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.
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?
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
