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Swiss Champ Pocket Knife

The 33 features are - Large blade, little blade, corkscrew, may opener, cap lifter, screwdriver, wire stripper, awl with threading eye, key ring, tweezers, toothpick, scissors, multi-purpose hook, wood saw, fishscaler, hook disgorger, ruler, nailfile, metal file, nail cleaner, metal saw, fine screwdriver, chisel, pliers, wire cutters, Phillips screwdriver, magnifying glass, ballpoint pen, pin, & a mini-screwdriver

Most helpful client reviews

148 of 153 persons found the following review helpful.
Great Tool
By Y. Tsuchida
I'm glad to at last have the chance to praise the Swiss Champ multi-tool knife in a public forum. It seems like mine has served me reliably for almost 2 decades, mine has in a literal sense been around the world with me, and I normally have numerous use for it almost daily. The tools, for the most part, are practical and functional, though they are nicely compacted into a 3 1/2" package. I do have a heap of "wishes" for improvements, but overall, I just love my Swiss Champ and may overlook the minor faults (I'll mention some later).

The most oftentimes applied tools for me are the SCISSORS (great for anything from paper to personal grooming), the TWEEZERS, and the LARGE SCREWDRIVER/bottle opener (mostly for prying). The little set of PLIERS/wire cutters would seem to be of fixed use, but they are made with such precise tolerances that they make excellent, hardy tweezers also. They are handy for gripping little things, bending metal with leverage, keeping objects close to a flame, and untying those inconceivable little knots. One of the best functioning tools IMO is the little SAW! It seems to have a very aggressive and sharp tooth pattern, and will speedily saw through wood and tree segmentations better than a heap of full-size hand saws. The LARGE CLIP POINT KNIFE BLADE and the SMALL CLIP POINT KNIFE BLADE come with a scalpel-sharp factory sharpening (I'm not kidding... be very careful). Not sufficient space here to list all the uses that I've put the blades through over the years, but suffice it to say, it's a good, sharp, cutting instrument. I've never applied the FISH SCALER for fish, but it also has a handy metric/english RULER on it, and, I have applied the little HOOK DISGORGER prongs on the end as a sort of 2 tined fork! The little MAGNIFYING GLASS is genuinely rather powerful (and replaces my distinguished field lenses), and on one occasion, I employed it to start out a fire when I had no matches. The MINI PEN comes in handy at times when you have no writing instrument available (and it works decently). Pen refills are inexpensive. Both the LEATHER AWL and the METAL SAW/FILE are utile for crafting and fabrication. When used in a twisting motion, the LEATHER AWL works very efficaciously in shaving out a perfectly round hole through leather. I have made and repaired clothes, shelter, and other tools with it. The CORKSCREW comes in handy (and works well) when needed, but more importantly, it stores the little MICRO-SCREWDRIVER in it's spiral whorls. There is a little STRAIGHT PIN concealed in the scales behind the corkscrew BTW, utile for splinter removal, magnetized to make a float compass, or in a pinch, to be bent into a fish hook. I use the MICRO-SCREWDRIVER on eyeglasses and little electronic devices, like watches. The CAN OPENER is functional, but you'll get tired of the repetitious motion required to open just one can. But when you're hungry, who cares. Right? I seldom use the PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER or the plastic TOOTHPICK. I have never employed the strange looking HOOK thingy(which I'm told is used to carry packages tied with string in Europe), nor the mini-CHISEL, but I know they are there!

If I had to mention the few minor shortcomings of the Swiss Champ, it would be, ironically, with the knife blades. I would plainly wish that the MAIN BLADE was locking, a feature that Wenger incorporates, but not Victorinox. Also, the blades are just a tad bit tricky to deploy if you have huge fingers or if you just trimmed your fingernails, so I wish it had a raised thumb knob or hole to ease opening. Finally, I thought that having the two clip point blades is redundant. I would wish that one of the blades (perhaps the huge one) could be substituted with a blunt, serrated or semi-serrated sheep's foot blade (practical for quick rope cutting or rescue applications). I wish the LARGE SCREWDRIVER/bottle opener was locking likewise (as it have a tendancy to close on you when you are applying pressure to a screw or abusing it to pry something). Though it is not a criticism of the Swiss Champ, Victorinox has made even higher model upgrade Swiss knives (loaded with even more tools!) but I don't think they were tremendous practical improvements over the Swiss Champ. For example, on numerous newer models, the interchangeable screwdriver bits are neat, commonly require discerned carrying of the spare tips. Most of most recent improvements implicate modifications to the exterior scales (like adding a watch, a compass, USB flash drive, or an LED light). I personally don't like to rely solely on electronic appliances that use expendable batteries, nor mix them with my hand tools (due to the ruggedness I require of tools, and probability of breakage for the electronics). And note: a compass does NOT function reliably in proximity to ferrous metal (like a Swiss Army Knife). My final wish is that the plain smooth scales be modified as a practical grip/resource also. My suggestions: 1) make the scales out of hardened checkered rubber for better grip, or a lot of grippy knurled plastic. 2) emboss, engrave or cast a great deal of brief practical selective information on the scales, like the International Morse Alphabet 3) employ the unused portions of the scales to store more items like little flints, a little magnet, an eyed sewing needle, or a little heliograph (like the one in the Swiss Champ SOS Kit).

I think that whether you are anything from an urban traveler to an outdoor survivalist, you will find that the Swiss Champ will serve you well for decades. There are a couple of multi-tools out there that I might commend for numerous enhanced, higher-tech, tool qualities, but the Swiss Champ remains a durable, compact and utile workhorse. It remains one of my most valued possessions.

79 of 88 persons found the following review helpful.
Get the one without a fish scaler.
By G. Powell
This knife has it all. Well at least one to numerous things. I.e. fish scaler. Skip this version and get the one without it. When scaling a fish the scales get into the knife and are hard to clean out. Also the plastic lens of the magnifier will scratch over time. The pliers are a bit on the light responsibility side but handy. On the other hand, having a hole in the leather awl is outstanding as you may genuinely sew something! The eye glass screw driver works great. The file has teeth on the edge and will cut glass bottles or aluminum. The sizzors are the ordinary by which all other tool knife sizzors are judged.

81 of 91 persons found the following review helpful.
5 stars from a GIRL!
By MestaySS
Ok, I know what you're thinking. I'm a girl with a huge pocketknife...hmmm. But honestly, I love this thing. Now, I don't use it to saw wood or cut wire fences, but this is very utile for me to have. I don't use this as a "pocket" knife....more or less, it's a "purse" knife. It has gotten me out of rather a few jams in the year that I've owned it. It is always with me, and I'm thinking when it comes to buying another one to keep in my car for when I forget it. You never recognise when you may need this handy tool. It has everything you could perchance need, possibly a little more than I would need, but still, I love it. I likewise don't have numerous tools in my home, so when there's a little need for a screwdriver or a little pair of pliers, I just go to my swiss army knife, and it does the job.

Guys, get your girls one - to keep in their cars. They may laugh and think you're crazy for buying them a pocketknife, but what are they going to do if they are in a bind and you're not around with your knife?

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