Here's my question: Have you ever had to use your PSK in a REAL LIFE survival situation? I mean real life, do or die, not digging into it for mattches because your main supply got wet or ran out. Or for your Photon or Pico because your main light died.
I have. A military model made to fit in a cargo pocket, of course I had rebuilt it to fit my tastes. I had to subsist on it's tools and my knife for 8 days in a jungle/tropical enviroment. Not as much fun as it sounds.

My husband once used the snare wire in mine to tie my car exhaust back on in the middle of nowhere. Does that count?

Yes, some of my most trying times on the trail have been at about 85,000 feet. At least the view was nice, eh...

3 of the more memorable occasions:

- Zap straps and rope to improvise a broken backpack buckle. Without the straps and rope, the backpack would of been all but useless to carry and otherwise would of involved a very long trip out with only minimal supplies of warm clothing, food and shelter.

- Snare wire used to make grips for boots on an early spring ice thaw on a mountain trail descent where the sun had melted the ice enough to leave the trail very slick and unsafe with a layer of water on top. The wire was doubled up, twisted together then placed under the sole of the boot and wrapped over the top of the foot to make a crude set of chains so to speak. This method was adaquate enough to allow a long but safer descent off the mountain before dark.

Various first aid kit (3 total) contents after a member of our group took a bad tumble on some rocks and suffered a deep and potentially life threatening laceration that ultimately required almost 2 dozen stitches. Had we been equipped with a PLB at the time, the button would of been pushed without a doubt.

Setting off on a fun weekend of rock climbing that involved a climb of my favorite peak, we encountered a climber injured in a rockfall. We used everything we had in getting him to a hospital; it was a truly eventful evening.

When doing SAR, I was sometimes queried about why I carried so much in my pack. I would respond with accounts of the short operations that used all of my gear - the bivvy stuff, the tech toys, the basic fire making apparatus. Rescues have a habit of expanding rapidly, requiring unexpected and unusual actions.

Never had to use mine, but I have used much of the emergency gear I carry "just in case" in my pack and vehicle.

Nice save, Scoutmaster NightHiker! That'll probably be a lifelong memory for him.

I used the duct tape and nylon cord to lash the sole of DW's boot on so we could make it back to civilization.

You just reminded me of the time we - gasp - ran at out duct - at a Scout camp. A wind storm whipped through and ripped our kitchen shelter tarp. My psk duct tape saved the day. Thank you Doug!

In 1991 I got stuck in a Chicago office high-rise elevator during a power outage. I used my flashlight to find the emergency phone. A security guard 'rescued' us. He had the pleasure of walking up 26 floors to open the door. Not a big deal, but the light made the situation much more manageable.