Here's another review for a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife; the Adventurer. This one is a larger (4-3/8") knife with a locking blade. It will cost about $26 in stores, and is model number 53601. It has the same tools as the Victorinox Tinker, minus the smaller blade (and of course, this one is larger). Here we go with the review...
Handle Details: The Adventurer clocks in at 4-3/8" long and 9/16" thick. The handle scales are Victorinox' standard red in lightly-textured nylon. The left side has the Victorinox shield lasered on, and the right side is blank. The left side houses the tweezers; the right side has the standard SAK toothpick. The butt of the knife has a 1/2" keyring for lanyard attachment. The handle's insides are aluminum oxide, including the liners (not stainless steel). There's a swell in the middle of the handle for comfort, but it only does a mediocre job when any of the other tools are closed. They dig into your hands a bit, but it's not totally unmanageable.
The Tools: You get five fold-out tools with the Adventurer; plenty enough for a light outdoor trip. Here they are...
Main Blade: The Adventurer's blade is 3-1/2" long with a 3-1/4" cutting edge. It's just a tad over 1/16" thick; it's not thick at all and will flex under light finger pressure. Opening is accomplished via nail nick; no thumb studs or holes. Opening is smooth and easy, even though there are no washers in the handle. The left side of the blade has VICTORINOX above SWITZERLAND above STAINLESS above ROSTFREI stamped on the tang. The right side of the blade simply has PATENTED stamped on the tang. The blade came razor sharp right out of the box like all Victorinox', and it will likely hold that edge for a reasonable amount of time.
The blade locks open via switch on the right sid eof the handle. It's spring-loaded and will engage the blade tang when fully open. Lock-up is nice, but as with all of the switch-locks made by Victorinox, there's some slight forward-and-back blade play. This is due to the lock being located between the blade tang and the backspring; the backspring will always have flex to it and this causes the blade play. This is normal and has never affected any of the locking SAKS I've owned. Unlocking the blade is easy; just pull the switch down toward the butt of the knife and shut the blade.
Can Opener: Victorinox' standard tool. The can opener extends 1-1/4" when fully extended, and it also has a small flathead screwdriver. This is handy for Phillips screws, and of course for opening cans.
Bottle Opener: The other Victorinox standard tool. It extends 1-1/4" from the handle, and also stops in the halfway position if you'd rather use it that way. You also get a large screwdriver / light crate opener and a wire stripper. This tool gets a lot of use as a mini prybar.
Reamer: It's used for punching holes in things; leather, metal, plastic, etc. and isn't very good for untying knots. There's also a small hole to be used as a sewing eye. It's 1-1/2" long with a 1" cutting edge, and located in the back of the handle. It opens into the T-handle position.
Screwdriver: A #2 Phillips-head screwdriver. It is also 1-1/2" long and opens into the T-handle position in the back of the handle. I would prefer to not have this tool and a corkscrew instead, but no such model exists. I could buy another Rucksack and have the corkscrew, but that adds a saw and I already have two.
*EDIT: Victorinox makes the Nomad, which has the tools I'm looking for as listed above, but it has a liner lock instead of the switch lock. It's also available in black handles only.
This would make a nice everyday tool, and I stash one in my glove box for those just-in-case instances where a Leatherman is too big or bulky. Likewise for belt carry :thumbup:
Handle Details: The Adventurer clocks in at 4-3/8" long and 9/16" thick. The handle scales are Victorinox' standard red in lightly-textured nylon. The left side has the Victorinox shield lasered on, and the right side is blank. The left side houses the tweezers; the right side has the standard SAK toothpick. The butt of the knife has a 1/2" keyring for lanyard attachment. The handle's insides are aluminum oxide, including the liners (not stainless steel). There's a swell in the middle of the handle for comfort, but it only does a mediocre job when any of the other tools are closed. They dig into your hands a bit, but it's not totally unmanageable.
The Tools: You get five fold-out tools with the Adventurer; plenty enough for a light outdoor trip. Here they are...
Main Blade: The Adventurer's blade is 3-1/2" long with a 3-1/4" cutting edge. It's just a tad over 1/16" thick; it's not thick at all and will flex under light finger pressure. Opening is accomplished via nail nick; no thumb studs or holes. Opening is smooth and easy, even though there are no washers in the handle. The left side of the blade has VICTORINOX above SWITZERLAND above STAINLESS above ROSTFREI stamped on the tang. The right side of the blade simply has PATENTED stamped on the tang. The blade came razor sharp right out of the box like all Victorinox', and it will likely hold that edge for a reasonable amount of time.
The blade locks open via switch on the right sid eof the handle. It's spring-loaded and will engage the blade tang when fully open. Lock-up is nice, but as with all of the switch-locks made by Victorinox, there's some slight forward-and-back blade play. This is due to the lock being located between the blade tang and the backspring; the backspring will always have flex to it and this causes the blade play. This is normal and has never affected any of the locking SAKS I've owned. Unlocking the blade is easy; just pull the switch down toward the butt of the knife and shut the blade.
Can Opener: Victorinox' standard tool. The can opener extends 1-1/4" when fully extended, and it also has a small flathead screwdriver. This is handy for Phillips screws, and of course for opening cans.
Bottle Opener: The other Victorinox standard tool. It extends 1-1/4" from the handle, and also stops in the halfway position if you'd rather use it that way. You also get a large screwdriver / light crate opener and a wire stripper. This tool gets a lot of use as a mini prybar.
Reamer: It's used for punching holes in things; leather, metal, plastic, etc. and isn't very good for untying knots. There's also a small hole to be used as a sewing eye. It's 1-1/2" long with a 1" cutting edge, and located in the back of the handle. It opens into the T-handle position.
Screwdriver: A #2 Phillips-head screwdriver. It is also 1-1/2" long and opens into the T-handle position in the back of the handle. I would prefer to not have this tool and a corkscrew instead, but no such model exists. I could buy another Rucksack and have the corkscrew, but that adds a saw and I already have two.
*EDIT: Victorinox makes the Nomad, which has the tools I'm looking for as listed above, but it has a liner lock instead of the switch lock. It's also available in black handles only.
This would make a nice everyday tool, and I stash one in my glove box for those just-in-case instances where a Leatherman is too big or bulky. Likewise for belt carry :thumbup:
Last edited: