I’ve had a SAK in some form or another since I was 8 years old, and my last two have been the Rucksack , which was AFAIK one of the first large locking blade versions. The one I sent has been with me for close to 20 years and was in need of some TLC.
So after reading through some other posts here about people’s love affair with their Swiss Army Knives I finally sent mine off to the repair store in Vaughn, ON. (I’m in Canada), along with return postage and my sad tale of woe.
The bolster linings were bent, the knife would separate if I used the screwdrivers, the blade was dull (I hadn’t gotten to sharpening it then), and the awl was twisted from using it on metal to clean burrs in drilled holes. I fully expected to have it outside of the warranty, fully prepared to pay for whatever the cost would be up to the cost of a new knife, and was honest about my (mis) use. Lo and behold it shows up three weeks later with new scales, blade,awl and solid as new! No charge.
To say I am impressed is a bit of an understatement! I really wish more companies had this kind of commitment to their product and customers.
Their kitchen knives rock, too. America’s Test Kitchen consistently rates them best for performance, sharpenability, and non-slip grip. I have a couple in my knife block; I particularly like my Victorinox boning knife.
I have had the same model for almost 30 years. I’d love to get it refurbished, but the knife rules in the UK have changed since I purchased it. Locking blades are now illegal and I don’t want to have it confiscated.
Not long ago, someone had some items given to them, and then she gave them to my wife and me. Among the stuff was a set of Victorinox luggage.
My thought at the time was “well, our luggage is OK but it’s kind of old so I guess I’ll start using the Victorinox now.”
But now my mind is changed - this luggage is the greatest luggage ever. I LOVE using it. Great quality zippers, stable wheels to roll on, nice linings with useful pockets, well thought-out handles and straps, refelctive accents, and the big-letter “VICTORINOX” label on the side stands out on the baggage carousel so it won’t be mistaken.
I have a Victorinox Super Tinker that I carried with me for over 20 years, until it accidentally fell out of my pocket when I was sitting in my recliner. It fell into the recliner mechanism and one of the scales got slightly crushed (there’s a nice impression line on it now where it got caught). The knife also needs some major TLC, so I felt the time was to buy something new.
I ended up buying a Swiza D06, but after a few months of daily use, I’m starting to think about switching back to Victorinox. I really like the look of the Swiza. The blade is super sharp and works great, as well as the saw, screwdriver, reamer tool, and toothpick. The can and bottle openers, however, leave much to be desired. They just don’t work very well. I can get a can open with it, but it looks like a bad hack job. The bottle opener also is barely functional, but makes taking the cap off a real chore. I also wish that it had the second pen blade on it. It is also missing scissors.
I’m seriously considering switching to the Victorinox Fieldmaster. It has everything on it that I would use in my day to day routine inclucing a second smaller pen blade, scissors, toothpick (also not found on the Swiza). Also, the can and bottle openers ALWAYS reliably work and making opening cans an bottles a breeze.
Mine was taken away while traveling in London, when entering a museum — it was like the OP’s knife. They said it was illegal. Heck, it’s just a small tool. But not according to England’s laws.
My EDK SAK of choice, even in the office, is similar to the OP’s, but is black not red, and it’s a little smaller because it doesn’t have the saw. It’s the Victorinox Nomad (the Victorinox Picnicker is the red version of the black Nomad).
It’s good to know their other product lines hold up as well. Bullitt, how could the museum confiscate the knife? Why wouldn’t they return it when you left? Or was it the police that claimed it?
