I'm looking to purchase a genuine Swiss Army Knife next month, I can see it being extremely useful inside and outside the house. Especially as I plan to do some camping this Spring/Summer. Years ago, I owned a fake Swiss Army Knife as a teenager, it was a pretty crappy built fake. But I did manage to cut myself on it a couple of times.
Any recommendations of which model to get? I never realised there were so many different models!
The Swiss Army Champ looks very appealing with it's number of tools available.
More tools equals more weight, so keep that in mind. I have one with a lot of tools on it, but I use the Manager on my keychain more often because it is light enough to be with me all the time. The Manager has a blade, scissors (probably the best part), tweezers, bottle opener with phillips head screwdriver (good for taking gadgets apart), nail file with flat head screwdriver, and a ballpoint pen. To me that's the best swiss army knife, but probably not for camping.
The Tinker Deluxe. Instead of the saw, it has the pliers, and instead of the worthless corkscrew, it has a phillips screwdriver. Plus the scissors, and usual blades/screwdrivers.
Personally, I'd go for a multitool every time. I can't carry anything sharp at work - it might get used on me. Most multitools can have the sharp stuff removed easily enough.
Best price i could find for you on this. It has the new style handle (huntsman) but will be the same high quality. It has all the tools you will ever need
If you need pliers then get a Leatherman, but be careful they are not the same quality. They are very good though I have a Leatherman wave and a Juice XE6. Both where silly money in the UK. I use them as tools more than knives, if that makes sense.
Just to clarify the quality is not that bad but the corkscrew on the XE6 broke and the small flat blade screwdriver snapped on the Wave. The juice was replace under warranty. I also like the form of the Victorinox in hand better.
You're right about silly money for a Wave; that's why I don't own one (yet). But a couple of my mates do, and apparently they come with a lifetime warranty. I'm told that if your screwdriver broke, provided you have the receipt, you should be able to get a no-quibble replacement Wave. You probably know this, but I thought it worth a mention, just in case..
I have a fairly large SAK collection, and speaking from experience, anything bigger than an Explorer is cumbersome. This is especially true if you are carrying it in a pants pocket. Plus, factor in all the other stuff you might be taking along; unless you go with a bag, there is only so much "on person" room. Also, the wider the SAK, the harder it is to actually work with it.
That said, your tolerance for a big hunk of steel in the bottom of your pocket may be a lot higher than mine, so...
While I realize the OP was about SAK specifically, but if I lived in the UK, I'd carry a Spyderco UKPK, a Leatherman Squirt in my watch pocket, and my favorite torch, of course, and call it good.
Anyway, just my two pence, have fun shopping regardless.
(Did you guys see how I threw some Brit lingo in there; pretty proud of myself)
