Victorinox Champ Swiss Army Knife

Comments about Victorinox Champ Swiss Army Knife:

Get this. It has a magnifying glass.

Comments about Victorinox Champ Swiss Army Knife:

I'll review it like this ... When I die , I'm taking my Champ with
me - just in case ...

Comments about Victorinox Champ Swiss Army Knife:

I have owned this knife since I was 14. I am now 38. Not a day goes by that I do not carry thgis knife.

Comments about Victorinox Champ Swiss Army Knife:

I've had this knife for over 15 years and it looks like it will last a lifetime (or even passed down to future generations), so it's definitely worth the money.

Almost every feature on this knife has been useful at some point.
-The knife, scissors, pliers, and screwdrivers are among the best and most commonly used features of the knife and they all perform very well despite their small size.
-I have used the corkscrew to open wine bottles with no problem at all (it's easier if you place the wine bottle on the floor, put downward pressure on the bottle using the handle, and pull the cork up). There is also a bottle opener if you prefer a brew.
-I use the mini flat-head screwdriver on the corkscrew to tighten the screws on my eyeglasses.
-The pen seems kind of ridiculous, but it has come in handy when I couldn't find a pen anywhere and it works well.
-I've used the wood saw a few times and it works really well.

The only flaw in the knife is that the plastic housing developed a small crack near the pen holder, but it doesn't effect the functionality at all. The best part of the knife is that almost every tool I ever need is in one small package. I would have misplaced all these tools in the past 15 years, but since it's so small, I just keep it on my desk and it never gets lost!

End of story: great knife for everyday use, camping, survival, etc.

Comments about Victorinox Champ Swiss Army Knife:

I've had this knife for 20 years now (had earlier version, but upgraded to this Champ in 2001) and originally used it during wilderness survival outings (some intentional, some not), and while I was homeless, living on the streets. Needless to say, this knife *has* actually saved my life several times over!

When I upgraded to the new version of the Champ I used it mainly for my work as a building and apartment maintenance technician. Everything on this knife has been used several times over, including the 'hook' that some folks can't seem to figure out a use for. Yes, it's used for carrying packages by the string (which we don't use in the USA), but I've found it useful for a host of other things. Be creative and you'll be surprised how useful seemingly pointless features have, then you won't want to live without it!

Initially, after upgrading to the new version, I was concerned about how useful the pliers on the knife would work. Surprisingly, it's very durable and incredibly useful. I've used it mainly on bolts and to get a good grip on the bolt I open the pliers all the way up and push forward to lock the bolt against the plier's teeth. While pressing forward, I twist the bolt. It's also handy for holding and shaping bendable objects when needed. Wrap a rubber band around the handles and it becomes a light-duty clamp.

I've used the awl/reamer quite extensively and have found it useful for a variety of tasks, such as repairing my leather goods, making coiled pine-needle baskets using the eye of the awl for winding in the bindings (made from split lengths of tree roots), and carving out depressions in wood or scraping away at bone materials.

One thing to keep in mind is that none of these tools lock. Be careful with how you apply pressure; with a little practice you'll figure out how to correctly apply pressure so you can get the most use out of this tool, but avoid the issue of having these tools closing unexpectedly on your fingers. It's happened to me a few times and it's not fun! With a little practice and foresight, problems are avoided.

I like to keep the little blade extremely sharp and use it for fine detail tasks that require precision cuts, while the larger blade is my more utilitarian blade that I don't keep as sharp and sharpen less frequently. I use it for general cutting (rope, etc.), carving, and for splitting small logs (a wooden stick used as a mallet against the back of the large knife really helps here). The knives are pretty sharp from the factory, but a little elbow grease will get them extremely sharp and the edge will last a good while under moderate to hard use.

I love that this knife comes with a phillips screwdriver, so few do, and it fits a wide range of screw sizes. There are several sizes of flatheads, which also come in handy very often.

Like another poster here, I, too, have managed to make a fire from the 5x magnifying lense. It has to be a really hot and sunny day for this to work, though. Don't count on it making you a fire in any other conditions! A magnesium fire-starter is a better solution (even better is a fire-piston!), but to use the lense for fire-making, it's generally best to make a little char-cloth first, which is nothing but charred cotton that will create, and hold, a little coal that can be blown into flame with the use of fibrous tinder.

On the older models there was an issue with the scissor-springs jumping to the side all the time. This isn't such a problem with this newer version, as they designed a groove into the base of the scissor handles and also shaped the spring a little differently. It doesn't completely fix the problem, but does greatly reduce its occurrence. It's only a mild-annoyance and is easily fixed by gently bending the spring to the side. If you can, you'll want to stock up on a few extra springs as they have a limited lifespan and will eventually snap in two.

More than any other feature, it's the saw that comes with this knife that outshines any other folding pocket-knife saw on the market! For example, feel the teeth on the saw that comes with Wenger and you'll feel rounded edges that don't want to bite into your finger. Feel the Victorinox (the *real* Swiss Army knife) and you can feel the teeth wanting to bite into you. The saw is fast, doesn't bind unless you aren't paying attention to what you're doing, and is very, very sharp. Over the last 20 years, I have yet to have one become dull from use.

Overall, this is a great little knife. Some of the features don't have an immediate, obvious use, but keep an open mind and be creative; you'll surprise yourself!

If the world was ending and there was only *one* thing I could bring with me, it would be this knife! Everyone in the wilderness should own one!

Comments about Victorinox Champ Swiss Army Knife:

There is rarely a day that goes by that I don't use this tool. I have built things with it. I've even had the opportunity to use the ball point pen on a few occasions, and after more than TEN years, it still works.

This tool is one of the top ten items on my bug-out bag: If things go terribly wrong (like a fire or earthquake or Armageddon,) this thing comes with.

The workmanship is, of course, unparalleled.

I suggest you get to know the tool before having to use it under stressful conditions, like having to utilize a particular function of the tool on a cold, dark night. It's heavy and a bit cumbersome, so it might behoove you to have a standby for time-sensitive situations. But on-site, it's a goldmine. Once, at Potrero Chico in Mexico, I was trying to tie down the guy-lines for my rain tarp. I'd gotten one down when a strong wind whipped up and tangled it like last years' Christmas lights. At my avail was my Champ, and because it was difficult to navigate, it took some time to get a knife blade out to free it up. Had I a smaller knife, I may have saved five minutes of untangling the tarp in 40 mph wind-driven rain.

All-in-all, this is the Cadillac of SAKs, and would indeed be a valuable asset in a survival situation.

Comments about Victorinox Champ Swiss Army Knife:

This is a great knife. I've owned one for about 10 years, and while camping, it has EVERYTHING you need. All the tools are, at worst, are good. The steel stays sharp, the nick-nacks are easy to use, and it is small and handy. Its only short coming, as I see it, are the plyers. They aren't the most useful pliers in the world, but are great for small things. They make great tweezers, as someone else pointed out, but it'd be bit difficult to bend around a coat hanger into intricate shapes, and are deffinately no replacement for "real" pliers. Although I wouldn't recomend the Swiss Champ for an everyday or around the house tool, in an emergency or in the camp, they are EXCELENT, and I wouldn't want to need them and not have them.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, we'll find out soon enough), I've lost my pair. I'm going to take this opurtunity to buy a Juice Xe6, which is comparable (but more expensive). If it doesn't far excede my expectations, I'm going straight back to the Swiss Champ because I loved it so much.

In the end, this knife is wonderful. I've used all the tools at some time or another, and if you end up going with them, I promise you won't regret it!

Comments about Victorinox Champ Swiss Army Knife:

This is the first serious knife I had as a youngster. I believe back then it was the Champion and was a little different (no pliers). And after many years of collecting every sort of knife/ camp tool, for some reason, whenever I travel or go into the outdoors, this is the knife I reach for. It is certainly a little bulky for a pocket knife, but compared to the average camp tool, and this is a camp tool not a knife, it is rather svelte. The main reason I would choose this over a lesser swiss army version, is mainly for the choice of accessories - and this is the only version that has the pliers. I have had other types of small camp tools like the Leatherman Juice, but this is built better - although the pliers on the juice are more robust. Everything about this knife is compact, so things like the pliers and the saw are designed for the small-scale task, not for major use. But if I were stuck somewhere, from a hotel room where I need a reliable corkscrew, to the trail where I amy need everything else, this is the tool I would want; and it will last forever!

Comments about Victorinox Champ Swiss Army Knife:

My wife bought me my champ about 9 years ago. It's been a faithful companion ever since. I always have a tool for the job. I've only sharpened the blades 5 or 6 times the entire time I've had it and they stay razor sharp. I had upgraded from a Swiss army tinker which I also still have, but the champ is a champ. i love everything about it.

Comments about Victorinox Champ Swiss Army Knife:

It's the best knife ever! A little larger than my female hands are used to, but it has every tool imaginable. You couldn't ask for anything more.