Am I missing something? Vic Classic

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Brian.Evans

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There is a thread running over in the General Discussion area discussing the smallest folder you'd feel comfortable for your edc tasks.

There have been several mentions of the Vic Classic. Am I missing something? I've never even considered the Classic as anything but a key chain tool.

Now, I'm the last guy to disparage a small knife. I tend to carry a 3-3 1/2" swell end jack most of the time. One of these days, I'm going to get another peanut that doesn't have as much sentimental value as Peanut's peanut, maybe an older one without half stops, and when I do, it will most likely become my edc. That being said, I've never even considered a Classic.

It's it me? Should I think about a Classic? Would it be too small for my woodworking, metal working, outdoors, big family life? The peanut didn't seem to be, when I carried it. (The couple almost lost scares stopped me carrying an irreplaceable knife) Is the Classic taking it too far? Or, would the Classic, with its bevy and assortment of small tools be the perfect thing for an active dad? Pulling splinters, fixing glasses, etc.

What say you?
 
I have a Classic, and carry it sometimes, but for a package around the same size, I prefer the Leatherman Micra.
 
I could EDC the Classic and get by just fine. But your lifestyle and mine are probably different. I work at a keyboard all day and, after work, I'm not exactly punching dogies on a ranch, or hunting big game. More like, pushing my little girl on a swing at the playground, riding my bike, playing a little music with friends, etc. I wouldn't want to be parachuted into the wilderness with only a Classic -- but for true every-day carry, it'd be enough, no question.

-- Mark
 
Yes, and no.

Yes, you should have a classic. It is maybe the most under estimated little pocket knife on the planet. I thought they were a joke until I spent some months watching my better half torture one, and when it refused to die, I put one on my own keyring as an experiment. I still have a classic on my keyring and it's as handy as a third hand. It does 90% or more of what you need in a suburban/urban carry knife. It opens mail, UPS boxes, plastic blister packages, cuts twine and rope, and a lot more. It goves up a sharp edge, and a few tools. I love mine.

No, it's not for wood working, survival, heavy duty jungle use. It's a modern compact little pen knife kind of thing. But it is useful. The SD tip fits most small phillips screws. This means it can take apart most things for repair. I've used my SD nailfile tool to fix/replace the broken latch on a Kenmore clothes drier door, remove the battery from a Vespa GT200 for recharging, take down and put back together Smith and Wesson revolvers, and unscrew numberous battery compartments on toys on Christmas morning to put batteries in. The SD tip also opens imported beer caps easy by gently lifting up the crimp around the cap. The tweezers have pulled splinters out of me and my better half, and a thorn from between the pads of our welsh corgi's paw. The scissors have done lots of jobs that was more in the relm of scissors than a knife. They are the most awesome little scissors around.

Yes you need a classic on your keyring. But carry a bigger knife anyway, you may even need it once in a while.

Carl.
 
I think it depends on what you use a knife for. I'd say for most people it's enough. My mom and my youngest brother have them as their main knives. For most city folk I think it's more than enough. If you do a lot of food prep with your knife, then I'd say its not the knife for you.
 
I've been keeping a classic on my keychain for a few months. It was way cheap and has proven to be very useful for many tasks. While I have a micra, the vic just sits in the pocket easier on my keychain. The Micra, I can feel poking me in the pocket.... partly because of all the keys on my keychain, but the vic is less noticeable and again, very useful.
 
I think there are 4 issues here:
a) the utility of non-knife tools
b) the utility of very small knife blades
c) where to carry a small tool like the Victorinox Classic
d) the merits of the Victorinox Classic in particular

Regarding the utility of non-knife tools, I'm totally sold. I want the following with me every day and right on my person:
+ scissors (really, they're just better for many cutting tasks)
+ nail file/cleaner
+ bottle opener (saves wear and tear on my front teeth ;)
+ small screw drivers (for small tasks)

When I say this to a knife crowd, I feel like I'm selling the virtues of carrying knives to non-knife people. Try carrying something with these tools for a month or so. It may surprise you how often you use them.

Regarding the size of the knife blade on the Vic Classic, it's comparable to most pen blades. It's a size that has proven useful on many knives for many reasons. The size of the frame on the Vic Classic is another issue but IMO is somewhat mitigated by the blade size. Unless you're doing hard carving, do you really need more leverage on a blade that small?

Regarding where to carry a small tool like a Vic Classic, my answer is in the other pocket than where you carry your EDC knife. In the pocket, in the pocket, in the pocket. Or, at least, on your person. I carried these things on my key rings for years. I never used them because either a) I had to go find my keys to use the tool or b) once I found them, I couldn't use the tool because they were attached to key ring. A work mate suggested the place it belongs is in the pocket. I tried it and my small tool has earned its keep ever since.

Regarding the Victorinox Classic in particular I hate them. Nearly the worst version of a small tool I think of. They fall apart too fast. And I don't like the scissors as the back springs bust after about a year's worth of use (I use the scissors a lot). The Wegner scissors are infinitely better in this regard. But in the end, neither of them hold a candle to the (non-traditional, sorry) Leatherman Micra. This is my day in, day out EDC combo.


edc-pair by Pinnah, on Flickr

A note on the pen blade, the Micra can be opened with one side open, effectively turning the rest of the tool into a longer, easy to control frame. This combined with the flat back of the frame make it not-horrible for whittling. The Vic Classic, is horrible for whittling due to the puny frame.
 
mnblade said:
I could EDC the Classic and get by just fine. But your lifestyle and mine are probably different. I work at a keyboard all day and, after work, I'm not exactly punching dogies on a ranch, or hunting big game. More like, pushing my little girl on a swing at the playground, riding my bike, playing a little music with friends, etc. I wouldn't want to be parachuted into the wilderness with only a Classic -- but for true every-day carry, it'd be enough, no question.

-- Mark
Click to expand...


What Mark said. I've carried the same one on my keychain for years. 20 at least. It's taken a beating. It's so small you don't really notice it. I've found it immensely handy and it's not threatening to anyone (not that I let that worry me).

The Classic is a perfect urban survival tool if your day takes you from a cube farm to triageing a hangnail to slicing the cellophane off your ramen noodles to walking your dog. It'll handle most of the minor inconveniences you'll come across.

The blade is about as small as I can imagine a blade being but it's still useful. I'm almost always carrying another blade anyway so I'm fine with it as is. It seems to sharpen up nicely. I find the file minimally effective and the screwdriver at the end has long since been twisted and chipped. Where I think the Classic shines is the scissors, tweezers, and toothpick. The toothpick should be fairly self-explanatory. If you've had something in your teeth bugging you you know how nice it is to take care of it. The tweezers is great for slivers and such, and it's especially effective for fine ones like I seem to get from metal filings and hair-thin cactus spines. I don't tend to get them sitting at home on the couch when it's convenient but I've always got tweezers. I've used the scissors countless times to cut burrs and other tangles out of my dog's fur while out on a walk. It's also good for a wild eyebrow, nose hair, etc.

It is most likely too small for woodworking, metalworking, hunting, wilderness survival, apocalyptic survival, etc. But even if you EDC something else it's so light and takes up so little space I'd say it's worth a shot. And at around $10 it's a lot of bang for the buck.

I keep mine on a small quick link on my keychain so it's attached securely but easy enough to remove and use.

Mike
 
I have a Vic Manager, which is the same size as a Classic and adds a ballpoint pen and Phillips/caplifter combo. I like it though I like a Peanut better as I carry a SwissTool pliers/screwdriver on my keyring.
 
I carry a Rambler attached to my LED flashlight in my pocket. I use the Rambler a lot, but I probably use the blade the least. The little screwdriver sees a lot of use opening up the battery compartments of my kids' toys (and whatnot) and the nail file sees a lot of play (I play fingerstyle guitar and my nails are always an issue). The scissors are maybe the most often used implement on the thing, but I appreciate having the tweezers (and even toothpick) at my disposal.
 
The Classic SD (and Rambler, Manager) are way better than a handful of nothing, and as Mr. Carl notes they will handle 90% or more of general EDC tasks. I love them. But yesterday, for example, I was replacing a window pane (away from home) and had to chisel out some of the opening to help the glass fit. I had a Cold Steel XL Voyager (old style) in my pocket, and it still took several minutes of effort and a couple of blisters. No way that a Classic SD could have done it.

So there is a sliding scale of size/weight vs. utility. If size/weight are more important than anything, you carry a Classic. If you want to be prepared to chisel out a window frame, vivisect a mattress for the dumpster or field dress a mastodon, you carry a bigger knife. I tend to carry both. The Classic lets me sharpen a pencil at the grocery store without attracting attention (I've used it for that), and the bigger knife is for bigger stuff. The Classic will handle most of it, but there are times when bigger steel is required.

I put a Leatherman Squirt PS4 in Mrs. Powernoodle's purse. She uses it maybe 3x a year, and is glad to have it. And she never really needs anything more. If you are a woodworker and metal shop kind of guy the Classic won't be enough. But I always have a Classic, Manager or other Victorinox in my pocket, in addition to whatever folder I'm carrying.
 
I think you will be amazed at how many times you will find a use for the classic. I keep them scattered about rather than in pocket. One on my table on the deck, one in the glovebox, in the kitchen, and the TV room. Hangnail, no problem, those little scissors and file are great, screwdriver tweezers, pick, all in an easily key chained package. Watch needs a new battery, that little pen blade has changed a bunch of them. One always goes with me on trips as well.
 
I've never understood the fascination/love for the vic classic. To me, it's a combination of too small and not small enough. I carry a micra b/c for my use the scissors and eyeglass screwriver are much more useful.

I do carry an alox bantam, though, and I think the multi use caplifter/can opener on it is the most useful multifunction implement in the sak line up.
 
Hmmm........good discussion everyone. Lots to think about.

I always have some sort of multi tool on my person. Lately, it's been the Leatherman Juice. The tools are invaluable, and the pliers are a great thing to have. I also carry a StreamLight microstream. Those combined with a blade have great utility for me. I think the carrying of a Classic would be redundant for me personally.

I think for my lifestyle, a little larger blade would work better. A classic might work, but a slightly larger knife would do it easier, maybe faster, and probably safer; for the jobs I use a knife for. I guess I am not hiking, and I don't have to save weight, so a couple ounces isn't hurting me. I don't carry big knives anyway.

However, on vacation, slicing limes, I might be persuaded to carry a Classic. :)
 
I always have a Classic on my keychain. It's so small & light, it goes unnoticed. It can be quite useful & I can lend it out without worrying about the borrower cutting sandpaper with it.
 
medicevans said:
Hmmm........good discussion everyone. Lots to think about.

I always have some sort of multi tool on my person. Lately, it's been the Leatherman Juice. The tools are invaluable, and the pliers are a great thing to have. I also carry a StreamLight microstream. Those combined with a blade have great utility for me. I think the carrying of a Classic would be redundant for me personally.

I think for my lifestyle, a little larger blade would work better. A classic might work, but a slightly larger knife would do it easier, maybe faster, and probably safer; for the jobs I use a knife for. I guess I am not hiking, and I don't have to save weight, so a couple ounces isn't hurting me. I don't carry big knives anyway.

However, on vacation, slicing limes, I might be persuaded to carry a Classic. :)
Click to expand...

Not everybody floats their boat in the same water. All you can do is give it a try, and if you don't like it, go with what does float your boat. Not everyone likes chocolate or vanilla, so there's a good reason that place down the street has 31 flavors of ice cream. :D

Carl.
 
I have to admit that I have a love affair with the Classic going back the better part of a decade. My sapphire one has been beaten, banged up, and abused more than I can count. It sometimes gets pairs with a larger blade, sometimes it rides solo, but it's always handy. Most times, it gets used as a pencil sharpener, scraper, or ad hoc Phillips driver. It is more than long enough to cut through plastic or cardboard or paper. It is a great knife for detail work, too.

Everyone should have one, or at least give them a shot before passing judgement.
 
Since the peanut worked for you, may I suggest the Vic Ambassador? It's a 74mm model, making it the same size as a peanut, and it has all the tools of the Classic. Like some other commenters, I find the Classic just a bit small, my objection being mainly the handle size. The Ambassador gives more to grip, and the 2" blade is more useful (for example, I can cut an apple in half by cutting all around it). The larger scissors are more practical too. All in all, a great "active dad" knife.

One caveat: the nail file on the Ambassador does not have the SD tip. I fixed this by grinding off about 2mm to make a flat screwdriver/prying tip. It will still fit Phillips screws.

Full disclosure: I'm just trying to persuade everyone to buy a 74mm Vic.:D There are really only two models in this size (the Executive is the other one), and it would be a shame if they were discontinued - they're really a handy size. If we all buy lots, maybe Victorinox will make more variations. I'd love to see one with a combi tool.

SAVE THE 74MM's!
 
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I carried a Classic for several years and it still gets occassional pocket time, but mainly when I'm unable to carry anything else. I like it's smooth lines, which aren't going to damage a suit for example, as well as its miniscule weight and low-profile pocket footprint. The main thing I came to dislike about the Classic was not the length of the blade, but the width of it. I also miss the lack of a cap-lifter ;) While I prefer the Micra, it has rougher edges and will wear out pockets, which means I now carry mine in a small slip-pouch. They're both useful little tools, as I'm sure are the others mentioned, and has already been said, a lot of it comes down to personal taste and preference. The Classic is certainly a handy little knife, and a lot better than having no knife at all, which is sometimes the alternative.
 
I find that the best way for me to determine if something is going to work for me or not is to put it into practical application, and feasibility increases as cost goes down. Classics are very inexpensive, and I have one on my keychain with my car keys that I bought used for $5.

If you buy one and then find it's not for you, you can give it to someone who doesn't carry a knife at all who will appreciate it.

I really like the little alox classics myself.
 
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