Which Swiss Army knife should I get?
Posted: September 26th, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Questions | Tags: amp, desert, everyday life, jungle, neat features, quot, Survival, swiss army knife, swiss army knives, swiss champ | 1 Comment »http://www.swissarmy.com/MultiTools/Pages/default.aspx?category=multitools&
So, I want to buy a Swiss Army knife; and I’m looking for something more survival orientated. You know like if I got lost in a forest, a jungle, or even in the middle of the desert; I’d like to have something compact with me at all times for those "just in case" things. So I decided why not get one of those Swiss Army knives?
The problem is, there’s a whole bunch of them; and I don’t know which one I should get… I was wondering if anyone can help me here? Price isn’t a problem, but don’t ask me to buy that huge thing that costs a thousand…
I’d also like it if it had a lot of neat features for everyday life too, but still maintaining more focus on survival.
Right now, I’m thinking of the Swiss Champ.
http://www.swissarmy.com/MultiTools/Pages/Product.aspx?category=everyday&product=53504&
If you want a multi-tool, buy a multi-tool, and not a Victorinox. Either one is a good choice. Victorinox knives, although very useful in a survival situation, are more oriented to everyday use and carry. They’re semi-fragile tools meant for light use, not survival. In a survival situation, you want a large, very durable, very sharp, reliable blade. Nothing beats a fixed blade knife made of high quality stainless or carbon (Which I prefer) steel in such a situation.
Back to your question:
The SwissChamp xlt is a very nice tool. But it is built like a multi-tool. A multi-tool a 3.5" long Victorinox is not, and can not feasibly be. They are multi-tools, but not in the sense that they can be pulled out and replace the single tool needed without issue. They bend too easily and the tools are too small. If you’re after something like the xlt, pick up a Gerber multi-tool — something made specifically to have all the nifty little things on it used. Rugged, durable, cheaper, and not built to the size of a 3.5" pocket knife. You’ll never use a pharmaceutical spatula, and anything that needs to be bent will require pliers you can use with more than two fingers. Wire scrapers: Because you really want to rub a hunk of ungrounded metal against electric wires.
I personally own a Spartan, and although a light built into it would be nice, a small key chain flashlight does the same thing. I have never used the reamer (And for its intended purpose, I don’t even know how you could.) and the only time I’ve ever used the can opener was once on a school trip, and several times to act as an Allen key when I didn’t have one handy. I’ve used everything else, and do often, but more, I doubt I ever will. A saw would be nice, but if I really needed a saw for something, I wouldn’t be using a 3.2" or so one on a pocket knife.