Victorinox SwissLite (or LadyBug + Photon)

H

Harri

Joined
Jan 18, 1999
Messages
35
Hello!

I need a keyring-knife to get a smaller knife to carry around every day. The choices for me are Spyderco LadyBug & Victorinox SwissLite. They are pretty different types of knives, I know. The LadyBug looks much more mean than the Victorinox, but the Victorinox has features that the LadyBug doesn't. And to me the small Victorinox is mery much a Gentleman's knife (and I think this is what I wan't now)
So I think I'll be choosing the SwissLite, but I have one question about it; How good is the LED light? Can you compare it to the Photon Micro-Lights? (I think somebody here must have had or used both...) 'Couse if I get the LadyBug I'd have to get one of the Photon LED-lights too - and that would be much more expensive.
And about the LadyBug, am I right here: the blade has hollow grind but the serations are on one side of the knife (chisel grind). How is then the plain part sharpened? Is that also chisel grind?

Any other good or bad points about the Victorinox SwissLite (it's the same as Classic SD without toothpick)?

Harri

ps. Sorry, Leatherman Micra isn't now my favorite, it isn't as mean as Spyderco, and as cool as Victorinox... :-)
 
Harri,

I think I can address your question pretty well. Last September I ordered a Victorinox Midnight Messenger from SMKW for my girlfriend. This is a big brother to the Swisslite, having the LED, blade, ball-point pen, caplifter w/ phillips head, file with flathead, and scissors. It is a very nice little gadget. I eventually bought myself one because it looked too cool to pass up.

The tools on it are pretty useful with a couple of caveats: The screwdrivers are a little big for eyeglasses but still useful. The scissors are almost worthless due to their small size, IMHO. Of course, I am spoiled by my Micra.

The coolest feature on the little knife is the pen. Instead of coming completely out of the knife like the large pen on the Swisschamp or the small pen on the Signature series, the tip of the pen slides out and locks, allowing you to use the body of the knife as a handle. It is really cool and works well due to the fatness of the little knife.

Back to your question, the LED on this knife is not even in the same league as the Photon. The Midnight Messenger light is OK for finding a keyhole in the dark or peering under a couch, but a Photon can completely light up a room. The Photon is brighter than any single AAA or non-xenon double AAA flashlight I have used. (Some of this depends on the colour of the Photon, of course). There is just no comparision of the two.

My girlfriend now carries a turquoise photon in addition to her Midnight Messenger.

The Spyderco Ladybug is a great knife and available in cool colours. However, if you feel the other tools on a SAK would be more important that a slightly better blade, then you are probably better off with a Swisslite or similar.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any further questions. Also, if you decide on an SAK, I would suggest the Midnight Messenger over the Swisslite. It has much more to offer and is almost the exact price. SMKW has the MM for $19.99.

Let us know what you decide,

Clay


PS Very soon I will have a review on all the Photon colours on Hannon Knives website, a great source for these wonderful little lights:

http://www.kansas.net/~cannon/photonlights.html
------------------
Clay Fleischer
cdfleischer@yahoo.com

"10,000 Lemmings Can't Be Wrong!"


[This message has been edited by CD Fleischer (edited 22 February 1999).]

[This message has been edited by CD Fleischer (edited 22 February 1999).]
 
Harri,

Let me expand a little on CD's excellent post.

I've been carrying a SwissLite on my key ring for over a year now. It replaced a series of Classics that have been abused on my key ring for over 15 years.

I like it a lot. The blade is sharp enough to open mail and packages and do small jobs. I disagree with CD about the scissors. They get the most use on threads and hangnails and are entirely adequate.

The combo nail file / screwdriver is an improvement and much more useful than the pointy nail cleaner.

The only modification is to replace the tweezers (useless) with a SA toothpick!

CD was right about the lights. I like the SwissLite's red LED for looking at theater or opera programs without disturbing others. But I carry a white Photon on the same ring to really light things up. And I get to carry another toy :-)

To me, the Ladybug is just another small knife. But, since I always have another knife with me, I prefer the SAK, especially for the toothpick :-)
 
Dan --

You know as soon as I posted I felt like I had overly maligned the scissors. I remembered an ex-girlfriend of mine that I had provided with a Vic. Classic and how much she used the scissors for removing loose threads from clothing. Nail-trimming is another good use. Just don't try using them for Xmas wrapping sessions or anything.
smile.gif
Thanks for keeping me honest, Dan.

I agree on the tweezers issue. Apparently, the new Signature II series from Victorinox has the new-style pen I mentioned in place of the toothpick. Replace this with tweezers and you are ready to roll!

Take care,

Clay

------------------
Clay Fleischer
cdfleischer@yahoo.com

"10,000 Lemmings Can't Be Wrong!"
 
Hate to sound like a mutual admiration society, but CD's right about the Messenger.

For only $20 you also get a pen and phillips screwdriver! A friend has one and its only a slight bit thicker.

Wow, time to trade up.


------------------
--
Dan Harris
danharris@ibm.net
 
I guess I didn't know how bright the Photon LEDs were. I know the scissors (on this size Victorinox) are quite worthless, but I'll be using them mostly for fingernails. The blade is also quite flimsy, but I'm not buying it to get a sturdy knife.

I did now find the Midnight Messenger from the Victorinox www-page. It's a version of knife called Rambler, which I initially thought of getting... I just didn't know it was awailable with LED. But you can't please everyone... I'd like to get the Midnight Messenger with the tweezers rather than the pen. (Actually I'd like to have the LED, tweezers, toothpick and the pen...
smile.gif
)

BTW, CD, you said that the blade of LadyBug is slightly better than that of Classic. I thought it would be quite a lot better?

I think I'll go with the Victorinox now.
... and get the LadyBug and Photon later on...
wink.gif


Harri
 
Harri,

It is hard to judge knife performance on a knife that size, I feel. The Ladybug has serrations that help it perform, but the SAK blade is thin and flat ground, making it an excellent slicer. I have ruptured my thumb on numerous occasions with SAK blades, so I can speak from experience.
smile.gif


The Spydie is definitely easier to open. I got one for my mother last month. It is a great knife as well.

Hope this helps!

Take care,

Clay

------------------
Clay Fleischer
cdfleischer@yahoo.com

"10,000 Lemmings Can't Be Wrong!"
 
Now that you mentioned it... what I would really like to see for a small knife from Spyderco (I should probably take this to Spyderco forum) is something between the Ladybug and plain edge Dragon Fly... a LadyBug with thin, flat ground plain edge! Now that I would buy in an instant!

Harri
 
I would snarf one of those up quickly as well.
smile.gif



------------------
Clay Fleischer
cdfleischer@yahoo.com

"10,000 Lemmings Can't Be Wrong!"
 
As an interesting side note I recently saw that Wenger(the other Swiss army knife) is now selling their Classic and a Photon I (red) adorned with a Wenger logo as a package! The light is even identified as a Photon Microlight on the packaging. Believe it or not I saw these at K Mart for something like $24.
 
I'll second (third?
smile.gif
) Harri's and Clay's sentiments. If Ladybugs were available with a plain edge, I'd have one already. I even thought of buying one and grinding out the serrations, but I don't think that would work well. It's a lot easier to add serrations than to get rid of them.
frown.gif




------------------
Paul Neubauer
prn@bsu.edu
 
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