Choosing between 5 different swiss army knives

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SSAA

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Jul 27, 2012
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I'm looking to buy a nice, durable swiss army knife that I can engrave as a present for my boyfriend. He's been saying for a while that he'd like a swiss army knife, so I'm really excited to get this for him! He'd like the blade of the knife to be pretty sharp. My problem is that I know absolutely nothing at all about knives. I've narrowed my search down to 5 knives, but I have questions about some of them-

The Swiss Army Fireman Lockblade 54865- http://www.swissknivesexpress.com/swisar…
-One of the listed features of this knife is a "Large Locking Blade". What does it mean that the blade is locking? This question applies to a few of the knives I'm looking at, so if anyone can help with this one in particular I'd appreciate it!
-Can anyone tell me of any particular benefits of having a large blade vs. a small blade?

The Swiss Army Knife Huntsman Black- http://www.swissknivesexpress.com/swisar…

The Spartan Silver Tech 54753- http://www.swissknivesexpress.com/54753.…
- Do the clear translucent sides erode any quicker than a regular knife would?
- I have the option of engraving the blade of this knife. If I chose to do so, would engraving the blade affect the blade in any negative way?

The Huntsman Silver Tech 54755- http://www.swissknivesexpress.com/54755.…

and The One-Hand Fireman with Black Blade- http://www.swissknivesexpress.com/onfiwb…
- What's the difference between a black blade and a regular blade other than the color? Is it any more difficult to maintain? Does it require anything special?
- This blade is described as having one-handed opening, what exactly does that mean? Most knife I've seen can be opened by simply pressing a button on the side of the knife, is that not the case with swiss army knives?

Even if you don't have the answer to any of my specific questions, if you have any comments, suggestions, or any experience stories with swiss army knives (particularly with the victorinox brand if possible, but anything would be great!) at all, even if it's just a gut instinct sort of thing, please tell me! I'm a complete noob in this department, so any help from any of the experienced member of a forum like this would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for your help!
 
The locking blade means that you have to press a mechanism in order for you to close down the blade. It therefore does not close down accidentally and thus, it pretty much is a safe tool even for those who are not used to cutting with knives. There are however some areas that have restrictions about carrying knives with locking blades, so depending on where you live, you might want to take that into consideration.

The translucent scales don't erode faster but they do show their scratches and scruff marks a bit more as compared to the normal plastic ones. In order of scale or handle toughness, the Fireman models have scales that are scratch resistant. The Huntsman and the other Silver Tech knives do not, but well, they're very pretty when a person can take care of them to minimize the scratches. Of the two, the black scale of the Huntsman will show less scratches than the Silver Tech models do. In any case, it is easy to re-polish the plastic scales of the knife when you need to.

The one handed opening means you use your thumb to push open a part of the blade that acts as some sort of hold. As compared to the knives that open with a press of the button, these one handed opener Swiss Army Knives need you to push the blade out and not rely on springs or some other mechanism to push the blade out for you. There are some legal restrictions when it comes to knives that are spring opened, and the one handed opener allows a person not to be covered by those laws but still able to easily open the knife without using two hands. As you probably know, most of the Swiss Army Knives need two hands to open. So it really is more convenient but those types always come with locking blades.

In my opnion, the Black Huntsman is a good gift. It is a good introduction to the Victorinox line of knives. It has some of the most popular tools like the scissors and the saw, and having those two, the knife can handle most cutting tasks. Also you won't have to worry about legal restrictions because it doesn't lock.

Victorinox knives come out of the box sharp, and are very easy to sharpen. When I get a new Victorinox knife, it's always sharp but not yet razor sharp. In order to get sharpness that can shave hair, I just run the blade of the knife a couple of times over the edge of a ceramic coffee mug. Yep, it's that easy. :)
 
I also think the Huntsman is a good choice. I have one, and it goes everywhere my laptop bag goes (which is everywhere I work). I have used a Fieldmaster for over 25 years, and find it to be a very useful tool. The only difference between the two is the Fieldmaster has a phillips screwdriver in the place of the Huntsman's corkscrew.
 
We could also help a bit more if we knew where your general area is and/or what your boyfriend does for a living. :)

I think girlfriends giving their boyfriends Swiss Knives are awesome. :) My girlfriend gave me the SwissChamp... and thus started me on the path towards SAKaddiction. :P
 
Wow Carloxicus, that was so much more detailed and helpful than I was expecting! Thank you so much! I'm guessing the Huntsman must be a pretty good choice if both you and Doug recommend it.

Thank you, I am pretty damn awesome! :D That's so cute that your girlfriend gave you your knife too! We live in Southern California, and my boyfriend is a college student studying computer programming.
 
When someone expresses interest in a Swiss Army Knife, chances are what he has in mind is something like the Huntsman or similar 91mm sized models. Unless it is necessary for work or special purposes, the Fireman is nice but at 111mm, larger than the Huntsman, too big for most guys to carry around on a daily basis. Also, it has no scissors. Meanwhile, the Huntsman, a more traditional SAK, is fairly thick, and unless carried in a belt sheath, a bit bouncy in the pocket. SAKs are extremely useful, but not if you leave them at home.

As an alternative, I would recommend looking at a Super Tinker. It has a fair amount of widgets to satisfy the average gearhead, but more suitable for pocket carry. There is a comparable model, the Climber, which has a corkscrew instead of the Super's phillips head screw driver. Between the two, I find the Super Tinker more useful. In decades of carrying corkscrew equipped SAK models, I have only needed it once when somebody forget to bring a regular corkscrew to a picnic (not counting several times I used it just for fun ;) ). OTOH, I have tightened (or loosened) countless screws with the PH driver.

While black is elegant and certainly a good choice for the handles, red is also attractive for SAKs, and also more practical. If the SAK gets lost or misplaced, red is easier to spot. Good luck finding something black on a forest floor while the light is fading :( .

Engraving the blade will not affect it adversely, although you might prefer to have it etched.

I hope this helps.
 
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I have got some twenty Victorinox models including smallest (58 mm) and largest (111 mm) models. Two of them are my favourites and I couldn't leave my house without one them: Climber and Super Tinker. These are in my opinion best compromise in size vs. useful tool selection. If your boyfriend does a lot of hiking or outdoor activities, huntsman might be handy as well. These 91 mm models are not only traditional swiss army knives, but also legal in almost every european country. I prefer classic red scales: just like the look and feel of those small red gems;-)
 
Actually the suggestions here on the Climber and the Super Tinker could be further trimmed down in the form of the Compact. It has only two layers but has the blade, a combination of the two openers and it has the scissors. It's more expensive that both the Climber and the Super Tinker though, and you lose the awl and the small blade (which if you don't use much, you won't miss because you still have a knife blade), and some of the better screwdriver capacity. But if you're looking for a Swiss Knife you can carry all the time in the pocket, you might want to look it up instead of the Climber and the Super Tinker. The combination can opener and cap lifter tool that it has is better than the separate can opener, and works the same as the separate bottle opener.

So if your boyfriend doesn't really encounter much screws to screw on a daily basis, you might want to check it out. :) You lose the wood saw from the Huntsman though. Well if he doesn't go into the woods that much, he might not have much use for it anyway. :)

Also if he works around computers, you might want to check these out too: http://sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Cybertool

:D
 
When in doubt, opt for the smaller size ......... more likely to get carried on a day in/day out basis, rather than just sitting in a drawer.

I would suggest a Victorinox Executive with black handles. If you search around on the web, there are a few reputable sellers who offer nice looking engraving options.

Please be sure to let us know what you chose, and how he likes it.

Oh, and while I'm very happily married, I'll ask on behalf of the single guys here: Do you have a sister? ;-)
 
SSAA,

I'm glad that you came to blade forums to get input about knife selection for your boyfriend. He's a very lucky guy.

Please let us know how things turn out.

Ric
 
The Fireman and Huntsman are really nice (love that Fireman!) but too big for everyday pocket carry, at least for me. I would go with a more standard model, such as the Spartan (or Camper if he needs a saw).
 
Thank you all so much for your help, and all your suggestions! After a LOT of thought, I've decided to get him the Compact. Thanks for all your help, I wouldn't have been able to decide without this forum!

I'll let you know how he likes it when it arrives!

And no, I'm afraid I don't have a sister :)
 
SSAA said:
Thank you all so much for your help, and all your suggestions! After a LOT of thought, I've decided to get him the Compact. Thanks for all your help, I wouldn't have been able to decide without this forum!

I'll let you know how he likes it when it arrives!

And no, I'm afraid I don't have a sister :)
Click to expand...

Excellent choice! I'm sure he'll love it. :thumbup:
 
SSAA said:
Thank you all so much for your help, and all your suggestions! After a LOT of thought, I've decided to get him the Compact. Thanks for all your help, I wouldn't have been able to decide without this forum!

I'll let you know how he likes it when it arrives!

And no, I'm afraid I don't have a sister :)
Click to expand...


Heheheey... convinced her to get a Compact... awesome! :D You should get one for yourself as well!
 
He LOVED the Compact! Thank you all again for your help- I wouldn't have known what I was doing without you!
 
Great choice going with the Compact, I use mine every day. The pen came in handy at the DMV a few days ago.
 
I too looked at the compact as an in the pocket accessory as i wear the cybertool 41 (7 layer) on a belt pouch at work, but otherwise not unless im working on a project.

I would get the compact and custom swap out the corkscrew and hook for a phillips and reamer. A member here does the modification.
 
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