Best Swiss army knife

What is a Swiss Army Knife and why is it so popular for everyday carry

There are various knives in the market today that comes in similar size, shape and form like the Swiss Army Knife, SAK or better put knives, which mimic the SAK in features. However, the SAK stands out for a number of reasons, which has made it a convenient carry along tool for everyday activity.

We’ll be taking a keen look into the special standout features of the SAK in this discuss.

The idea for the Swiss Army Knife came from the owner of a surgical equipment company, Karl Elsener. The inspiration for the creation of Swiss army knives can be considered knives made in ancient Rome in the 3rd century AD. 

The modern Swiss Army knife is the successor to the so-called “soldier’s” knife, which was started by Karl Elsener in the 1890s.

The first such knife consisted of a wooden handle, was equipped with a blade, a screwdriver, a can opener and an awl. The Swiss Army purchased this knife.

In 1896, the knife was significantly modified and equipped with a spring mechanism and blades on each side of the knife.

 The handle usually has its stereotypical red colour and bears the Victorinox or Wenger “cross” logo or, for Swiss military knives, the coat of arms of Switzerland.

Some of the reasons an SAK stands out includes: Having a main point blade, various other tools are also incorporated into the SAK; a can opener, screwdrivers, just to list a few, it also has a pivot point fixing mechanism, which makes room within the knife handle to accommodate the bits. Another interesting aspect of the SAK, which contributes to its popularity, is its eye catching red colour, bearing the Wenger or the Victorinox cross logo and most striking is the Switzerland coat of arms.

Absolute thoughtfulness and careful consideration was put in in the creation of the original SAK at the end of the 19th century for the soldiers of the Swiss Army the design was made to make a multiple-purpose compact and lightweight tool. This combination has made the SAK still popular especially amongst lovers of outdoor and recreational activities. You can imagine the ease the SAK provides with everyday activities, camping, picnics, hiking etc.

Overview of Different Types of Swiss Army Knives

Today we have many varieties of the amazing multipurpose tool called the SAK; we’ll take a brief overview the available kinds and a few key features of each. Perhaps our overview will help guide you make a decision on the best fit for your intended purpose.

Beyond the versatile and multipurpose features of the SAK, they are also very fashionable tools to carry along.

Some of the best Swiss Army Knives are:          

Victorinox Swiss Army Huntsman Pocket Knife

The Huntsman pocket knife of Victorinox is specially designed for hunters. While many other options of SAK lack a corkscrew to accommodate its numerous tools, the Huntsman stand out in this regards.  The Huntsman is handy for opening a variety of beverages such as wine or larger beers, which makes for excitement and refreshment on a trip. It has couple of other tools that serves butchering and other work purposes.

This makes it a very good option for hunters, tourists and people involved in lots of outdoor activities.

Pros:

Variety of designs and colors

Numerous tools

Cons:

Gets dirty easily

Dirt’s sticks on its parts

Fingerprints often appear on its surface.

Victorinox Swiss Army Fieldmaster Pocket Knife

As the name rightly denotes “Fieldmaster” the Victorinox Swiss Army Fieldmaster Pocket Knife lives up to its name as indeed a master of the field. When in search of an ideal tool for field work, a handy tool when in the garden and camping trips, the field master is your perfect companion. It’s a tool that can serve 15 functional purposes and weighs about a 100g.

Pros:

Different blades

Wood saw

Suitable for multitasking

Multipurpose hook

Cons:

Doesn’t properly lock in the tools

Victorinox Swiss Army Tinker Pocket Knife

The Tinker is another multipurpose knife. The Victorinox Swiss Army Tinker Pocket Knife has a very impressive design.

It’s a very useful for screwing screws, laying of wires as well as creating holes. It’s made up of two high quality blades. Opener for bottles and cans, to name a few. All of its tools fits perfectly into the small case.

Pros:

Very attractive design

Cons:

Not very convenient for screwdrivers

Victorinox Swiss Army Swiss Champ Pocket Knife

The Victorinox Swiss Champ is a unique pocket knife, its way ahead of a number of pocket knives available today. It’s an ultimate multi-tool. It’s also referred to as the beast, owing to its numerous features: The standard model has 33 features, 8 layers, closed length of 91mm.

Pros:

Packed with a lot of tools

Very portable

Pocket-sized toolbox.

Cons:

It’s an expensive tool

Victorinox Swiss Army Swiss Champ XXL Pocket Knife

The SwissChamp XXL is regarded as a powerhouse tool amongst pocket knives. This tool is in a class of its own. Equipped to deliver a whopping 73 function. It has the ability to take on almost any task. Designing and assembling the powerhouse tool took a great deal meticulousness by exceptional and highly skilled craftsmen. This was done to ensure an optimum quality product output.

It’s a perfect collector piece and gift item. An excellent indoor and outdoor companion, having a height of 91mm and weight of 353g.

Pros:

Multifunctional

Suitable for numerous every day activities

A perfect companion for indoor and outdoor purpose

Cons:

It’s heavy

It’s an expensive tool

Victorinox Swiss Army Hiker Pocket Knife

This tool is indeed loved and preferred mostly by hikers, it’s a suitable helper when it comes to kindling, self-defence and camping. It’s a reliable toolbox when away from civilization. If you feel at home when you are away, then the Hiker is for you. Its 13 functions are all you need when you travel through the wilderness. This knife will be your perfect outdoor companion.

Pros:

Very useful for hikers

Great tool while camping

Serves as a can opener.

Cons: 

Not very convenient as a screwdriver.

Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD Pocket Knife

A beautiful model: nothing more, just a blade with a screwdriver tip, tweezers, a toothpick and small scissors. This Victorinox knife can be used as a keychain by attaching it to your backpack. The case is made of stainless steel, the quality of sharpening is impeccable, in a word, a great tool for daily personal hygiene, parsing correspondence and minor repairs.

The Classic SD is nothing out of the ordinary. It’s just a beautifully designed blade with a screwdriver tip. The Classic SD is built of stainless steel, sharpening quality is impeccable, also serves as a keychain.

If in search of a tool for minor repairs and personal hygiene, you can be sure that the Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD Pocket Knife is what you need.

Pros: 

Portable, due to its small size.

Precise tweezers

Very light

Cons: 

Uncomfortable key ring.

Victorinox Swiss Army Super Tinker Pocket Knife

The Super Tinker is another suitable tag along life for basic day-to-day function. Its regarded as the Officer’s knife for tinkers on the move, this knife makes the popular phrase “to be fore warned is to be fore armed” gain express, as you never know what you’ll encounter on your daily routine activities. But with your Super Tinker riding along with you, you are always equipped and ready to fix things, hack or build. It’s an ideal tool for people who are into various crafts. It also features a scissors and Philips screwdriver.

Pros:

Multipurpose tool with 14 functions

Ideal for people into crafts

Convenient to carry

Cons:

Dirt’s can easily stick to it.

Victorinox Swiss Army Cadet Pocket Knife

The Cadet Pocket Knife is a slim line and sleek knife, its an ideal pocket tool. It’s made of high-grade Alox scales, aluminium handle, large blade, nail file with nail cleaner, it also feature a can and bottle opener, screwdriver and key ring. It also comes with a lifetime warranty. Its very suitable and convenient for Cadet officers, traditionally having a small engraving panel on the back side.

Pros:

Ideal for daily small task

Handy for personal hygiene

Very light weight

Portable

Cons:

Not an extraordinary tool

Victorinox Swiss Army Executive Pocket Knife

The Victorinox Executive is a remarkably compact tool, features a large blade, only 65 mm long and only 1 cm high. Weighing just about 45 grams. It’s also convenient to accompany any bunch of keys!

Pros:

Durable precision-honed sharpened edge makes this knife clean

Accurate cuts with resistance

Executive companion

Hygiene tool

Cons:

Not suitable for tedious tasks

Victorinox Swiss Army Huntsman Pocket Knife is our top pick for the best Swiss Army Knife. It is a multi-functional tool with unsurpassed quality and expert craftsmanship. It has 14 functions, including a large and small blade, a saw, a can opener, a bottle opener, a screwdriver, a wire stripper, a reamer, a key ring, tweezers, and a toothpick.

What is the price range of Swiss Army Knives?

The Swiss Army Knife price range varies and certain factors are put into consideration before a price tag is placed on each model.  The model itself, the number of functions the knife can perform and the overall appearance.

At an average, the most basic Swiss Army Knife is sold for approximately $16, a knife of the price range will only have basic essential features for simple daily activities.

As we features and overall quality of the SAK increases, so does the price. Heavy-duty SAK incorporating tools such as pliers or ratchets will cost as much as $200.

What is the most expensive Swiss Army Knife?

The Wenger Giant Knife stands out and tall as the most expensive Swiss Army Knife ever made.

This Giant SAK is packed with 141 functions into 87 implements, 9 inches in length and 107grams in weight.

The price went up yearly as Wenger added more features to this incredible giant.

The first few models of this masterpiece sold for GBP 550. Its noteworthy that The Wenger Giant Swiss Army Knife is an exclusive collection knife released by Wenger in 2007 and is priced at $9,999.

How to Choose the Best Swiss Army Knife for Your Needs

For knife enthusiasts, a Swiss Army Knife ranks amongst the most versatile and desired pocket knives available on the planet. An SAK is far beyond a regular pocket knife, A Swiss Army Knife can assume many features such as an opener, wire cutter, screwdriver and a host of other desirable features that brings ease to daily activities to both unskilled and skilled daily users. 

Our individual needs and daily situations differs, so when choosing a Swiss Army Knife, you must first be clear and identity the intended situation and activities you’ll be needing the knife for. This is mainly because Victorinox makes a Ton of Swiss Army Knives, and each is uniquely different from the other. So where you spend more time at and the daily needs and activities you face, will further streamline your choice of SAK.

If you spend a lot of your time in the woods, a Swiss Army Knife having a saw blade amongst its components will be just great for you. If you’re mostly an indoor person, you might prefer a scissors in place of an SAK with a saw blade.

The Victorinox Swiss Army Huntsman Pocket Knife will be a perfect pick for someone who handles a variety of tasks. If your need is simply something more compact, the Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD Pocket Knife is a great option. Not leaving out a consideration for the number of tools in the SAK and your budget.

The Benefits of Carrying a Swiss Army Knife

Victorinox got the Patent for Swiss Army Knife 126 years ago. This special tool was originally designed for troops, for opening canned foods and in disassembling a rifle. The SAK quickly attained the reference name for multipurpose tool. 

The benefits of having a Swiss Army Knife are quite numerous and here are some of them:

1. A daily necessity companion
2. Aid for quick fixes 
3. The most versatile tool to have in your vehicle
4. A multi-purpose tool
5. It’s lightweight and compact
6. It’s a great emergency tool, because it usually includes at least one blade, scissors, screwdrivers, and more!
7. It has many different tools to help you with any situations
8. It’s an inexpensive way to keep your home safe
9. Some models even include emergency flashlights

Conclusion

The Swiss Army Knife is one of the most versatile tools to have in your collection. It helps in take care of a lot of daily needs and challenges, ranging from light repairs to a bit more complex daily tasks. It this discussion today, we’ve considered a lot of benefits derived from having a Swiss Army Knife handy at all times.

The Swiss Army Knife is an Ideal Tag along companion, at your service both indoors and outdoors.

Having journeyed thus far, we have to conclude that picking the best Swiss knife, it’s really a difficult task, knowing that SAK offers a large variety of knives, soothing different purposes and individual preferences. However we can’t conclude without revealing our best pick. We arrived at our best pick after a very meticulous review of the SAKs we considered in today’s journey.

Victorinox Swiss Army Huntsman Pocket Knife is our top pick for the best Swiss Army Knife. This is because it is a multi-functional tool with unsurpassed quality and expert craftsmanship. It has 14 functions, including a large and small blade, a saw, a can opener, a bottle opener, a screwdriver, a wire stripper, a reamer, a key ring, tweezers, and a toothpick.

Thanks for coming this far with us. What topic would you like us to discuss next?

Dr. Braide Honest,

author, knife enthusiast