Victorinox Classic

P

plop

Joined
May 29, 2006
Messages
18
Hi

can you give me your opinion on Victorinox Classic for EDC? Yes, I know it has a VERY small blade but it will also fit into any pocket. So , what I would like to know is if it is any idea to buy it all and accept its limits or to forget about the Classic and buy a larger Victorinox.
 
That's a real personal decision. Only you know what you need in a knife.
I have a Classic that I carry when I wear a suit or "fancy" pants, When I don't want bulging pockets. The blade will cut anything I need on a normal basis. I am not chopping trees of course. It is great for an evening out since it has a toothpick to get those steak bits out of you teeth. I think it is an excellent choice for an EDC and you certainly wont get better for that kind of money. Kevin
 
plop said:
Hi

can you give me your opinion on Victorinox Classic for EDC? Yes, I know it has a VERY small blade but it will also fit into any pocket. So , what I would like to know is if it is any idea to buy it all and accept its limits or to forget about the Classic and buy a larger Victorinox.
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For very little extra weight you could EDC a Minichamp II. It sells for more than the Classic, but provides much more capability. No need to clutter up your pocket. With a Mini II plus a P38 can opener on your keychain, you would be back into compliance with the Boy Scout motto. :D
 
Don't know about Minichamp II's, but I can tell you, it's easy to get a good condition used Classic on EBay for pennies.

I mean, it comes to two or three dollars after shipping, but I'd still say the price is right. Also, a blade that thin is SUPER easy to sharpen.

High bang-for-buck factor, if you ask me.

Mike
 
I EDC a larger knife but carry a Classic on my keychain for the scissors. I does make a good sheeple knife.
 
I carried a Classic on my keychain and/or in my pocket for more than 10 years.

It would do almost everything I needed it to do at that time on a daily basis. Then, I came across the Mini-champ and I've had one on my keychain or in my pocket ever since.

These little knives contain an enormous amount of practicality in a small package. Plus, most non-knife people won't give it a second glance or they even have one themselves.

porkchop
 
They're great, the blade is easy to get incredibly sharp. They dissapear in pockets. I keep one in my wallet and usually have a larger SAK in my front pocket, but as long as I've got my wallet I know I've got some sort of knife on me.

I'd pick one up, they're incredibly cheap. I know Target has a two-pack of SAKs, a Spartan and Classic for 20$ total. Not bad. Put the classic on your keychain or in your pocket and carry the Spartan in a pocket.
 
I always carry a Classic with an attached Photon Freedom light.
The Classic blade and scissors can handle 90% of my routine cutting tasks
but I usually carry a 3-4" locking folder for the enjoyment of it.
 
Over on SOSAK I made a post about a field test I am doing. I bought a NIB classic for around 8.99 and have been carrying it for around a week now. I plan to carry it for about a month to see if I can survive with JUST my classic. So far it has proved itself on many occasions. I would say go ahead and buy one , new or used . You won't be dissapointed. Also, I should mention it's VERY sharp.
 
znapschatz said:
For very little extra weight you could EDC a Minichamp II. It sells for more than the Classic, but provides much more capability. No need to clutter up your pocket. With a Mini II plus a P38 can opener on your keychain, you would be back into compliance with the Boy Scout motto. :D
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If I am truly squeezed for space and weight, yes. Otherwise, I always choose my Midnite MiniChamp II.
 
I have relied on a Classic for much of the past, ohhhh, 25 years of my life (and I'm only on my second one!), if that tells you anything.

With that said, you might check out the Rambler too. Gives you a caplifter and a smaller phillips head screwdriver.

My only beef with these little SAKs is that that spring in the scissors is GOING to break eventually - guaranteed.
 
The classic is a great little knife that will do a heck of alot of your edc cutting. I always have one on my keyring as does my other half, Karen. But I also carry a soldier or tinker in my right hand pants pocket. The classic on the keyring goes into my left pocket. The classic is a must have keyring tool as is the Photon 2.

I always dismissed them untill I saw Karen using hers for EVERYTHING. So I put one on my keyring and for a trial period made a concious effort to use it instead of my larger sak. It was surprising how well it worked out. The only place it fell short was foodstuff, like cutting sandwitches in half, or heavier duty like on camping trips.
 
Although these days I EDC a folder and a Victorinox Tinker, in the past I've had very good luck with the Classic. There is still a Classic attached to my EDC backpack.

I've twice hiked the entire length of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada through CA, OR and WA. Both times, I carried ONLY the Classic, and it was entirely adequate for the variety of cutting tasks I encountered: cutting cardboard resupply boxes; repairing/modding gear; opening food, slicing bagels and cheese, cutting fruit, removing splinters, cactus spines, and ticks; picking teeth; trimming/filing finger- and toenails; minor surgery; shaving delicate little fuzz sticks for firestarting; etc. I cleaned trout with it only a few times, and if I was doing this often a different blade would be better.

Long-distance hiking is a sorta specialized pursuit, and a different activity than "camping", but still, it is remote and one encounters a huge variety of situations, seasons, environments. A widely-read writer on long-distance hiking highly recommends the Classic, and I think that is part of why it is so popular among long-distance ultralight hikers.

In one week, my wife and I are leaving to hike the 2,800-mile Continental Divide Trail. She's carrying the Classic, and I'm carrying a 7.5" custom fixed-blade knife, because I'm a knife knut these days! But, if for some reason we could only have one knife, of course I'd just bring the Classic. If I get tired of the weight this summer, I'll ship my FB home and pick up a Classic at any small-town hardware store along the CDT.

Highly recommended. A huge amount of utility for 0.9oz and $2-$3 shipped on eBay. Also, the most useful knife is the one you have with you when you need it. No worries about "pocket bulge" or losing a $3 knife.

EDIT: Sure, most of the other knives we talk about here are better for stabbing terrorists and de-animating ninjas, but as you can tell I am a big fan of the EDC utility of the Classic. I've really enjoyed reading the posts by other knuts who have found it very useful for everyday cutting too.
 
The Classic is an incredible value in a knife. You cannot go wrong with one. I always carry one either in a pocket or in my waist pack. It's a perfect knife to carry in addition to any other, and it takes up almost no space. The scissors spring on one of my Classics cracked once, and I just went and bought a replacement spring and installed it. Considering it had been used a lot, it's to be expected. In fact, the springs in all the Victorinox scissors have the probability of eventually breaking, it comes with the territory...luckily they're easy to replace; you need a needlenose pliers to do it.

Another good knife that takes up little space but is a little more substantial is the Vic Executive. Sometimes I'll carry that over my Classic if I want a SAK that's innocuous but still larger than the smallest models. But on a normal day, the Classic is often my most-used knife on a daily basis for most typical chores.
Jim
 
I recall Colin Fletcher carried only a classic on his Grand Canyon trip. He backpacked the length of the canyon, and had to count every once.

But as much as I like the classic, I am wondering how you sliced bagals and cheese? With only an inch and a half of blade, I end up using my soldier or tinker for those kind of duties. But exept for food stuff, the classic is a funtional little tool. In a backpacking situation I can see cutting every once you can.
 
tradja said:
I've twice hiked the entire length of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada through CA, OR and WA. Both times, I carried ONLY the Classic, and it was entirely adequate for the variety of cutting tasks I encountered... .[/I]
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Someone needs to print and frame that.

I swear, I laugh like crazy every time someone around here recommends taking a SAK AND a Buck 110 AND a mondo fixed blade AND a neck knife AND AND AND .... on a freaking day trek through a park. :jerkit:
 
jackknife said:
I am wondering how you sliced bagals and cheese?
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I've done this many a time. Just hold the bagel in your left hand and start slicing, turning the bagel as you go. When you complete the circle, either rip it apart the rest of the way or wedge it open a bit and slice the inside part some more until it comes apart. Easy. :)
 
mnblade said:
=====================

Someone needs to print and frame that.

I swear, I laugh like crazy every time someone around here recommends taking a SAK AND a Buck 110 AND a mondo fixed blade AND a neck knife AND AND AND .... on a freaking day treck through a park. :jerkit:
Click to expand...

How very true!

I know we're knife knuts here, but sometimes the recomondations people give out really do crack me up. And I'm not even going to go into the tactical thing.

This whole thread has got me to wondering- We who love the sak/multitools are a bit different than "them". Are we a little more firmly based in reallity? Or are we by nature a little more practical minded?

My appoligies, did not mean to hijack the thread.
 
jackknife said:
This whole thread has got me to wondering- We who love the sak/multitools are a bit different than "them". Are we a little more firmly based in reallity? Or are we by nature a little more practical minded?

My appoligies, did not mean to hijack the thread.
Click to expand...
Not a hijack at all, the OP asked about the practical utility and sufficiency of EDC'ing a SAK Classic.

We need to remember that everyone has different EDC tasks. A police officer, a construction worker, a soldier, and a sales rep all have different EDC needs, and certainly different personal preferences.

Are we more firmly based in reality? Practical-minded? It's nice to think so, but again, everyone's daily situation and perception is different. I don't feel the need to carry a gun everywhere I go, others do. That being said, I do wonder about the knife fantasies of those of us who do not lead such a "tactical" lifestyle. Almost seems like an adult form of mall ninja sometimes. :D :D :flicks black BM722 axis-lock tanto a few times, smiles to self:

It's a hobby, and a fun one at that. And it sure is nice to have a beefy knife when you need one! Of course, it sure is nice to have *any* knife when you need one, which gets back to the versatile, go-anywhere, audience-friendly Victorinox Classic.
 
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