Vic Combo Tool vs. Small Blade (...and help me with a class project!)

G

Guyzero

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Feb 14, 2013
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I'm doing a project for my marketing class and have decided to use Victorinox as the subject. I'm looking for people's opinions regarding tool preferences, and I especially want to know your preferences between the combo tool and the small blade with separate openers, as well as between the corkscrew and the T-handled Phillips screwdriver.

Just in case you are unfamiliar with the tools in question, here is the Compact which has the combo tool and the corkscrew and the Super Tinker which has the separate openers and the T-handled Phillips screwdriver.

I'm very interested to hear your thoughts and opinions here in this thread, but I'm also asking you to take this short survey (just 5 questions) on the subject. It's totally anonymous and I will share the live, aggregated results with you here. You do not need to be a Swiss Army Knife enthusiast to participate! Full disclosure: I do not work for or have any association with Victorinox or any of their competitors.

Here is a link to the survey. Please only fill it out once per person.

I would appreciate it if you would fill out the survey before viewing the results, but here is a link to them as well for easy access.

I'm certain there is probably a nifty, in-forum survey tool that I could have used, but I wanted to use Google docs so I could easily work with the results. I'm also going to avoid giving out too many specifics about my project because I don't want to possibly skew the results. In any case, I hope the raw results will lead to some interesting discussion here.

Thank you for participating and I look forward to reading your comments in the thread!
-Brian

EDIT: Thank you to everyone that participated in my survey regarding the Combo Tool and Rear Mounted Phillips. I've posted my basic findings and conclusions from my paper in a rather lengthy thread here.

This survey is now closed.
 
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Now, separate post from the survey request, I want to ask a few questions (somewhat for my project, but also out of personal curiosity)...

I'm curious why Victorinox makes so few models (or has discontinued so many) using the combo tool. I look at discontinued models like the Yeoman and the Scientist and feel that the combo tool allows them to offer such a high tool density (because they are one layer thinner) with out loosing very much functionality over similar tools with separate openers that are still produced. Why were they discontinued? Does anybody know? Did they not sell well? Is there a flaw with the combo tool? Or is there a significant advantage to having the separate openers and a second blade that I'm just missing?

I have a similar frustration with the corkscrew - Why don't more models come with the Phillips option? Is it mostly just tradition? Do people find themselves needing to open bottles of wine more often than needing to turn a screw? Or is there some hidden use to the corkscrew that I'm missing?

I figure if anyone would know the answers to these questions, it would be you fine people here! Please help me to understand! :)

Thanks again,
-Brian
 
I like the corkscrew. The answer is yes, I do often find myself needing to open a bottle of wine; especially when at a party and the only corkscrew has broken.

The backside phillips is...well awful IMO. I find it extremely awkward to get into position, as the T handle is far too wide for many situations. I'd prefer an in-line phillips, or I'll just use the phillips on my Spirit or Leatherman.
 
While I currently carry a Vic Waiter as a thin backup to my primary knife, if I had to carry a SAK and only a SAK, I would go for the small blade and separate openers, The combo tool opens cans and bottles OK, but it is not a very efficient screwdriver. The separate openers are good screwdrivers, the can opener will work on Phillips screws in a pinch, and they are more useful for other tasks like staple removal than the combo tool. The small blade gives you another cutting edge.

IMO the cork screw is preferred over the back side Phillips driver, as has been pointed out, half the time you can't get to the screw because the handle gets in the way. The corkscrew works well, and you can be very popular at a party if you are the only person with a corkscrew (it's happened to me more than once)...besides the cork screw holds the little tiny screwdriver. Another reason I carry a Waiter is that the Swisstool I carry does not have a corkscrew.
 
Plus one on the cork screw, it holds the tiny screw driver, which is very important to me and also opens bottles of wine. What more can be asked.
I feel that the rear philips screw driver is awkward and way to short to be effective, and the T handle gets on your way when you try to use it.
And the scissors, those things are the most useful tool in the whole SAK package. No words to describe it.

At the end I am a compact guy, but also will gladly order a custom SAK with the tool combination that I like, in fact I have already done it.

Best Regards
 
A separate phillips is nice, but I have always managed fine with the little combo opener on the can opener. But the corkscrew can't be duplicated with anything else! I've been to enough parties, picnics, and family events where I was the only one that could open the wine that I never go to any event without a SAK corkscrew anymore.
 
You guys make a good case for the corkscrew. I'm not a wine drinker, so I've always kind of disregarded it. But I will agree that the backside Phillips is poor for at least 50% of the times that you need a Phillips, and I guess I also didn't realize that the Can Opener would work in that capacity.

To further reinforce the usefulness of the corkscrew, I just found this list of additional uses for it from SAKWiki:
extracting fuel filter when repairing an engine
extract the stub of a spent candle from a candle holder
extract plug holders from IKEA furniture
affix the knife to an overhead beam to hold a mosquito net
loosening knots (also included as a tip in Victorinox documentation)
remove cotton wads from pill bottles

Now this thread is making me want even more to have Syph007 make me a custom Yeoman out of my Compact and Explorer models...
 
Thank you for all of your survey responses and opinions in this thread!

I'm curious about something - I notice that many people are listing the Wood Saw as a desired implement. Is that because many of you use it in your daily tasks, or is it because it has the potential to be very useful in an emergency/survival situation?
 
I just tied the score 6 to 6 on the corkscrew/screwdriver question. But after reading all the additional uses of the corkscrew, I would probably change my answer.

Now, about the additional tool, I chose the pliers because that's what I would find most useful. Plus, I don't remember ever thinking "I wish I had a tiny saw". That being said, I didn't think about the SAK as a survival tool, just a tool I would carry with me for every day uses.

Good luck with your school project, I hope you get an A+ and please don't forget to post your project or results here for us.
 
I have only use the saw when outdoors, never in an urban environment. So outdoor uses for me.
Hope this helps
 
I always look for a wood saw on my EDC saks. Of course, I have quite a few without but those are almost entirely 2 layer models for dress pants carry. I am outdoors a fair amount and the saw cuts great. I've used it for many little home improvement projects as well. Since I almost always have a Vic Classic on me as well, the scissors are covered.
 
Contrarian here! I frequently us the Philips head and hve no real use for the corkscrew. No Philips has been a dealbreaker for some models.
 
I seem to be the only one not likely to buy a custom SAK. To be fair though, that's only because I've already found
the perfect SAK(for me) and it's a standard production model. The Outrider. I guess I just don't need a custom.

After reading everyones answers, I am looking at the corkscrew a little more appreciatively.lol.

About the saw, I think it's just as valuable as the blade in the outdoors. One of the main tools I look for.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your project.
 
I drink neither beer nor wine, and in the few rare times that I open a can, I'm always in my kitchen and have a proper can-opener within reach. So I never use any of those tools for their intended purpose, but routinely use the cap lifter sideways as a prybar/lifter, the can opener to remove staples, and will use the tip of the corkscrew to start holes, exactly as I would use the awl, but never need the little eyeglass screwdriver.

I do prefer the combo tool to the separate openers layer, and its acute corner drives Philips screws just as well as the T-handle Philips driver does, so I can live without one of those as well. If I could replace the corkscrew of my Compact with an Awl that might be perfect – but I'd still want to own, and carry, knives with other tool combinations just for variety.
 
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