There are many things that develop with use and experience. Swiss knives got a quality selection of stainless steel. This is a very important factor because
of all the knives with functions from all over the world it is only one country that is the best. The Swiss knives are alone on top. The polished parts and quality materials gives this ability to stand the tests of time. On fixed blades in my country the Helle
stainless and Brusletto stand the tests of time.
If you notice on the Hunter Pro knives made by Victorinox you can see the blades got
a different surface. It is not polished as the regular knives. The blade material is stainless and the construction is solid with only one blade. It is a very high quality folder. A one blade folder is easy to clean and maintain. On SAK and blades with wood
handle I would take some extra care with cleaning. The wood is treated well but I would not soak it in warm water. In my opinion wood handle knives is not in the same level as plastic or metal handles. They are very beautiful! I would also not soak them in
WD-40 or Ballistol. I would only use some mineral oil or The Victorinox MT oil on the friction parts. Some would use boiled linseed oil on the wood after years when it is getting dry. There are also other types that could be better. The wood handle SAKs and
knives are probably treated in a way that goes through completely. I would not exaggerate the maintenance on wood with oils and such.
“To
mention carbon steels again then the key is: clean and dry blade with a thin coating of mineral oil” Then storage or use.....
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On
traditional fixed blades including Helle and Brusletto handles there are many things that can be used. Many times it is boiled linseed oil used from the factories. In my opinion it is very good and easy to apply if you restore or maintain them. There also
many good products from the furniture industry that can be used. Basically it is a different world compared to a versatile pocket knife with functions. Oils that get the hardened surface must never be used inside the mechanism on SAKs. The scales are also
many times glued and therefore hot water and exaggeration with oils can affect the glue. On some SAKs it is also used a super strong tape. Wenger used this and they are durable. Many wonder about the word "tape". It is super strong I guarantee.
SAKs use wood scales and that is a big difference compared to a traditional Scandi handle with wood.