Victorinox Bit Driver

[JamesA]

Not sure if this fits better here or in the review forum, so I figure I'll put it here because it's more likely to get an answer -- moderators, please feel free to shunt it around.

Anyway, I've been contemplating acquiring a larger SAK than I have, and I was looking (naturally) at the Swisschamp XLT. Perusing the archives here for everything that's been said about it, comparing to the Cybertools and the normal Swisschamp, etc... generally enjoying trying to make a decision. I'm sure y'all know about that.

Anyway, somewhere in the archives, someone seemed to suggest that he was irked that 1/4 inch bits didn't fit in the flip-out tray, while they DID fit in the driver.

Hollonasecond, I said to myself. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Wouldn't that make the bits too small for the driver? There's no way that quarter inch bits would fit in a driver meant for nonstandardly smaller bits, right? Unless they have some weird recessed inner driver or some other odd something.

Sure would be nice if they did, since I've got eight ounces of Leatherman, plus a couple more for the tool adapter, that really ONLY gets used for the tool adapter and the screwdrivers, and OCCASIONALLY the pliers, but those don't get used nearly enough to justify the extra weight, and besides if I got a SAK with pliers, I'm sure those would be sufficient for the very light work that I do.

So if the driver on the SAK is compatible with standard bits, I could lose my current big SAK /and/ the Leatherman. I'm all about consolidating, I'm sure you could tell.

Anyway, assuming you slogged through the above rambling: do 1/4 bits fit in the SAK driver? I wouldn't think so, but it sure seemed like that guy in the archives said they did.

Thanks,
James

 

[SLD]

I have one of the Swisschamp XLT knives and I rather like it. The driver bits and holder are not the "standard" 1/4" bits we are used to. They are a 4MM bit. The knife comes with 4 bits: a very small/really tiny double phillips bit, a small double ended phillips/slotted bit, a double ended T10/T15 Torx bit and a T8 Torx/4MM hex double bit. One handy thind about the 4MM bit holder on the XLT and I think also on the Cybertools is a 5MM hex area on the very end of the holder to fit the retaining screws on sub-D connectors.

BTW, Wiha tools makes a line of the 4MM bits including Torx and inch & metric hex drivers as well as slotted and phillips.

Here is a list I found somewhere on the web of the tools on the XLT:
SwissChamp XLT Features

1. Large blade
2. Small blade
3. Nail file with
4. -Metal file
5. -Nail cleaner
6. -Metal saw
7. Pharmaceutical spatula
8. Scissors
9. Wood saw
10. Fishscaler with
11. -hook disgorger
12. -ruler (cm & inches)
13. Pruning blade
14. Electrician's blade with
15. -wire scraper
16. Case and
17. Wrench with
18. -5mm female Hex drive for D-SUB connectors
19. -4mm female Hex drive for the bits
20. -Bit Phillips 0 (Pozidrive)
21. -Bit Phillips 1 (Pozidrive)
22. -Bit Slotted 4 mm
23. -Bit Phillips 2
24. -Bit Hex 4 mm
25. -Bit Torx 8
26. -Bit Torx 10
27. -Bit Torx 15
28. Pliers with
29. -wire cutters
30. -wire crimping tool
31. Magnifying Glass
32. Phillips screwdriver
33. Cap lifter with
34. -screwdriver 6 mm
35. -wire bender
36. Can opener with
37. -small screwdriver 3mm
38. Corkscrew
39. Chisel
40. Universal Hook (also parcel carrier)
41. Fine screwdriver 2 mm
42. Reamer
43. Punch and sewing eye
44. Key ring
45. Tweezers
46. Toothpick
47. Ball point pen
48. -also to set DIP-Switches
49. Pin
50. Mini-screwdriver

Have fun selecting you new tool.
Best Wishes
Steve