Victorinox SwissChamp Review – Best Swiss Army Knife?
There are many things in life we consider a memorable part of our childhood that we bring with us until adulthood. The very first time we encountered such things, they never left our consciousness and they have remained with us for the rest of our lives. One of these things is the Swiss Army Knife; the little red tool of seemingly limitless potential.
As youngsters, you might have been in awe with this little gadget that seemed to have so many things attached to it that it seemed limitless. Your father had one, and so did your uncle and virtually every adult male that you grew up with. Along the years, they made the perfect and most functional gifts that you could give to a male loved one. The red Swiss Army Knife with the iconic Victorinox logo is an icon that has served many generations in the past hundred years, making it part of every person’s life.
The standard Victorinox Swiss Army Knife is a small and lightweight gadget that was first introduced in the 1980’s. Revisions have been made throughout the years but only slight modifications have been done, staying true to its original features that have been loved by many generations. It is light enough to keep in your pocket, making it a handy tool wherever and whenever you need it. You can bring it virtually anywhere — to camping, hiking, fishing, trekking, absolutely anywhere your feet may take you. It is not only a handy tool for your outdoor adventures, you can even use it for your home — it’s like an entire toolbox rolled into one little palm-sized pocket knife. Whether you need it to shape a wooden spear to catch fish, or make fire with the magnifying glass, or even for self-grooming during those days in the outdoors, this palm-sized invention has got you all covered.
Victorinox Brand Background
Victorinox is a trusted worldwide brand that started in 1884, when Swiss pioneer Karl Elsener opened a cutlery workshop. He had the innovative and revolutionary idea of creating a compact and durable knife that had other functions in just one single tool, thus the original Swiss Army Knife. Since then, the company has expanded to pocket, household, and professional knives, timepieces, travel gear, and even fragrances and clothing. It has established itself as an international lifestyle brand that caters to the active lifestyle.
Overview of the Victorinox SwissChamp Swiss Army Knife
The SwissChamp is a 32 function knife that consists of 64 individual pieces formed into 8 layers. It contains a large blade, small blade, scissors, pliers (with wire cutter), metal file with saw, wood saw, can/bottle opener, magnifying glass, screwdriver, tweezers, toothpick, removable pen, multipurpose hook, fish scaler, a nail cleaner, and other essential tools. The possibilities are endless. It comes in two colors, black and red, with the latter being a more popular and more recognizable color.
The SwissChamp measures roughly 3.58 inches in length, with a width of just over 1 inch and weighs in around 7 ounces. Yeah, that’s beefy for a Swiss Army Knife, but the tradeoff of having such a plethora of tools is worth it. It certainly will not be an EDC knife and I suggest using a belt sheath if 7 ounces is more than you are comfortable carrying in a pocket. Handle material is the traditional polished cellidor scales. The various blades and tools are stainless steel, with blades that are laser sharpened to an edge fine enough to easily whittle wood. The engineering that goes into the SwissChamp is exceptional. The tolerances are very tight and everything just fits together so perfectly, which isn’t an easy thing to accomplish when creating a knife with 32 individual tools, blades and other implements.
Victorinox knives are some of the more durable, tough little blades on the market. The SwissChamp is no exception. They can actually last an entire lifetime, and even beyond. You will likely hand down your most trusted Swiss Army Knife to your children so they can enjoy the same benefits that it has given you throughout the years. There’s also a lifetime warranty on all manufacturing damages, so you can easily have them fixed should the need arise.
The Many Functions of the Victorinox SwissChamp
There are so many functions the SwissChamp offers that it’s almost impossible to enumerate all of them. Aside from its obvious use for outdoor activities like camping, fishing, and even hunting, it can also be used for many other purposes.
Personal grooming, for example, can be done with the scissors, the toothpick, tweezers, and the file. When you have these tools individually, they often get lost in your drawer, and you simply can’t bring them around with you. Having them all in one single device makes the SwissChamp not only a necessary tool for survival, it can actually make you look presentable too. And some of us really need help with that!
Final Thoughts On The Victorinox SwissChamp
With more than a hundred years in the industry, the Victorinox brand and their Swiss Army Knives have had many imitators, but not one other brand has come close to the Swiss army knife in terms of durability and function. For me, the Victorinox line of Swiss Army Knives has and always will be the only choice for a solid, reliable and feature packed multi-tool. In my opinon, the SwissChamp is the best of them all. It may be a little too big and chunky for some (it’s certainly not an ideal EDC knife) and the pliers are not quite up to par of a Leathermen’s, but just give it a try and I think you’ll learn to love it as much as I do.
BetterPocketKnife.com Rating:
Get Your Own Victorinox SwissChamp
Have any thoughts or comments you would like to add? Please share them below.
