 Quality General Purpose Knife |
| Review Date: October 20, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Lonnie E. Holder, Columbus, Indiana, United States |
I carry at least one Swiss Army Knife with me every where I go (except a plane, of course). This 3 1/2 inch all-purpose tool is suitable for your pocket, glove compartment or tool box. This knife has dozens of uses for a do-it-yourselfer, a gardener or a camper.
This little wonder has a large and small knife, a corkscrew, a punch, a can opener with a flat blade screwdrive on the end, a bottle opener with a flat blade screwdriver on the end and what purports to be a wire stripper on the side (I have never used that), a key ring, tweezers and a toothpick. This knife is water resistant and made of high quality components.
I tend to use the knives on the pocket knife more than any other tools. After that I find that the combination of one of the knives and the tweezers are useful for splinters and thorns, and thus the tweezers often become the third most useful tool. I must admit that occasionally I use the toothpick, particularly when real toothpicks are not available.
The smaller screwdriver blade is small enough that it can also fit into a Phillips head screw. I have even been able to use the flat blade on some small internal hex head screws. I have never used the corkscrew, and I have used the punch as an awl. The can opener blade has yet to be used on this knife as well.
The difficulty with carrying tools is that they can fill your pocket very quickly. This small Swiss Army knife is small enough to fit into a purse or a pocket and yet large enough to be useful. While the larger Swiss Army knives have even more and larger tools and blades, they are also harder to carry. Of course this particular knife will not replace a tool box, but I find it amazing how many tasks I can accomplish with the simple tools available in this gem.
|
The original and still the best
|
| Review Date: November 3, 2006 |
| Reviewer: S. W. Aboelela, NJ |
I received this knife as a gift from a Swiss business associate back in 1998, and have carried it nearly every day since. I have to say that I am truly impressed with the amount of abuse this little tool can stand up to as it's been dropped countless times and overtorqued more often than I care to admit, but has never failed to spring back open ready for the next task.
I can't tell you how many times a friend has brought a bottle of wine to a picnic or some remote location only to suddenly come to the panicked realization that he/she forgot the corkscrew. You wouldn't believe the gratitude as they hear the cork being removed by the unassuming little corkscrew on this knife.
One small tip: sharpen the blades from time to time. A minute on a standard cutlery sharpening steel is all it takes to have these little blades ready for some serious work. |
An Old Friend Renewed
|
| Review Date: September 11, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Jack E. Leonard, |
I have carried a Spartan since I got one as an anniversary present in 1967. Some I have lost, a few I gave to friends, and one I vaporized a screwdriver blade by a stupid action I won't describe here.
But none has ever given me trouble and I keep coming back to get one. The combination of two screwdrivers, a canopener, corkscrew and awl (plus two blades: I keep the small one very sharp for fine work and the larger one is used on routine jobs) is great and since they added a toothpick and tweezers I have found those helpful too.
Once again I have mislaid my friend on a job, so it is time for my next Spartan. |
The best everyday model of Swiss Army knives
|
| Review Date: December 7, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Start, Boston, MA |
| There was an occasion that I needed to buy a bunch of small gifts and I saw this general purpose pocket knife on sale for $11. I compared it with many other similar models of Swiss Army knives (Waiter, Tourist, etc), and decided to go with this one. It has just the essential tools that one needs for everyday use, not bulky. People usually get to use the knife blade more often than other tools, so it is good that this model has two knife blades. It has separate bottle/can openers, which is more easier to use. I chose corkscrew over Philip screwdriver because I knew that this particular group of people would prefer it for their purposes. I only wish it came with scissors, but those models with scissors usually have other tools that one doesn't use everyday and they are bulky to carry around. Spartan, the best everyday knife from Swiss Army, couldn't be happier with this choice. |
A piece of history!
|
| Review Date: April 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Chronoserpent, California, USA |
I collect Victorinox Swiss Army knives, and I bought the Spartan for my collection. The Spartan is the direct descendant of the original "Swiss Officer's Knife" that Karl Elsener invented in 1897, derived from his earlier 1891 design for his Swiss Soldier's knife (which is represented today by the alox Soldier model).
All of the tools on the Spartan are well thought out and very effective.
1. Large and Small blades: Comes extremely sharp. Large blade is great for general cutting tasks, and is big enough to easily peel fruit. The small blade is great for smaller tasks like opening envelopes. I like to rely on the large blade and keep the small blade extremely sharp in case I ever need a really precise cut.
2. Can opener/small screwdriver: Opens cans. Also works in most Philips head screws.
3. Large screwdriver, bottle opener, wire stripper: The screwdriver and bottle opener work well. You can also use the screwdriver blade for some light prying, such as removing staples. The wire stripper does work, but isn't very effective and I would never use it over a dedicated wire stripper.
4. Corkscrew: Removes corks. If you get creative, you can find other uses for it like using the tip as kind of a marlinspike for untying small knots and pulling cotton out of medicine bottles. You can also buy a small eyeglass screwdriver that fits inside the corkscrew.
5. Awl: I find it awkward to use because of its placement on the back. But is is very sharp and will punch through leather well. Use a twisting motion so you're "drilling" and not just pushing through. It also has a pretty sharp edge so I use it to cut tape and open boxes when I don't want my blades to get encrusted with glue residue. I prefer the awl on the Soldier for punching holes.
6. Tweezers: Good for removing splinters and picking up small objects.
7. Toothpick: Works well in its intended job. I've also used it to point out small locations on a map.
The Spartan is very useful, and I love it for its historical significance. However, for everyday use I would recommend either the Victorinox Swiss Army Super Tinker Pocket Tool or Victorinox Swiss Army Executive Pocket Knife. The Super Tinker adds large scissors (very handy for cutting paper, clipping coupons, etc.) and has a Philips screwdriver instead of the corkscrew. The executive offers a variety of useful tools in a smaller package than the Spartan. There are many Victorinox Swiss Army knives out there, so do some through research and find the one that is best for your needs! |
that's what i want
|
| Review Date: November 3, 2006 |
| Reviewer: H. HUANG, USA |
| everything is fine since I purchased this knife from Amazon.com. it has most functions I daily use and not too much complicated. by the way the price is good. |
Terrific all-around pocket knife
|
| Review Date: January 11, 2007 |
| Reviewer: C. Rieder, |
| I've been carrying and using these Swiss Army Spartans (or similar model) for about 35 years. Bought my first in Germany and couldn't get along without it now. Great quality and has just about everything you could want for daily use. It's small enough and light enough that it's comfortable to carry. Doesn't have all the useless "bell and whistles" that you'd probably only use if you were a 12 year-old Boy Scout. Only problem (mine, not the knife's) is that I tend to lose one about every 6-7 years... so I bought 2 this time so as to have a replacement for the next time it grows legs and walks away. Another great feature is the optional eyeglass screwdriver than can be purchased and fits neatly (via a threaded handle) into the corkscrew. |
don't leave home without it.
|
| Review Date: May 29, 2007 |
| Reviewer: K. S. Mathoda, CT, USA |
I bought my first Spartan in 1979. I have been using it since then and love it. I also gave some as gifts to my brother and to friends. Not a single complaint. What I like most about it is that it has all the essentials - can opener, bottle opener, cork screw and screwdrivers. The tweezers and toothpick make it even more complete. It is not a multi-tool, but it is a compact, everyday handy tool, without frills.
I finally had to buy a replacement because my daughter wanted one to go camping - except for a few scratches it looks as good as new and works like new.
I Highly recommend it. |
A Perennial Favorite
|
| Review Date: June 21, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Michael F. Kennedy, Roanoke, VA USA |
I started carrying one of these nearly 25 years ago, when I read an article in American Photo about what professional photographers had in their camera bags. Two of the four bags they went through had one of these. At the time I was an aspiring pro, so I got one, too.
I must have half a dozen of them: Thinking I have lost my beloved pocket knife, I've replaced it many times only to find it under a couch cushion or car seat after I've bought a new one.
I carry one every day and I use it every day. To open mail, to trim drawings, to auger a hole in something, to pick my teeth, even a few times to open wine. I've tied them to nylon cord and tossed them over a tree limb to lift a food bag out of bear range on backpacking trips. A friend of mine borrowed my knife to gut and dress a rabbit.
All of them have been this model, save one. That one is a similar knife made by Wenger, the other official Swiss Army Knife maker, and sold with the Buck name on it. It has a stylish black handle, but because it's not bright red, it is more easily lost. The main blade wiggles, which has never happened to any of my Victorinoxes, though some have been abused.
Get the Victorinox and skip the Wengers. |
A long time favorite
|
| Review Date: November 15, 2007 |
| Reviewer: HTK, Portland |
This wonderful knife has been around the world with me and on many miles of wilderness trails. But I recently had to take an unplanned plane trip and had to surrender it to airport security.
I was crushed, but was very happy to see it is still being made.
A classic.
Enough stuff to get you through many crises like no corkscrew for the wine or a lose screw on the camp stove, but not so much it wears a hole in your pocket after a few back pack trips. Right up there with duct tape and hot glue! |
|
No video reviews found for this product.
Leave a Reply