Your Swiss Army Knife (a poll)

[Rue DeDay]

My everyday Swiss Army Knife is the Tinker. It used to be the Spartan, but I've had that one so long (about 15 years) I'd feel bad if I lost it or it broke somehow. It's now retired and resting comfortably in my nightstand.

For camping I have the Adventurer, which is much like the Tinker, only it's bigger, doesn't have a little blade and the big blade locks.

There's a Classic in the diaper bag, and the Little Woman has a Cavalier in her purse.

Of course they're all Victorinox. We're not heathens after all.

So, whatchoo got?


-Rue.

[Harry Lime]

I've got a rather nice one that I've had for @ 25 years (Christmas present from my Aunt). Do you have some photos you can post or a website to direct us to, so we who aren't up on the various editions can compare, contrast and give you a better answer?

[pseudotriton ruber ruber]

I don't got nothing. Confiscated getting on a plane in LaGuardia. Jeez Louise.

[cybersnark]

http://www.victorinox.com/newsite/en/produkte/index.htm


I own about a half dozen SAKs, but on my keychain I have a Minichamp, and I carry a Swisschamp and a Cybertool. I used to own an OLD Victorinox/Elinox Traveller model, with a picture of St. Christopher carrying the christ child across a stream, but I lost it.

[MovieMogul]

2 Classics (both red)
2 Classic SDs (1 white, 1 black)
1 SwissLite (blue)

[Maastricht]

Camper.

All a girl needs for a nice picknick on the train, and includes an manicure/tweezerset to appear groomed at her appointment.

[Astroboy14]

I have nothing...

Wait! I think I have a Leatherman around here someplace... does that count?

[royjwood]

I have:

one little black one on my key chain, with a knife, file, scissors, toothpick, and tweezers.

one black Swisscard in my wallet (gets through the airport customs every time!).

and one stainless steel SwissTool on my belt. I prefer the needle nose pliers of the Leatherman SuperTool, but the locking mechanism on the SwissTool is far superior, plus it has scissors and a special rescue blade.

[Jimson Jim]

One red classic almost 10 years old now and sharp as a razor.
I had a mini on my key chain but it was confiscated at Cincy Int'l Airport when I mistakenly left it my carry-on. It even had my name engraved on it.

My hands down favorite though is not a Swiss Army knife but A muti-tool I've used it to do everything from cut and strip military commo wire to open boxes. It was a gift from my wife when I was promoted to Section Chief in the Artillery.

That's right ladies the way to a man's heart is a good knife..... Wait that doesn't sound right.
Never mind.. carry on!

[RealityChuck]

I have a Classic SD. Carry it everywhere.

[FairyChatMom]

Ummm, I have a pair of nail clippers, but I don't think it's the style the Swiss Army uses. I don't like using pocket knives - I have visions of blades slipping and puncturing my delicate epidermis. But my husband has a pocket knife, so if something needs cutting, I get him to do it. It reinforces his masculinism and I get out of the chore.

[LolaCocaCola]

Mini black

[Johnny L.A.]

My first was a Champion (not a SwissChamp), which I lost. So I got another one. Then I found the first one. So...

2 Champions (my first one is in the glovebox of my car)
1 SwissChamp
2 Spartans (one red, one black)
2 Classics (a black one, and a red one on my keychain)
1 Soldier

There might be one or two others, but I don't remember right now.

[Celyn]

I think my wonderfull friend my Swiss knife is "classic" - well it is a fairly basic model. It does not have attachments for getting Boy Scouts out of horses hooves etc.

Well - blades, bottle opener, corkscrew etc - screwdriver, nailfile (not that I have used it) - what more could I want?

Eek - I realise I have had it for over 20 years now!

[Winston Smith]

I've got the Explorer. I've had it for over 25 years. I used to have the Spartan, but a "friend" stole it from me. Some friend.

[royjwood]

I tried the Gerber, but the blades were way too weak and broke way too easily.

I used to love the SuperTool, but as previously stated the SwissTool has a much superior lockling mechanism, neither Leatherman nor Gerber can match it! Neither can SOG for that matter.

[chukhung]

Wenger ("The Genuine Swiss Army Knife") Swiss Pocket Grip for me. See http://www.wenger-knife.ch/english/nouveautes.html for details.

I may be a heathen for not owning a Victorinox, but my can opener works better!

[Jonathan Chance]

Huntsman model here. Carry it on my laughing donkey keychain.

I can't tell you the number of ways I've used it. It's the only one I carry and it's never failed me.

Oh, and it's red, by the way.

[Podkayne]

Tinker Deluxe. They don't seem to make it any more, which is a shame. It's like the Tinker, plus scissors, pliers, and that hook thing. There's also a hole in the awl.

The pliers are damned useful. I don't have a corkscrew, but I don't find I have occassion to be screwing a lot of corks. As my Swiss friend says, in a pinch you can just break the neck off the wine bottle.

[Emilio Lizardo]

I've been carrying a Gerber multi-tool with me for years. I love it, and it's bailed me out of more tight spots than I can recall, up to and including fixing a busted car at 11:30 PM in the middle of nowhere, South Dakota.

[grimpixie]

I have the Spartan, but then I was given a Leatherman Wave and the Spartan was relegated to reserve corkscrew...

Grim

[Dr_Paprika]

I love my Swiss Army knives. Around the house, I use the Putterer. When camping, I need something a little more advanced (survival, you know) and rely on my Fershlugginer. At work, I need something a little more technical. My Quackmeister fills the bill.

[NurseCarmen]

Originally posted by Podkayne
Tinker Deluxe. They don't seem to make it any more, which is a shame. It's like the Tinker, plus scissors, pliers, and that hook thing. There's also a hole in the awl.

:::hew::::: I couldn't find mine on the web site, and I thought I might be in posession of a counterfit. Those pliers come in handy all. the. time.

[Green Bean]

I have a Tinker that I bought in Germany 12 years ago. The red plastic sides have fallen off, so it has a really neat all-metal look. I have that on my keychain and a regular Leatherman in my bag.

[Greenback]

I have the explorer...how great it is to have a magnifying glass on a knife.

Would like some pliers as well with it but that will be the next one to get.

[roadrunner70]

I've got the Ranger, a monster of a knife, but it makes a really nice bulge.

[unclviny]

I carry a SWISSTOOL at work, it comes in handy regularly, I had a GERBER but the new rules offshore say "no non locking knife blades" so I bought the SWISSTOOL, it was expensive but worth every penny.

unclviny

[DMark]

Bought mine the first year I worked in Switzerland, 1981.
Carry it with me at all times - it has repaired many an item, saved a celebrity-filled black tie affair (can you believe the caterers forgot to bring a single corkscrew with 25 cases of wine! You should have seen those folks opening every bottle with the little corkscrew on my knife - ha!) and has only gotten lost once, briefly, when it fell out of my pocket in the car and slid under the seat.
Only damage was when I lent it to my boss who used the KNIFE as a screwdriver and bent the tip.
Luckily I don't fly all that often, and have to remember to leave the knife in the glove compartment when I go to pick people up at the airport.
I can't begin to tell you how often people will be trying to fix something and I hear, "Go ask DMark - he has a Swiss Army knife..."

[av8rmike]

I used to have a Gerber multi-plier, but I lost it sometime around Thanksgiving. I'm still kicking myself over it, as it was the kind with the long serrated and straight blades, the kind they don't make anymore.

[DaToad]

A "Classic" in my pocket and a "Outrider" with the camping gear.

[Skelji]

A black Time Keeper. I love that thing. My parents got it for me about 15 years ago in Switzerland, and I've never had to change the watch battery. Amazing. Maybe there's a tiny hamster in there who feeds on pocket lint.

[JThunder]

Mine has a grappling hook and a surgical laser. Cost me a bundle.

[racer72]

3 broken Classics in red, all from my empoyer's FOD program.
Currently carry a Classic SD in transparent blue.

[Rue DeDay]

Originally posted by chukhung
I may be a heathen for not owning a Victorinox, but my can opener works better!

A Wenger is better than a Victorinox? In any way? No way! Nuh-uh! Liar, liar, pants on fire! I can't hear you- la la la la la la!

(Note: Victorinox is the ORIGINAL SAK, and Wenger is the GENUINE one. Both companies have a contract with the Swiss Army, so they are both "real". Just for the sake of this poll, any multi-blade knife, multi-tool or nailclippers (as long as they have the file that flips out) count.)

(But Victorinox is best.)

And: Most of the Victorinox SAK's on one page, mostly with pictures.

[Rue DeDay]

While royjwood, said:

Originally posted by royjwood
one black Swisscard in my wallet (gets through the airport customs every time!).

What was really meant was:

Originally posted by royjwood
one black Swisscard in my wallet (gets caught at the airport customs every time! so don't bother stockpiling these miracle tools and try to overthrow World Government).

Sorry for any mis-understanding this may have caused.


-Rue. (Safety Guy)

[tsarina]

When I went to Europe in 1998, our bus was driving towards Luzern when the tour guide passed around an order form for knives if we wanted to get one. I was about to order the Climber, for 29 Swiss Francs, but then spotted the bigass serrated blade on the Huntsman and had to have it (for a mere 5 francs more).

When I got to the store, they were out of black Huntsmans, so I got mine in camouflage, with my initials engraved on the back.

I have used that thing hundreds of times, and have found several good uses for that bigass blade - it was a good investment!

[HomeSlice]

I have this watch.

http://www.swissarmy.com/webstore/mo...45&category=29


And this knife.

http://www.swissarmy.com/webstore/mo...67&category=40

[Fear Itself]

Red Explorer, only mine predates that grappling hook doohickey. I use the scissors the most.

[lieu]

I hear they sell better than the Swiss Army Napkin Holder.

[mnemosyne]

I have the Spartan, though I lost the tweezers and toothpick. I bought it several years ago, in Saltzburg, I think. It comes in handy, though I don't carry it around with me anymore. I keep it on my dresser or in the kitchen.

[stargazer]

I can't find which model mine is anywhere! It's sort of like a Rambler or Manager II, but it has more stuff. It has:
1 small blade
1 large blade
scissors
phillips head screwdriver
- bottle opener
- wire stripper
weird tool I think is for fish gutting or something gross like that
nail file with flathead screwdriver
tweezers
toothpick

Does anyone know which one this is? It's in the 2-1/4 inch category. It's great, even though I've never used the fish gutting tool.

[Woeg]

I'm not sure which model mine is...it's over ten years old, but I still use it daily. Folks at work call me "Macguyver" because of it...

The tools it has are as follows:

Long Blade
Short Blade
File
Saw
Fish scaler w/ruler
Scissors
Phillips Screwdriver
Magnifying Glass
Bottle opener w/large flathead driver, and wire stripper
Can opener with small flathead driver
Corkscrew
Reamer (no sewing eye, though)
Wood chisel
Toothpick
Tweezers
Keyring

Anyone know what model this is?

[Andrimitum]

Midnight Manager
translucent red

bought it in Switzerland as my one souvenier.

[Kn*ckers]

No Swiss Army Knife for me. But I have the cutest little Leatherman. It goes everywhere with me. We're best friends.

Its name is Pats Pend. I know, because "Pats Pend" is engraved right on it.

[Baron_of_Graymatter]

I have a Spartan Swiss Army Knife in my pocket (but yes, I am glad to see you) and a Schmidt-Rubin Swiss Army Rifle in my gun cabinet...

[chukhung]

Originally posted by Rue DeDay
A Wenger is better than a Victorinox? In any way? No way! Nuh-uh! Liar, liar, pants on fire! I can't hear you- la la la la la la!

Well, if nothing else, a Wenger has the cachet of rarity. EVERYBODY has a Victorinox these days...

And not only do the can openers on Wenger knives work better, there are no springs to break on the scissors, either.

So there!

[Debaser]

I have a tinker. The others seem to just have features that I wouldn't ever use.

For camping and hunting and such I have a standarn leatherman that is in a case on my possible's pack belt.

Possible's pack = large fanny pack with misc camping and hunting gear. The name comes from someone saying "You have such and such on you?" Answer: "It's possible." It's a boy scout thing.

For hunting I just got for xmas a 100th anniversary Buck knife.

[Jake]

Uh....
Well, I've got a Victorinox Officer Suisse, whatever the hell that is.

BUT I also found a Wenger. 'Bout an in and a quarter thick, too big to carry around. BTW the logo on the handle is: Saudi Arabia with a tree in the middle and two crossed swords underneath.

Am I in big trouble?

[DrDeth]

I have quite a few, both Wengers & Victorinox. Right now- a "mini-champ" resides on my key ring.

[fizgig]

I'm a Leatherman girl, meself. I have the Wave, though it's not the most delicate of things, so I usually just have it with me when I'm in the great outdoors.

I think I'll pick up the mini version to carry in my purse.