Hello SAK fans. I bring you another review of another great knife made by Victorinox: the one-handed Fireman. The model number is 54868 (so you can go buy one). They cost about $39 in stores, and are worth every penny. At first, this was my solution to finding a one-handed opening Hunter, but it quickly became my most useful EDC. Read on for the details.
Handle Details:
The Fireman's handle scales are black composition, with the traditional Victorinox red shield on the left handle scale. The left side also holds the traditional tweezers, while the right side holds the toothpick. The liners are all stainless, while the pins are brass. It isn't a skinny knife at .75" thick, but it fills the hand and lets you know it's there. The knife is 4.375" closed, so you have that much handle to grip. For me, with large hands, this is enough. There is a swell in the center of the handle for comfort, and it helps to a degree. It's not super comfortable, but you won't cramp your hand with it, either. The knife is built in four layers, with the last two (the wood saw and belt cutter) having no liner between them.
The Tools
Main Blade: Since this is the one-handed version, I guess I should start with the one-handed blade. It's a 3.56" (3.25" edge) blade, which is plain-edged for the first inch, then serrated the rest of the way to the tip. It's not half-serrated, with 1" of plain edge and 2.25" of serrations. The blade is ground on one side only (the right side). The blade opens via thumb oval, which is easy to open if you have large hands. It cuts like a razor, even with the serrated portion of the blade. The blade locks open via linerlock, and there's no side-to-side blade play. Front-and-back, however, shows a minor amount of blade play. I've been told that this is normal, from everybody else's experiences with Vic's one-handed knives. As far as blade markings go, the right side is blank. The left side has VICTORINOX over SWITZERLAND over STAINLESS. I've been told that the newer Firemans and Trekkers have a different place where the blade is marked.
I can't comment too much on cutting ability since I haven't used this knife much, but from what I've seen, it's a very well-executed design. The blade cuts through everything I want to use a folder for, and hasn't gotten dull enough to justify a resharpening.
Can Opener: The standard can opener / small screwdriver found on almost all Swiss Army Knives. It's 1.187" long. It opens can easily, as to be expected. It really shines in two other areas, though: it makes a great Phillips-head screwdriver and it REALLY throws a nice spark from a flint. Not too much else to comment on, so we'll move along.
Bottle Opener: Another standard SAK item, but with a twist. It's a bottle opener. And a flathead screwdriver. And a wire stripper. But it locks open with the same liner that the main blade uses. Oh, and it's a crate opener, but I'm not about to use it for that purpose. It's 1.5" long when fully extended (locked open) but has a hitch to stop it halfway if you'd rather use it like that. As a screwdriver, it sucks because it tends to be too big for regular screws that you'll find throughout the house. You'll end up scratching the wood on a lot of surfaces if you're not super careful. But again here, it has a nice ulterior purpose: it makes a wonderful glass breaker. With gloves on, of course. See? You thought they just called it a Fireman to get the attention of all those guys who like to break glass and cut seatbelts. Which brings me to...
Belt Cutter: This is the reason I purchased this as a one-handed Hunter: the belt cutter is essentially the same as the gutting blade on the Hunter, but in a bigger blade. It doesn't lock open, but is 3.125" long with a fully serrated and curved 2.93" blade. Again, it's sharpened on just one side. It opens via nail nick. It cuts like a champ. I'd imagine that in a real rescue situation (when you're wearing heavy gloves and other turnout gear) this would be a hard tool to open. It would be easier to just go for the one-handed blade. But to each his own. I cut some seatbelts with this in testing, and I'm impressed. No hang-ups at all; it didn't even slow down. And guess what. It gutted those animals just as easily.
Wood Saw: "Cuts like it shouldn't... Performance exceeds expectations... Shouldn't cut so much for a blade of this size." Those are all comments made by various people about the saw that Victorinox has put on their lockblade knives. It cuts both bone and wood with the same ease. It extends 3.5" when open, but doesn't lock. There's no nail nick; instead it uses a small tab that extends a bit from the handle. This is one of the most useful tools integrated into a SAK, with very little space used.
Corkscrew: Now to the tools on the back. The corkscrew is pretty standard, and it's 1.5" long. It opens into the T-handled position. Great for picking knots apart. Buy a micro screwdriver to thread onto it, and you'll have even more reasons to carry the Fireman.
Reamer: It also opens into the T-handled position, and is 1.5" long with a 1" edge. I don't recommend it for picking knots apart, as it tends to tear them. Use it to punch another hole in your belt, or to make holes in the lid of the jar so the fireflies can breathe. There's no sewing eye in this reamer, if that matters to you.
So, let's recap. You have a quality tool with a locking blade that can be opened with one hand. You have one of the best wood saws built into a multi-tool. You have a nice blade for gutting or cutting fibrous materials. You also have a corkscrew, reamer, can opener, bottle opener, two screwdrivers (one that locks open), wire stripper, toothpick, tweezers, and a keyring to throw a lanyard on. And it costs about $39. Buy the micro screwdriver, stick it in the corkscrew, and make a nice lanyard or leash for it. Then it goes in your pocket. Every day.
Handle Details:
The Fireman's handle scales are black composition, with the traditional Victorinox red shield on the left handle scale. The left side also holds the traditional tweezers, while the right side holds the toothpick. The liners are all stainless, while the pins are brass. It isn't a skinny knife at .75" thick, but it fills the hand and lets you know it's there. The knife is 4.375" closed, so you have that much handle to grip. For me, with large hands, this is enough. There is a swell in the center of the handle for comfort, and it helps to a degree. It's not super comfortable, but you won't cramp your hand with it, either. The knife is built in four layers, with the last two (the wood saw and belt cutter) having no liner between them.
The Tools
Main Blade: Since this is the one-handed version, I guess I should start with the one-handed blade. It's a 3.56" (3.25" edge) blade, which is plain-edged for the first inch, then serrated the rest of the way to the tip. It's not half-serrated, with 1" of plain edge and 2.25" of serrations. The blade is ground on one side only (the right side). The blade opens via thumb oval, which is easy to open if you have large hands. It cuts like a razor, even with the serrated portion of the blade. The blade locks open via linerlock, and there's no side-to-side blade play. Front-and-back, however, shows a minor amount of blade play. I've been told that this is normal, from everybody else's experiences with Vic's one-handed knives. As far as blade markings go, the right side is blank. The left side has VICTORINOX over SWITZERLAND over STAINLESS. I've been told that the newer Firemans and Trekkers have a different place where the blade is marked.
I can't comment too much on cutting ability since I haven't used this knife much, but from what I've seen, it's a very well-executed design. The blade cuts through everything I want to use a folder for, and hasn't gotten dull enough to justify a resharpening.
Can Opener: The standard can opener / small screwdriver found on almost all Swiss Army Knives. It's 1.187" long. It opens can easily, as to be expected. It really shines in two other areas, though: it makes a great Phillips-head screwdriver and it REALLY throws a nice spark from a flint. Not too much else to comment on, so we'll move along.
Bottle Opener: Another standard SAK item, but with a twist. It's a bottle opener. And a flathead screwdriver. And a wire stripper. But it locks open with the same liner that the main blade uses. Oh, and it's a crate opener, but I'm not about to use it for that purpose. It's 1.5" long when fully extended (locked open) but has a hitch to stop it halfway if you'd rather use it like that. As a screwdriver, it sucks because it tends to be too big for regular screws that you'll find throughout the house. You'll end up scratching the wood on a lot of surfaces if you're not super careful. But again here, it has a nice ulterior purpose: it makes a wonderful glass breaker. With gloves on, of course. See? You thought they just called it a Fireman to get the attention of all those guys who like to break glass and cut seatbelts. Which brings me to...
Belt Cutter: This is the reason I purchased this as a one-handed Hunter: the belt cutter is essentially the same as the gutting blade on the Hunter, but in a bigger blade. It doesn't lock open, but is 3.125" long with a fully serrated and curved 2.93" blade. Again, it's sharpened on just one side. It opens via nail nick. It cuts like a champ. I'd imagine that in a real rescue situation (when you're wearing heavy gloves and other turnout gear) this would be a hard tool to open. It would be easier to just go for the one-handed blade. But to each his own. I cut some seatbelts with this in testing, and I'm impressed. No hang-ups at all; it didn't even slow down. And guess what. It gutted those animals just as easily.
Wood Saw: "Cuts like it shouldn't... Performance exceeds expectations... Shouldn't cut so much for a blade of this size." Those are all comments made by various people about the saw that Victorinox has put on their lockblade knives. It cuts both bone and wood with the same ease. It extends 3.5" when open, but doesn't lock. There's no nail nick; instead it uses a small tab that extends a bit from the handle. This is one of the most useful tools integrated into a SAK, with very little space used.
Corkscrew: Now to the tools on the back. The corkscrew is pretty standard, and it's 1.5" long. It opens into the T-handled position. Great for picking knots apart. Buy a micro screwdriver to thread onto it, and you'll have even more reasons to carry the Fireman.
Reamer: It also opens into the T-handled position, and is 1.5" long with a 1" edge. I don't recommend it for picking knots apart, as it tends to tear them. Use it to punch another hole in your belt, or to make holes in the lid of the jar so the fireflies can breathe. There's no sewing eye in this reamer, if that matters to you.
So, let's recap. You have a quality tool with a locking blade that can be opened with one hand. You have one of the best wood saws built into a multi-tool. You have a nice blade for gutting or cutting fibrous materials. You also have a corkscrew, reamer, can opener, bottle opener, two screwdrivers (one that locks open), wire stripper, toothpick, tweezers, and a keyring to throw a lanyard on. And it costs about $39. Buy the micro screwdriver, stick it in the corkscrew, and make a nice lanyard or leash for it. Then it goes in your pocket. Every day.
