Swisstool Spirit

S

Sidewinder

Joined
Jun 2, 2001
Messages
887
Got mine the otherday. Very nice tool. It's small/slim enought to fit in my back pocket along with my wallet. Doesn't weigh too much. We'll see if I continue to carry it that way.

One of the things that I am having a hard time getting used to is the curved handles. I am sure that it is more ergo when using the pliers, but I've never had much issue with the handles on my leathermans. I think the tool could be even more compact if they didn't curve them.

Not having a point on the blade is another thing that I have to get used to. Funny, I never really used the knife on my other multitools, but somehow not having a point on the knife makes me miss it. I always carry other knives so it's not a real issue for me.

I do notice that there is some play in the plier joint. When the tool is opened in plier mode, if I hold the tool flat by one of the handles, I notice some play in the plier joint if I move the the opposite handle up and down slightly. Never had this with my any of Leatherman. Does anyone else experiance this? I don't think that it will fall apart, but then again I have not used the tool very hard yet.

All in all I am very pleased with the tool. For under $38 you can't beat it. My charge Ti is now left on my desk at work.

S
 
I gave in and ordered one today from Amazon. I was waiting for Amazon to sell the "plus" version, but did not want to miss out on Amazon's sweet deal that they currently have on the Spirit. I figured I could buy the "plus" kit later as I did with my original Swisstool.
 
i got mine from amazon yesterday......the fit and finish is fantastic.....much better than my wave........

actually, its nice to have the sheepsfoot blade in there.....i have a regular knife on me, and now i have a different serrated knife also al la the sheeps foot

good job Victorinox! :cool:
 
Bill - do you have any side to side play in your pliers? Anyone else with a Spirit experiance this?

S.
 
No play in mine either. Mine has held up admirably to hardcore daily use over the past few months. Sheath too. That blade takes a screaming sharp edge and holds it well. I only use the blade for tasks that I don't want to put my actual EDC knife thru so that says something about the sheer brutality of the way it gets treated. I touch it up on the Sharpmaker with just a few swipes every so often. The crate opener (as V'nox calls it) is one tough cookie too.

I don't cut this multi-tool any slack. Well worth the price. Highly recommended.
 
Maybe mine is an exception. For the price that I paid, I think I'll get another one to see if mine is different. If not, I could always give it away as a gift. Thanks all for the feedback...

S.
 
Sidewinder said:
Maybe mine is an exception. For the price that I paid, I think I'll get another one to see if mine is different. If not, I could always give it away as a gift. Thanks all for the feedback...

S.
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The customer service at Victorinox is excellent - I know this from experience. SAK's have a lifetime warantee so if you think there is something wrong with your Spirit you can send it back to them for repair free of charge.

Where did you buy it from? If it was Amazon they are pretty good about allowing you to return items or get a replacement for faulty ones.
 
Sidewinder said:
I do notice that there is some play in the plier joint. When the tool is opened in plier mode, if I hold the tool flat by one of the handles, I notice some play in the plier joint if I move the the opposite handle up and down slightly. Never had this with my any of Leatherman. Does anyone else experiance this? I don't think that it will fall apart, but then again I have not used the tool very hard yet.
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My Spirit has no play in the plier joint.

But you have to differ if the play is in the plier joint, or the play is in the joint where the handle and the plier are connected. When you open the plier of the Spirit, the handles lock into a specified position. They are spring loaded against the plier jaws and remain stationary. If the spring ist too strong, it would be a hard job to open and close the plier, but this would anticipate any play. So its normal that you have some play in the handles. The plier design of the Spirit is way better than the usual one where the handles are held to the plier jaws with friction only. Its really annoying when the handles don't stay stationary and swing relative to the jaws. If you want to prevent this, you have to increase the friction, but then the plier locks in every position.
 
Harry Callahan said:
No play in mine either. Mine has held up admirably to hardcore daily use over the past few months. Sheath too. That blade takes a screaming sharp edge and holds it well. I only use the blade for tasks that I don't want to put my actual EDC knife thru so that says something about the sheer brutality of the way it gets treated. I touch it up on the Sharpmaker with just a few swipes every so often. The crate opener (as V'nox calls it) is one tough cookie too.

I don't cut this multi-tool any slack. Well worth the price. Highly recommended.
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This leads me to ask what hardcore tasks you assign to this tool.

I have an 8 year old Supertool that gets occasional use and although showing some wear, at my rate it will last a good while longer. Stressing a multitool beyond its design capabilities can cause failure, we know, but what kind of routine use wears these things out?
 
I just discovered this tool, and I WANT ONE! I don't mind the sheepsfoot blade so much, but I wish it were plain-edge. Amazon is the best deal, I take it?

I currently use an original Wave. How does the Spirit compare?
 
Foilist said:
I just discovered this tool, and I WANT ONE! I don't mind the sheepsfoot blade so much, but I wish it were plain-edge. Amazon is the best deal, I take it?

I currently use an original Wave. How does the Spirit compare?
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I have a spirit on order.. mostly because of this thread... grr..

Anyway, I used an old wave for years, and I think Buzz did too. I'm sure he can compare, and if I remember, I'll do the same a little while after I get mine.

BTW, Serrations are no prob if you don't like them, especially on a Victorinox. The steel works easily with a diamond stone. A couple hours and you should be rid of the serrations. I've done this to my one hand trekker and it was easy, although a bit tedious.

I kind of like a serrated blade on a multi though, since I always have a SAK or a small slipjoint on my anyway. A big, locking serrated blade is good for tougher/messier jobs, and the small knife for precision.

P.S. Amazon has the best deal I've seen on the tool itself, but if you want the 'plus' version (with bit wrench or ratchet etc), you have to look elsewhere. These are still farily new, so I think we can expect more dealers to carry them eventually. (Also, Amazon's free shipping is horribly slow just FYI you'll wait a while if you don't pay for _real_ shipping.)
 
klattman said:
I have a spirit on order.. mostly because of this thread... grr..
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Glad to be of service!! Did I mention i work on commission? ;)

(No, not REALLY!)

klattman said:
Anyway, I used an old wave for years, and I think Buzz did too. I'm sure he can compare, and if I remember, I'll do the same a little while after I get mine.
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Ditto, I've been packin' an original Wave since it came out.

klattman said:
BTW, Serrations are no prob if you don't like them, especially on a Victorinox. The steel works easily with a diamond stone. A couple hours and you should be rid of the serrations. I've done this to my one hand trekker and it was easy, although a bit tedious.
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I did the same thing to my Trekker, and convexed the edge to boot. The coarse side of my grandfather's old WWII-era india stone made short work of the serrations, and the fine side put a hair-popping edge on. Got my camping knife ready for the season!

klattman said:
I kind of like a serrated blade on a multi though, since I always have a SAK or a small slipjoint on my anyway. A big, locking serrated blade is good for tougher/messier jobs, and the small knife for precision.
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I often EDC a regular folder, too; but one thing I've always liked about eh Wave (and New Wave, and Charge Ti) is that the one-hand opening blade makes it unnecessary to carry one. I've been packing my SwissTool Spirit for over a week now, and that's turned out the be the one thing I miss most: being able to pop out a knife blade, either plain or serrated, without fishing around for a nail nick.

Size and weight are pretty comparable; the Spirit is longer, but thinner, and weight is pretty dang close.

klattman said:
P.S. Amazon has the best deal I've seen on the tool itself, but if you want the 'plus' version (with bit wrench or ratchet etc), you have to look elsewhere.
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https://www.expeditionexchange.com/victor/indexmain.shtml
That's where I got mine. Not cheap, compared to Amazon's plain-jane version, but a LOT cheaper than the European stores. And I just HAD to have that ratchet. :D

klattman said:
(Also, Amazon's free shipping is horribly slow just FYI you'll wait a while if you don't pay for _real_ shipping.)
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Man, Amazon must not like you. ;)

I always go for the Super Saver shipping, and generally get my stuff in four days, sometimes three. They ship from Delaware, and I'm in New Jersey, so it's not far to ship!
 
After a little searching, I found some on Amazon for $49 and placed my order. It was some sort of promotional deal and includes a hat (which I probably won't wear). I'm still bummed that I missed the earlier price though.

My Victorinox SAK Huntsman has been through all sorts of horrible abuse for over 20 years, and is still going strong. I hope the Spirit exhibits the same quality. Paired up with my Kershaw Vapor, it should be an ideal combo.

My Wave on the other hand, shows a fair amount of wear and tear after a mere five years of fairly light use. If the Spirit is all it's cracked up to be, the Wave will get demoted to the car or motorcycle.
 
Gryffin said:
I did the same thing to my Trekker, and convexed the edge to boot. The coarse side of my grandfather's old WWII-era india stone made short work of the serrations, and the fine side put a hair-popping edge on. Got my camping knife ready for the season!
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Yeah, I convexed the trekker edge also (like every other SAK I have). Great camp knife. I even ground the locking flathead into a nice wood chisel, since I only use it outdoors.
Gryffin said:
I often EDC a regular folder, too; but one thing I've always liked about eh Wave (and New Wave, and Charge Ti) is that the one-hand opening blade makes it unnecessary to carry one. I've been packing my SwissTool Spirit for over a week now, and that's turned out the be the one thing I miss most: being able to pop out a knife blade, either plain or serrated, without fishing around for a nail nick.

Size and weight are pretty comparable; the Spirit is longer, but thinner, and weight is pretty dang close.
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I don't miss the one hand opening too often. When I do, I switch out the SJ for a spyderco for a while until I miss the smaller blades, then I switch back... the cycle repeats...
Gryffin said:
https://www.expeditionexchange.com/victor/indexmain.shtml
That's where I got mine. Not cheap, compared to Amazon's plain-jane version, but a LOT cheaper than the European stores. And I just HAD to have that ratchet. :D


Man, Amazon must not like you. ;)

I always go for the Super Saver shipping, and generally get my stuff in four days, sometimes three. They ship from Delaware, and I'm in New Jersey, so it's not far to ship!
Click to expand...

Hmm. I always have to wait for about 2 weeks for anything super-saver-shipped. However, if I pay the next ship level up (regular ship) I get it in a few days. Might be my location, or just bad luck...
 
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