Victorinox Tools Review

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user24

Joined
Nov 10, 2006
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This started as a review of the Huntsman, but the comments on the tools will apply to whichever 91mm model has them. If anyone can add their comments on either these tools or other tools I haven't included, that'd be grand ;)

large blade
small blade
Both blades are good, they stay sharp and pointy. They're thick enough to handle misuse, there's no play at all and they're easy to open/close.​

wood saw
Works perfectly, though it's a little fiddly to get out/put back in - I think the sawblade needs to be deeper to allow you to hold it without risk of getting your fingers caught between the teeth and the body of the knife. It could do with a nail nick. But I have no complaints regarding how the saw works. It eats through wood.​

scissors
Very good, sharp. The spring can get lost, but you can buy replacements​

can opener
It works. I really don't understand why people seem to have such a problem with it; I open every can I use with it.​

bottle opener
Same as above​

large screwdriver
Part of the bottle opener, it works with most screws.
With particularly tight screws, the torque is sometimes strong enough to partly close the tools, but it's not a big problem if you're careful. (EDIT: even with the notch described by Bringsteen)​

small screwdriver
Part of the can opener, it fits phillips heads nicely. The main use I get from it is to open computer cases; it fits case screws perfectly. I wish it was magnetised, but it'd be easy to magnetise it manually.
EDIT: I have magnetised it. It didn't take very long at all; just rub a powerful magnet in one direction from the base to the tip repeatedly for a while. Mine has retained magnetism for more than a week - I'll let you know if/when it loses magnetism.​

wire stripper/bender
Part of the bottle opener. I've never used it, but it bends a paperclip into a nice U shape that would be hard to do manually. EDIT: though I have to say, there's little that this could do that the keyring hole couldn't.​

corkscrew
Very hard to actually open a bottle of wine with it, but not impossible. Also useful for untieing knots, hooking things, etc. (EDIT: see usage tips below)​

multi-purpose hook
Can be used as a coathanger, parcel carrier or to pull things that would hurt your hand otherwise (like twine). I've never used it, so I can't comment on the usefulness of it. I think it would be difficult to get out without longish nails.​

spike ('reamer'/'punch')
Useful for 'drilling' holes in wood/plastic/anything, just rotate the knife and press down. It has a small blade on the side which could be useful for scoring wood/etc.​

key ring
Well, what is there to say? It's a keyring. I always remove mine, though; it gets in the way of the woodsaw/any other tools on that end of the knife​

tweezers
I don't think these work very well. They aren't very good at pulling hairs out; they're too bendy and aren't long enough to get good leverage or grip. They might be useful for getting splinters out, but I wouldn't want to count on them.​

toothpick
Works perfectly, if a little unhygenically (it doesn't have its own little compartment, rather is just rests between the scale and the body of the knife; that cavity can get a little gunky)
EDIT: there is a new design for the toothpick; my old spartan's toothpick has a little nick in the end which was very useful, whereas the new one simply comes to a point.The old design was better as a toothpick, but the new design stays in the knife better as it has a little bump which fits into the scale.​
 
The Huntsman is the poster child of Victorinox- I believe it is seen on their corporate office and their delivery trucks.

Thanks for the review.:thumbup:
 
I bought a hunstman about 14 years ago - it was my first Swiss Army Knife. It has been all over the planet with me - until the world changed a few years ago I never had a problem taking it aboard a plane in my pocket or hand luggage.

You comment about the corkscrew puzzles me - it is the most used part of my Huntsman and has performed admirably under the most challenging of wine bottle opening conditions. With a particularly tight cork I use the body of the knife handle against the lip of the bottle for a bit of initial leverage. Of course you need to hold the correct end of the knife to do this so that the corkscrew folds naturally into the handle as the cork comes out.

I think that this is the most technically complex post I have ever made about a knife. I must confess that I did use the corkscrew for its intended purpose about an hour ago.
 
2manyknives said:
I bought a hunstman about 14 years ago - it was my first Swiss Army Knife. It has been all over the planet with me - until the world changed a few years ago I never had a problem taking it aboard a plane in my pocket or hand luggage.

You comment about the corkscrew puzzles me - it is the most used part of my Huntsman and has performed admirably under the most challenging of wine bottle opening conditions. With a particularly tight cork I use the body of the knife handle against the lip of the bottle for a bit of initial leverage. Of course you need to hold the correct end of the knife to do this so that the corkscrew folds naturally into the handle as the cork comes out.

I think that this is the most technically complex post I have ever made about a knife. I must confess that I did use the corkscrew for its intended purpose about an hour ago.
Click to expand...

That's how to use the corkscrew. I struggled with it for years until some kind soul posted here about how to do it properly, and now it's easy. My only addendum is to make sure the corkscrew goes in straight so that when you lever it against the bottle lip, the spacers between the backspring don't get dinged. After many uncorkings, there are little dents in mine, although everything functions perfectly.
 
yeah, I thought that my technique must have been the main problem. I'll try it out tonight! thanks :D
 
A word of caution, if you get a really tight cork, you will also ding the reamer, glass is harder than steel.
 
In re the corkscrew, you can also use your free hand as a kind of "hydraulic" press: screw the corkscrew 4/5 of the way down, then place your free hand around the neck of the bottle so that your hand is touching the bottom of the knife, then squeeze that hand. This will cam out the cork about a quarter inch. Then reposition your hand a little farther up and do it again. After a few times, you should have moved the cork far enough out of the bottle to simply pull it out. It may be hard to conceptualize what I am describing, but with practice it is very simple.

I have a Huntsman circa 1988 and have found that the large screwdriver does indeed want to close under extreme torque. But I recently bought a SAK Craftsman, and it has a semi-locking hump at the back of the screwdriver which keeps it from closing under all but the greatest torque. I believe that all new SAKs with scredrivers have this feature.

The hook is also useful for tightening laces on boots and hockey skates. This is valuable when you are hunting and your hands are cold. I have also used the hook for holding hot wire handles on cooking pots and Coleman lanterns.
 
The little driver on the tip of the can opener does fit phillips heads nicely. Although I have read in places that it fits Phillips #1 & #2, i actually find that it better fits Phillips #2 and #3 screws. Yes, almost the whole tip of the canopener will slide nicely into a #3 Phillips screw.

The only problem is that, at the size, the screw may require more torque than can be provided by an SAK, and you might damage your tool.
 
Bringsteen said:
...I recently bought a SAK Craftsman, and it has a semi-locking hump at the back of the screwdriver which keeps it from closing under all but the greatest torque.
Click to expand...
This sounds interesting, could you elaborate please? Do you have any detailed photos?
 
2manyknives said:
Let us know the results
Click to expand...
(I will, but I had a 4000 word essay to write on Artificial Intelligence last night and I'm spending today mostly sleeping and staring blankly into space... I'm sure I'll have opportunity to test it over Xmas :D)
 
I do not have any pictures, but I will do my best to describe it.
xxxxxxxx______
xxxx---_______]

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xxxx^--_______]

The first is a horrible schematic of the SAK screwdriver/bottle opener (minus the bottle opener part). The two little lines represent the part that is hidden under the leaf spring when the screwdriver is fully extended.

The second is a horrible schematic of the new SAK scredriver/bottle opener. The caret (up arrow) represents the little hump (which in reality is smaller and more rounded) that fits into a notch on the underside of the leaf spring when the screwdriver is fully extended.

I imagine that if you go to a store where SAKs are not all sealed in blister packs, you can examine it yourself.

If anyone has a new SAK and a digital camera, would you be so kind as to post a picture of what I have described?
 
Sorry no camera, but if you think of the notch on a lockback knife, with the projection on the tang that holds the blade open rounded off, you'll get an idea of what the screwdriver "lock" is like. In practice, it works like the Laguiole blade and backspring. When the screwdriver is fully opened, holding the reamer down on the screwdiver spring by thumb pressure keeps the screwdriver from folding up in use. I've seen this on 91 mm versions made over the past couple of years.
 
Having examined my knife I now understand exactly what you mean - thankyou!

For other people who are confused; close the screwdriver and look at the butt of the knife; you should be able to see a small.. hump.. on the screwdriver's end.

This picture should help illustrate:

(the hump is circled in red)

It would be useful if they'd included a similar feature on the other screwdriver.. and maybe the main blade as well...
 
I tested the "use hook to carry plastic bags" theory. I couldn't get it to hold more than one bag. And it is tricky to get out if you've just cut your nails.

EDIT: also, the scale on the corkscrew side has a hole for a pin, but the pin wasn't included. Just thought that was a little odd.
 
Found a use for the hook replacing the bulb in my car's headlight. The bulb assembly is held in by a wire spring that is hard to get to with my fingers. After watching me struggle with it for a while, my daughter/flashlight director said, "try the hook thing on your knife." I never would have thought of it....
 
I got a Huntsman in about 1980 or so when I was twelve years old. It was my edc and only pocket knife up until just a couple of years ago, and it absorbed a lot of use and abuse.

Now I have moved on to some other knives for edc, and the Huntsman is sitting in a drawer untiul my daughter is old enough to have it.
 
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