One Of MacGyver’s EDC’s, The Tinker Small. The Actual Model He Used!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- Hello my name is Mark Coffman, I am a watchmaker located in Texas and I have a passion for pocket knives, wristwatches, and every day carry items.
My goal in my TH-cam channel is to show my audience interesting items, and make interesting videos that shed some light on what can be the best EDC items you can add to your every day carry.
I also on occasion will restore pocket knives and multi tools, and in many cases I do make videos on these restorations!
If you ever would like any watch repair work done or would like to discuss anything that I’ve shown on the channel in this video send me an email!
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Markcoffman494@yahoo.com
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This is a video that I spent about a month of research on and about a week of work in regards to screen images research and accurate information. Here are some of the links that I used.
This is by far not all of the pieces of information that has been used in the video.
Philip screwdriver history
 www.sakwiki.co...
Prop master article
 www.handitv.co...
Knives used in every episode
www.macgyveron...
Uses per knife
forum.multitoo...

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.
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.
MacGyver was the reason I first started liking swiss army knives! Thanks for making this video, buddy. It was awesome!
Me too.
Same! Back in the early 90s when I was a kid.
Exactly. Having a Swiss Army Knife was my dream when I was a kid. Now I finally have a bunch of them🤭
@@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😆
@@ironman2326 LOL 😂 That's how it happened to me too. A collection that started simple.
I got mine from my father, and I still carrie it to this day
That’s wonderful! Thank you for the comment.
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.
You are welcome !
MacGyver was so iconic. His knives were a kid's dream to have. Adults also love them. Thanks for your video.
You are so welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
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 was my favorite show back in the day, I've always had a SAK because of the show, thanks for posting this video.
You are so welcome
There’s a list of the knives he used on the Victorinox Knife site.
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.
Cheers!
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.
I hope it gives you plenty of years of service when I get back to you
They should put the file back on the tinker screwdriver, that would come in handy
Got to meet Richard Dean Anderson once when the band I was in played for his birthday party at a film set in Tucson.
That is so cool! Congratulations on being able to meet him!
@Jason Crane, why you fakin the verification symbol? 🤡🤣*
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’m currently watching the new MacGyver show. They kept the Tinker line but upgraded it to the Deluxe Tinker. It’s the model his grandfather gave him but I’m no expert to find out if that’s accurate to the model’s history.
I have the same knife, from 1987.
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 still have mine I bought back in 1992 at the Navy PX at North Island NAS!
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.
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!
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.
Lol it doesn’t even have a scissor…
I carry the 91mm tinker every day. Love this knife
Nerding mvgyver saks ! Love it! Thank you!
You are welcome!
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!
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😎
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.)
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 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!
You are so welcome!
Love your SAK videos..This video alone is going to get me to buy a small tinker👌🏼💯
I’m so happy to hear it!! Thank You for the support!!
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.
That's what they call the economy scales version.
MaGyver used that model too.
Tec no Mara would be the company who ordered it as gifts in the 80's obviously long out of business....
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 bought a new Tinker small a few weeks back, because MacGyver 😆 Great video, would love to see more MacGyver related videos 👍
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
I have many more videos covers vintage models. Just look up my name. “Mark Coffman” and Victorinox.
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.
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!
😂👍so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this! It means so much!
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.
I never watched the show but it makes sense he would use a Victorinox. Thank you for the research and the story.
You make me want to rewatch the series
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 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.
If you want, you can include this video within the presentation
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.
I’m glad I was able to help! And it seams you picked up a standard 👍
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!
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.
Great video sir. Thank you for the R&D that went into this.
You are so welcome
@@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?
@@briancolyer4947 super tinker is my EDC, and my custom SAK.
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!
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.
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.
You have a Great Channel, Sir! Thank you for the quality content. Wish you health, success and keep a great job ✊🏻❤️
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.
@@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..
Thanks! That was great!
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.
MacGyver uses many different Swiss Army Knives throughout the show, including the Victorinox Tinker Small, Recruit, and Spartan models.
Don't forget the orange peeler from the Executive in the opening credits!
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.
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.
I love the Tinker Small! What a great knife it is. I really like that file that was on the Phillips-head screwdriver.
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.
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
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!
Tinker small was my first SAK in the 90s. Here we are in 2022 and a couple hundred SAK's later!
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
Very informative! 2 thumbs up!
Thank you!
Thank you Mark for the information. Great stuff right there.
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.
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.
see this video, then you know what I mean.
th-cam.com/video/lZWUGrBwUAY/w-d-xo.html
especially 5:26 ;)
I bet when they started the show, the props dept went into the nearest store and picked the first swiss knife the saw ??
Possibly!
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
Nice!
Thanks! Again Mark!!
Im suprised that they haven't been a 007 BOND SAK, or a Doctor Who sonic swiss army knife.
Great research! And great video!
Thank you!
Very interesting. Thanks
The question I have is what models didn’t he use? That would probably narrow it down some.
He never used a Swiss champ, its the biggest with most blades but probably wouldnt be practical to lug it around In your pocket.
I use the tinker knife its compact and doesn't take up to much room in my pocket.
I believe those numbers are just part numbers not the manufactured year.
I could be wrong ,but that would make more sense.
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.
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
Great work on the video
Hank you so much!!🙏🏻
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.
So what wish to have is the tourist. I hope you have it by now.
Great video. Got a good response from people on SAK fans.
2:49 SAK, Fieldwatch... McG is the OG of edc
My tinker small has the rounded cylindrical phillips screwdriver. didn't realize the newer comes with a boxy shape.
I am a swiss army knife fanatic and have came here to correct you 4:10
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 believe in the opening credits, he's shown using an executive.
Correct!
Fantastic video! ;-)
Great video!
Hi, great video, just noticed, the knife in the still image hasn't got the key ring 🤔
They made both models with or without the key ring.
@@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 😁
@@richardgraves7028 thank you! And I am so glad you found one! Hope you enjoy it?
Wonder how much sales they got thanks to MacGyver
When you say "can key" what are you talking about?
It looks exactly like the one I just bought.
@@adamcarrell i’m referring to the can key slit within the Phillips head. There’s a small cut in the Phillips head screwdriver on the back end that would allow you to open up a can of food back in the day. They would send a small key with the can that would be on the side and you would put that slip in the screwdriver and it would allow you to open the can more easily.look it up on Google images
@@markcoffman494 Thanks! Learned something new!
Cool
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.
Q: What does MacGyver do with a Swiss Army Knife?
A: Yes.
what about the episodes where he uses the corkscrew?
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.
Nice video and I subscribed 🦉
Thank you!
Sardine can slit! 😂
Is victorinox steel similar to h1 steel?
Not at all they’re completely different
@@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?
@@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!
The UK can’t do a McGiver because there strick knife laws won’t let you carry a pocket knife.
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).
@@the_once-and-future_king. good to know. Thanks. 😊
You're confusing the word actual with the word same.
So sorry about that.
144 knives not ton.. It is a gross.