GAK

The German Army Knife, or GAK, is a 108mm knife manufactured by Victorinox and was official issue for German troops (Bundeswehr). This knife marks a touch point in Victorinox's history, with them manufacturing knives for the German Army as well as initiating the 108mm platform. The GAK was the first knife on the 108mm platform, and has a unique tool design amoung Victorinox's other frame sizes. This design was eventually replaced with the 111mm One-Handed GAK (see Trekker). This model is discontinued, and collectible.	Image Pending

Table of Contents

Layer Tools
Back Layer Tools
Scale Tools
Scales
Variations
History
Identifiers
Related Knives
External Resources

Layer Tools

Large Blade
Wood Saw with Can/Bottle Opener - includes a blade guard, and has a reputation as one of the best wood saws.

Back Layer Tools

Reamer/Awl
Corkscrew - the corkscrew is slightly longer than on other sized knives

Scale Tools

The GAK and other 108mm knives do not have any non-blade tools such as the typical toothpick and tweezers. This is typical of the military knives, but rare for the civilian knives.

Scales

Olive Drab Green Nylon, with German Army Eagle logo imprinted.

Variations

The GAK-2, as it is often referred to as, has a modified Saw/Opener tool that has a textured area on the blade for use as a match-strike or nail file.

There are identical GAK models available from a number of different military contractors in addition to Victorinox. See SOSAK article: German Army Knife Variants.

see: Related Knives

History

The GAK was the first of the 108mm designs, and was manufactured to specification under contract for the German Army. It was the first Victorinox knife to use Nylon scales rather than fiber or cellidor, and introduced the unique Wood saw/Opener combo-tool.

This design was most likely a German Military design/specification with Victorinox receiving a manufaturing contract, as other manufactires were also used from time to time. The design suggests that Victorinox may not have had a lot on input on the general design. The 108mm platform and design are quite different than other Victorinox models, and at first it does not look like it really belongs. The platform turned out to be a very good design, and the 108mm knives are admired by many with all models now being collectible. The design is considered a good example of simplicity with excellent functionality and duarability.

With the manufacturing machinery in place, this spawned the civilian version the Trooper, and the rest of the Safari Series.