One Of MacGyver’s EDC’s, The Tinker Small. The Actual Model He Used!

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 YouTube 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!
——————————————————————
My email

My Instagram

——————————————————————
Donations to the channel

Can be made through PayPal

My PayPal

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

Prop master article

Knives used in every episode

Uses per knife



[matthewjordan]

I got mine from my father, and I still carrie it to this day

[josehenriques]

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.

[brianbechtol]

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.

[davidkurle]

MacGyver was the reason I first started liking swiss army knives! Thanks for making this video, buddy. It was awesome!

[Alfeco-dmuk]

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.

[blinkenschnaag]

MacGyver was so iconic. His knives were a kid's dream to have. Adults also love them. Thanks for your video.

[enjoyer_stoic]

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 👏👏👮🏻‍♂️

[tx.tactical]

MacGyver was my favorite show back in the day, I've always had a SAK because of the show, thanks for posting this video.

[Eliel]

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. 😁

[bobbyv]

There’s a list of the knives he used on the Victorinox Knife site.

[thinh_pham]

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.

[baobo]

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.

[jasoncrane]

Got to meet Richard Dean Anderson once when the band I was in played for his birthday party at a film set in Tucson.

[Bearpilot_]

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.

[markbuckley]

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.

[The_Radical-Squadron]

I still have mine I bought back in 1992 at the Navy PX at North Island NAS!

[briancolyer]

Great video sir. Thank you for the R&D that went into this.

[pfg_pedals]

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.

[madvikins]

Nerding mvgyver saks ! Love it! Thank you!

[mavericksway]

I carry the 91mm tinker every day. Love this knife