LionSteel Jack 3 G10 18

I was on the search for an alternative to the ubiquitous Victorinox S.A.K. and homed in on this. The quality of the steel in the blade is head and shoulders above Victorinox's offering, with an elegant, functional blade shape to match. I am less sure about the cap-lifter/screwdriver tool: the cap lifter is not nearly as good as the Vic. version and the screwdriver is adequate for any tightening or loosening tasks. The corkscrew is perfectly serviceable but is a little too short to guarantee a clean cork extraction every time. The G10 scales are excellent, much like the overall 'fit and finish' of the knife, which means that, for the moment, it has earned its place in my pocket ahead of the classic S.A.K.. However, if I don't get used to the cap lifter's peculiarities, the good ol' Victorinox might just win the day again. Superb service from Heinnie, as ever!

Finding a UK-friendly knife with good steel is always a challenge and finding a multi-tool/SAK with good steel is near impossible. So as someone who loves Vic SAKs for their utility but wants the best steel and materials for his daily carry, I truly cherish this knife. This thing is beautiful and well built. No blade play, very good tension, nice snap, and came very sharp out of the box. M390 is always great, and the black G10 scales have a very nice, subtle texture. It has a simple, traditional design with no pocket clip or lanyard hole. I like this aesthetic and can even go and say it’s “timeless”, but in the end it’s personal taste. Overall it is a very good slip-joint, but of course its standout feature is lionsteel’s selection of tools. A blade, a cap lifter, and a corkscrew are the three tools I want to have in my daily carry - nothing more, nothing less. Some people hate that every tool nowadays seems to include a cap lifter, but I find myself using the cap lifter much more often than the blade in my everyday life. And every now and then, somebody buys some nice wine but there is no corkscrew in the office/cottage/picnic/etc. For comparison, I carried a SAK for years, but I don’t recall needing to use tools like the secondary blade, tiny saw, or nail file when I’m out; I only ever needed the blade, the cap lifter, and the corkscrew. This is my first lionsteel knife, but I’ll be following them from now on as I’m incredibly impressed with how they used modern materials with a classical design. I recommend this knife to everyone.