basis it would come in handy. She is watching this video too, and is thrilled that you made it. Thank you from both of us.
All of my Victorinox Swiss Army Knives are things of beauty. Curves in all the right places and feel good in my hands. They are always there for me when I need them and get better with age. If I treat them right they will be with me for the rest of my life. The best is yet to come!
That is so beautiful! Have you considered becoming a country music songwriter? Comparing your Swiss army knife to a woman? I'm pretty sure in the song you lose your Swiss army knife, and your woman comes back to you, wearing Victorinox red lipstick. No, maybe her name is Victoria? I'm not sure, you will have to figure out the details - you're the songwriter after all!
I saw a multitool called the dr friedels manicure tool. It's like a leatherman for nail care. Cost is only $15-20. I wonder if it will be successful. I think more toolsets need to be tailored for women too.
Hi Thorin! I saw HVAC budget's video on that, and I almost bought it, except that I only do basic stuff with my nails. I'm a huge fan of the Victorinox companion. I feel like it really meets a lot of the problems that I have with multitools. :)
You are far more gracious to weirdo commenters than I am 😂 Thanks for the video. I’m glad it’s in the top 10 popular videos for this channel because the multitool community is starved for different perspectives. Victorinox has always seemed more approachable than Leatherman for those who are unfamiliar with tools, but guidance is probably the most important thing. Someone to show you the ropes is key, in my opinion.
@inkandiron3907 Hi, and thanks for coming by! Sorry it took me so long to see your comment. Hm. Yeah. You are right. A lot of the videos seem like they are from the same kind of people. But there is possibly a reason for that, some kind of multitool-loving, proto- engineering gene that lives in 0.5 percent of the population. I do not have many, or maybe any? Weirdo commenters. At the most complicated, I have people with different cultural perspectives. As long as it's not a short; then all bets are off! You have some very unpleasant commenters sometimes, and I'm sorry for you when I see it. Guidance. Very interesting. The kind of thing your dad (or mom) is supposed to do, but so many don't know the information themselves.
Woman here. Most multitools and SAKs are nail breakers. I don’t wear nail polish but I do think men’s nails are generally stronger. I carry a Swiza for that reason. I doesn’t fit in my pants, so they are in my coat pocket or bag. Oh, and it’s blue, a nice soft color, not aggressive looking.
Oh, very nice!! I think you are the first Swiza commenter I have met yet! I am very interested to see what they end up doing. They are clearly innovative. I like the locking blade on mine, and if course the nail-saving feature. I never thought of that, but men may have stronger nails! Interesting point! Hm, that puts a different perspective on it. Thank you very much for your comment. We will have to see if Swiza can grab the female market from Victorinox- that would really allow them to make some progress.
Hi Anne, I watch you and I'm a woman. I just haven't subscribed, I thought I had, but I will change that! 😊 I've always loved SAK's, probably because of my girl guide background and I like to be prepared! I have a huntsman in red (it's my favourite colour) thanks for your videos, they're always interesting xx Melissa
He Melissa! Thanks for watching (and subscribing)! I am nearly positive YT is mistaken and may think we are men because we watch multitool or knife videos. I just love the Huntsman. All my most- used tools together. There is something about the Victorinox red, isn't there? The black on the scales is also lovely and so is the white... I I had to look up Girl Guides - very interesting article on Wikipedia. I am not going to lie, my experience in the ?same? organization Girl Scouts left much to be desired, but it varies from area to area and group to group. The desire to be prepared resonates with me!! I kinda love it when something happens and I who out my Champ - "here's a scissors" ! Or, "Oh, do you need afish hook disgorger?" LOL
@@thevineclimber I'm Australian, Brownies and Girl Guides were all the extracurricular stuff I was allowed to do, because I was out on a farm. And our leaders were awesome. Dad instilled a love of tools in me too. It's the best when I'm out and I can whip out a torch or tool that is needed, it gives me a little thrill!
@Melissa McArdle That is so great. ❤️ 🔧 🔨 🗜 🔪 I hope lots of kids get a similar experience on into the future, too. Here many kids that live on farms or in more rural areas do something called 4H where they do all sorts of projects.
Love everything you post..if anyone else posted thud video it wouldn't click..you make it click ..im a mechanic I carried a cybertool m just because i wanted to I rarely use my Saks a work I'm 6 foot 2 32 years old u inspired me to get the swisschamp I aways wanted little pliers always great for fuses..but the magnifying glass amazingly useful ..thank you so much for your videos your one of those people everyone just loves to death with amazing tips as always thank you for the upload
Oh, wow, David, that's so nice thank you! I love that you are enjoying your Swiss Champ. :) Using it on fuses makes sense; it's just so great for everyday random things, too. It makes the day go nice and smooth. I'm so glad you're enjoying the videos - thank you!
I loooooove multitools, Pocketknives, flashlights, edc bring it on! 😂 I have a nice collection. And I am trying and trying to get my daughters to love it! But they don't. 🤷♀️ I carry everyday. Not going anywhere without it. I really enjoyed this video. Keep it coming! ❤
Anita, you and your daughters are a fascinating datapoint!data point! Many commenters have said that women are not interested in EDC items or multi tools because they do not have a female role model. But as their mother you are obviously the perfect role model! So I wonder why. Is there actually something innate to the products themselves that make them. unappealing to women? Is live to hear you EDC philosophy. What is the purpose of your EDC to you? Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@thevineclimber I started to carry, because in a day I get good use out of my tools. My hands are a bit painful. And opening, cutting, tighten things, can be so much more easy with a victorinox. My girls are not keen on carrying, because it is not really socially excepted were we live. Europe, the Netherlands.
Oh yes! Did you happen to see the video by Dutch Bushcraft Knives called "The End of Knives / Knives will be banned. Goodbye"? I found it very interesting, even shocking, how they were kind of ok with such knife laws in some ways. I took it for granted that everyone who likes knives would think such laws are silly and/or overbearing, and they were actually ok with some of them. It was an excellent opportunity for me to learn about another culture and how, say, changing laws may change how people think. But this leads me to another idea. We should have lots more multitools without knives. Then people in the Netherlands could carry them for all their other uses. I could carry one at my job that prohibits knives (although it looks like they have dropped that recently). People could take them on airplanes. People who don't like duplication if function and already carry a knife could carry them.
A multi-tool will be my next purchase. I kind of caught the bug when I started carrying a good folder and a multi-tool is just the next step into full blown edc madness. Lol. I’m looking at Leatherman Waves, Charges and Surges. I’ve also looked at Victorianox too. They have some nice multi-tools.
This was a great deep dive on the importance of aesthetics, particularly when something is or is intended to become a part of someone's everyday outfit/image. The wide array of scales and colors for the Classic SD has been a big part of why I've gifted them (and a couple Minichamps as well as one or two larger models) to men and women, as you can almost always find one that's a pretty great match for someone's preferences or interests. Really touching ending as well. Tangential, but this weekend I finally watched the 1998 action film "Hard Rain", and Minnie Driver's character packs a Victorinox she uses to save herself and others. I thought the timing was quite serendipitous!
No way!! Oh my gosh, I'm going to watch it today! Also - I understand that not every country is like the US where I live, in terms of so few scale options. I'm trying to find places that sell cool scales and will ship internationally. That could be a gamechanger.
A few years ago my step-daughter who is now an adult said that one of the things she appreciated most about growing up with me was that whenever she asked me if I could fix something my reply was “No, but I will show you how to fix it yourself.” Anything I could do for her or her brothers to help them feel more self-sufficient always seemed to be a benefit to me. I wish that it had occurred to me to get them Swiss Army knives, yet another thing that could be done to help them feel like they can do anything they want.
I love this comment! You gave them a really great gift, which they will give their (and probably other) kids. Excellent! And a Swiss army knife makes a nice birthday gift!
You really have me thinking here. My daughter is 18 years old and an auto technician and I have given her lots of knives over the years but never a multi-tool. Not even a Swiss army knife. It never occurred to me until now.
I hope you find one that's just perfect for her!I don't know anything about being an auto technician or what kinds of tools they would be likely to use, but I bet there's something out there that's really great!
There's something to be said about not growing an attachment to one's multitool. Because sometimes the job you're doing ends up breaking said tool. And if you're too attached to it (because it looks so good/etc.), you're going to _not_ do the job instead.
I had a pink Victorinox classic years ago, enjoyed it but lost it to airport security and never replaced it. Recently I’ve really been wanting one again and discovered the cuteness factor of SOME Victorinox models has increased, very excited! Probably getting a Victorinox Companion. I agree that women will go for beauty over function. But I’m feeling that the market is finally crossing over so we can have beauty AND function.
Yes, I agree with you totally. The Companion is great! I think men actually do appreciate some of the esthetics of the knives that we might find ugly and I'm glad for them, but I'm glad for us when we can have what we also like. Besides that, there's just a wide variety of opinions and what people want for their look and I am glad that the market is going to reach out to more people that way. I think my biggest interest is that everybody participated life fully and not get held back because of things like this. Thank you so much for your comment. Have a great day, Penelope. .
👍🏼Good vid. I got my wife a leatherman squirt. The only leatherman I’ve ever bought. Every time I see her trying to do something I say your leatherman would do that right now. I think she finally uses it more often now. I customized an opinel for her also. I had to keep reminding her that she had a very good knife in her purse. Sometimes I take it and clean off the tape glue; sharpen & put it back. :)
Hi Anne. I'm a woman and I agree and disagree with some of your thoughts, but then I can only speak for myself. Growing up, if we needed to do some repairs around the house, my father would go out and buy the necessary tools. He never brought me along or thought it was a good idea to teach his daughter how to use tools. "It's a man's job to fix things in the house", he would say. Had I been exposed to full-sized tools from a young age, maybe I would have incorporated multi-tools earlier in my life. My first multi-tools were actually for biking. I very rarely use them, but they are a Godsend. They aren't cute per se, but how they all fit together is very clever. Overall I was very much a girly girl growing up. Fashion and makeup were my thing. And... women's magazines don't advertise Victorinox or Leatherman. My EDC, until I found the online community, consisted of Band-aids, tissues, lipbalm, backup contact lenses, a few Tylenol/Aspirin pills, mints, and hand sanitizer. Since I began learning more about EDC, I now carry a small flashlight, a HeroClip, and a small multitool. I also own a few SAKs. Usefulness is more important than cuteness for tools. I love your channel. Keep posting your content.
@sandradeguire299 Hi Sandra! Thank you so much for your comment! I find it very encouraging. I am glad to hear that you disagree; I was very hesitant to make that video (plus since I didn't really know how to edit then, I was very stressed when filming it, since I could not go back and fix any of it). I value the diversity of opinions, and I have learned SO much from my viewers; I feel more like this is a community where my job is to make videos and other people have jobs of being experts in things. I love your EDC story. :) Some of the things you listed (tissues, lip balm, backup contacts, and mints, in particular) should get more play in the EDC community. Usefulness IS more important than cuteness, I totally agree. But I just got tired of compromising so much. Why shouldn't I like how it works AND how it looks? I recently put white scales on my Swiss champ and then put washi tape on the scales. It is a temporary way to get the look I want (and then I can replace it any time) and also the function I want. :) You can say that again. Women's magazines DON'T advertise Victorinox or Leatherman. I see that on their websites they feature women using the products, even doing stereotypically feminine tasks, but that information does not get out there that much. I really value womens' full participation in their lives and households. I have seen too many women be unable to fix simple things because they lack the confidence (or the skills, but I have a feeling that a lot of the lack of skill could be made up for by confidence and the willingness to try. And watch a UA-cam video to see how to do it.) Thank you so much for your encouraging comment! :)
I agree with just about all of your points. Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder; the SAKs I've bought are all Sapphire scales, the translucent blue. To me, that's pretty, and blue is "my color," but clearly it's not for everyone. Victorinox has lots of scale options, but they're so amazingly inconsistent about what is available on which model that no one but enthusiasts realizes the come in anything but red. Meanwhile, most pliers-based tools are straight stainless steel silver. Which is not a bad aesthetic (I kinda like it), but definitely caters to a particular blue-collar-dude stereotype. If Victorinox really wanted to be more design-appealing, they'd make it easier to replace the scales yourself (it's technically not a supported change, even if it's easy), and sell first-party scales in all kinds of colors and designs. Why? Because "accessorizing" is an interest all in itself! Make scales that can be swapped out to match your outfit, and not with the prybar that risks breaking them method. Make it a design feature. Then sell a 91mm standard and plus scale in 20 different colors, which would fit all of them. (Or, hell, just plus scales.) Make a new limited edition fancy design? You can now sell it to *anyone* with a 91mm model. And as users, we can vary our theme a lot more easily. (It would also likely be way cheaper than buying new scales off random eBay sellers in Ukraine, where I got mine.) I think there's another factor you didn't really touch on much, though: The tool selection. What are the most common tools on multitools, regardless of manufacturer? Pliers and a knife. Pliers are fine if you work in certain fields, but for 99% of my uses, it's just dead weight. That's why my Bibury sits in a drawer 99% of the time unless I'm doing some home repair stuff. And I still have only used the pliers once, before I went and got a proper ratcheting wrench. The fields that actually need pliers on a regular basis are... 99% male. And knives, aside from the carry-legality factor, also have a very strong male/violence association. Even if we know that knives can be very useful tools, there's still a stigma against them. A guy with a knife is dangerous (just ask the UK), and a woman with a knife is clearly crazy. Yet virtually every multitool has a knife, and outside of Victorinox most multitools are built around pliers. The toolsets on most modern multitools are just... really not suited for indoor-urbanites of any gender, to say nothing of the particular needs of women. (Seriously, why is the awl still there on a SAK, except to annoy security guards? Who the heck actually uses a manual can opener on the regular? Why does *any* tool not have a nail cleaner on it? That's way more useful than a flimsy toothpick. Etc.) Some real market research to determine what modern urbanites, and women in particular, would benefit from and building a tool selection around that (either bladeless or with a craft blade) would do wonders. As is, the only market segment that seems to be targeted are "HVAC repairmen" and "bushcrafters/survivalists," who together make up about 0.01% of the population... and are almost entirely male. What would a "feminine toolset" be? I'm not sure, but I suspect it does exist. (And I'm 100% certain would include a nail file and nail cleaner. Way more useful than a screwdriver or metal saw.) The Roxon Flex is therefore *very* interesting for its loadout customizability. I really, really hope they offer a bar-style one in the future, without the pliers, because that would be huge for this market segment. Even though I have several tools already, I'd get one just on principle to customize. (For the love of god, Victorinox, make a customizable tool built around your current tool options. You'd sell billions.) And of course there's the perennial complaint: Pockets. 🙂 Addendum: This guy at least is very glad to see a woman on here talking about multitools. I've tried to get my wife interested in tools and efficient-carry, and she just doesn't give a damn. 🙂 I completely agree that the concept of a multitool is and should be gender-agnostic, if only the tools themselves were properly made that way. (And I say that as someone who does believe there are innate differences between men and women; they just don't extend to "tools are useful.") In any case, I'm a year late but I'm glad you're here.
Two points I wanted to mention; 1. Most men don't love SAKs/multitools either. Do you know how few men carry an SAK/Multittol or even a knife? 2. Among the SAK/Multitool users, women are simply much quieter/inconspicuous. They just don't turn it into a show like the men who celebrate it everybody as a hobby, passion, etc.😉
Oh that's interesting! I did not think of that. This reminds me of the commenter who said that he thought that the multi tool had meaning to men. Thus it becomes a passion or hobby... Thanks for mentioning this!
Few contributing factors as a whole that make both men and women not carry a multi tool/knife or flashlight 1. As a whole society has gotten way too tech dependent in alot of ways case and point why where a watch when they have their phone or "smart watch" why carry a flashlight when they have their phone. Me personally i hate taking my phone out just to check the time cause It just feels like a clumsier way to check the time. 2. The whole marketing approach for the knife community imo is way to "military tactical" and needs to focus more on what people carry a knife for basic utility tasks a good example is the sak super tinkerer I gave to a female coworker cause she mentioned she needed a simple multi tool has found out that having even quick access to scissors and a basic Philips head screwdriver is handy along with a small keychain light. 3. I'd argue the least compelling reason for people to not want to carry a multi tool/knife or light is pocket space people in general now I hate to say it are too "soft" what i mean by that is i feel like younger men have less incentive to be handy cause of societal norms. Just figured I'd add to the discussion cause its becoming rarer and rarer to see people try and solve a problem now and instead just walk away and let someone else fix it.
@Horde334 Oh that's very interesting! 1. Yes, phones are more than ubiquitous. I do everything for this channel from my phone, and also use it for entertainment, filling out paperwork at work, driving directions, sometimes a flashlight, and I could use one of those "Wallet" programs and pay for things with it . I still enjoy real life, but I get irritated when I have to use a real book instead of something I can read on my phone! LOL I suddenly feel like the poster child for bad technology. But I agree with you! 2. Yes. I wonder if this is part of what some people object to - not so much the knives, but the way they are associated with violence instead of work or efficiency. 3. Yes, I see what you are saying... but I think that having a capable multitool on you greatly increases the chances that you will dig in and try to fix the problem. So that one may be a chicken and the egg problem! But this situation does give a lot of power to those who can fix problems... Thank you for your good points!
My wife carries a 580 Nail Clip and a Spartan (both with Sapphire scales) in her purse. She also carries (at different times) an Edelweiss Classic, a Signature, and a Rambler with the Gadsden flag scales on her keychain. Yes, she likes her 58mm SAKs because of their usefulness, and I'm sure she was attracted to the Spartan because of the colorful Sapphire scales. I can't imagine her possessing anything larger. She doesn't give much thought to multitools, such as my Leatherman PST, but she does use the pliers when we go fishing. She also watches your videos with me.
Excellent! It sounds like able likes multitools, only she likes small ones. The Nailclip 580 is a great tool - it still has the nail cleaner tip fingernail file. I think a Sportsmam is a great option, but I only ever see them in red. All the functionality of a Spartan, but one blade is a nail file. It could use a little dressing up. And maybe it would spiral to women more if it weren't named SportsMAN. Thanks to you and your wife for watching the videos!
@@thevineclimber I'm sure many people would buy more 84mm knives if they offered them in different colors. I know my wife would exchange her sapphire Spartan for a colorful Sportsman in a heartbeat.
@@thevineclimber I just noticed the "Sportsmam" spelling... Intentional or a typo? Regardless, I like it. Maybe the "Sportsma'am" with some colorful scales to cater to the ladies and others who find the plain red scales boring.
What a perfect typo that is! I really love the sportsman for women because it has a nail file which admittedly some women never use really because they are having gel polished nails, but also because it doesn't have too much of a focus on a knife. If you are someone who doesn't even see the need to carry one knife, why would you carry 2?
I dont know but according to evolutionary psychology, men generally are alot more interested in objects than women are. Maybe marketing would change it a little bit, but I dont think it would be a huge shift in any way as long as men and women have different interests on a basic level. Spesifically the drive to find tools that make you able to do things is very strong in men, and particularly this idea of "being prepared", or "saving the day", anything used to manipulate materials, build something, defend yourself and hunt is pretty strong. In many ways grown men find the same things interesting as a 12 year old boy, and I believe alot of it is because its just... ingrained? Logically, considering the amount of people regardless of gender out there who do not carry multi tools at all, I think its safe to say MOST people in modern society dont actually need one. I think the difference is that men find the tool cool, and then go looking for things to use it on instead of just getting the tool needed when the problem actually occurs like anyone not carrying these would. And its not like women dont actually use and carry tools on a daily basis either, how many purses have nail clippers, brushes, nail files etc in them. Those are by definition tools
Thank you for this video. I find a lot of multi-tools & knives to be too tactical or over engineered for my tastes which is why I love SAK's for there classic looks. And talking of classic, the Classic SD is a great stepping stone for kids. Thanks also for bringing my attention to Swiza. These look great & I'm gonna be busy on their website trying to choose (at least) one.
Yeah, I shouldn't be so against the SD. But the knife! It's so small! I have an "Executive 81" which is like a Wenger-style version, and that knife is a little better. But man, for that toolset, move me up to an ambassador!! I got some kids jetsetters this year, because the parents weren't ready for the kids to have knives, but next year those two are getting knives! This is my first Swiza. They are kind of expensive, IMO, but I like that you don't have to ruin your nails with them. Consider the one-handed opening versions! They also have animal versions for horses, I think. I mean, for caring for horses, not for horses to use.
Great video! As a dad to 5 year-old daughter and as a lifelong fan of swiss army knives, this video was very meaningful. I want her to have that same joyful experience of owning an SAK as a kid, just like I was able to have. Glad you are out there making these videos.
Oh that's awesome! That comment makes me want to cry. What a great dad you are! I'm sure not all kids like SAKs or multitools, but your daughter won't be held back by unnecessary barriers. 💞
My favourite leatherman is the juice series, now discontinued 😢 and it had coloured scales. If your looking fir some nice victorinox, I really like the "winter magic " line. Thanks for the upload
The winter magic ones are beautiful... lol I could use some summer magic about now! I had 2 or 3 Juices back in the day, and gave one to a boy I know for Christmas (they released what may have been some new-old stock briefly). Note that I think I'd it, his mom was like as to take it for herself! I really loved that series. Such a solid feel, too. Really nice in the hand. I don't know eject mine went, but I carried it into the color wore off the scales. I thought it looked old - nobody had informed me of our modern concept of patina!
You’re right, Anne- I don’t think I’ve ever seen an advertisement for multitools or knives that seemed to be aimed at women or girls (except maybe “Ladies, here’s what your man wants for Father’s Day/Christmas/etc.”). Not that I’ve seen ads that said anything like “No girls allowed!”, but a lot of them do seem to have an unwritten subtext like “Here’s what a real man carries.” So some brilliant marketing person will eventually come up with a pitch that works with female customers, and persuade a knife and tool company to invest enough money to get it going. Until then, is there maybe a market niche for customized pocket knives or multitools with pretty handles and woman-friendly tools? If so, what would they look like? What tools do women want?
That's such a great question!I think probably they want the same tools as men. Although the new package opener might be a good seller! And having 2 blades might be too much for some. I like the current Victorinox "medium pocket knives" link on Victorinox..com - it has a SAK being used apparently by an artist. Very cool.
As a 45yr old man, I had no suspicion I would enjoy this video as much as I did! You gave me a lot to think about and provided some helpful correction in the way I see my twin boy and girl. An absolutely marvelous video. I've subscribed and look forward to watching more of your videos. Thanks!
Love the video and the insight! Multitools are tools (duh, right?!), and I think tools in general aren’t really targeted toward women, and multitools aren’t targeted toward women or girls for a lot of the same (silly) reasons. I would guess it’s mainly because the professions that use full-sized tools are fairly male-heavy, and that translates down to amateur males being encouraged to have hobbies that use these same tools, but females, not so much. My wife has carried a green Classic SD for many years and loves it, and my daughter has a toy SAK and is very fascinated by my real ones. Even if they never get into larger tools, I love the idea that carrying an SAK expands their confidence and capability to tackle problems. I would be very happy for my daughter to get a pink and purple unicorn Classic SD with the exact same tools as my black and silver one.
Anne, thank you for the thoughtful video. I am a middle school tech ed teacher and I'm very interested in doing my part to level the playing field for young women who are just beginning their journey into tool craft. Perspectives like this are very helpful. I will also say that in my experience, my best students are consistently young women. IMHO it is because they have less ego to check at the door. Boys don't seem to listen to advice as readily and they seem to believe that they should already know how to use tools correctly; as if males are somehow preprogrammed with this knowledge. I also believe my female students experience more of a sense of accomplishment when they do well on a project, although I often have to remind them to refrain from negative self-talk and self-criticism.
Aaron, this is a meaningful comment to me, even though I'm not sure what tech ed is. In our junior high, which is the same as middle school, I was able to take wood shop and electronics. Then in high school I was surprisingly (because I'm not that old!) not allowed to take auto shop or any of the things that would naturally have come after those junior high classes. That kind of thing absolutely would not happen now. But I'm sure that those perspectives, having been as recent as my time in high school, are still lingering within society or maybe even the education system that tell girls and young women that they can't succeed at these things. It makes me feel so happy to hear about your work to level the playing field for them!
@@thevineclimber , tech ed is a general category of Career and Technology Education (CTE) that covers a lot of different subjects related to technology, from robotics and coding to building trades. My classes are geared towards teaching engineering and design, but we often use woodworking, carpentry, basic electrical wiring and mechanics as our learning mediums. Several of my female friends have told me stories about how they were treated when taking vocational classes a few decades ago. It pains me to think of all of potential and technical skill that has been lost to gender bias and stereotypes.
I am overwhelmingly grateful that there are women out there who love Swiss Army Knives as much as I do! I’m a knife nut in general, but my favorites will always be Swiss Army Knives. I get a lot of weird looks when I talk about this or pull one out of my bag or pocket. And I think that’s one of the big deterrents for a lot of women: they get weird looks or comments. Now, I grew up around a lot of women who didn’t give a whoop what anyone thought. My mother is 74 years old and always carries a folding utility knife and a Swiss Army Knife Tinker in her purse. If she needs it, she uses it. My dad and every other man I grew up with, practically insisted I learn to carry and safely use a knife. I’m of two minds about the idea that if Swiss Army Knives (or any other tools) would be more attractive to women if they came in more colors. On the one hand, I like the idea of more women carrying them and using them because that will only keep the tools evolving. But on the other hand, I wish it wasn’t such a “thing” that things have to match or be certain colors in order for them to be acceptable for certain people to use. Over the years I’ve gotten over the need to defend myself when I get those weird looks or comments…mainly because I dawned on me that I got the weird looks or comments because I was the only one in the immediate area who had a readily available tool for a specific job at a specific time. That weird look gets replaced with genuine appreciation and interest pretty quickly. :)
One word: Pockets! I’m an anomaly. I love multi-tools, pocket knives, etc. That said, I find it frustrating that many of women’s clothing are not designed to effectively carry these sort of items. Finding a dress with pockets is like finding a unicorn. But even those garments are not really suited for carrying a SAK/multi-tool. Obviously, I can carry them in my purse or backpack, but the convenience of actually having the tool on your person at the time it’s needed is priceless. Loving your videos. Looking forward to watching more. ☮️
I'm sure there are some women who work in positions that don't allow a knife and there are very few multitools that are TSA compliant. If there were more offerings that could be carried into a courtroom, school, airport, etc. there might be a greater demand. Adding, the Swiss Knife Shop has a lot of pretty SAK scales including pink, purple, teal, and paw prints.
Hi! Wow, thanks for all the comments! Ok, I am surprised, but I don't recall having seen this comment before - that many women work in places where knives aren't allowed, which would obviously make them less likely to carry a multitool. I love the knives at SKS, especially the bears!! I have had sunflowers and cherry blossoms, too!! Most of the cool scales go on classic SDs., though, and while I have come to appreciate that toolset, it can never be my favorite!! I went to look at their site after I read your comment, and I hadn't seen the pawprints before, or the white cherry blossoms! Thanks!!!
My wife loves her 58mm SAKs, always carries one and uses it quite a bit. She's also always interested in my medium SAKs and always has her 91mm in her hiking pack, but she just sees almost no need to use it other than for meal prep or a bit of carving
I may need to look into the benefit of 58mm SAKs a bit more. So many people find them useful. I did really love the Rambler, which of course is a Manager without a pen.,, I love that she has one for hiking. :) Thanks for commenting!
@@thevineclimber Thank YOU for the good content videos! The Rambler/Manager is an ingenious little multi-tool! For many people, these small 58mm are just enough for everyday tasks, but as a knife freak, I also love my manager on the keychain.
Being a man I noticed quite weird in the 40 years years that I have known about swiss army knives I have never seen an advert for them on the TV or in a magazine I first came across them when I saw them displayed in the front window of a camping store when I went their with my mother because she went shopping for me for an up coming 3 days 50 mile sponsored walk across country that I was talking part in with my school when I was 15 but she would not buy me one she settled for the Chinese army knock-off that was a third of the price I eventually got one 3 years latter when i was 18 and paying for it myself the thing About swiss army knives is that they are a brand that are well displayed at camping stores so you get to know about them that way or you have a friend who uses one they are an iconic brand that people just know without advertising
Yes, that is a very good point! I have never seen them for sale in a store outside of Walmart, camping/outdoors stores, and oddly enough, a watch store in Japan. They are advertised, in a way, on the websites of stores that carry them. I think that youtubers and other social media people may be the primary advertisers of them right now!
Great topic, I always looked at multi tools/ swiss army knives from the functional aspect. I've been wearing a sak since I was eight, it's modified and I don't consider it particularly masculine, e.g. the toothpick has been replaced by a sewing needle and thread and it has a deep carry clip. An important aspect for me is that it can be worn in the suit pants, covers many functionalities and doesn't appear too threatening to my environment. The color is black and I got a numberof female friends, who a carrying swiss army knives and the mostly tend towards slimmer models, I think mainly because womens pants tend to have smaller pockets. The reason for me to carry a SAK is mainly to be prepared to solve upcoming problems. As you mentioned, tools have been used by women and men since the dawn of time, although perhaps with different focuses. In fact, I also see this from the point of view of equal rights for men and women, rich and poor, as an approach to democratization, similar to the approach of the Bauhaus movement a hundred years ago in europe.
The Evolution models have a good tool set but the reamer punch is hard to open and the knife as a whole is too chunky for my liking. I do really like the locking blade though.
I agree with the reamer... but I have that problem on Victorinox originals, too!! It's chunky, but cute. 😀 I am not sure I like the locking blade... I'm still working on that one...
What I see over and again in EDC groups is women’s pocket sizes are smaller and typically tighter. That would make the ClassicSD more appealing even if she was saying the scales were pretty. She probably envisioned the champ in her pocket and laughed? I dunno
Lol I'm standing here without my usual belt holster and the champ is in my pocket and it's ridiculous. So yes, she was not wrong! I think I was wrong on this one. Not that that is surprising!! 🙄
I bought my 4 yo daughter the plastic Victorinox toy multi tool. I had one as a kid and I loved it. I also got her a pink (her favorite color) cherry blossom SD in a unicorn silicone case with pink paracord necklace for when she's older, but I sometimes let her wear it around her neck for a little while on a weekend day.
I think the Classic SD is the SAK that most strikes women as being “cute.” Partly because it has the most different scale designs, including some very cute ones, but also due to the size and proportions of the knife.
My 70 year old wife seems to love big tough kitchen knives. I give her my small stainless blades whenever , kersnap! I NEED TO BUY ANOTHER KNIFE She gave me the PIGEYE when I drove my jondeer lawnmower by with a bright yellow orange/ red Mora 546 strapped to the lil tool box! Lol The hori hori original garden knife got a big smile. She won't share. Yes I bought a secret spare. Huntsman camo in leather belt pouch. Red Super tinker also. The lil white spartan may get handed over when I NEED ANOTHER KNIFE lol my nails get chipped so I just figured she would reject a SAKVIC.
Choosing beauty over function depends on what I'm buying. I do a lot of research on tools and tech I buy, which that enables me to pick models of products that work better and not necessarily look cute.
Me again: I managed to have my wife carrying a multi tool with the Victorinox Swiss Card 😊 I gave her the Lite version. That said, in regards of one of your reasons being marketing, if you look at the descriptions in Amazon (at least in Europe), for many of these tools, they use phrases as “men present” or “tools for men” or “the perfect gift for dad, brother, boyfriend”. I think this wording is mostly used in the tools made by Asian companies (and now I am stereotyping) because I don’t think that Leatherman nor Victorinox use them. Anyway, just wanted to emphasize that you are right about that point. And sincerely, when I was younger, and I admittedly did not have any idea at what was inside of them, always had the impression that the SAKs looked like toys; and a real knife was like Crocodile Dundee’s. In fact I kind of miss that wrong conception 😊 And finally, I sincerely and respectfully disagree with color having a strong influence on women’s interests on multi tools. For example, I particularly do not like much the red color of the SAKs but I find them fascinating. I can spend hours in a store looking at hardware or electronic devices, without color being too important. While most women would find that deadly boring. It is how we are, we are different, and that is a good thing, most of the times. But gosh, how interesting is a woman who likes the same things I like !!!
Lol Great comment. Thank you!! Yes, I see that on Victorinox tools that I have bought from Amazon Japan! I carry my Swiss card lite at work and use it nearly every day. I thought I'd never use the pin until I had to remove my sim card one day. It's just... there's no *snap!* of the tools, and you hold everything with your fingertips instead of your whole hand so you don't feel like you are digging in and getting it done! I'm happy that there's no blade on that, only a "letter opener". Lol still can't carry it on a plane! Crocodile Dundee indeed has the greater knife, but let's see him cut the tags off a dress, open a can of peas, replace the battery in a toy, and repair a vacuum with that knife!
You bring up interesting point. It's be my experience with me and my family that the most used multi-tool is the plan one I carry as my wife's Pioneer X - Winter Magic 2020 is something we don't want scratched.
Ann or Ann with and e, I don’t catch if you mention this company, almost slipped and said theses guy, but SMKW was doing coverage of Blade Show Texas, their day one coverage, and interviewed Brighten Blades which sound like they have similar opinions. You might want to check out the video and depending on how passionate your are reach out and contact the owner as she might could help get some of your ideas into the industry. As always thanks for sharing and God Bless.
Lol that's true! I got some good evidence yesterday at that being a reason that some women do not carry a Swiss army knife. I decided to take an informal poll of women I work with. The very first one I asked said, "I don't have one but I've been meaning to ask you where you got yours." I asked her why and she said, "It's just so helpful it's got everything on it!"
By the way, if adding a nice inlay to the scales (such as a nice flower, like you mentioned) is something that will make it appealing, I'm sure there's someone near you who offers that.
It's true. As a woman, I have a Huntsman Victorinox knife, with walnut scales, and I literally stained the scales to be a pretty red wood stain, just because the brown color was too ugly to me. We really do like pretty things, and it doesn't seem like it should be so hard to have pretty scales or color options on a multi tool or knife.
Sara, thank you so much for your interesting comment! I bet your knife looks great. I think you're the first person I've ever heard of staining their Victorinox wood scales, which it seems like something I would have heard of before, but I don't think I have. That's awesome. Currently I'm using white scales and I put washi tape on it to decorate it. Looks cool, but I really love your idea! I would miss the scale tools, though. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a note here about your cool SAK!
Yeah it wasn't hard. I took a vermillion colored sharpie, (the color changes when it's colored on the brown, -color theory, hehe), and then once both scales were colored, I used mineral oil to oil the scales and spread the dye. It turned out really pretty. It's that perfect beautiful shade of deep ruby red. Looks great on a Victorinox knife. @@thevineclimber
Oh wow, that's so nice!! Thank you! With comments like that, you can come back any time! Lol Thanks for watching and I will try to think of something interesting to say. I think the next video is going to be boring, but next weekend I hope to have a good one interviewing a long time Cybertool user!
Haha! We’ll see about boring. Wanted to mention that, thanks to this video, I have some cute scales in order from Heidi Shop to swap onto the Explorer I was going to give to my youngest son. I’m going to swap the scales and give it to my daughter instead. I figured she wouldn’t be too interested in a pocket knife, but maybe if it has some “pop” on the scales she’ll feel more confident that it really is something that can be for her, too!
The victorinox Classic SD as you say has appeal, because of the many different designs, also the tool set is geared towards nail care. I find this makes a good starter gift for women for the reasons mentioned.
I had a similar thought. However, I think the SwissCard “Multi-Tool” (?) might be a better fit as a good starter gift as you point out-like the pink or other colors. Cheers.
@DonaldCarr I know, but then why did they get rid of the Classic (-SD)? I like the nail cleaner so much. I really like your idea of this being a "starter" - once you love having these tools, just think of how much you will love having a screwdriver and a bigger blade! Interesting idea...
I think the Swiss Card is so useful and has absolutely none of the negative associations people have with knives, and it doesn't make you look manly or womanly, it just helps you feel confident and prepared.
I find the FantastiCAR 14-in-1 colors interesting. Purple is my favorite color and that is a nice purple on the tool. However, the pastel colors used here carry with them a sense of cheapening the tool. So in this case I'd avoid it, not because of hating the color, but what the color draws attention to.
Penny! Thank you for commenting! I love meeting the people that prove my title wrong!May I ask - do you work in a field where most people carry a multitool with them?
Interesting. So you are carrying two tools in order to just be ready to tackle whatever comes your way. And things always do! Your friends are lucky to know you. ❤️
Much enjoyed by this man, thank you! My daughter likes SAKs and I'm going to share this with her for her amusement. Also the SOG Power Pint one to see if she wants one. I have one and am very happy with it. I sharpened the can opener and the box cutter but like you thought the cap lifter a little too fragile to convert into a wide flathead.
@@thevineclimber I bought my Spartan on white yesterday, its my first multitool and I realy really love it. It looks so classy. Your champ makes me jealous! :)I am 21 and I hope it will help me everyday. Thank you again for making this video, it was very great, its too bad something like this isnt more targeted to women too.
Hi Anne, in reference to one of your comments, for anyone that has nails too long, polished, too short, too weak, or just a really stubborn knife, you might consider an A.G. Russell Steel Thumbnail. Hmmm....now where did I put mine? :-) They come with various scale colors, no pink though. ;-) I have an old British Soldier's knife with a really stubborn can opener on it. I cut a slit in it and attached a stainless washer on a lanyard in the event I ever need to open it. I actually only use it for its marlinspike. The Leatherman Wave diamond file is very useful and has been loaned out for fingernails. For those who are using a multitool without a diamond file I suggest an Eze-Lap Model H diamond hone for your keychain. I carry mine in a section of tubular nylon webbing which has been melted shut on one end and a hole in the other end for the keyring. Note that since it can easily slip out of its "shealth" I have a safety lanyard (cord) through the hole in the hone which separately attaches to the keyring. I don't know of any pink multitools per se other some SAKs which periodically appear. As for knives, the Benchmade Mini Griptilian is available with a pink handle. One daughter loves hers and the other would never have it in pink. I have seen some Spyderco sprint runs in a plethora of colors including pink and purple. A pricey but really worthwhile knife in purple is the following: Doug Ritter Mini-RSK® MK1-G2 Knifeworks Exclusive - G-Mascus® Purple G-10/Stonewashed. I see the full size is also available, but I far prefer the Mini which I find has less weight, better ergonomics, and only a slightly shorter blade.
Wow, what an extremely useful comment! Here's the A.G. Russell steel thumbnail: agrussell.com/knife/A-G-Russell-Steel-Thumbnail-Black-G-10--RUL-OP1-B10 I think the Mini Griptillian in pink is discontinued! Here's the Mini RSK - the purple is nice looking and not overdone: knifeworks.com/doug-ritter-mini-rsk-mk1-g2-knifeworks-exclusive-mascus-puple-g-10-tumbled-finish/ Is the purpose of the stainless steel washer to be a "fingernail"?
@@thevineclimber Yes, that was the purpose of the washer; although I actually cut a slot for it to fit into. It will work on other knives, at least to loosen a stubborn blade, but does not give much gripping area so one has to keep fingers away in case the blade snaps back. I noticed on the stainless washers I was trying in response to your question that one side was flatter/had a bit of a grip to it so which side is used can make a difference with some washers. I apparently picked them up up at a marine store. I mentioned the steel thumbnail as it is not something would necessarily be aware of unless one happened to see it. I also tried a Victorinox Rambler SD and used the SD tip in the fingernail groove and pinched the blade on the other side, and pulled the blade up with more control. So one useful thing for the SD tip. [Do you like it less as the regular tip of the fingernail file is better for cleaning fingernails?] Not a color but my Rambler has pretty titanium scales 😁which I got from CountyComm as part of a kit including a Classic knife, but used the scales for my Rambler. [I see they are out of stock but will be returning. [58mm Titanium Scales + Classic Swiss Army Knife Kit] The price has gone up $5 since I bought them. Unfortunately you are correct that Benchmade has discontinued the pink and I only see two on eBay at the moment. Speaking of pink, Olight usually has a pink flashlight available in October and so far the proceeds have gone entirely to Breast Cancer foundations/research. So one can feel good about supporting a worthy cause and have one's purchase price entirely donated, while still getting a flashlight.
@Donald Strader Oh, thanks for the good information! This washer idea is really great - very inexpensive and solves an actual problem. I still need to solve the same problem, although far worse, on the Swiss Tool. We once got a dog for another dog. I think in this case we could have a Swiss army knife for another Swiss army knife! :)
Anne, I just found this video and I love it. I carry a victorinox super tinker everyday due to my job as an IT director in a public school. It's small enough and innocuous enough for no one to notice it because knives in school are a bad thing., Also, I don't enjoy carrying a tool box around for the occasional screw or box that needs opening. When I'm not at work, my edc is the same Buck Prince my grandfather gave me when I was 13.😁
I love tools, Harbor freight makes me happy😆 Swiss Army knives are a kick, love the color options now, however there is something about the red scales that I have a hard time straying from.. I’m at an age where don’t really care what people think about my quirky interests, which is quite freeing. Love gadgets of all sorts. Keeps things fun.
Thank you! What a nice outlook on life and tools. I thought that I would never change the red scales on my Swiss champ. But I am actually quite happy with the white ones and the washi tape I put on them to decorate it! It's always fun to meet another person with an interest in multitools and gadgets, isn't it?
I once spoke with a car-seller about women as car-buyers, and he told me, he can sell ANY car to a woman if it's RED. Surprisingly that's not the case with SAK's - I'm confused - must be some of the other reasons you put into perspective.
About colour - I felt repelled by the intense yellow SAK, not my style. But if I had money to spare, I might buy it all the same because a brightly coloured tool is less easy to lose, and when you get older this becomes a consideration! I'm a guy and fascinated by multitools - my father gave me a SAK when I was a kid, which I still have, and I'm watching your video - but it doesn't make sense to me to carry around a ton of metal all the time. There's a toolbox in the car, and plenty of proper tools at home - for EDC, a swisscard knockoff is good enough (blade, scissors, nailfile, emergency "screwdrivers").
Oh I've been so interested in the knockoffs! Do you know which brand you have? $40 is a lot even if you know you are going to use it. Thank you for watching and commenting. I agree about brightly colored tools... I have been able to find my phone so much more easily now that it is "rose gold" instead of black!
@@thevineclimber Well perhaps "knockoff" is a bit unkind. It's a card multitool from Brookstone, that I bought 20 or so years ago. The card itself is some kind of hard transparent plastic that hasn't aged well, so I had to make a cardboard sheaf to prevent the knife from falling out and the scissors from deploying all the time. On the other hand, all the tools still work perfectly, and the knife is a good deal bigger and more useful than the one on a swisscard: almost 8 cm long, [edit: serrated] blade 4.5 cm, 2 cm deep with a semi-circular "bite" in the handle that your finger fits into - you can saw off small branches with it at a pinch, or peel an orange or cut an apple in pieces. Also a red LED light (because it's that old), scissors, toothpick, tweezers, and a piece of metal with corners that can work as flathead and 2D Phillips screwdrivers - not well but better than nothing - with a file on the surface. Most of the time I forget it's there, but I'm grateful for it when I'm outside and need to file a nail, or open something that doesn't want to tear. I've been thinking of remaking the plastic parts, but there always seems to be something more urgent to do, and it's still useful in its cardboard sheaf - though quite a bit less convenient!
@Gerard Vila oh that sounds really great! I feel like I may have seen that, years ago. I found a picture of one from an old EBAY listing called Tool Logic that looks similar to what you are describing. It really seems like a cool item! I love it when things have longevity... Yeah, it makes sense to own only what you need and carry only what you will use, and not be wrighef down. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Voici les trois multi-tools les plus sexy : Leatherman Skeletool, Gerber Strata, Victorinox Swiss Tool Spirit. Sur ma chaîne (multi-tools et outils), genre du spectateur : hommes 94.3 %, femmes 5.6%. Votre questionnement est très intéressant et il est difficile d'y répondre avec une bonne pertinence. J'ai aussi observé que l'intérêt des hommes pour les outils différait selon les pays. Here are the three sexiest multi-tools: Leatherman Skeletool, Gerber Strata, Victorinox Swiss Tool Spirit. On my channel (multi-tools and tools), gender of the viewer: men 94.3%, women 5.6%. Your questions are very interesting and it is difficult to answer them with good relevance. I also observed that men's interest in tools differed from country to country.
No way! Can't believe I missed your comment! I was nervous about the French, but you put a translation. Merci! I speak no French. I wanted to order a cup of coffee in French when I went to Montreal. I learned enough French to say that, but then they asked me what size and I just had to laugh and admit I had no idea what they said! It was so embarrassing. But now I feel nervous to see French because I remember how embarrassed I was! I love that you rank multitools by sexiness! I had to look up the Gerber multi tool that you listed.I have never seen it before and apparently it is discontinued. I am uncertain whether or not it is sexy; it does seem like a very nice multi tool and I wonder why they discontinued it. In what countries have you noticed that men are most interested in multi tools? I am very excited that you commented on my video.I have seen many hours of your videos, of course. Thank you for coming by!
@@thevineclimber I noticed, from the number of videos published on UA-cam, that the interest for the tools was maximum in the United States. I regret that France does not have this technical spirit. For coffee, in France and no doubt in Quebec, we like strong, tasty coffee, loaded with aroma, in a small cup (espresso) while in the United States, the coffee is too diluted, "sock juice" I used to say when I had the pleasure of going there. From the Gerber Strata era, Gerber still keeps in its catalog Gerber Legend (MP800), the multi-tool that Armold used in Terminator 3 :) Here's a channel you might enjoy: www.youtube.com/@heidishop Cordially, George. J'ai constaté, au nombre de vidéos publiés sur UA-cam, que l'intérêt pour les outils était maximal aux Etats-Unis. Je regrette que la France n'ait pas cet esprit technique. Pour le café, en France et sans doute au Québec, on aime le café fort, gouteux, chargé en aôme, dans une petite tasse (expresso) alors qu'aux Etats-Unis, le café est trop délayé, du "jus de chaussette" avais-je l'habitude de dire quand j'ai eu le plaisir de m'y rendre. De l'époque du Gerber Strata, Gerber garde encore à son catalogie de Gerber Legend (MP800), le multi-tool qu'utilisa Armold dans Terminator 3 :) Voici une chaîne que vous pourriez apprécier : www.youtube.com/@heidishop Cordialement, Georges.
Lol sock juice! I get it. Actually, I'm afraid it rings too true, and i will have a hard time having acup or two tomorrow! You're funny! I think you should try a video where you talk. The Gerber Legend is still pretty popular, according to the Amazon reviews. It looks cool, too. 😎 Variation in preferences for multitools from country to country - that's interesting! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Interestingly I was looking at the 1985 Victorinox catalog the other day (I find such things somehow relaxing). The only knife that had the word "woman" in it was the "princess" which was a 58mm with a single blade and a nail file, no scissor. The description said it was for the "sophisticated woman". I think Victorinox has really shifted to the "classic sd" as the model they hope to sell to women.
I see there is no reply to you - I must have lost it! Sorry. Where did you get a 1985 Victorinox catalog? The princess knife! Lol all the other knives are kind of jobs, too! I'm impressed it has a blade instead of a scissors.
Just found this great discussion :) I made sure to supply my daughter with a SAK when she was quite young. To this day she is routinely able to help friends because she is never tool-less. Makes me smile every time.
Anne, as a male (what else!), I do appreciate your videos in general and this one in particular. I'm working on a book on multitools etc. right now, and your thoughts on female users (or better: usually non-users) of them has given valuable insights to me to consider and to mention.
That's really cool! I think this (female multitool users) is something that's developing right now in the world and we are going to get to see what happens. :) Good luck on the book!!
My wife was not much of a knife lover initially. She grew up in Germany and Austria so I gave her a Classic SD with edelweiss flower scales. She now has numerous knives, including Spartans, Kabar Dozier's and opinel s in a wide array of colors. She uses the tools on a near daily basis. In my view, the Classic SD is probably the gateway drug that leads to full blown knife addiction.😁🤙🤟🙏♥️🌴
Hot damn! Ben, thanks for stopping by. I do not think I could convey how much I love your channel. Of course. Honestly, also, thanks for not putting down the Companion because they made it for women first. That was gentlemanly of you.
I appreciate the compliment. I never looked at the Companion as a woman’s only tool, even though that is how they market it. I like the package opener. I feel like that is a modern day task everyone can get value from. I just hope we see it make its way into other models. I like your channel. It’s a good thing to see a different perspective voicing opinions on multi tools and knives. Best of luck to you. I’ll be checking back in from time to time.
Interesting topic! Few thoughts: When men see a multi tool/knife/firearm/car etc that is black and silver and has bead blasted finishes, they probably appreciate it because the 'less is more' quality can enhance the beauty in the design and flow of lines. As someone said a long time ago -"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". And also, men like tools in general probably just for what they represent. Some become 'steel nerds' even. Which is an appreciation of an inner quality that can't be seen with they eye. However pink used to be a very masculine color centuries ago.
These are exciting ideas. 1. This is not really what you are takling about, but I take a very firm stance that firearms must always look like firearms so that if a child finds it there is no mistake that it is not a toy. (Incidentally, I take the opposite stance, too, that pretend firearms should always look fake so that there is no mistake, but I think society has passed me by on that count.) 2. I get what you are saying about the design elements being brought out by the boring colors. But why not bring out the design elements by making them, for example, teal? LOL Bright yellow works for cars, too! :) I'm only joking, simplicity is something I appreciate. For the longest time I thought I would wear jeans and black shirts only every day I didn't need to wear something else. Actually, that still seems like a good idea. Hm. Maybe I'll do that. 3. Yes, I actually think that this may be a big issue here in both directions. Women may DISLIKE tools for what they represent. If tools represent manliness, then why would women want them? I think you really hit on something. Hm. It sounds so obvious now that you said it, but I truly didn't think of that before. Now that I think about it - maybe this is the same thing that Conan's daughter is looking for (see his comment to this video, if you're interested) - she wants a "girl tool". Also - if pink was manly, it doesn't seem as likely that pink is an innate preference for girls. Probably more of a think where girl things are pink, and then girls like them and associate pink with things they like.
Yes, interesting! My beautiful new Bantam is far more beautiful than my beloved Swiss Champ. And you can even see in sizing up to the Cadet, you lose something in beauty over the Bantam. Thank you! I enjoyed your perspex, which was new to me!
Men made tools, not women. Men separated us from the other animals. I have no doubt.
Interesting! Diego, thank you for bringing up this very interesting idea- I do not believe anyone else has said this. I never thought of this, and as out of keeping with current sensibilities as it is, I am not at all sure it is wrong. You're thinking that something in males allowed them to them make and use tools.
It could be - but I don't think we can speculate with confidence because with at least some chimpanzees that use tools, females hunt with tools more than males - www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/female-chimps-more-likely-males-hunt-tools-180955004/ . They also suspect that the females had to invent the spears because they were smaller and weaker and often had babies on them. I think our use of tools is so old that we would have a hard time figuring out if it were more a male or female thing - but this is out of my area of expertise! If there are any people out there with better education on the matter or with more info on this, please let us know!
Diego, thank you again for bringing up this interesting idea!
@@thevineclimber the thought just crossed my mind while watching your video. Chimpanzees are the closest to us, who are still alive, nevertheless we shared a common ancestor. My hypothesis is more directed to fighting. Just grabbing a stone or picking up a stick to multiply your force is more a male related behaviour than than a female one. It took my ex-girlfriend 2 years of seeing me everyday carrying and solving problems with my edc (multitool/flashlight/pen) to start carrying a pink victorinox sd I gave her and a small Olight flashlight I had previously bought. And just seeing her around the house trying to finish tasks with her bare hands without thinking about using a tool to do so, brought this thought into my mind. Maybe it wasn´t a man the one that started using tools, but throught history more males have been involved in designing/perfecting/using heavy tools than females. Times changed and keep changing, I hope we all see the use of them. Good point in your video about how women focus more on how beautiful things look and men go more about function. I guess a couple is therefore better together.
@Diego Lainfiesta Very interesting Diego, and I am so happy that you elaborated on your initial comment!
I don't know that this is relevant but I want to share this experience.I was kind of a multitool failure until the Swiss champ.Not that I haven't had a lot of different multi tools over the years, but there is nothing I have used with the frequency that I use the Swiss champ. I stopped carrying all of those other tools because they weren't worth the weight. I wonder if it is because I was always trying to go in a more simple way and with the Swiss champ, there are ample opportunities for me to be creative with what tool I'm using for what. I like having "all" the tools with me! But at first, I needed a little encouragement to be creative with them...
What evidence do you have that only men made tools?
Sorry, that's completely BS - watch gorillas, chimpanzees and orang-utans - from using sticks to get to food deep in holes, rocks to smash nuts to large sticks to fend off predators, everything is used by both, male and female. In TV-series from zoos you often see, that female apes are more inventive and clever than the male "chiefs", which mostly limit themselves to pointing out their "dominance" by jumping around and making a lot of noise - recognize any similarities? ;-))
I’m a woman hurtling towards 70 years old and have been using hand tools and power tools throughout my life. I, too, learned to solder as a child and remember taking my kit to school in third grade to “show and tell” the other kids how to solder. I worked with my dad in his shop from age 3. I joined the Army at 19 and became one of the first women to be an electronics tech who worked on crypto computers and qualified on the M16- this was early 70s.
I only just discovered your channel and love your content. I also am pretty girly, and can’t help loving pink and purple. It’s in my DNA. I find all the dark colored edc gear boring and I think you nailed the reasons more women don’t get involved in edc and prepping.
Wow! Phloxy Lady that is an amazing comment! What a remarkable life you are leading! I am completely humbled that my content and this video appealed to you. Thank you SO much for coming by!
I really feel like any response I make is going to be inadequate to your comment. I do think it's really interesting that you can be good with electronics and tools and still have a strong feminine side. Tools help you get all sorts of things done!
Thank you so much for sharing about your career in the military. And thank you so much for your service.
@@thevineclimber No need for humility. You are doing all of us a favor by filling a hole in the edc web and honoring the men who are the base of the movement.
Wow! New middle aged female subscriber here. GREAT analysis and discussion! I am an allied health professional in hospital and clinic settings and rely on tools to adjust, tweak and repair wheelchairs and various assistive devices, and more. I am all over campus and thus cannot lug a lot with me and so I am a multi tool fan. My fav EDC in pocket is the SAK manager (a pen is still needed sometimes even in our EMR world). You are so insightful and thank you for helping break barriers and stereotypes about women and tools. Tools are not just for men as you say. Tools are what make us HUMAN. Many thanks😊
I lost your comment for 5 months!! Lol thank you for your nice comment. I'm amazed that you can have a knife in the hospital! I love the Manager and hope toy have great success breaking down barriers! ❤️
@@thevineclimber I admired your knowledge of your collection and kept thinking you must have a strong thumbnail, like everyone else who reviews all the SAK tools on UA-cam. You are cute too, and a good presenter. (I know, I wouldn’t call a male presenter cute..) but I do have three cute daughters and four cute granddaughters…
Been thinking about this a lot since watching this a day ago. My first reaction was “This can’t be!” Then I thought maybe my family is unique Even though conservative and believe in gender roles, I have always been taught to hunt, fish, work same as my brothers, just as they were taught to cook, sew and do laundry. These are considered life skills. Then I thought of the time I brought my my Leatherman PST to a ladies event to decorate our church for Christmas. I was teased quite a bit (women can be mean and catty and succumb to mob mentality IMO), but funny enough as the day went on ladies asked to borrow it until eventually it was passed around and lost. Then just now I received marketing from Amazon with pictures of a large metal tool box offered in pink and teal. A few years ago I threatened my husband that I was going to spray paint all my tools pink to stop him from stealing them for work. 😆 I think the cause is a combination of a number of things. I agree with the commenter who said it may be due to lack of female role models. Just like with my misplaced PST, people didn’t understand it’s usefulness until they saw it in use. I’ve been telling my nieces and nephews that everyone should carry a pocket knife or multi tool regardless of gender and not wait to be helped but be capable and the one who helps.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment... I really hesitated for a long time before deciding what to say in this video because 1. It is possible that 99.9% is wrong - for example, I wouldn't be surprised if YT thinks I'm a man, based on the ads it sometimes gives me, and I usually don't give out more information to these companies than I have to, so I probably didn't tell it I'm female at any point. So that really could be extreme - if people who watch knife content are automatically categorized as men, then it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy on my channel. 2. I don't know what things are like in places that I don't live. I tried to research women using multitools, but all I found were some insipid articles by women who tried carrying a multitool and thought it was OK. There was not much data out there that I could find. So it could be that there are places where people just carry around their multitools and use them and there you go, nobody would think it was odd, and so nobody would comment on it. I personally never noticed that I don't know any women that carry a multitool until I saw that statistic.
I agree with you; my experience is that other women think it's weird, but then they seem kind of like they want one!!
I agree... lack of female role models is an issue, and maybe it's the issue in some areas. I am glad that you teach the young people around you to carry their tools with them and help people - be the one that helps as much as possible! That is a great way to put it. I love that mentality. "Don't wait to be helped, but be capable, and be the one that helps."
Thanks so much, again, for your thoughtful comment. :)
May i ask if you learned hunting and fishing by a female role model, and your brothers on the other hand learned sewing and cooking by a male role model?
I think the "gender correct" role model (-> that the role model has to be the same gender as the kid) is overrated.
Judging by what you mentioned that you explain to your nieces and nephews you are a great role model for both, and the boys won't ignore your advice just because you aren't the same gender as they are.
I am male, and work in a job that has only 4 women among almost 170 men. I carry a sak in my pocket, and my male collegues often react like the ladies you mentioned in your church decoration. Making fun of me for having my pocket knife on me but sometimes borrowing it. (never had that experience with my female collegues though)
I think that's just common human behaviour: a group of people who have something in common often tends to make fun of someone who does something slightly different until they either understand why, or understand that it is beneficial.
@@nirfz I learned my outdoor skills from male members of my family. Male members of my family learned “homemaking” skills mostly from the female family members. This was not because it was expected, but we were taught by who happened to be the most skilled and willing to teach us. It wasn’t that a woman couldn’t teach me outdoor skills but the guys did it more. By role model, I think of it more as an eye opener for for a girl to see another female doing something and it becoming inspiration to learn it themselves, an “aha” moment let’s call it. It’s about opportunity. It may not be intentional, but if a kid doesn’t see someone like them doing something, they may simply not think of it as an option.
@@kich6172 That's what everybody always gives as reason, and the reason i asked.
You did not need females teaching you hunting, and your brothers did not need males teaching them cooking. I think it doesn't matter "who" shows, teaches.
Nothing against you, i just think that this is the "easy answer" someone once came up with and everybody copies for convenience.
It means parents, relatives as well as the kids themselves "are not at fault" because there just is no fitting role model. So the only ones at fault are the missing role models.
(I think this originates from parents who weren't interested in showing and teaching, or exposing their kids to different things, and former children who were uninterested in most things and use it as excuse for not trying something different to what they ended up doing)
If it were the case, Marie curie didn't need a female role model to win two nobel prizes (she's still the only person winning two in two different fields).
No one would have ever flown to space or built a plane.
No one would have ever been the first at doing something.
(I would have never attended engineering school if i had needed a role model. My parents didn't have that high education, and neither did anyone i knew.)
"Exposure" can help a lot, but i think it doesn't matter by whom.
@@nirfz People are all different and grow up in different environments, so people unlike you may need this sort of inspiration. I was taught by the men in my family but it wouldn’t have happened without stories of my grandmother squirrel hunting to help put food on the table while my grandfather worked. I had plenty of female role models. The question here is more broad as in why aren’t MORE women using multi tools. Her hypothesis is just that. However, as a woman and being open minded about the possibility, I recognize that my situation may be unique and that lack of female role models may be AN answer, not THE answer to the question posed. We’re not focusing on just one individual but women generally. There is a reason why outdoor sports, like archery and trap shooting, saw an upswing after girls saw or read the YA series Hunger Games in which the lead character was a teen proficient in archery or the Olympics highlighted the US female shooter win ANOTHER gold medal in shooting. People GENERALLY, tend to be inspired by someone with whom they can identify. It would be an ideal world if everyone was a strong, independent thinker and as self-determined as you. Most people need to be inspired and everyone is inspired by different things. Same gender role models is just one idea of probably many to answer this.
Many years ago (we’ve been together 43 years), I gave my wife a Victorinox Rambler to carry in her purse. She recently had it ‘confiscated’ (stolen) by the TSA when we flew to Oklahoma for our son’s graduation from Army Boot Camp. She lamented losing it, saying she had often found it very useful over the years. I got her a new Rambler as quickly as possible. She carries every day, as she did the first one.
That's great!! The Rambler is super- functional and really supports someone who wants to intervene in the world to make it a better place. Love it! Mine is green 💚.
My little sister just told me how she cried when TSA confiscated (stole) the SAK I brought her back from my highschool trip to Switzerland in 1980. 😢
When I was 15, my father gifted me a Workchamp XL. What an ugly tool! I loved that thing to death though. He never had to worry about me borrowing and forgetting to return his tools.
I still have it nearly 23 years later. But it stays at home, because I already lost it twice.
I've purchased several other multitools in the last 7 years. Yes, I upgraded the scales on my 3 other
91mm Vics :) I love to personalize what I buy, if it's possible.
Keep up the good work, Ann :)
So, I asked you this in another comment, but ... I think the WorkChamp XL looks amazing. Not too fond of the tool duplication, but still... I have thus far restrained myself from getting one.
Since you've upgraded the scales, do you have any advice on stores with good scale options?
Thank you so much for the encouragement! You are a true SAK enthusiast! :) I'm so happy to meet you. :)
Anne
Hahaha damn the workchsmp xl is a bloody great gift
@@thevineclimberDo you think Etsy is a good store for scales?
@@Thehappyhammockhiker I basically always buy from Messerspezzi, who is on Etsy. Never had any problems at all!
Loved your video. I am a woman who loves tools because my father used them often. I have many SAKS and multitools. I found a pink folding knife and bought it right away. I think I'm somewhat concerned that if i use "masculine" tools, I won't be considered feminine enough. I carry them anyway, sometimes sheepishly.
I thought for quite a while how to reply to this. This is a very legitimate point you bring up and one I have struggled with quite a bit! Pink tools scream "This is a feminine female person (who likes tools)." It bothers me though that they also sometimes seem to be made by companies that don't put a lot of focus on quality. I'm going to get together a collection of feminine- appearing multitools and start showing them to other women to see what they like. Do you have any suggestions?
@@thevineclimber I am women and now I have 4 Victorinox knifes, 2 Leathermans, the machette and some other knifes.
Now I am going to purchase Victorinox Compact or Victorinox Midnite Manager for my sister's birthday.
There are not saw, but there are scissors and pen.
Compact has the pin and the corcscrew, too. My sister like to drink a vine in hotel.
Midnite Manager has a little LED light.
Of course, both they has some screwdrivers- as Victorinox standart tools. Compact is 91mm knife, but only 2 lines and 64 grams. Not so bulky even for lady who sometimes travel and stay in hotels.
I think, it will be great birthday gift for lady.
It's wonderful! It's great to meet another woman who loves her Swiss army knives! I think that the Compact is going to be such a great gift for your sister. It sounds like we would get along well.I like to drink a little wine in hotel, too!
You bring up an excellent point and one which we do not discuss often.A Swiss army knife is fantastic for travel. But because you can't carry it on a plane. I feel like it is really limited. A lot of people like to travel with only their carry on.
Thank you so much for watching and I hope your sister loves her gift!
@@thevineclimber Thank you for your answer!
I live in Europe and here is allowed to cary to plane knife with blade no longer as 50 mm long.
All small 58 mm SAKs blade lenght is 40 mm. It is allowed to take it in plane, if you travel by plane in Europe.
By this way I purchased for me the Leatherman Squirt PS4. Last year I liked the idea about knife with small pliers in my EDC carry. The Squirt also has blade, only 36 mm long. It is allowed to take it to plane to travel in Europe.
The Compact is excellent ladys EDC, but forbiden to carry on plane.
The SAKs Midnite Manager has 40mm blade, scissors, pen, small LED light and combo tool bottle opener with Philips screwdriver. It is allowed to carry to European airplanes.
Now I am thinking: what will be beter for sister: the 91mm Compact or 58mm Midnite Manager to carry to plane?
@@thevineclimber As a "backup" I purchased on market small keychain knife. It looks like a key at first moment. It's blade is 50mm, costs only 2.5 Euros. If airport security catch this knife- it wasn't painfull to lost it. I will go to market and purchase next. :)
I am carrying knife on my EDC at least 10 years. I cant imagine to travel without any knife.
It's great to hear a woman's perspective on this topic. If you want my personal opinion, the tool being more useful, sturdy, or well thought out is the cute part. I love uncompromisingly efficient, effective designs, with the aesthetics being the last consideration. It's still a consideration, I love a good looking setup, but, I never sacrifice utility for color, or style. When having this stuff on you is important enough to carry with you all day every day, take some time to look around and you'll find what you want, or you'll learn how to make it how you want it. I'd like to see you design what a woman would use. What kinds of implements would a woman want? What is the ideal size/weight/form factor that a woman would tolerate carrying around? How would it be carried? What would women be willing to spend on it? What colors/textures/patterns? What tool would it be based on for the platform? I think this is something you should explore.
Thanks for such a thoughtful comment. I do agree that we should pick the tool set quality and price we want, and after that we can choose what looks the nicest that meets our needs. But not all of us seem to want to do that, and I wonder whether sometimes valuing beauty over function is a female trait. But if it is, there is a purpose to it, and it helps our societies some way. I was very utilitarian as a young girl and had to grow into an appreciation of beauty, so I do see your perspective. What women want in a multitool - that's a tall order. I'm not terribly feminine! And women I know think multitools are silly. Hm...
My wife tells a story of sitting around high maintenance young women all googly over rings and makeup. She looked out the window and was admiring productive young men with slender hineyz! Oh yeah! She snuck out to be tutored into maintenence on classic cars. She never went without manly companionship! Lol!!! She said they always treated her well. No regrets. She was more than happy to delegate the tough jobs to me after 50 or so tho. I remember her helping me roof and keeping the gold diggers away! Haha!!!!!!!
Wow, great content Anne! I am female, a senior, and have been an "edc'er" since the early days of the inception of the term Every Day Carry. But, I am not a " girly girl". I am not a fan of pink either. I guess its safe to say I've always been sort of a TomBoy, but proud of my feminine gender. With that out of the way, I have never owned a SAK because of the nail nick access as I don't have fingernails. I have carried a knife off and on throughout my adult life and when the knife industry moved away from nail nick slip joints, this woman was overjoyed. So SAK tools have never been on my radar. I actually think they are rather bland as far as design goes. Color has nothing to do with it. I have carried a Leatherman Skeletool for decades, and to me the design with all the holes and curved handles is a thing of beauty. i do think many of their tools are quite ugly. Generalizing about gender preferences can be a slippery slope and may bring out the trolls, but I so admire your courage for starting this discussion. I agree with what you said about the problems with marketing to specific genders, (think back to the pink handled hammers and tool boxes for women) and I agree that women are generally attracted to beauty. But, beauty is different for everybody, hugely subjective and often has nothing to do with color. Shape and form play a huge role as you so aptly stated. What bothers me is that a majority of the edc content on UA-cam is generated by men who objectify women, and make no bones about their patriarchal masculinity and "dude-ness". One such channel shows strippers on dancing poles during live streams which makes me sick to my stomach. Many commenters on edc channels denigrate women and this attitude is perpetuated by our patriarchal society. Geography also seems to have a lot to do with this issue. But I digress. I find I am forced to watch channels that bother me on some level in order to learn about tools and edc items. There just are not many women with edc content on UA-cam which is sad. Most of those that are doing edc content are " girly girls" with their pink pouches and Gucci (sp?) purses which is a complete turn off to me. But they are reaching a certain audience and more power to them for doing what they do. My point is that I think there are a lot of women who fall somewhere in the middle or may gravitate back and forth on what they carry based on where they are going on a particular day. Your channel is such a breath of fresh air on all fronts. I would however encourage you to be careful when you make gender based generalizations especially in this modern era. I also think a lot of women do their own thing without advertising it as so many men seem to do. This may fit into the "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" category. I've gone on for too long on this, but what I would really love to see is a live stream panel discussion featuring women edc'ers and content makers discussing tools, knives and everything edc. Your
channel would be the perfect place and you would make a great moderator! I for one would love to participate in such an event and can think of one or two women content makers who would be great panelists. Maybe you could make space for a women focused need live stream maybe twice a month. I think you might be surprised at the women who would enjoy this type of content. Or have a new guest each time women edc'ers of various ages, location and occupations. Thanks again for what you do!
Wow, Lauren, that's awesome; thanks! 😀
Your history as an EDCer is awesome. And I actually did assume that a lot of women were carrying multi tools and not really making a biig deal out of it, but I really haven't been able to find that many near where I live when I've asked.
I really do appreciate your warning about generalizing about gender. I really wanted to talk about this topic because I do actually feel like the tools themselves are designed with more masculine-appreciated characteristics, and I think that there are attempts made to address this issue, but they don't go far enough. I like the red scales, and I personally do not care for pink scales, but I think it is maybe partly my comfort with masculine stuff that has made me comfortable with multitools and allowed me to really explore this area as an interest. So what about for women that are put together differently? I think when you have the right tool and you find a problem, then you can fix the problem, and fixing the problem encourages you to fix more problems. Or to create more things. But what if the barrier to entry is actually getting the tool in the first place? If the tool is visually unappealing to you or possibly masculine when you see yourself as feminine, then maybe that is a barrier too high to cross. And if it is, you don't get to enter the self- reinforcing cycle of fixing something, feeling good about yourself, and fixing the nectar thing that comes along.
Ok. I don't know what to say about this, but... dancing girls during a live stream? I wrote a lot of stuff but deleted it because I think my ancient brand of feminism is mostly offensive to everyone now. Let's just say that there are a lot of women that would not be interested in watching that content!
OK I have to go to work. I really wanted to write more but you know life keeps rolling on even though you start a UA-cam channel.Thank you so much for writing Lauren!
@@thevineclimber I wanted to write more too, but didn't want to overwhelm. Thanks for the reply. Maybe we can connect by dm and talk more?
Wow! I love your comment!
Stunning post. Thank you.
Best comment ever
I’m a woman and love tools and gears because of my parents, both were always making something clever with tools. Happyfully (?) the beauty factor is why I got, as a multitool, the victorinox spirit x, because it is elegant, and so solid and well made. I really appreciate your tone and midset. Clever unusual thoughts!
Oooh yes, the Spirit X is elegant. THAT is something we should be looking for in multitools. I always think that the brightly-colored multitools, while appealing to me, will probably get me made fun of! Also, I really question the quality of a lot of these tools. So the Spirit X is a great choice. :)
Thank you so much for writing about that. Also, good to hear about your parents making clever things - I think when kids see that, it gives them the sense that it's OK to make stuff, and make mistakes while doing it, so that they feel comfortable experimenting...
It is so exciting to meet some women on this channel! :) Thank you!
I always assumed it was at least partially a pocket size associated thing, a lot of the utility of a multitool is about being able to easily and quickly access it at any time. Women's clothes in general have small pockets, and if you are going to have to fiddle around in a bag regardless you might as well have a few simple dedicated tools.
That is a very succinct way to. State what I have been thinking about for a while. This is genius. It's so true that if I don't have it right on hand immediately available, then it seems like too much of a hassle to get it out.
I asked my wife why she thought more women didn't carry a SAK or multi-tool on a daily basis. Her immediate answer was "lack of adequate pockets." She has an Evo Grip S17 that she really likes, but it stays primarily in her day pack.
I think everything is related to a cultural issue, at least here in Argentina it is not well seen that girls carry multitools or knives. A few years ago, I gift a classic vic for my 13 y.o. daughter, which at first she said "that was something for men", until she started using it, and carrying it with her keys everywhere. Now she has 19 y.o. and carries her black trailmaster for every trekking hikes. Great video!
2:20 See marketing for razors: ads for women more often emphasize beauty, while ads for men more often emphasize function and technology. And while technically there's not really a reason to build the razors differently, a distinctly different design language is used.
Oh that is interesting. Build one thing, talk about it 2 ways, and hit 2 different markets. Sounds like a marketer's challenge!
And different pricing too.
I rarely comment but I appreciated the different perspective you offered here and wanted to at least write a short message to encourage you to keep up the good work. I don't even remember how I stumbled on this video, but I really appreciated your calm and honest demeanor and how genuine you seemed to be. Also, even with notes, pulling off the whole video in one go is super impressive!
Of the people I know, I would generalize to say that less than 10% carry a tool on them at all times and of those, 9/10 or more are men. If I had to venture a guess, I have a feeling a lot of it has to do with exposure/experience, social expectations/culture, and (perceived)need and then there are probably a lot of smaller variables at play like how it looks. I hope you continue to be met with polite and authentic commentors and avoid the trolls and drama so prevalent on the internet.
Hello IDanon - great name!! Thank you very much for your comment. :) I do feel very encouraged by your comment, and I thank you so much!
I think that it is far more complicated than my video made it seem, and yet I still think that women carrying multitools should be a thing; I think it has a little to do with confidence interfacing with the physical world, and I would love to see all people have that. But you are absolutely correct that the exposure/experience, social expectations/culture and perceived need come into it in a major way. I don't know that we need to change the culture, but I do think that women doing traditionally women's work benefit from having a multitool... I'm not sure this story rises to the level of needing a video, but briefly, a friend saw me use my SAK and was inspired to start carrying her own again - unusually, she does not carry a purse because it holds her back, but is now considering carrying a purse so she can keep her knife on her! Anyhow, a lot of things are at play in there, and I'll leave that analysis for another day.
I need to be honest and tell you that there have been probably about 70 attempts at this video in total, many with very small percentages of the content, and some in a very unformed version, over 3 months - definitely NOT a first time through kind of thing! I tend to quit as soon as I make a mistake I'm not willing to live with and then start over from the beginning. I was not faking that ending, though; I had made it to the ending I think twice previously, and both times were just fine, but on this attempt, where everything else had actually gone fine, I started to cry and I was like, NOOOOoooo DON'T CRY but then I was like, you know what, that's actually how I feel so we're going to leave it. I really trust my viewers, or at least the ones who are likely to make it all the way to the end! Anyway, just this morning I was browsing some comments on someone else's channel, and . . . I do not know how he can stand his comment section; everyone is so mean to him! I completely think he is great and his content is great, but if people speak to me like that I just could not keep going. Why? Why keep going if everybody thinks you are an idiot and doesn't even care enough about you not to tell you so directly? So I also hope that I avoid trolls because I love talking to people about EDC and SAKs and I would really miss this!
OK, so you hit a bit of a nerve there. Anyhow...
Thank you for your awesomely encouraging comment!! :)
Anne
I’m a female viewer and own a leatherman as well as a Swiss Army Knife. I was raised to be outdoorsy by a mom who used more outdoor tools than beauty tools. I had a black mud bike while my friends had their banana seat bike with a basket and streamers. Because of this, I was made fun of. I suspect it would have been only slightly more acceptable if it was a pink mud bike. My point is that woman are often encouraged to use tools that go with home and hearth, but not BUILDING/maintaining the home since that has been seen as traditionally male. Since my family descended by hard scrabble Irish farmers, some who had lost their husbands and ran farms on their own (along with raising kids), we didn’t have the ability avoid the push for resourcefulness and self reliance that many women were denied. Lastly, I work in the medical field, therefore we’re used to using tools all the time. The more functions a tool has the better so our pockets aren’t overflowing, but we’re prepared for the worst.
Thank you for this lovely comment! Yes good point, women are traditionally encouraged to use tools that are for homemaking .. but I think we all need a variety of skills now, even the must traditional woman benefits from being able to take care of basic problems. Thanks for sharing the story about your family. It is memorable!
Wow, that is actually a fascinating topic that I had never given much thought about. I had always assumed that if a person needed some type of tool, they would carry it.
It’s apparent that you have given this topic quite a bit of thought but I don’t know what the answer is, but I suspect there are numerous reasons with some logical and some illogical.
You frequently hear people talk about the philosophy of EDC, but I’ve never heard anyone talk about the psychology of EDC, which would be interesting.
“Carry what you need and need what you carry” 😉.
Lastly, your ending was honestly touching. I sub’d to your channel for several reasons but the big ones were your honesty and genuineness along with pertinent information. Keep up the good work Anne, you’re doing good my friend 😊
Oh, Michael, thank you!! 😊
Yes, I don't know the answer, either, but I want us to think about it because I think we are all better when we are all living up to our potentials, and tools are a part of that.
I love the idea of the psychology of EDC. LOVE it - I think about this but had no phrase for it.
This really hits the nail on the head! I commented on one of your videos recently that I was looking for a pink SAK like you had, for my 8yo daughter. Her and her brother both are getting upgrades from basic multitools. *He* wants every tool on it he can get (that his 6yo hand can hold), and she wants *kind* of the same thing, but it *has* to be pink. Now, I know she's a young girl, but I carry a pink and blue sprinkled donut knife, her brother wears and owns wears a whole range of colors in clothes and items. What she said is that she wants the tool, but she wants it to be "cute and UNIQUE". After talking with Rich a little about this same subject too, I asked her, and my own daughter said that she wants it to really stand out as a "girl tool". There definitely needs to be a better push in ergonomics and image for multitools and SAK as an *every person* tool. Not just as being utilitarian *OR* pretty, but not both!
EDIT: I was watching this while typing this comment and just got to the mention of my comment! 🤣 She'll be super excited about this!
I was super-excited that you asked me, because I saw the cherry blossom scaled one, and I bought it. I mean, seriously, I need to make some kind of display case for all these SAKs!!
I like the idea of there being "girl tools". Many of them look unmistakeably like boy tools. Another commenter said she liked the Spirit X in part because it is elegant. If you think about design of, say, kitchen knives. This has been going on for a long time, and it has always been both men and women that use them, and I think that the design and ergonomics of the tool, as we expect them to be, account for that. But multitools may need a bit more thought if we want them to look or act like "girl tools".
Hmmm.
Your kids sound pretty cool. Nice job!
I just ordered my hearts custom huntsman! I’m a very girly girl woman who loves pink but I love everything prepper and homesteading. I am a Capricorn so need everything just right and prepared for every contingency. So I was so torn between a leatherman or a sak and went with the huntsman in custom colors with pink because I just couldn’t with the masculine look of leatherman. I have great quality multi tools for my car and bug out bag but for my edc a nice light weight robust multi tool in pink will do just the trick!
Hi Ann! Great discussion. I am a woman and a retired tradesperson (Tool & Die Maker) and I have a garage with more tools than most men I know. Having said that, I don't particularly like a multi tool. I like to carry a pocket knife (in my pocket not my purse and yes I have some very pretty ones lol) but when I have a job to do around the house I prefer to use a "real" tool than to play around with the miniature versions on a multi tool. I do have a multi-tool in my purse for "emergencies" but I don't like it. I can't open many of the smaller tools without completely tearing my nails up even after loosening the screws; I need a tool to open the tools! Maybe I need to look into the Leatherman one you mention.
Jacquie! Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Your experience is very interesting. That was not a reason I really considered - don't like multitools because I like and have real tools! Lol if you want a Free series item for your purse, consider the Free P4 - it's a pliers- based multitool. I think that, with your tool-bias you will not love it, but you will find it serviceable when needed.
At first I was skeptical about the objective of this video, call me jaded, but continued to watch. This is a gem video if you wanna get your girl a gift EDC tool. Thank you for the thoughtful advice on the beauty of the tool. The flower/cuter explanation made 100% sense in choice selection for the SAK gift. Keep up this valuable content!
Thanks! I felt like this was something that needed to be said at some point. I'm glad you found it useful - I hope she likes the gift!
Ha! I’m a 50 year old woman who is very into EDC. Have been for decades. I’m more about function and utility. I don’t care about fashion, purses, or makeup one bit. Yet I’m quite concerned with pocket knives, flashlights, multitools, fountain pens, pocket shortwave radios, and typewriters, among other things. 😂
In my pockets today: Case Peanut, Case Sodbuster, Victorinox Evogrip 16, Streamlight Microstream, Kaweco AL-Sport. Keychain EDC: Victorinox alox Minichamp, Spyderco Ladybug hawkbill with spyderedge.
The older I get, the less I care about what society says my gender should care about. As a femme lesbian, I find that I often have more in common with straight men. I love chatting up men about knives and pretty much anything else. The conversations are often more real, more genuine than I ever get with straight women. 😄 Men are pretty fascinating!
I wrote you a nice, juicy, clever long reply this morning and then closed my phone and somehow lost it. 😢
What did I say? Let's see if I can remember...
5 knives!!??!! That's awesome! I want a sodbuster. Is yours yellow? (I didn't ask that the first time, but I still wonder. I don't know if they come in different colors).
Ok, you don't care about purses, but did you SEE the Tory Burch purse I had in another video? Lol jk, but seriously it's great. (I didn't say this the first time, either. )
I am interested in everything that you listed except pocket shortwave radios. I had a long reminiscing session about typewriters, except that I haven't thought much about them in a while. It was beautiful, veritable typewriter poetry, but it is gone now, and it cannot be recreated.
LOL I have had some good conversations with men and some women about knives 'n' stuff. Honestly, I think I've had as many good knife conversations with lesbian women as straight women. But way way more with men.
I think I got stuck trying to figure out how much I care about what society says my gender should care about. I still don't know.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Oh I almost forgot.You should definitely make a UA-cam channel.
I used to have one here, which is why I still have about 300 subs. It was a tobacco pipe smoking channel! I would smoke fancy tobacco blends in my various pipes while chatting about tobacco and pocket knives. 😂 Eh, last year I made all my vids private. YT is cracking down on everything tobacco and flagged one of my vids.
2020 happened, and I stopped making vids, mainly due to being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Two surgeries, chemo, and lost my hair. Doing well now, and hair is growing (though now curly 🤷🏻♀️).
I just may start making vids again, but likely not concerning pipe smoking, which is still a very active hobby of mine. 🙂
Yes five knives! 😂 I switch out my daily carry often. Today: Victorinox Spartan, always a Case Peanut of some sort, and a Case medium stockman. Also my trusty Kaweco and my standard keyring setup.
I love knives, especially traditionals. Case, Great Eastern Cutlery, and Victorinox are all my jam. There’s just something beautiful about, say, a Case stockman or trapper. Or peanut. Highly functional pocket jewelry.
I have several sodbusters. Delrin and bone covers. The one I carried the other day has chestnut jigged bone covers and a carbon blade. Love the patina with carbon. I also like that the Case sodbusters with bone covers are much thinner, so better for pocket carry. The delrin covers on Case sodbusters are thick for some reason. Not so with delrin on other Case knife patterns.
I have only one typer. Spent way too much for it on Etsy a couple years ago. It had been fully restored. A 1956 Underwood Quiet Tab De Luxe. A work of art. I use it for writing poetry.
In this modern world, it is wonderful to kick back with analog hobbies. Speaking of, radios. I’ve become a radio nut in recent years. FM, MW, and SW. I enjoy lying in bed late at night, because reception is always better at night, and seeing what far flung stations I can pull in. On MW, I can easily pull in NY, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, Chicago, L.A., etc. All on a pocket radio from my bedroom in Austin, TX. SW is a whole different animal. Pulling in stations from other countries is awesome! True, the golden age of radio is behind us, but it’s a fun activity that keeps me off the internet and restores my child-like sense of wonder.
I want to tell you that I really appreciate your channel. It’s wonderfully refreshing seeing a fellow female geek out about knives and such. Who doesn’t love a SAK?! If I could only choose one knife for the rest of my life, it would undoubtedly be a SAK. I’m partial to Spartans, Climbers, and Huntsmen. Gotta have that corkscrew for the eyeglass driver!
Anyway, thank you for your lovely channel and the excellent vids you make. Much appreciated!
@PositivePineTree Oh, very interesting! YT shutting things down like that irks me to no end. Dutch Bushcraft Knives mentioned that they think YT will be cracking down on knife content. As though bushcrafting were like a gateway drug to violence!
I've never smoked a pipe, but a nice Macanudo Orange cigarillo is fantastic to me on rare occasion. Pipe smoking seems like you have to be a lot smarter lol.
I work in the medical field, and many of our patients have replaced their tobacco products with ... other products!
So, my vote is that you re-start your channel. Drink kombucha and talk about knives! OR find a friend who doesn't like knives, but they like one of the things on the list that you don't like, and find something out of that category that you think the other one would like! Like Jon Gadget and his friend do sometimes. Or just talk about knives!
My wife always carried a SAK with her. She was a musician, so it helped her do guitar maintenance and a thousand other things.
I am a middle aged female and I LOVE multitools and knives. I own about 45 multitools, and 370 fixed and folding knives. I own over 35 Victorinox Swiss Army Multitools. I asked my father for a pocket knife when I was 5 years old so I could whittle and I chose a small pocket knife with pearl scales.
I really expanded my multitool and knife collection during the pandemic. And I prefer function over beauty when it comes to knives and multitools. I am also not a frou-frou type of female and don't like frilly 'pretty' things especially if they are pastel in color. None of the scales on my Victorinox's are 'feminine' in style. I love my Victorinox New York Companion but did not like the Swiss Army Knife (SAK) Sydney or Paris Companions because of the pink coloration. I own a SAK Bigfoot Tinker. My most feminine Victorinox is my Classic SD in mango. I also own a SAK Climber and Huntsman in white, which I adore because they are so clean looking. I also love my Pioneer X in Tiger Orange Alox. I love orange! I also own the Leatherman T4 in Arctic Blue. I admit I bought it because I loved the light blue color, over the silver or red ones, which I found boring. I do not like pink or lavender tools, or anything with flowers on it. I own ONE pink knife in silver pink and its a Civivi Qubit. I love carrying knives and multitools in case of an emergency or just to fiddle around with. It makes me feel ready for anything and handy.
When I was a young girl, I loved making things. I made my own pinball machine when I was 6 years old. I made furniture when I was a teen. I own a whole garage full of power tools and still make things, fix things like my lawnmower, broken fences and so on.
Anne, fantastic video! You put a lot of effort and thought into your videos and cover topics about the subject that is new and refreshing, thank you! You bring a unique perspective and voice to the community. I have bought pink SAK's in the past for women who put them on their key chain and forget they have them. But color was definitely a deciding factor in them wanting to put the tool on the key ring! I think a big thing are men will have the tool in their pockets and right there when they need the tool as opposed to women, who will have it on a key chain or purse will grab whatever they want or need if they have to chase something down anyway. In today's society we are rarely very far from actually being able to grab the tool we need, men or women. I grew up on a farm in the country where having the multitool actually saved a lot of time running after tools and things. But now living in an apartment I can always have access to what I need most of the time. I carry my Tinker small all the time, but when I need a can opener I have one in the kitchen where I need it. I told you when you first started, you would be successful! You made me proud, as I'm old enough to be your father! You keep going with this channel!! I'm just jealous of your husband who is able to buy all of his wanted tools because of your new hobby, Keep up the great work young lady! You're awesome, very humble and sincere. Amazing!! Jeff
Jeff, thank you so much for your extremely kind note. :) That is really just so nice, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.
OK, the pocket vs purse comment... that is SO huge. If I have my Swiss champ on me, and I see, say, a dead bug, I will rip out the pliers and pick it up and get rid of it. If I have not got it on me, I may just not think it's worth it and the bug will stay there. Maybe that's a bad example, but same thing hold with a loose screw, etc. I feel so annoyed when I am at work (where I can't carry a knife) and I have to get something out of my Swiss card, because it's in my ID badge holder and it takes a little work to free it, which is almost too much! I think I am extremely lazy, but I feel hope because you have noticed the same thing, so maybe I am not too much of an outlier!
OK, may I just say, getting rid of the Tinker Small and the Tourist is a mistake. Victorinox, are you listening? We like those tools! Just do a better job describing them online!!!
Yes. The can opener. That's why I have the Swiss Army 7, baby!! Yeehaw!
I am so touched by your encouraging words. Thank you. :)
Anne, from all the comments I read below, your demographic numbers are off somewhat. You have a lot of female viewers whose number will grow rapidly. They are opening up and commenting because of your presentation and honesty really comes through.
2nd, you brought up a VERY important factor in today's society where we can't have multitools on our person at work. People carried their knives and multitools for daily tasks at work in past generations which was considered part of our everyday lives. So many companies have banned the carry of personal knives it is killing our natural daily pocket carry. Company's now want the employees to use safety knives which for this old man was a pain in the a**. I broke the rules and carried a SAK electrician to perform all my daily chores. I'm an old man so they didn't bother me much If I tried to carry a modern folder flipper blade I'm sure the safety police would have been all over me and been in trouble. Multitools do have their advantage not being threatening to society. I'm also very impressed with your audiences feedback, you are attracting a great group who support you! An Alox #7 would have been the perfect knife for my last job. I like the hook blade better than the half sharpened electrician blade. I used that blade for opening boxes and cutting shrink wrapped pallets during receiving. Can't wait to see what you will discuss in your next video! Stay safe, Jeff
After watching this video a week or so ago I bought my daughter a pink/lavender Leatherman Squirt and last night I saw her hunched over some jewelry doing who knows what with her LM. It was a heart filling moment! Thanks!
That is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing that!! It's so interesting. It's like you gave her a tool that doesn't look like it belongs to someone else (I'm assuming those are colors that she likes) and she used it to work on a project that interests her. And now I think she's probably gonna be just feeling like tools are something that she uses, and you'll see her fixing her own washer and dryer in a few years! Really cool. I kinda think this is my favorite video. Thank you for sharing this!! Nice job!!!!
Thank you very much for tackling this subject! My other half takes care of our pets(farm type) and would use an old chinese multitool with plastic scales falling apart so badly that she would tape them back with masking tape! I'm a huge edc guy and would feel soo bad for her that I would search all stores and online forums to find a tool that would appeal to her. She especially had an aversion to anything with metal scales and literally called any of my two dozen leathermans I would present to her as rubbish(WTH?!). Finally found a cheap Christmas tool with plastic scasles at Walmart she actually liked. Whew! Can't tell you how many hours I spent trying to learn what you just presented. Really glad you made this video and helped to shed some light on how women view tools. This video is worth it's weight in gold!!
Hi Ann (or is it Anne?) Coming over from Gadget Gus. I have news for you. I think guys are first pulled into by looks first as well. Interesting about the 85 mm (dare I say something like "Baby's Got Back!) I do think you are correct about the color palette will make a difference in appeal. I think you have made some exceptionally astute observations and i think Victorinox and Leatherman need to take heed if they want to tap into over have the population on the planet. As a matter of fact every knife company should be watching this. My only disagreement is with the color. It isn't enough to just make the knife pink and call it a "girls knife!" Too many companies go we tried to make knives for women. We issued an entire line of pink knives and it didn't sell! That is almost setting up the knife or multi-tool for failure. Just liked, subscribed and rang the bell. Will also be sharing this video on my channel!
Tobias! Thank you for coming to chat knives with us! Epic video opener, BTW - it is transfixing. I think I watched it five times the first time I saw it. I'm so glad I get to tell you that! :)
Wow, thank you so much, and thank you for your thoughtful conversation! :)
I see what you are saying about the color, and the "pink it and shrink it" way of making things for women is not effective. But I will say... my new champagne 2019 alox Cadet is just beautiful, and part of that is the feminine color, for me at least. It makes me feel like Cinderella - kind of a cross between Cinderella at the ball, and Cinderella working her butt off, but Cinderella nonetheless.
My concern with pink - while I personally do not like it, many small girls love pink. I want them to not cut themselves off from the whole world of multitools, and the confidence that comes from being able to fix things. Many men who are into multitools or SAKs have a childhood memory of their first SAK, and I guess I don't think that is a strictly male domain. Even considering traditionally female tasks or crafts, a SAK or multitool comes in handy! But I'm sorry you took a chance on pink knives that didn't sell.
You are not the first person to comment on this video saying that men also get pulled into knives by the looks. But aren't they hard to define? I don't even know exactly what it is for me, much less for women in general. It is confusing.
I don't know the answer. In several unpublished iterations of this video I started out by saying that I hoped to start the conversation. I can't thank you enough for taking the time to think and talk to us about this.
Great thoughts.
1. Another thing that makes carrying of tools unequal is the availability of pockets...
Let's face it. We often call it pocket knives.
2. Carrying the larger tools is often seen as not preferable for some.
That's funny. I've always considered pockets a drawback because it keeps most men from carrying a bag, which is how you can actually carry what you need.
Anne! I've only recently started watching your videos and just have to say, it is such a joy to get to watch you talk about things and get your point of view! Your content is so refreshing, relatable, honest and fun! I get the feeling you could have been my sibling & that we could have grown up fixing and nerding out on things! :D Regarding women carrying multitools, I have to agree. Marketing does seem to be aimed more at men, but that might be just because that's the demography who mostly buys them. I'd also argue that carrying multitools or doing EDC, is a personality/community/tradition type of thing. For example, my sister grew up without much involvement of my dad, so she didn't get to do things like go camping with him or fix things with him. Recently, for her birthday, I gave her a SAK Manager (red :P) and thought she'd barely use it, but the other day she went off on how handy it's been for her glasses, grooming her eyebrow, trimming her nails, and she even fixed a door the other day! So until someone gave her a multitool, she had no idea how useful one could be! :D The few other women I know who carry or have any type of multitools, either do camping or are involved in some type of arts/crafts type business, so either someone gave them a multitool to start with or they saw someone using one and got themselves one due to need. By the way, have you seen Laura Kampf's content? She has some great videos on mods she's made to some Leatherman tools and knives. PS: YOU ARE AWESOME! Thanks for bringing us smiles and joy to our mundane days! Much love lady!
Josh, my brother-from-anothet-mother thank you so much for your comment! I love that your sister found so much to do with the Manager! I hope all the people who got Signatures from my husband and me last year will put them to good use, too. I hope to get a Manager soon. :) But I already love my Rambler...
My husband and I occasionally watch Laura Kampf together - we watch UT instead of TV usually. She is amazing!
In one of the articles I found about multi tools for women, the author made the point that if a woman is interested in a particular hobby that has a multi tool that kind of goes with it, such as biking, then she's going to have the same multi tool as a man.The real difference might come in on the day to day multi tool that people carry to make their days go easier and better.
I really appreciate your encouragement. You are very kind. :) Kind words spread sunshine. 🌞
great to listen to your perspectives, very refreshing after being fed continuous EDC videos by the algorithm. Subscribed!
Oh that's awesome!! LOL I ❤️ EDC videos. I do not know how people can afford to make a bunch of them. I have been trying to find a question that has not been answered in a video much, or at least not to my satisfaction, and then find an answer and make a video. So I'm really exciting to hear it is refreshing! :) Thanks!
Nice video Anne,
My wife Jo-Ann has been carrying a Leatherman Juice XE6 for quite a few years now. She never leaves home without it. One year I had asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she said a Leatherman Juice XE6, so I bought her one. She loves it and says it's really come in handy around the office where she works.
That is great! I carried a Leatherman juice for years. Fantastic product line, and one they would do well to bring back. I actually have been thinking about that line for weeks now. I really regret that I did not keep it. Oh well, can't hold on to mistakes, I guess!
You hit the hammer on the head with a number or items. My wife is very feminine and has during the course of our relations and marriage (coming up on 28yrs) About 2yrs ago, I bought her a cute pink tiny pocket knife and told her to keep it on her purse or pocket all the time. I took almost 3mths before she got into the daily 'habit'. Next thing I know, she was telling me how she used it in her office for packages and envelopes and even to scrape out the random muffin crumbs that dropped onto her keyboard to flick out. She made the choice herself to get a Leatherman Signal about 4mths ago. I know it's not the Swiss Army that you promote, but I cannot tell you how awesome it was, that she figured out the extra stuff for a daily or weekly basis it would come in handy. She is watching this video too, and is thrilled that you made it. Thank you from both of us.
All of my Victorinox Swiss Army Knives are things of beauty. Curves in all the right places and feel good in my hands. They are always there for me when I need them and get better with age. If I treat them right they will be with me for the rest of my life. The best is yet to come!
That is so beautiful! Have you considered becoming a country music songwriter? Comparing your Swiss army knife to a woman? I'm pretty sure in the song you lose your Swiss army knife, and your woman comes back to you, wearing Victorinox red lipstick. No, maybe her name is Victoria? I'm not sure, you will have to figure out the details - you're the songwriter after all!
Great video and interesting subject matter. Where or how do you carry your SAK?
I saw a multitool called the dr friedels manicure tool. It's like a leatherman for nail care. Cost is only $15-20. I wonder if it will be successful. I think more toolsets need to be tailored for women too.
Hi Thorin! I saw HVAC budget's video on that, and I almost bought it, except that I only do basic stuff with my nails. I'm a huge fan of the Victorinox companion. I feel like it really meets a lot of the problems that I have with multitools. :)
You are far more gracious to weirdo commenters than I am 😂
Thanks for the video. I’m glad it’s in the top 10 popular videos for this channel because the multitool community is starved for different perspectives. Victorinox has always seemed more approachable than Leatherman for those who are unfamiliar with tools, but guidance is probably the most important thing. Someone to show you the ropes is key, in my opinion.
@inkandiron3907 Hi, and thanks for coming by! Sorry it took me so long to see your comment. Hm. Yeah. You are right. A lot of the videos seem like they are from the same kind of people. But there is possibly a reason for that, some kind of multitool-loving, proto- engineering gene that lives in 0.5 percent of the population.
I do not have many, or maybe any? Weirdo commenters. At the most complicated, I have people with different cultural perspectives. As long as it's not a short; then all bets are off! You have some very unpleasant commenters sometimes, and I'm sorry for you when I see it.
Guidance. Very interesting. The kind of thing your dad (or mom) is supposed to do, but so many don't know the information themselves.
Woman here. Most multitools and SAKs are nail breakers. I don’t wear nail polish but I do think men’s nails are generally stronger. I carry a Swiza for that reason. I doesn’t fit in my pants, so they are in my coat pocket or bag. Oh, and it’s blue, a nice soft color, not aggressive looking.
Oh, very nice!! I think you are the first Swiza commenter I have met yet! I am very interested to see what they end up doing. They are clearly innovative. I like the locking blade on mine, and if course the nail-saving feature.
I never thought of that, but men may have stronger nails! Interesting point! Hm, that puts a different perspective on it.
Thank you very much for your comment. We will have to see if Swiza can grab the female market from Victorinox- that would really allow them to make some progress.
Hi Anne,
I watch you and I'm a woman. I just haven't subscribed, I thought I had, but I will change that! 😊 I've always loved SAK's, probably because of my girl guide background and I like to be prepared! I have a huntsman in red (it's my favourite colour) thanks for your videos, they're always interesting
xx Melissa
He Melissa! Thanks for watching (and subscribing)! I am nearly positive YT is mistaken and may think we are men because we watch multitool or knife videos. I just love the Huntsman. All my most- used tools together. There is something about the Victorinox red, isn't there? The black on the scales is also lovely and so is the white... I I had to look up Girl Guides - very interesting article on Wikipedia. I am not going to lie, my experience in the ?same? organization Girl Scouts left much to be desired, but it varies from area to area and group to group. The desire to be prepared resonates with me!! I kinda love it when something happens and I who out my Champ - "here's a scissors" ! Or, "Oh, do you need afish hook disgorger?" LOL
@@thevineclimber I'm Australian, Brownies and Girl Guides were all the extracurricular stuff I was allowed to do, because I was out on a farm. And our leaders were awesome. Dad instilled a love of tools in me too. It's the best when I'm out and I can whip out a torch or tool that is needed, it gives me a little thrill!
@Melissa McArdle That is so great. ❤️ 🔧 🔨 🗜 🔪 I hope lots of kids get a similar experience on into the future, too.
Here many kids that live on farms or in more rural areas do something called 4H where they do all sorts of projects.
''...don't worry, I'm not going to try to change that''. That line is sheer genius, thanks!
No problem! Lol I'll keep the Rangergrip gardener put away.
Love everything you post..if anyone else posted thud video it wouldn't click..you make it click ..im a mechanic I carried a cybertool m just because i wanted to I rarely use my Saks a work I'm 6 foot 2 32 years old u inspired me to get the swisschamp I aways wanted little pliers always great for fuses..but the magnifying glass amazingly useful ..thank you so much for your videos your one of those people everyone just loves to death with amazing tips as always thank you for the upload
Oh, wow, David, that's so nice thank you! I love that you are enjoying your Swiss Champ. :) Using it on fuses makes sense; it's just so great for everyday random things, too. It makes the day go nice and smooth.
I'm so glad you're enjoying the videos - thank you!
I loooooove multitools, Pocketknives, flashlights, edc bring it on! 😂
I have a nice collection. And I am trying and trying to get my daughters to love it! But they don't. 🤷♀️
I carry everyday. Not going anywhere without it.
I really enjoyed this video. Keep it coming! ❤
Anita, you and your daughters are a fascinating datapoint!data point! Many commenters have said that women are not interested in EDC items or multi tools because they do not have a female role model. But as their mother you are obviously the perfect role model! So I wonder why. Is there actually something innate to the products themselves that make them. unappealing to women?
Is live to hear you EDC philosophy. What is the purpose of your EDC to you?
Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@thevineclimber I started to carry, because in a day I get good use out of my tools. My hands are a bit painful. And opening, cutting, tighten things, can be so much more easy with a victorinox.
My girls are not keen on carrying, because it is not really socially excepted were we live. Europe, the Netherlands.
Oh yes! Did you happen to see the video by Dutch Bushcraft Knives called "The End of Knives / Knives will be banned. Goodbye"? I found it very interesting, even shocking, how they were kind of ok with such knife laws in some ways. I took it for granted that everyone who likes knives would think such laws are silly and/or overbearing, and they were actually ok with some of them. It was an excellent opportunity for me to learn about another culture and how, say, changing laws may change how people think.
But this leads me to another idea. We should have lots more multitools without knives. Then people in the Netherlands could carry them for all their other uses. I could carry one at my job that prohibits knives (although it looks like they have dropped that recently). People could take them on airplanes. People who don't like duplication if function and already carry a knife could carry them.
@@thevineclimber in the Netherlands, most people look at you weird when you flip out a knive 😁
It was great to hear your thoughts on this! Have an awesome Saturday, Anne!
Thank you! You too!
A multi-tool will be my next purchase. I kind of caught the bug when I started carrying a good folder and a multi-tool is just the next step into full blown edc madness. Lol. I’m looking at Leatherman Waves, Charges and Surges. I’ve also looked at Victorianox too. They have some nice multi-tools.
I hope you love your new multitool! So many great ones to choose from right now, at different price points, too.
This was a great deep dive on the importance of aesthetics, particularly when something is or is intended to become a part of someone's everyday outfit/image. The wide array of scales and colors for the Classic SD has been a big part of why I've gifted them (and a couple Minichamps as well as one or two larger models) to men and women, as you can almost always find one that's a pretty great match for someone's preferences or interests. Really touching ending as well.
Tangential, but this weekend I finally watched the 1998 action film "Hard Rain", and Minnie Driver's character packs a Victorinox she uses to save herself and others. I thought the timing was quite serendipitous!
No way!! Oh my gosh, I'm going to watch it today!
Also - I understand that not every country is like the US where I live, in terms of so few scale options. I'm trying to find places that sell cool scales and will ship internationally. That could be a gamechanger.
A few years ago my step-daughter who is now an adult said that one of the things she appreciated most about growing up with me was that whenever she asked me if I could fix something my reply was “No, but I will show you how to fix it yourself.” Anything I could do for her or her brothers to help them feel more self-sufficient always seemed to be a benefit to me. I wish that it had occurred to me to get them Swiss Army knives, yet another thing that could be done to help them feel like they can do anything they want.
I love this comment! You gave them a really great gift, which they will give their (and probably other) kids. Excellent! And a Swiss army knife makes a nice birthday gift!
You really have me thinking here. My daughter is 18 years old and an auto technician and I have given her lots of knives over the years but never a multi-tool. Not even a Swiss army knife. It never occurred to me until now.
I hope you find one that's just perfect for her!I don't know anything about being an auto technician or what kinds of tools they would be likely to use, but I bet there's something out there that's really great!
There's something to be said about not growing an attachment to one's multitool. Because sometimes the job you're doing ends up breaking said tool. And if you're too attached to it (because it looks so good/etc.), you're going to _not_ do the job instead.
I had a pink Victorinox classic years ago, enjoyed it but lost it to airport security and never replaced it. Recently I’ve really been wanting one again and discovered the cuteness factor of SOME Victorinox models has increased, very excited! Probably getting a Victorinox Companion.
I agree that women will go for beauty over function. But I’m feeling that the market is finally crossing over so we can have beauty AND function.
Yes, I agree with you totally. The Companion is great! I think men actually do appreciate some of the esthetics of the knives that we might find ugly and I'm glad for them, but I'm glad for us when we can have what we also like. Besides that, there's just a wide variety of opinions and what people want for their look and I am glad that the market is going to reach out to more people that way. I think my biggest interest is that everybody participated life fully and not get held back because of things like this. Thank you so much for your comment. Have a great day, Penelope. .
16:00 very well articulated. Never thought about it exactly like that, but I agree.
Coming from Iron Man, this comment means a lot!!
Hehe thank you. I'm a true believer...
👍🏼Good vid.
I got my wife a leatherman squirt. The only leatherman I’ve ever bought. Every time I see her trying to do something I say your leatherman would do that right now. I think she finally uses it more often now.
I customized an opinel for her also. I had to keep reminding her that she had a very good knife in her purse. Sometimes I take it and clean off the tape glue; sharpen & put it back. :)
Hi Anne. I'm a woman and I agree and disagree with some of your thoughts, but then I can only speak for myself. Growing up, if we needed to do some repairs around the house, my father would go out and buy the necessary tools. He never brought me along or thought it was a good idea to teach his daughter how to use tools. "It's a man's job to fix things in the house", he would say. Had I been exposed to full-sized tools from a young age, maybe I would have incorporated multi-tools earlier in my life.
My first multi-tools were actually for biking. I very rarely use them, but they are a Godsend. They aren't cute per se, but how they all fit together is very clever.
Overall I was very much a girly girl growing up. Fashion and makeup were my thing. And... women's magazines don't advertise Victorinox or Leatherman.
My EDC, until I found the online community, consisted of Band-aids, tissues, lipbalm, backup contact lenses, a few Tylenol/Aspirin pills, mints, and hand sanitizer. Since I began learning more about EDC, I now carry a small flashlight, a HeroClip, and a small multitool. I also own a few SAKs. Usefulness is more important than cuteness for tools.
I love your channel. Keep posting your content.
@sandradeguire299 Hi Sandra! Thank you so much for your comment! I find it very encouraging. I am glad to hear that you disagree; I was very hesitant to make that video (plus since I didn't really know how to edit then, I was very stressed when filming it, since I could not go back and fix any of it). I value the diversity of opinions, and I have learned SO much from my viewers; I feel more like this is a community where my job is to make videos and other people have jobs of being experts in things.
I love your EDC story. :) Some of the things you listed (tissues, lip balm, backup contacts, and mints, in particular) should get more play in the EDC community. Usefulness IS more important than cuteness, I totally agree. But I just got tired of compromising so much. Why shouldn't I like how it works AND how it looks? I recently put white scales on my Swiss champ and then put washi tape on the scales. It is a temporary way to get the look I want (and then I can replace it any time) and also the function I want. :)
You can say that again. Women's magazines DON'T advertise Victorinox or Leatherman. I see that on their websites they feature women using the products, even doing stereotypically feminine tasks, but that information does not get out there that much. I really value womens' full participation in their lives and households. I have seen too many women be unable to fix simple things because they lack the confidence (or the skills, but I have a feeling that a lot of the lack of skill could be made up for by confidence and the willingness to try. And watch a UA-cam video to see how to do it.)
Thank you so much for your encouraging comment! :)
I agree with just about all of your points. Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder; the SAKs I've bought are all Sapphire scales, the translucent blue. To me, that's pretty, and blue is "my color," but clearly it's not for everyone. Victorinox has lots of scale options, but they're so amazingly inconsistent about what is available on which model that no one but enthusiasts realizes the come in anything but red.
Meanwhile, most pliers-based tools are straight stainless steel silver. Which is not a bad aesthetic (I kinda like it), but definitely caters to a particular blue-collar-dude stereotype.
If Victorinox really wanted to be more design-appealing, they'd make it easier to replace the scales yourself (it's technically not a supported change, even if it's easy), and sell first-party scales in all kinds of colors and designs. Why? Because "accessorizing" is an interest all in itself! Make scales that can be swapped out to match your outfit, and not with the prybar that risks breaking them method. Make it a design feature. Then sell a 91mm standard and plus scale in 20 different colors, which would fit all of them. (Or, hell, just plus scales.) Make a new limited edition fancy design? You can now sell it to *anyone* with a 91mm model. And as users, we can vary our theme a lot more easily. (It would also likely be way cheaper than buying new scales off random eBay sellers in Ukraine, where I got mine.)
I think there's another factor you didn't really touch on much, though: The tool selection. What are the most common tools on multitools, regardless of manufacturer? Pliers and a knife.
Pliers are fine if you work in certain fields, but for 99% of my uses, it's just dead weight. That's why my Bibury sits in a drawer 99% of the time unless I'm doing some home repair stuff. And I still have only used the pliers once, before I went and got a proper ratcheting wrench. The fields that actually need pliers on a regular basis are... 99% male.
And knives, aside from the carry-legality factor, also have a very strong male/violence association. Even if we know that knives can be very useful tools, there's still a stigma against them. A guy with a knife is dangerous (just ask the UK), and a woman with a knife is clearly crazy. Yet virtually every multitool has a knife, and outside of Victorinox most multitools are built around pliers.
The toolsets on most modern multitools are just... really not suited for indoor-urbanites of any gender, to say nothing of the particular needs of women. (Seriously, why is the awl still there on a SAK, except to annoy security guards? Who the heck actually uses a manual can opener on the regular? Why does *any* tool not have a nail cleaner on it? That's way more useful than a flimsy toothpick. Etc.) Some real market research to determine what modern urbanites, and women in particular, would benefit from and building a tool selection around that (either bladeless or with a craft blade) would do wonders. As is, the only market segment that seems to be targeted are "HVAC repairmen" and "bushcrafters/survivalists," who together make up about 0.01% of the population... and are almost entirely male.
What would a "feminine toolset" be? I'm not sure, but I suspect it does exist. (And I'm 100% certain would include a nail file and nail cleaner. Way more useful than a screwdriver or metal saw.)
The Roxon Flex is therefore *very* interesting for its loadout customizability. I really, really hope they offer a bar-style one in the future, without the pliers, because that would be huge for this market segment. Even though I have several tools already, I'd get one just on principle to customize. (For the love of god, Victorinox, make a customizable tool built around your current tool options. You'd sell billions.)
And of course there's the perennial complaint: Pockets. 🙂
Addendum: This guy at least is very glad to see a woman on here talking about multitools. I've tried to get my wife interested in tools and efficient-carry, and she just doesn't give a damn. 🙂 I completely agree that the concept of a multitool is and should be gender-agnostic, if only the tools themselves were properly made that way. (And I say that as someone who does believe there are innate differences between men and women; they just don't extend to "tools are useful.") In any case, I'm a year late but I'm glad you're here.
Two points I wanted to mention;
1. Most men don't love SAKs/multitools either. Do you know how few men carry an SAK/Multittol or even a knife?
2. Among the SAK/Multitool users, women are simply much quieter/inconspicuous.
They just don't turn it into a show like the men who celebrate it everybody as a hobby, passion, etc.😉
Oh that's interesting! I did not think of that. This reminds me of the commenter who said that he thought that the multi tool had meaning to men. Thus it becomes a passion or hobby...
Thanks for mentioning this!
Few contributing factors as a whole that make both men and women not carry a multi tool/knife or flashlight 1. As a whole society has gotten way too tech dependent in alot of ways case and point why where a watch when they have their phone or "smart watch" why carry a flashlight when they have their phone. Me personally i hate taking my phone out just to check the time cause It just feels like a clumsier way to check the time. 2. The whole marketing approach for the knife community imo is way to "military tactical" and needs to focus more on what people carry a knife for basic utility tasks a good example is the sak super tinkerer I gave to a female coworker cause she mentioned she needed a simple multi tool has found out that having even quick access to scissors and a basic Philips head screwdriver is handy along with a small keychain light. 3. I'd argue the least compelling reason for people to not want to carry a multi tool/knife or light is pocket space people in general now I hate to say it are too "soft" what i mean by that is i feel like younger men have less incentive to be handy cause of societal norms. Just figured I'd add to the discussion cause its becoming rarer and rarer to see people try and solve a problem now and instead just walk away and let someone else fix it.
@Horde334 Oh that's very interesting! 1. Yes, phones are more than ubiquitous. I do everything for this channel from my phone, and also use it for entertainment, filling out paperwork at work, driving directions, sometimes a flashlight, and I could use one of those "Wallet" programs and pay for things with it . I still enjoy real life, but I get irritated when I have to use a real book instead of something I can read on my phone! LOL I suddenly feel like the poster child for bad technology. But I agree with you!
2. Yes. I wonder if this is part of what some people object to - not so much the knives, but the way they are associated with violence instead of work or efficiency.
3. Yes, I see what you are saying... but I think that having a capable multitool on you greatly increases the chances that you will dig in and try to fix the problem. So that one may be a chicken and the egg problem! But this situation does give a lot of power to those who can fix problems...
Thank you for your good points!
My wife carries a 580 Nail Clip and a Spartan (both with Sapphire scales) in her purse. She also carries (at different times) an Edelweiss Classic, a Signature, and a Rambler with the Gadsden flag scales on her keychain. Yes, she likes her 58mm SAKs because of their usefulness, and I'm sure she was attracted to the Spartan because of the colorful Sapphire scales. I can't imagine her possessing anything larger. She doesn't give much thought to multitools, such as my Leatherman PST, but she does use the pliers when we go fishing. She also watches your videos with me.
Excellent! It sounds like able likes multitools, only she likes small ones. The Nailclip 580 is a great tool - it still has the nail cleaner tip fingernail file.
I think a Sportsmam is a great option, but I only ever see them in red. All the functionality of a Spartan, but one blade is a nail file. It could use a little dressing up. And maybe it would spiral to women more if it weren't named SportsMAN.
Thanks to you and your wife for watching the videos!
@@thevineclimber I'm sure many people would buy more 84mm knives if they offered them in different colors. I know my wife would exchange her sapphire Spartan for a colorful Sportsman in a heartbeat.
Oh yes, the Sportsman! I'm so glad that is not going away.
@@thevineclimber I just noticed the "Sportsmam" spelling... Intentional or a typo? Regardless, I like it. Maybe the "Sportsma'am" with some colorful scales to cater to the ladies and others who find the plain red scales boring.
What a perfect typo that is! I really love the sportsman for women because it has a nail file which admittedly some women never use really because they are having gel polished nails, but also because it doesn't have too much of a focus on a knife. If you are someone who doesn't even see the need to carry one knife, why would you carry 2?
I'm another woman that can't get enough of my Victorinox Huntsman SAK. I think my multitool is beautiful. Well made is beautiful.
That is so well said. There is really something very satisfying about the quality and sturdiness that you can feel in their products.
I dont know but according to evolutionary psychology, men generally are alot more interested in objects than women are. Maybe marketing would change it a little bit, but I dont think it would be a huge shift in any way as long as men and women have different interests on a basic level.
Spesifically the drive to find tools that make you able to do things is very strong in men, and particularly this idea of "being prepared", or "saving the day", anything used to manipulate materials, build something, defend yourself and hunt is pretty strong. In many ways grown men find the same things interesting as a 12 year old boy, and I believe alot of it is because its just... ingrained?
Logically, considering the amount of people regardless of gender out there who do not carry multi tools at all, I think its safe to say MOST people in modern society dont actually need one. I think the difference is that men find the tool cool, and then go looking for things to use it on instead of just getting the tool needed when the problem actually occurs like anyone not carrying these would.
And its not like women dont actually use and carry tools on a daily basis either, how many purses have nail clippers, brushes, nail files etc in them. Those are by definition tools
Thank you for this video. I find a lot of multi-tools & knives to be too tactical or over engineered for my tastes which is why I love SAK's for there classic looks. And talking of classic, the Classic SD is a great stepping stone for kids.
Thanks also for bringing my attention to Swiza. These look great & I'm gonna be busy on their website trying to choose (at least) one.
Yeah, I shouldn't be so against the SD. But the knife! It's so small! I have an "Executive 81" which is like a Wenger-style version, and that knife is a little better. But man, for that toolset, move me up to an ambassador!! I got some kids jetsetters this year, because the parents weren't ready for the kids to have knives, but next year those two are getting knives!
This is my first Swiza. They are kind of expensive, IMO, but I like that you don't have to ruin your nails with them. Consider the one-handed opening versions! They also have animal versions for horses, I think. I mean, for caring for horses, not for horses to use.
Great video! As a dad to 5 year-old daughter and as a lifelong fan of swiss army knives, this video was very meaningful. I want her to have that same joyful experience of owning an SAK as a kid, just like I was able to have. Glad you are out there making these videos.
Oh that's awesome! That comment makes me want to cry. What a great dad you are! I'm sure not all kids like SAKs or multitools, but your daughter won't be held back by unnecessary barriers. 💞
My favourite leatherman is the juice series, now discontinued 😢 and it had coloured scales.
If your looking fir some nice victorinox, I really like the "winter magic " line.
Thanks for the upload
The winter magic ones are beautiful... lol I could use some summer magic about now! I had 2 or 3 Juices back in the day, and gave one to a boy I know for Christmas (they released what may have been some new-old stock briefly). Note that I think I'd it, his mom was like as to take it for herself! I really loved that series. Such a solid feel, too. Really nice in the hand. I don't know eject mine went, but I carried it into the color wore off the scales. I thought it looked old - nobody had informed me of our modern concept of patina!
You’re right, Anne- I don’t think I’ve ever seen an advertisement for multitools or knives that seemed to be aimed at women or girls (except maybe “Ladies, here’s what your man wants for Father’s Day/Christmas/etc.”).
Not that I’ve seen ads that said anything like “No girls allowed!”, but a lot of them do seem to have an unwritten subtext like “Here’s what a real man carries.”
So some brilliant marketing person will eventually come up with a pitch that works with female customers, and persuade a knife and tool company to invest enough money to get it going.
Until then, is there maybe a market niche for customized pocket knives or multitools with pretty handles and woman-friendly tools? If so, what would they look like? What tools do women want?
That's such a great question!I think probably they want the same tools as men. Although the new package opener might be a good seller! And having 2 blades might be too much for some.
I like the current Victorinox "medium pocket knives" link on Victorinox..com - it has a SAK being used apparently by an artist. Very cool.
As a 45yr old man, I had no suspicion I would enjoy this video as much as I did! You gave me a lot to think about and provided some helpful correction in the way I see my twin boy and girl. An absolutely marvelous video. I've subscribed and look forward to watching more of your videos. Thanks!
Wow, that is so nice! Thank you! It must be awesome to have twins! 😀 Thanks for watching and commenting!
Love the video and the insight!
Multitools are tools (duh, right?!), and I think tools in general aren’t really targeted toward women, and multitools aren’t targeted toward women or girls for a lot of the same (silly) reasons. I would guess it’s mainly because the professions that use full-sized tools are fairly male-heavy, and that translates down to amateur males being encouraged to have hobbies that use these same tools, but females, not so much.
My wife has carried a green Classic SD for many years and loves it, and my daughter has a toy SAK and is very fascinated by my real ones. Even if they never get into larger tools, I love the idea that carrying an SAK expands their confidence and capability to tackle problems. I would be very happy for my daughter to get a pink and purple unicorn Classic SD with the exact same tools as my black and silver one.
Anne, thank you for the thoughtful video. I am a middle school tech ed teacher and I'm very interested in doing my part to level the playing field for young women who are just beginning their journey into tool craft. Perspectives like this are very helpful. I will also say that in my experience, my best students are consistently young women. IMHO it is because they have less ego to check at the door. Boys don't seem to listen to advice as readily and they seem to believe that they should already know how to use tools correctly; as if males are somehow preprogrammed with this knowledge. I also believe my female students experience more of a sense of accomplishment when they do well on a project, although I often have to remind them to refrain from negative self-talk and self-criticism.
Aaron, this is a meaningful comment to me, even though I'm not sure what tech ed is. In our junior high, which is the same as middle school, I was able to take wood shop and electronics. Then in high school I was surprisingly (because I'm not that old!) not allowed to take auto shop or any of the things that would naturally have come after those junior high classes. That kind of thing absolutely would not happen now. But I'm sure that those perspectives, having been as recent as my time in high school, are still lingering within society or maybe even the education system that tell girls and young women that they can't succeed at these things. It makes me feel so happy to hear about your work to level the playing field for them!
@@thevineclimber , tech ed is a general category of Career and Technology Education (CTE) that covers a lot of different subjects related to technology, from robotics and coding to building trades. My classes are geared towards teaching engineering and design, but we often use woodworking, carpentry, basic electrical wiring and mechanics as our learning mediums. Several of my female friends have told me stories about how they were treated when taking vocational classes a few decades ago. It pains me to think of all of potential and technical skill that has been lost to gender bias and stereotypes.
I am overwhelmingly grateful that there are women out there who love Swiss Army Knives as much as I do! I’m a knife nut in general, but my favorites will always be Swiss Army Knives. I get a lot of weird looks when I talk about this or pull one out of my bag or pocket. And I think that’s one of the big deterrents for a lot of women: they get weird looks or comments. Now, I grew up around a lot of women who didn’t give a whoop what anyone thought. My mother is 74 years old and always carries a folding utility knife and a Swiss Army Knife Tinker in her purse. If she needs it, she uses it. My dad and every other man I grew up with, practically insisted I learn to carry and safely use a knife. I’m of two minds about the idea that if Swiss Army Knives (or any other tools) would be more attractive to women if they came in more colors. On the one hand, I like the idea of more women carrying them and using them because that will only keep the tools evolving. But on the other hand, I wish it wasn’t such a “thing” that things have to match or be certain colors in order for them to be acceptable for certain people to use. Over the years I’ve gotten over the need to defend myself when I get those weird looks or comments…mainly because I dawned on me that I got the weird looks or comments because I was the only one in the immediate area who had a readily available tool for a specific job at a specific time. That weird look gets replaced with genuine appreciation and interest pretty quickly. :)
One word: Pockets!
I’m an anomaly. I love multi-tools, pocket knives, etc.
That said, I find it frustrating that many of women’s clothing are not designed to effectively carry these sort of items.
Finding a dress with pockets is like finding a unicorn. But even those garments are not really suited for carrying a SAK/multi-tool.
Obviously, I can carry them in my purse or backpack, but the convenience of actually having the tool on your person at the time it’s needed is priceless. Loving your videos. Looking forward to watching more. ☮️
I'm sure there are some women who work in positions that don't allow a knife and there are very few multitools that are TSA compliant. If there were more offerings that could be carried into a courtroom, school, airport, etc. there might be a greater demand.
Adding, the Swiss Knife Shop has a lot of pretty SAK scales including pink, purple, teal, and paw prints.
Hi! Wow, thanks for all the comments!
Ok, I am surprised, but I don't recall having seen this comment before - that many women work in places where knives aren't allowed, which would obviously make them less likely to carry a multitool.
I love the knives at SKS, especially the bears!! I have had sunflowers and cherry blossoms, too!! Most of the cool scales go on classic SDs., though, and while I have come to appreciate that toolset, it can never be my favorite!! I went to look at their site after I read your comment, and I hadn't seen the pawprints before, or the white cherry blossoms! Thanks!!!
My wife loves her 58mm SAKs, always carries one and uses it quite a bit. She's also always interested in my medium SAKs and always has her 91mm in her hiking pack, but she just sees almost no need to use it other than for meal prep or a bit of carving
I may need to look into the benefit of 58mm SAKs a bit more. So many people find them useful. I did really love the Rambler, which of course is a Manager without a pen.,,
I love that she has one for hiking. :)
Thanks for commenting!
@@thevineclimber Thank YOU for the good content videos!
The Rambler/Manager is an ingenious little multi-tool! For many people, these small 58mm are just enough for everyday tasks, but as a knife freak, I also love my manager on the keychain.
Being a man I noticed quite weird in the 40 years years that I have known about swiss army knives I have never seen an advert for them on the TV or in a magazine I first came across them when I saw them displayed in the front window of a camping store when I went their with my mother because she went shopping for me for an up coming 3 days 50 mile sponsored walk across country that I was talking part in with my school when I was 15 but she would not buy me one she settled for the Chinese army knock-off that was a third of the price I eventually got one 3 years latter when i was 18 and paying for it myself the thing About swiss army knives is that they are a brand that are well displayed at camping stores so you get to know about them that way or you have a friend who uses one they are an iconic brand that people just know without advertising
Yes, that is a very good point! I have never seen them for sale in a store outside of Walmart, camping/outdoors stores, and oddly enough, a watch store in Japan. They are advertised, in a way, on the websites of stores that carry them. I think that youtubers and other social media people may be the primary advertisers of them right now!
Great topic, I always looked at multi tools/ swiss army knives from the functional aspect. I've been wearing a sak since I was eight, it's modified and I don't consider it particularly masculine, e.g. the toothpick has been replaced by a sewing needle and thread and it has a deep carry clip. An important aspect for me is that it can be worn in the suit pants, covers many functionalities and doesn't appear too threatening to my environment. The color is black and I got a numberof female friends, who a carrying swiss army knives and the mostly tend towards slimmer models, I think mainly because womens pants tend to have smaller pockets. The reason for me to carry a SAK is mainly to be prepared to solve upcoming problems. As you mentioned, tools have been used by women and men since the dawn of time, although perhaps with different focuses. In fact, I also see this from the point of view of equal rights for men and women, rich and poor, as an approach to democratization, similar to the approach of the Bauhaus movement a hundred years ago in europe.
Good point about small pockets. I have to search for women's pants with pockets.
The Evolution models have a good tool set but the reamer punch is hard to open and the knife as a whole is too chunky for my liking. I do really like the locking blade though.
I agree with the reamer... but I have that problem on Victorinox originals, too!! It's chunky, but cute. 😀 I am not sure I like the locking blade... I'm still working on that one...
What I see over and again in EDC groups is women’s pocket sizes are smaller and typically tighter. That would make the ClassicSD more appealing even if she was saying the scales were pretty. She probably envisioned the champ in her pocket and laughed? I dunno
Lol I'm standing here without my usual belt holster and the champ is in my pocket and it's ridiculous. So yes, she was not wrong! I think I was wrong on this one. Not that that is surprising!! 🙄
I bought my 4 yo daughter the plastic Victorinox toy multi tool. I had one as a kid and I loved it. I also got her a pink (her favorite color) cherry blossom SD in a unicorn silicone case with pink paracord necklace for when she's older, but I sometimes let her wear it around her neck for a little while on a weekend day.
That's awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing this here! :)
I think the Classic SD is the SAK that most strikes women as being “cute.” Partly because it has the most different scale designs, including some very cute ones, but also due to the size and proportions of the knife.
Yeah, I think you are right. I have a regrettable blind spot to the classic SD, so it's hard for me to see it. But I like the scales!
My 70 year old wife seems to love big tough kitchen knives. I give her my small stainless blades whenever , kersnap! I NEED TO BUY ANOTHER KNIFE She gave me the PIGEYE when I drove my jondeer lawnmower by with a bright yellow orange/ red Mora 546 strapped to the lil tool box! Lol The hori hori original garden knife got a big smile. She won't share. Yes I bought a secret spare. Huntsman camo in leather belt pouch. Red Super tinker also. The lil white spartan may get handed over when I NEED ANOTHER KNIFE lol my nails get chipped so I just figured she would reject a SAKVIC.
Lol this paints quite an entertaining Lucie! Thank you for sharing!!
Choosing beauty over function depends on what I'm buying. I do a lot of research on tools and tech I buy, which that enables me to pick models of products that work better and not necessarily look cute.
Me again: I managed to have my wife carrying a multi tool with the Victorinox Swiss Card 😊
I gave her the Lite version.
That said, in regards of one of your reasons being marketing, if you look at the descriptions in Amazon (at least in Europe), for many of these tools, they use phrases as “men present” or “tools for men” or “the perfect gift for dad, brother, boyfriend”. I think this wording is mostly used in the tools made by Asian companies (and now I am stereotyping) because I don’t think that Leatherman nor Victorinox use them. Anyway, just wanted to emphasize that you are right about that point.
And sincerely, when I was younger, and I admittedly did not have any idea at what was inside of them, always had the impression that the SAKs looked like toys; and a real knife was like Crocodile Dundee’s.
In fact I kind of miss that wrong conception 😊
And finally, I sincerely and respectfully disagree with color having a strong influence on women’s interests on multi tools. For example, I particularly do not like much the red color of the SAKs but I find them fascinating. I can spend hours in a store looking at hardware or electronic devices, without color being too important. While most women would find that deadly boring. It is how we are, we are different, and that is a good thing, most of the times. But gosh, how interesting is a woman who likes the same things I like !!!
Lol Great comment. Thank you!! Yes, I see that on Victorinox tools that I have bought from Amazon Japan!
I carry my Swiss card lite at work and use it nearly every day. I thought I'd never use the pin until I had to remove my sim card one day. It's just... there's no *snap!* of the tools, and you hold everything with your fingertips instead of your whole hand so you don't feel like you are digging in and getting it done!
I'm happy that there's no blade on that, only a "letter opener". Lol still can't carry it on a plane!
Crocodile Dundee indeed has the greater knife, but let's see him cut the tags off a dress, open a can of peas, replace the battery in a toy, and repair a vacuum with that knife!
You bring up interesting point.
It's be my experience with me and my family that the most used multi-tool is the plan one I carry as my wife's Pioneer X - Winter Magic 2020 is something we don't want scratched.
Yeah, I hear you there! I always try to take the policy that tools are to be used, but when I damage something special I am sad!!
Ann or Ann with and e, I don’t catch if you mention this company, almost slipped and said theses guy, but SMKW was doing coverage of Blade Show Texas, their day one coverage, and interviewed Brighten Blades which sound like they have similar opinions. You might want to check out the video and depending on how passionate your are reach out and contact the owner as she might could help get some of your ideas into the industry. As always thanks for sharing and God Bless.
Wow what an awesome idea! I'm absolutely going to go search out that video right now! :) Thanks a ton. God bless you, also.
Women generally don't have female role models that carry multi-tools. Most Swiss Army knives have lipstick red handles.
Lol that's true! I got some good evidence yesterday at that being a reason that some women do not carry a Swiss army knife. I decided to take an informal poll of women I work with. The very first one I asked said, "I don't have one but I've been meaning to ask you where you got yours." I asked her why and she said, "It's just so helpful it's got everything on it!"
By the way, if adding a nice inlay to the scales (such as a nice flower, like you mentioned) is something that will make it appealing, I'm sure there's someone near you who offers that.
It's true. As a woman, I have a Huntsman Victorinox knife, with walnut scales, and I literally stained the scales to be a pretty red wood stain, just because the brown color was too ugly to me. We really do like pretty things, and it doesn't seem like it should be so hard to have pretty scales or color options on a multi tool or knife.
Sara, thank you so much for your interesting comment! I bet your knife looks great. I think you're the first person I've ever heard of staining their Victorinox wood scales, which it seems like something I would have heard of before, but I don't think I have. That's awesome.
Currently I'm using white scales and I put washi tape on it to decorate it. Looks cool, but I really love your idea! I would miss the scale tools, though.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a note here about your cool SAK!
Yeah it wasn't hard. I took a vermillion colored sharpie, (the color changes when it's colored on the brown, -color theory, hehe), and then once both scales were colored, I used mineral oil to oil the scales and spread the dye. It turned out really pretty. It's that perfect beautiful shade of deep ruby red. Looks great on a Victorinox knife. @@thevineclimber
@@sarakajira Wow, nice!! I would not have guessed that about the vermillion and brown hehe
Just discovered your channel yesterday and am blow away by your excellent content and perspective! Great work!
Oh wow, that's so nice!! Thank you! With comments like that, you can come back any time! Lol Thanks for watching and I will try to think of something interesting to say. I think the next video is going to be boring, but next weekend I hope to have a good one interviewing a long time Cybertool user!
Haha! We’ll see about boring. Wanted to mention that, thanks to this video, I have some cute scales in order from Heidi Shop to swap onto the Explorer I was going to give to my youngest son. I’m going to swap the scales and give it to my daughter instead. I figured she wouldn’t be too interested in a pocket knife, but maybe if it has some “pop” on the scales she’ll feel more confident that it really is something that can be for her, too!
Oh that's so great!! Did you get the one with the hearts?
XO’s and hearts 😊
So cute! She will love it!
The victorinox Classic SD as you say has appeal, because of the many different designs, also the tool set is geared towards nail care. I find this makes a good starter gift for women for the reasons mentioned.
I had a similar thought. However, I think the SwissCard “Multi-Tool” (?) might be a better fit as a good starter gift as you point out-like the pink or other colors. Cheers.
@DonaldCarr I know, but then why did they get rid of the Classic (-SD)? I like the nail cleaner so much. I really like your idea of this being a "starter" - once you love having these tools, just think of how much you will love having a screwdriver and a bigger blade! Interesting idea...
I think the Swiss Card is so useful and has absolutely none of the negative associations people have with knives, and it doesn't make you look manly or womanly, it just helps you feel confident and prepared.
I find the FantastiCAR 14-in-1 colors interesting. Purple is my favorite color and that is a nice purple on the tool. However, the pastel colors used here carry with them a sense of cheapening the tool. So in this case I'd avoid it, not because of hating the color, but what the color draws attention to.
Yes. I bought one and have not reviewed it. It looks cheap to me right now. The scales are plastic and it looks... cheap.
Hi Anne. I carry both SAKs and multi tools everyday. I see the beauty in these items in whatever colour they are.
Penny! Thank you for commenting! I love meeting the people that prove my title wrong!May I ask - do you work in a field where most people carry a multitool with them?
@@thevineclimber Not that I am aware of.
Interesting. So you are carrying two tools in order to just be ready to tackle whatever comes your way. And things always do! Your friends are lucky to know you. ❤️
Much enjoyed by this man, thank you! My daughter likes SAKs and I'm going to share this with her for her amusement. Also the SOG Power Pint one to see if she wants one. I have one and am very happy with it. I sharpened the can opener and the box cutter but like you thought the cap lifter a little too fragile to convert into a wide flathead.
Great video! Very different point of view, I love it! Good luck to you with your channel
Thank you, Dani! 😀
@@thevineclimber I bought my Spartan on white yesterday, its my first multitool and I realy really love it. It looks so classy. Your champ makes me jealous! :)I am 21 and I hope it will help me everyday. Thank you again for making this video, it was very great, its too bad something like this isnt more targeted to women too.
Hi Anne, in reference to one of your comments, for anyone that has nails too long, polished, too short, too weak, or just a really stubborn knife, you might consider an A.G. Russell Steel Thumbnail. Hmmm....now where did I put mine? :-) They come with various scale colors, no pink though. ;-) I have an old British Soldier's knife with a really stubborn can opener on it. I cut a slit in it and attached a stainless washer on a lanyard in the event I ever need to open it. I actually only use it for its marlinspike.
The Leatherman Wave diamond file is very useful and has been loaned out for fingernails. For those who are using a multitool without a diamond file I suggest an Eze-Lap Model H diamond hone for your keychain. I carry mine in a section of tubular nylon webbing which has been melted shut on one end and a hole in the other end for the keyring. Note that since it can easily slip out of its "shealth" I have a safety lanyard (cord) through the hole in the hone which separately attaches to the keyring.
I don't know of any pink multitools per se other some SAKs which periodically appear. As for knives, the Benchmade Mini Griptilian is available with a pink handle. One daughter loves hers and the other would never have it in pink. I have seen some Spyderco sprint runs in a plethora of colors including pink and purple. A pricey but really worthwhile knife in purple is the following: Doug Ritter Mini-RSK® MK1-G2 Knifeworks Exclusive - G-Mascus® Purple G-10/Stonewashed. I see the full size is also available, but I far prefer the Mini which I find has less weight, better ergonomics, and only a slightly shorter blade.
Wow, what an extremely useful comment!
Here's the A.G. Russell steel thumbnail: agrussell.com/knife/A-G-Russell-Steel-Thumbnail-Black-G-10--RUL-OP1-B10
I think the Mini Griptillian in pink is discontinued!
Here's the Mini RSK - the purple is nice looking and not overdone:
knifeworks.com/doug-ritter-mini-rsk-mk1-g2-knifeworks-exclusive-mascus-puple-g-10-tumbled-finish/
Is the purpose of the stainless steel washer to be a "fingernail"?
@@thevineclimber Yes, that was the purpose of the washer; although I actually cut a slot for it to fit into. It will work on other knives, at least to loosen a stubborn blade, but does not give much gripping area so one has to keep fingers away in case the blade snaps back. I noticed on the stainless washers I was trying in response to your question that one side was flatter/had a bit of a grip to it so which side is used can make a difference with some washers. I apparently picked them up up at a marine store. I mentioned the steel thumbnail as it is not something would necessarily be aware of unless one happened to see it. I also tried a Victorinox Rambler SD and used the SD tip in the fingernail groove and pinched the blade on the other side, and pulled the blade up with more control. So one useful thing for the SD tip. [Do you like it less as the regular tip of the fingernail file is better for cleaning fingernails?] Not a color but my Rambler has pretty titanium scales 😁which I got from CountyComm as part of a kit including a Classic knife, but used the scales for my Rambler. [I see they are out of stock but will be returning. [58mm Titanium Scales + Classic Swiss Army Knife Kit] The price has gone up $5 since I bought them.
Unfortunately you are correct that Benchmade has discontinued the pink and I only see two on eBay at the moment. Speaking of pink, Olight usually has a pink flashlight available in October and so far the proceeds have gone entirely to Breast Cancer foundations/research. So one can feel good about supporting a worthy cause and have one's purchase price entirely donated, while still getting a flashlight.
@Donald Strader Oh, thanks for the good information! This washer idea is really great - very inexpensive and solves an actual problem. I still need to solve the same problem, although far worse, on the Swiss Tool.
We once got a dog for another dog. I think in this case we could have a Swiss army knife for another Swiss army knife! :)
Anne, I just found this video and I love it. I carry a victorinox super tinker everyday due to my job as an IT director in a public school. It's small enough and innocuous enough for no one to notice it because knives in school are a bad thing., Also, I don't enjoy carrying a tool box around for the occasional screw or box that needs opening. When I'm not at work, my edc is the same Buck Prince my grandfather gave me when I was 13.😁
I love tools, Harbor freight makes me happy😆 Swiss Army knives are a kick, love the color options now, however there is something about the red scales that I have a hard time straying from.. I’m at an age where don’t really care what people think about my quirky interests, which is quite freeing. Love gadgets of all sorts. Keeps things fun.
Thank you! What a nice outlook on life and tools. I thought that I would never change the red scales on my Swiss champ. But I am actually quite happy with the white ones and the washi tape I put on them to decorate it! It's always fun to meet another person with an interest in multitools and gadgets, isn't it?
I once spoke with a car-seller about women as car-buyers, and he told me, he can sell ANY car to a woman if it's RED. Surprisingly that's not the case with SAK's - I'm confused - must be some of the other reasons you put into perspective.
LOL That is a really funny story!! I do kind of feel like there's something to it that I'd like to know about, though.
About colour - I felt repelled by the intense yellow SAK, not my style. But if I had money to spare, I might buy it all the same because a brightly coloured tool is less easy to lose, and when you get older this becomes a consideration!
I'm a guy and fascinated by multitools - my father gave me a SAK when I was a kid, which I still have, and I'm watching your video - but it doesn't make sense to me to carry around a ton of metal all the time. There's a toolbox in the car, and plenty of proper tools at home - for EDC, a swisscard knockoff is good enough (blade, scissors, nailfile, emergency "screwdrivers").
Oh I've been so interested in the knockoffs! Do you know which brand you have? $40 is a lot even if you know you are going to use it.
Thank you for watching and commenting. I agree about brightly colored tools... I have been able to find my phone so much more easily now that it is "rose gold" instead of black!
@@thevineclimber Well perhaps "knockoff" is a bit unkind.
It's a card multitool from Brookstone, that I bought 20 or so years ago. The card itself is some kind of hard transparent plastic that hasn't aged well, so I had to make a cardboard sheaf to prevent the knife from falling out and the scissors from deploying all the time.
On the other hand, all the tools still work perfectly, and the knife is a good deal bigger and more useful than the one on a swisscard: almost 8 cm long, [edit: serrated] blade 4.5 cm, 2 cm deep with a semi-circular "bite" in the handle that your finger fits into - you can saw off small branches with it at a pinch, or peel an orange or cut an apple in pieces.
Also a red LED light (because it's that old), scissors, toothpick, tweezers, and a piece of metal with corners that can work as flathead and 2D Phillips screwdrivers - not well but better than nothing - with a file on the surface.
Most of the time I forget it's there, but I'm grateful for it when I'm outside and need to file a nail, or open something that doesn't want to tear.
I've been thinking of remaking the plastic parts, but there always seems to be something more urgent to do, and it's still useful in its cardboard sheaf - though quite a bit less convenient!
@Gerard Vila oh that sounds really great! I feel like I may have seen that, years ago. I found a picture of one from an old EBAY listing called Tool Logic that looks similar to what you are describing. It really seems like a cool item! I love it when things have longevity...
Yeah, it makes sense to own only what you need and carry only what you will use, and not be wrighef down.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I use a little Marlin spike to get at the nicks on SAKs when my nails are long and painted. Works!
That is a similar idea as the steel thumbnail, I think it was called, that someone told me about. Great plan!
Voici les trois multi-tools les plus sexy : Leatherman Skeletool, Gerber Strata, Victorinox Swiss Tool Spirit.
Sur ma chaîne (multi-tools et outils), genre du spectateur : hommes 94.3 %, femmes 5.6%.
Votre questionnement est très intéressant et il est difficile d'y répondre avec une bonne pertinence. J'ai aussi observé que l'intérêt des hommes pour les outils différait selon les pays.
Here are the three sexiest multi-tools: Leatherman Skeletool, Gerber Strata, Victorinox Swiss Tool Spirit.
On my channel (multi-tools and tools), gender of the viewer: men 94.3%, women 5.6%.
Your questions are very interesting and it is difficult to answer them with good relevance. I also observed that men's interest in tools differed from country to country.
No way! Can't believe I missed your comment! I was nervous about the French, but you put a translation. Merci!
I speak no French. I wanted to order a cup of coffee in French when I went to Montreal. I learned enough French to say that, but then they asked me what size and I just had to laugh and admit I had no idea what they said! It was so embarrassing. But now I feel nervous to see French because I remember how embarrassed I was!
I love that you rank multitools by sexiness!
I had to look up the Gerber multi tool that you listed.I have never seen it before and apparently it is discontinued. I am uncertain whether or not it is sexy; it does seem like a very nice multi tool and I wonder why they discontinued it.
In what countries have you noticed that men are most interested in multi tools?
I am very excited that you commented on my video.I have seen many hours of your videos, of course. Thank you for coming by!
@@thevineclimber
I noticed, from the number of videos published on UA-cam, that the interest for the tools was maximum in the United States. I regret that France does not have this technical spirit.
For coffee, in France and no doubt in Quebec, we like strong, tasty coffee, loaded with aroma, in a small cup (espresso) while in the United States, the coffee is too diluted, "sock juice" I used to say when I had the pleasure of going there.
From the Gerber Strata era, Gerber still keeps in its catalog Gerber Legend (MP800), the multi-tool that Armold used in Terminator 3 :)
Here's a channel you might enjoy:
www.youtube.com/@heidishop
Cordially, George.
J'ai constaté, au nombre de vidéos publiés sur UA-cam, que l'intérêt pour les outils était maximal aux Etats-Unis. Je regrette que la France n'ait pas cet esprit technique.
Pour le café, en France et sans doute au Québec, on aime le café fort, gouteux, chargé en aôme, dans une petite tasse (expresso) alors qu'aux Etats-Unis, le café est trop délayé, du "jus de chaussette" avais-je l'habitude de dire quand j'ai eu le plaisir de m'y rendre.
De l'époque du Gerber Strata, Gerber garde encore à son catalogie de Gerber Legend (MP800), le multi-tool qu'utilisa Armold dans Terminator 3 :)
Voici une chaîne que vous pourriez apprécier :
www.youtube.com/@heidishop
Cordialement, Georges.
Lol sock juice! I get it. Actually, I'm afraid it rings too true, and i will have a hard time having acup or two tomorrow!
You're funny! I think you should try a video where you talk.
The Gerber Legend is still pretty popular, according to the Amazon reviews. It looks cool, too. 😎
Variation in preferences for multitools from country to country - that's interesting!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Interestingly I was looking at the 1985 Victorinox catalog the other day (I find such things somehow relaxing). The only knife that had the word "woman" in it was the "princess" which was a 58mm with a single blade and a nail file, no scissor. The description said it was for the "sophisticated woman". I think Victorinox has really shifted to the "classic sd" as the model they hope to sell to women.
I see there is no reply to you - I must have lost it! Sorry. Where did you get a 1985 Victorinox catalog? The princess knife! Lol all the other knives are kind of jobs, too! I'm impressed it has a blade instead of a scissors.
Just found this great discussion :) I made sure to supply my daughter with a SAK when she was quite young. To this day she is routinely able to help friends because she is never tool-less. Makes me smile every time.
Anne, as a male (what else!), I do appreciate your videos in general and this one in particular. I'm working on a book on multitools etc. right now, and your thoughts on female users (or better: usually non-users) of them has given valuable insights to me to consider and to mention.
That's really cool! I think this (female multitool users) is something that's developing right now in the world and we are going to get to see what happens. :) Good luck on the book!!
My wife was not much of a knife lover initially. She grew up in Germany and Austria so I gave her a Classic SD with edelweiss flower scales. She now has numerous knives, including Spartans, Kabar Dozier's and opinel s in a wide array of colors. She uses the tools on a near daily basis. In my view, the Classic SD is probably the gateway drug that leads to full blown knife addiction.😁🤙🤟🙏♥️🌴
That is very interesting!! And that is such a beautiful knife. Hm. That would be a good experiment!!
Ann, this was a great discussion and certainly one that doesn’t get talked about enough. Keep up the good work! Ben
Hot damn! Ben, thanks for stopping by. I do not think I could convey how much I love your channel. Of course. Honestly, also, thanks for not putting down the Companion because they made it for women first. That was gentlemanly of you.
I appreciate the compliment. I never looked at the Companion as a woman’s only tool, even though that is how they market it. I like the package opener. I feel like that is a modern day task everyone can get value from. I just hope we see it make its way into other models. I like your channel. It’s a good thing to see a different perspective voicing opinions on multi tools and knives. Best of luck to you. I’ll be checking back in from time to time.
@@txtoolcrib Wow, that is crazy. Thanks!!
Interesting topic! Few thoughts: When men see a multi tool/knife/firearm/car etc that is black and silver and has bead blasted finishes, they probably appreciate it because the 'less is more' quality can enhance the beauty in the design and flow of lines. As someone said a long time ago -"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". And also, men like tools in general probably just for what they represent. Some become 'steel nerds' even. Which is an appreciation of an inner quality that can't be seen with they eye. However pink used to be a very masculine color centuries ago.
These are exciting ideas. 1. This is not really what you are takling about, but I take a very firm stance that firearms must always look like firearms so that if a child finds it there is no mistake that it is not a toy. (Incidentally, I take the opposite stance, too, that pretend firearms should always look fake so that there is no mistake, but I think society has passed me by on that count.)
2. I get what you are saying about the design elements being brought out by the boring colors. But why not bring out the design elements by making them, for example, teal? LOL Bright yellow works for cars, too! :) I'm only joking, simplicity is something I appreciate. For the longest time I thought I would wear jeans and black shirts only every day I didn't need to wear something else. Actually, that still seems like a good idea. Hm. Maybe I'll do that.
3. Yes, I actually think that this may be a big issue here in both directions. Women may DISLIKE tools for what they represent. If tools represent manliness, then why would women want them? I think you really hit on something. Hm. It sounds so obvious now that you said it, but I truly didn't think of that before.
Now that I think about it - maybe this is the same thing that Conan's daughter is looking for (see his comment to this video, if you're interested) - she wants a "girl tool".
Also - if pink was manly, it doesn't seem as likely that pink is an innate preference for girls. Probably more of a think where girl things are pink, and then girls like them and associate pink with things they like.
As a male, I can confirm. Knives like the Bantam look better than my Fieldmaster. Simple knives look better.
Yes, interesting! My beautiful new Bantam is far more beautiful than my beloved Swiss Champ. And you can even see in sizing up to the Cadet, you lose something in beauty over the Bantam.
Thank you! I enjoyed your perspex, which was new to me!