 Exactly what's useful |
| Review Date: November 24, 2005 |
| Reviewer: James M. Blomo, |
I don't open a lot of wine bottles outside of a kitchen, I don't study things with a tiny magnifying glass, and I don't often scale fish. I just need a great knife with the essentials and this knife provides exactly that.
The serrated locking main blade is great. I use the one handed feature all the time: my left hand will be occupied holding something, but my right can easily grab the knife and open the blade. Having serrations makes cutting twine, threads, and rope much easier.
One warning though: at almost 4.5" this knife is fairly large; larger than most pocket knives. For some people that might rule the "pocket" part out.
According to Victorinox, this knife is the official field knife for the German Army. I can see why: it contains exactly what's needed without the superfluous attachments that weigh down so many other knives. |
A versatile if slightly larger SAK
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| Review Date: March 18, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Brian Reaves, Anniston, AL USA |
| I love the locking blade, and I love how it can be opened with one hand (the other is usually whatever it is you need to cut, right?). I also love the fact that the flat-head screwdriver locks when it's open, saving your hand from the accidental snap-pinch you can get while using it on other models. The weight and feel of this knife are pefect too. The only downside is it's slightly larger proportions. This is longer than the 3 1/2" models, and it makes a difference. If you're planning on carrying this in your pocket, it needs to be one of the only things in there. Still, if your lifestyle demands a slightly more rugged SAK than usual, this is a great choice. |
An outstanding knife.
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| Review Date: March 2, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Oakree Kuchenbacker, Central NY, USA |
I've been a fan of the traditional Swiss Army Knife and a loyal Victorinox customer since the age of twelve. I've owned five different models of the traditional SAK and I've probably given away dozens of them as gifts. This is my latest acquisition and I can confidently say it's the best SAK I've seen so far.
What's so great about it? The new large form factor design is comfortable in the hand, particularly in a model like this without a gazillion blades. The construction quality is first rate, with smoothly functional brass bushings, detents on the secondary blades, and a rock solid lock on the main blades. The serrated main blade can handle everything from cutting cheese to slicing through heavy sisal rope. The design of the Victorinox saw blade, utilizing alternating teeth with excellent bite and enough gap space to prevent clogging, is the best on the market.
Drawbacks? Nothing major, and mostly a matter of opinion. While stainless steel is easy to care for and resistant to most abuse carbon steel is still superior when it comes to taking and keeping an edge. One the rare occasions I need to touch up the blade I use a pocket sharpener from Gerber that's smaller than a credit card. It's easy to use, can easily handle sharpening the serrated blades, and puts on an edge that can shave the hairs from the back of my hand. Which is a stupid thing to do with a serrated blade, but I'm a traditionalist. You can find similiar sharpeners using small ceramic rods in almost any department store.
The only other thing you should be aware of is the awl. It's the same design found on the underside of dozens of SAK models. While it's a great little tool it is absolutely unforgiving of mis-use. *Do not* try to punch the awl through heavy material or it will snap out of it's detent and close on your fingers. If you use strong, steady pressure it works fine, but try to jab it through heavy leather or a nylon pack strap and your new nickname will be Stubby. Use your head when you use your tools and you won't have any problems at all. |
Nothing China about this knife
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| Review Date: October 18, 2006 |
| Reviewer: IntheWoods, South Carolina |
Victorinox swiss army knives are not made in China..
All Victorinox swiss army knives are made in Schwyz, Switzerland.. If you will look on the main blade of your knife you will see the Victorinox Switzerland stamp..
The quality difference between an authentic swiss army knife such as a Wenger or Victorinox, compared to cheap Chinese copies is instantly apparent..
This particular knife is as good as it gets for an outdoor or survival folding knife.. The steel although somewhat soft by todays standards, is easily sharpened on a stone, rock, etc.. It is also for all intents and purposes rust proof.. There are currently some German army versions of this knife currently on the market, with olive handles, the German army seal and no tweezers or toothpick..
I highly recommend.. |
I really like the knife
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| Review Date: December 30, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Yong Jin Lee, Palo Alto, CA |
I'll start with a disclosure. I have not used the knife in any outdoor settings. I have used it primarily to open packages at home.
Having said that, the knife is great. I like the fact that I can swing out the blade with one hand and that the blade locks in place. The main blade is placed exactly on the center of the handle so the knife feels balanced with the blade open. The blade has serrated edge on the front two inches of the blade. The edge is ground only from one side.
The one hand trekker model looks to be the same as the German army version which has olive green handle and the Bundeswehr insignia.
One word of caution. When opening the blade with one hand the thumb is placed in the hole toward the end of the blade. If the thumb slips out while the blade is half open, one may instinctively try to open it all the way by pushing on the heel of the blade. The blade is edged all way to the heel so putting the thumb on the heel will result in injury. This is not an academic point. My son actually cut his thumb exactly in this manner and is now sporting a band-aid on his thumb : )
I still recommend this pocket knife highly. And my son does too : ) |
Excellent quality
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| Review Date: April 16, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Eric Melvin, Fort Worth, TX |
| Just received this item today. As you would expect from Victorinox, it is an excellent quality knife. The blade was razor sharp out of the box. Had read some reviews saying it was too large to carry in your pocket, but it's only slightly larger than my deluxe tinker knife and it feels right at home in my jeans pocket. The main blade is easily opened with one hand but the only complaint I have for the knife lies within the locking mechanism. It is positioned to where if you're right handed you'll need some practice to be able to efficiently close it with one hand. The bottle opener/large screwdriver also has a locking mechanism which makes it nice to pry things open with. The wood saw is nice with a very large blade, but it's practically impossible to open with one hand and it doesn't lock. I also had to examine the knife closely to find where the saw is opened from (the very tip of the saw protrudes from the bottom of the knife when it's closed). Overall, this knife keeps up the Victorinox tradition of great quality for a good price. Get this if you want a swiss army knife with more emphasis on the knife part rather than all the unnecessary extras. The only thing I would change about the knife would be to reverse the locking mechanism so it's more right hand friendly and to possibly add a locking mechanism to the saw, but other than these two very minor complaints it's a great buy. |
Great Knife
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| Review Date: December 24, 2007 |
| Reviewer: J. A. Gregory IV, Harker Heights, TX, USA |
| I bought this knife about 4 weeks ago and it has not left my pocket yet. I have found so many uses for this knife. When camping its locking blade is perfect for eating and everything else you need a good blade for. The main reason I purchased this knife is for its locking blade it will not allow you to accidentally close it causing injury to anyone. I also like that the bottle opener/flat head screwdriver locks as well. Most of the tool is like any other pocket knife however the phillips screwdriver is a T-handle design so it will not squeeze into any tight spaces. In most cases the small flat head will do the job but sometimes it is very inconvenient not to have a good phillips screwdriver. |
Great For Drinking (and Hiking)
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| Review Date: July 4, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Thomas Hundt, San Francisco, CA United States |
This is the knife you need if you're going to do some serious drinking, because not only does the main serrated blade lock, but the bottle opener does, too. (This is also the flat-blade screwdriver, good for prying things. So it does make some kind of sense.)
This is also the knife if you're going to do serious hiking. You never know when you're going to find yourself with an arm pinned under a giant boulder. The saw will come in very handy. This is when the one-handed operation really shines.
I bought this one in a kit including a "free" Classic. You can never have enough Swiss army knives.
And speaking of which, you will have noticed this knife is sold in a couple of different variations. Here is a summary. Compared to this Trekker...
- Bundeswehr is similar, sans toothpick/tweezer
- Parachutist has belt cutter instead of saw
- One-Handed Trailmaster is same thing, old/non-US name
- Trekker Camo similar, non-serrated blade
- Sentinel only has the one locking blade
- Fireman has saw AND belt cutter
- Rescue Tool has saw AND belt cutter, and window breaker
- Workchamp and Hercules have all that, "but wait, there's more"
For more info, check victorinox.ch.
Look on Youtube for videos demonstrating one-handed operation.
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Good knife
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| Review Date: November 9, 2006 |
| Reviewer: D. Barnes, Starkville, MS, USA |
| It's a might bit bigger than I thought it would be, but it is a nice size for larger pockets. The serrated portion of the blade is handy and the flat portion keeps its edge nicely. Take extra caution when closing it with one hand as I've already sliced my thumb once and come close a number of times. It seems the placement of the lock-release doesn't give much room for a thumb to move. |
great quality
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| Review Date: December 19, 2006 |
| Reviewer: S. Coales, NJ |
...well what else would you expect? I mainly use this while out gardening.
This knife is a hefty piece, solid too. I particularly like the single edge ground knife blade (one side is ground the other is not, makes resharpening the serrated section much easier).
I had scoffed at the inclusion of a pair of tweezers - until I used them to pull off a tick that had found its way onto my arm while I was out gardening.
Only improvement I would make would be to have the awl locking too - I have a habit of folding it into a finger every once in a while.
UPDATE!
after plenty of use int eh garden / garage the blade is still razor sharp.
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