July 21, 2006 - All in one

I got my very first Swiss Army Knife when I was 21 or 22... it was a gift from a guy I was dating at the time.  Actually, it was his own (there were still bits of apple left on the knife blade... yeaaaaaaaah), but I loved him, so I thought the gesture was sweet.  In hindsight, I think I might have preferred a brand new one... the least he could have done was wash the darn thing.

I've asked myself on occasion... if you were to create the perfect Swiss Army Knife (or other type of all-in-one tool), what would you put in it?  Of course the knife... Philips and flat head screwdrivers... a bottle opener and corkscrew... tweezers... this other tool and that... only those attachments I needed for me.  I'd then add a few extras just for fun (hey, you'll never know when you'll need an awl, a flashlight or a pen).

But does the perfect knife exist?  Is your ideal the shiny model with every single tool that could ever be thought of, or is it the simple one with just a few attachments?  Is it imperative that it has a magnifying glass?  Do you need the corkscrew that badly?  Exactly what is it that catches your eye?  No one can answer those questions for you... except you.  Only you can decide which knife you will take home.  And only you can figure out exactly what it is you need.  Maybe the one you want has the corkscrew, but not the pen.  And you also wanted a pen, but can do without it.

At the end of the day, there will never be such a thing as "perfect", but there is always such a thing as "perfect for you".  And I lucked out with the knife I got.