You'll want to grab your own SAK after I show you all of mine

I have been a knife collector since I was 9 (more on that later). There are a few brands that I am particularly fond of, like CRKT, Benchmade, Spyderco, and Kershaw. All of these manufacturers make mostly locking folders or fixed blades designed as dedicated cutting devices. But those are boring. Why just have a blade when you can have all sorts of tools? Amazingly, it took humanity thousands of years to ask this question, but when they finally did, the Swiss Army Knife (SAK) was born. I have a bunch of these suckers, and I feel like showing them to you. While we're on this journey, I'll try to convince you why you should get one, too.

Here's a list of people who should strongly consider acquiring a SAK:

• Outdoors-y types
• Handymen/Handywomen
• Mechanics
• College Students
• MacGyver
• Men
• Women
• Children responsible enough to handle sharp things
• Human beings

If you fall anywhere on that list, pay close attention to the varied styles of SAKs that I'm about to show you, and consider what SAK may be right for you. With the exception of a few bonus cheap-o knives at the end, all of the following are Victorinox brand knives. There were traditionally two authentic SAK manufacturers: Victorinox and Wenger. Recently, Victorinox purchased Wenger and their designs, so they are the sole manufacturer of authentic, Swiss-made SAKs.

Recruit  

Fun trivia fact, this was my very first knife...ever. My dad gave it to me as a gift when we went on a camping trip when I was 9 years old. As soon as we arrived, I started whittling a stick with it and sliced my finger somethin awful. Intangibles like these can give priceless worth to a $15 piece of plastic and steel. 

Anyway, this knife is one of the most basic SAKs you can get, what with the standard red scales and minimal amount of essential tools. It has two different sized blades, a can opener with a small flat head screwdriver, a bottle opener with a large flat head screwdriver, and the classic tweezers and toothpick that fit into the handle. This model is incredibly popular and can be found almost anywhere. It's also ridiculously affordable, usually retailing for less than 15 bucks. 

Cadet

The Cadet is basically a slightly upgraded Recruit. It replaces the traditional plastic scales with Alox, which I believe is an aluminum alloy. It adds strength to the tool and makes it more slim and carry friendly, at the expense of the tweezers and toothpick. It also substitutes the small blade for a nail file, which I think is a positive change. The file is one of the many SAK tools that you wouldn't think you would need until you have it. The file also has a non-sharpened point that it dubs a nail cleaner. It certainly accels at this task, along with many others. The cool thing about SAKs is that their usefulness is only limited by its user's creativity. This is my second Cadet. I lost my first one (it was silver), but I purchased this one to replace it. I eventually found the old one, and gave it to my brother. A standard production (aka not special limited edition) Cadet will run you about $30 or so.

EvoGrip 16

After purchasing several SAKs, one day I finally stopped and took inventory in my brain regarding which tools would be in my ideal SAK. I came up with the following: knife, scissors, can opener, bottle opener, nail file, phillips screwdriver, tweezers, and toothpick. The Victorinox model that is the closest to this ideal is called the Super Tinker. It has all of these, except a small blade instead of the nail file, and it adds a reamer and hook. But since Victorinox purchased Wenger, it's actually an old Wenger design that most closely aligns with my ideal. 

Wenger had a line of ergonomically contoured SAKs called the Evolution series. Then they one-upped the game by adding embedded rubber inlays for extra grip, aptly named the EvoGrip. When Victorinox absorbed Wenger, they wisely continued producing these unique SAKs, but not before replacing Wenger's bottle opener with their own superior design. The result is the above knife. It has everything on my wish list and only one thing that's not (the reamer). Living up to my hopes for it, it's probably the single most carried knife I own. I paid $30 for this guy. 

Rally

Some of the most prevalent SAKs are the smaller "keychain" models, such as the ubiquitous Classic SD (I'll show you one later). I originally bought this one as a compliment to the Climber (I have since ruined my original Climber, thus it didn't make this list), which I was EDC-ing. This model has a tiny lil blade, along with the tweezers and toothpick. But I bought it for its magnetic phillips screwdriver and nail file, conspicuously missing from the Climber. The Rally is so tiny and weightless that it's no big deal carrying it alongside the bigger SAK. Recently, I've carried it solo in the clinic where knives are forbidden. The minuscule, non-locking blade can't be called a weapon even with the most drastic stretch of the imagination. For this reason, these small SAKs are almost globally legal, even in knife-phobic Europe. I bought my Rally for $15 since it's a less common model, but the Classic SD model is available at most retail stores for 11 bucks.

Limited Edition SAKs

In addition to incredibly useful standard production models sampled above, Victorinox does a great job of consistently producing interesting limited production designs. Obviously these are typically meant to be collected more than used, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend them as a first SAK. But I have a few now, and who else am I going to show them off too?

Gadsden Flag Tinker

Do you have Metallica playing in your head now? If not, why are we friends? Kidding. This one is a Recruit with reamer and phillips screwdriver, and is based on the flag of the original Continental Marines. I think it looks really cool, and represents a timeless image of American history.

Light as a Feather Classic SD 

Every year, Victorinox releases several fan-designed limited-edition versions of the Classic SD model that I mentioned earlier. While many of these are a little too loud for my taste, I really dug this year's Light as a Feather design. The Classic SD has a tiny blade, scissors, nail file, tweezers, and toothpick. This is basically my new clinic knife. My wife also has a Classic SD that she keeps in her purse. It's pink.

Ranger Topo Map

This knife is a bit of a big boy, with 2 blades, 4 different-sized flat head screwdrivers, can and bottle openers, scissors, wood and metal saw, nail file, hook, corkscrew, and reamer. A little big for everyday use, but I may use it for camping someday. I bought it because I couldn't resist the awesome map pattern. 

Climber Gold

I like to think I've saved the coolest for last. This was a recent limited edition inspired by the recent Olympic games in Rio. It is coated in 24 carat gold, which is classy af. It comes with a certificate of authenticity regarding the gold and the 20,000 produced (admittedly, a large number for a limited run). I'll carry it when I need to be extra classy, but I definitely won't use it very hard.

Bonus Round: Fun Cheapo Generics

There are tons of "made in China" SAKs. They are often used as advertising platforms or souvenirs. They're fun to pick up and usually inexpensive, but I rarely carry them due to their poor production quality. The wooden one was a gift from my grandma, and the small white one has some cool etching based on the ethically questionable art form of scrimshaw. 

In Conclusion

If I could recommend any style of knife to a first-time knife owner, it would be a Swiss Army Knife, for the following reasons. Since most models have small non-locking blades, they are typically culturally viewed as tools as opposed to weapons and are less frequently banned or frowned upon. Please don't try to take them on a plane or government buildings though. In addition, the crazy amount of tools that can be present allow for way more versatility than a single blade. Finally, Victorinox SAKs are incredible values. The most loaded models can get a little pricey, but most models are less than $50, and many are $30 or less. A lot of people give me crap for spending $60-$100 on a knife, but Victorinox keeps things reasonable for knife newbies.