I discovered Swiss Army knives in 1985 because of the MacGyver series and at the beginning of December 1985, I went looking to buy one, but where I was born and where I live to this day, (at that time), it was extremely It was difficult to find somewhere that sold Swiss Army knives (I live in Brasília, the capital of Brazil) and after searching a lot, I finally found a store that had a Victorinox model for sale, it was the Camper and I immediately bought it and to this day, in full 2024, I still have it and it continues to work perfectly after 39 years. Thank you very much for the video. A big hug.

A great tool that can save your day anytime, anywhere without letting it down, I'm a police officer and always carry it and it's of undeniable quality, easy to carry and great for EDC. Great video 👏👏👮🏻‍♂️

MacGyver used dozens of different Swiss Army Knives, the models he pressed into service most often were the Tinker, the Recruit (with the economy handle), and the Spartan. Some of the retired Swiss Army Knives MacGyver used were the Wenger Handyman, the Wenger Pocketmate, the Executive, the Golfer, and the Wenger Classic 11.

Watching MacGyver on TV as a teenager started a lifelong tradition of carrying a swiss army knife with me that continues to this day. Thank you for researching this.

@markcoffman494

4 ай бұрын

You are welcome !

MacGyver was so iconic. His knives were a kid's dream to have. Adults also love them. Thanks for your video.

@markcoffman494

Жыл бұрын

You are so welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!

I got mine from my father, and I still carrie it to this day

@markcoffman494

4 ай бұрын

That’s wonderful! Thank you for the comment.

MacGyver was the reason I first started liking swiss army knives! Thanks for making this video, buddy. It was awesome!

@mrlynnwood01

2 жыл бұрын

Me too.

@ironman2326

Жыл бұрын

Same! Back in the early 90s when I was a kid.

@blinkenschnaag777

Жыл бұрын

Exactly. Having a Swiss Army Knife was my dream when I was a kid. Now I finally have a bunch of them🤭

@ironman2326

Жыл бұрын

@@blinkenschnaag777 Same! Didn't have the money to get the one/one's I really wanted, nor could you find most of the models because there was no internet. Now I've got most of the models I want and my wife is fussing because I have like 10 on my dresser😆

@blinkenschnaag777

Жыл бұрын

@@ironman2326 LOL 😂 That's how it happened to me too. A collection that started simple.

They should put the file back on the tinker screwdriver, that would come in handy

MacGyver was my favorite show back in the day, I've always had a SAK because of the show, thanks for posting this video.

@markcoffman494

Жыл бұрын

You are so welcome

The original Mac Gyver series is my favorite tv series. I enjoyed watching how he would make something out of the various materials he could scrounge, and get out of a jam. And of course, being the knife nut I have been since age five, he always had a pocket knife. 😁

I remember the keyed Spam and Portuguese tins we got in the 80s. Somehow they always manged to lose the key and I remember my dad pulling the tab with pliers.

I got that model with the plastic tip on the tweezers and no key ring. I think it was 1986 when I bought it and it had nothing to do with MacGyver. I always liked Swiss Army Knives. It's cool that it was the Tinker Small that I chose. I still have it, Just recently I sent it in to Victorinox to get the large blade replaced (broke the tip off), have it cleaned and had the scales swapped out.

@markcoffman494

Ай бұрын

I hope it gives you plenty of years of service when I get back to you

I think they are batch numbers for that day or run. I have seen numbers that matched the date of the knife but others that weren’t close, I think it is a coincidence since they were only using 2 digits it came up frequently. I’m glad you clarified the type of Phillips because people always say they want a square Phillips and clip blade because it was the first MacGyver knife. The show started in 1985 and knowing how propmasters work they probably just sent an inter out with some cash and said buy all the SAKs they have. It would make more sense for him to have one he had carried for ten years or more, but they wouldn’t think of that. Nowadays of course they contact manufacturers and make a deal for “product placement”. Great video. Swiss Army Dan has a good video showing off most of the MacKnives. I believed he used the Executive most just behind the Tinker and Tinker small. Funnily enough the opening credits show him using a Wenger Traveler.

Thanks. Very interesting. My son was McGyver when he was a kid and we never missed that show together. My EDC is a Spartan on my key ring. Have always been disappointed with the Philips screw drivers being in the middle and not very useful however the corkscrew I do find handy for undoing knots etc. That is the beauty of the huge range, something for everyone. Never been in a McGyver situation but I am ready. Cheers from Australia.

@markcoffman494

5 ай бұрын

Cheers!

I have the same knife, from 1987.

Got to meet Richard Dean Anderson once when the band I was in played for his birthday party at a film set in Tucson.

@markcoffman494

2 жыл бұрын

That is so cool! Congratulations on being able to meet him!

@imdilyn

Жыл бұрын

@Jason Crane, why you fakin the verification symbol? 🤡🤣*

I have the same 1980 Tinker Small, which is either my dad's or my mom's old. A weird thing about it is that it doesn't have a toothpick, tweezers or a metal loop on it. It also has a text/logo on the other side that says TEC NO MARA, which I couldn't find anything about online.

I carry the 91mm tinker every day. Love this knife

MacGyver uses many different Swiss Army Knives throughout the show, including the Victorinox Tinker Small, Recruit, and Spartan models.

I allways thought he carried the hiker. That was a super Interesting video thank you. I've got a Swiss champ a hiker and a field master. Never had the tinker small I might add it to my collection!

You make me want to rewatch the series

I bought a new Tinker small a few weeks back, because MacGyver 😆 Great video, would love to see more MacGyver related videos 👍

Always enjoy the historical perspective you add to your videos! Not just flipping blades, but giving a lot of background on the various tools! BTW, it’s all your fault, my collection is now up to 11, including a couple of Wengers, found on e-bay!

@markcoffman494

Жыл бұрын

😂👍so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this! It means so much!

I have other SAK's, but Tinker Small is my favorite.. small and simple. Does everything you need in everyday life if you don't need something specific that others provide.

@frenchfuc43r50

Жыл бұрын

Lol it doesn’t even have a scissor…

I think I have that same knife. Cylindrical 3D philips, slot in the top, got it some time back in the 80s. I still use it today. Thanks for helping me identify it!

@markcoffman494

Жыл бұрын

You are so welcome!

I never watched the show but it makes sense he would use a Victorinox. Thank you for the research and the story.

Hey Mark, looking forward to future Macgyver videos. Feel free to do the 2016 reboot series as well. There's some interesting pieces there to.

Thanks! That was great!

Thank you Mark for the information. Great stuff right there.

Love your SAK videos..This video alone is going to get me to buy a small tinker👌🏼💯

@markcoffman494

2 жыл бұрын

I’m so happy to hear it!! Thank You for the support!!

I am going to do a presentation about the swiss army knife and this is for sure a fun fact that i will mention! Greetings from switzerland.

@markcoffman494

3 ай бұрын

If you want, you can include this video within the presentation

Very cool info! Today I found in a box of other knives and coins a Tinker Small that my dad got as a gimme prize from work (Dupont refinery). It's a mid-to-late 80s make, since it's still in the maroon slide box, and has the round Phillips with the Spam can key slot. As it's a corporate prize, it has the logo on the front scale, as well as some safety slogan on back, completely lacking the Vic shield on the knife itself.

All the two-layer 84 mm SAKs are gems. If someone asked me what Swiss Army Knife to get, and I had nothing else to go on, I would recommend the Small Tinker. (I've carried a SAK every day for over 50 years, and I own over 50 SAKs... so I have some context and perspective when I say that.)

@himorher3822

Жыл бұрын

The 84 mm was the wenger design. The 91 mm was victorinox. I personally wouldn’t recommend the wenger to anyone. N I’m a lover of Swiss Army knives. The wenger just had crap versions of the real Swiss Army knife. Victorinox. It’s why they sold out to vic

I am so happy you made this video! Used to watch that show a lot. Good times in the 80’s! I like to say that MacGyver is the patron saint of field technicians everywhere. I would like it if this became a series and you showed different models from the show. I had no idea he used that many different models. Good stuff!

@blinkenschnaag777

Жыл бұрын

You know what, I used to hold a Swiss Army Knife whenever his show starts. Now I still carry Swiss Army Knives everywhere in my pocket. Feeling so MacGyver-ish😎

Thanks! Again Mark!!

I love the Tinker Small! What a great knife it is. I really like that file that was on the Phillips-head screwdriver.

Very interesting. Thanks

Nerding mvgyver saks ! Love it! Thank you!

@markcoffman494

3 ай бұрын

You are welcome!

Very informative! 2 thumbs up!

@markcoffman494

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

The original (1st) Tinker small he used was a regular mid 80's model, round Phillips SD with the can opener slot on it, no key ring, and had the tweezers and toothpick removed. He used it last on the "Thief Of Budapest" episode where he gifts it to the little gipsy girl at the end.

Nice!

Happy Tuesday Mark, my only MacGyver SAK is the 74mm Executive, shown in Episode 14, in which he uses the Executives distinctive orange peeler with its screwdriver tip to defuse an explosive device. Strictly speaking my Executive is not a MacGyver as I have the harder to obtain black scaled one & he used the more widely available red scaled one.

I’ve carried the tinker small for 40 years. I’ve got a bunch of Saks including the Salesman which is a 84 mm tinker with scissors. Oh and look for the nickel cross vs the stainless. Thanks

@markcoffman494

7 ай бұрын

I have many more videos covers vintage models. Just look up my name. “Mark Coffman” and Victorinox.

Nice video, very informative.from my time at the foundation I can say I saw Mac using this model quite a bit😁 joke aside I identified the tinker myself but didn't go that much into detail. My models I cary every day are Handyman and Huntsman in the forest Ranger grip 55 or Outrider. thanks a bunch for your effort and the enjoyable video!

There’s a list of the knives he used on the Victorinox Knife site.

Don't forget the orange peeler from the Executive in the opening credits!

@stevesinclair4159

2 жыл бұрын

Happy Tuesday DL Wood, the Executive was in the opening credits only from Episode 14 onwards but as Mark wrote the first identifiable model he used before Episode 14 was the 84mm Tinker . The 74mm Executive is still listed as a current production model on Victorinox's main website, they are however hard to get hold of as since 2014 they are only made in very small batches & made in a ratio of one black to three or four red scaled models ( I read that on a blog and therefore cannot confirm if its factual ). I own 2 of the black scaled models, one according to its insert was made in 2012 & I keep it unused in my collection, the other according to its insert was made in 2014 & I use it in my EDC rotation as a Gentleman's blade for a night out when I don't carry a larger SAK in my pocket.

@BradGad

Жыл бұрын

The Executive is an under-appreciated SAK. Great little knife. Here’s a fun factoid: Chuck Yeager was not only a great fighter and test pilot, but also an epic outdoorsman. All his life, up into his 80s, he and a buddy would go into the Sierra Nevada mountains for a couple weeks at a time and live off the land. And the knife he carried for that? It was the Victorinox Executive.

Tinker small was my first SAK in the 90s. Here we are in 2022 and a couple hundred SAK's later!

Great video!

Great research! And great video!

@markcoffman494

9 ай бұрын

Thank you!

I just got the tinker small today and i love it! Great video! i learned a lot from this video. I have 4 swiss army kinves and trying to collect more. Great video keep it up!

@markcoffman494

6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much I’m so happy to hear that you have a wonderful Victorinox! I hope you enjoy it for some reason Victorinox has decided to discontinue that model so if you can maybe buy a couple back ups.

I picked up a older Spartan which he used a lot .The older Spartan does not have a keyring,tweezers,or toothpick but you may know that already.Thanks for the video.I did not know about the difference in the phillips tool.

@markcoffman494

2 жыл бұрын

I’m glad I was able to help! And it seams you picked up a standard 👍

Awesome video mark! I looked into finding out what he used a while back i had no idea over 100 were used on set! 👍 very cool

Great video sir. Thank you for the R&D that went into this.

@markcoffman494

4 ай бұрын

You are so welcome

@briancolyer4947

Ай бұрын

@@markcoffman494just ordered a tinker small. Can’t wait for it to come in! I think it’s literally the best SAK of all time Mark. What are your thoughts on it?

@markcoffman494

Ай бұрын

@@briancolyer4947 super tinker is my EDC, and my custom SAK.

It looks like you smapped the scales off when you replaced them, if you want to prevent damage the next time you remove them if you wanted to thoroughly clean them, put it in warm/semi hot water for a few minutes so they're a bit more flexible

Great work on the video

@markcoffman494

Жыл бұрын

Hank you so much!!🙏🏻

Just incidentally I came across a Phillips with the file on the back, so blunt and awkward to use I thought it was a match striker!

I've had a Leatherman or two where the opposing handles had different production dates. Not sure of the Victorinox dating method and whether it's similar or not but, I've even had zippo lighters new out of the box where the case was a year difference in manufacturing as opposed to the internal assembly. Beautiful knives, wish I had my old small tinker still. Maybe I can grab one another day.

Fantastic video! ;-)

My tinker small has the rounded cylindrical phillips screwdriver. didn't realize the newer comes with a boxy shape.

2:49 SAK, Fieldwatch... McG is the OG of edc

I believe in the opening credits, he's shown using an executive.

@markcoffman494

Жыл бұрын

Correct!

You have a Great Channel, Sir! Thank you for the quality content. Wish you health, success and keep a great job ✊🏻❤️

@markcoffman494

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this comment! This means so much to me. This was a video that I have been planning to make for a few months now. And just now I finally narrowed down my search to the correct knife and was able to also obtain it. It has been a long journey and I’m so glad I was able to make this video and make it accurate. Thank you so much again for the comment and I hope you have subscribed I’m going to have quite a few interesting videos coming this year.

@gelartab

2 жыл бұрын

@@markcoffman494 Sure I have subscribed and bell turned on ✊🏻 I own Victorinox Sportsman(old model with diamond file) and Wenger Commander. I am a musician, with a "knife hobby" and really enjoy your content! Unfortunately in my country Georgia knife carrying is not allowed so I just enjoy it in my private home..

Sardine cans used the type of lid that the slot in the Phillips would open. They came with a little key with a slot. IIRC you’d break off the key, put the tapered down end of the lid in the slot then roll back the lid.

@danbrewer1718

Жыл бұрын

Corned beef cans too. I have a split top Philips on my first Tinker and I have used it to open a can to make a corned beef sandwich.

I bet when they started the show, the props dept went into the nearest store and picked the first swiss knife the saw ??

@markcoffman494

7 ай бұрын

Possibly!

the tinker small is also my edc , because is smaller and has the philips , more usefule than crork screw , and also mac tv show got me in to victorinox plus i live in swiserland as kid , got my first at 11 in the 80is

Great video. Got a good response from people on SAK fans.

I used my waiter model to open a tin of potatoes, couldn't be easier. With all the different models I have, it had to be the waiter in my pocket! SAK's Rule.

Cool

Im suprised that they haven't been a 007 BOND SAK, or a Doctor Who sonic swiss army knife.

I use the tinker knife its compact and doesn't take up to much room in my pocket.

Sweet video mark! I unfortunately didn’t follow that show… I think it was before my time 😅 I do recall hearing a lot of buzz about that show! Maybe your videos will influence them to run the show on Netflix

Nice video and I subscribed 🦉

@markcoffman494

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

I think number of scales is made date of scales it self. victorinox is not a piece of master craftsmen's handmade work, they are products from factory. scales are mess produced and stocked in warehouse and assembled by workers who assemble 2~3 knives in a minute, work 8 hours in a day, 5 days in a week. front sides and back sides of scales are stored separately so one knife's scale made date are can be different. especially in 84mm lineups has many models that didn't have back tools.

@elvenisar

2 жыл бұрын

see this video, then you know what I mean. kzread.info/dash/bejne/no6Lt6mrctq7cbw.html especially 5:26 ;)

I think it is the date on the scales. It's totally likely that a 1986 & 2 (Feb) would have an 85 on the other side.

I carried a Tinker exclusively for around 40 years. It did everything I asked it to do and a few things I shouldn't have.. I've added two knives to my rotation, but I still carry my Tinker a couple days a week. In addition to all its great qualities, It makes a terrific gift for just about anybody. I gave 3 of them to my groomsmen.

My Tinker Small is my most carried SAK. Great size, but I have found myself wishing I’d gotten the small version of the Spartan instead; I like the corkscrew more personally. Still, terrific knife.

@ocarrier3918

Жыл бұрын

So what wish to have is the tourist. I hope you have it by now.

I am a swiss army knife fanatic and have came here to correct you 4:10

@markcoffman494

11 ай бұрын

State your correction if you’re such a fanatic… all you have said is that you’re a fanatic and stated where I need corrected but you have failed to correct anything.

I've got the original Macgyver SAK Tinker, but it doesn't have a keyring, how'd I get one without a keyring? It seems like a standard thing for SAK.

I believe those numbers are just part numbers not the manufactured year. I could be wrong ,but that would make more sense.

The question I have is what models didn’t he use? That would probably narrow it down some.

@6900pilot

2 жыл бұрын

He never used a Swiss champ, its the biggest with most blades but probably wouldnt be practical to lug it around In your pocket.

Sardine can slit! 😂

Wonder how much sales they got thanks to MacGyver

Hi, great video, just noticed, the knife in the still image hasn't got the key ring 🤔

@markcoffman494

2 жыл бұрын

They made both models with or without the key ring.

@richardgraves7028

2 жыл бұрын

@@markcoffman494 well inspired by your video and 3 months of hunting, I've finally got a Macgyver tinker, so thank you again for all your great videos 😁

@markcoffman494

2 жыл бұрын

@@richardgraves7028 thank you! And I am so glad you found one! Hope you enjoy it?

what about the episodes where he uses the corkscrew?

@markcoffman494

Жыл бұрын

Those are great episodes. Didn’t cover any of those. I am covering episodes where he used the small tinker. And I am covering the first Victorinox knife he ever used in the series.

Is victorinox steel similar to h1 steel?

@markcoffman494

2 жыл бұрын

Not at all they’re completely different

@marcdee4427

2 жыл бұрын

@@markcoffman494 oh really? I thought both being softish and resistant to water 💦 and being tough they sounded similar. Which is better would you say and why?

@markcoffman494

2 жыл бұрын

@@marcdee4427 The way they are made and produced are completely different. If you go for H1 in a serrated model knife you will have a very good edge retention. Each one actually has about a 61 HRC On it’s very edge. But if you go for a plane edged model in each one I believe they’re about the same and edge retention.

They weren't called tinker and super tinker!

Q: What does MacGyver do with a Swiss Army Knife? A: Yes.

The UK can’t do a McGiver because there strick knife laws won’t let you carry a pocket knife.

@the_once-and-future_king.

2 жыл бұрын

Incorrect. 99% of SAKs are completely street-legal here in the UK. The only exceptions are the few with a locking blade, unless carried with good reason (ie for work purposes or when camping).

@oxxnarrdflame8865

2 жыл бұрын

@@the_once-and-future_king. good to know. Thanks. 😊

You're confusing the word actual with the word same.

@markcoffman494

2 жыл бұрын

So sorry about that.

144 knives not ton.. It is a gross.