The Victorinox swiss army knife is simply the best pocket tool! (Edit: no one tool is everyone’s best)
The more I look at alternatives, the more I realize, nothing can give you this much functionality in this small a package, while being so high quality and reasonably priced. Popular (machine-assembled) versions regularly go for $25.
The one caveat is that it falls behind modern knives in terms of safety and ease for opening/closing. I’d love to see a next-gen SAK without nail nicks.
Leatherman FTW.
Leatgerman better but slightly higher end
I mean, OP wrote “simply the best pocket tool”, which is arguably wrong. I had Swiss “army” knives as a kid (yeah, it was normal at the time, rounded tips and dulled blades weren’t part of the offering) but the somewhat sharp blades would go dull in a matter of days (given how many sticks I would bring it to…), and they would invariably break after a while.
They are cheap, but their durability is somewhat relative, so you gotta keep buying them. Especially the models made with plastic exterior, since a single drop on a stone is often enough to break the shell off.
Now, as OP said, the simplest Swiss knife (with plastic shell) is 20 bucks. There isn’t much you can get at this price point in the multitool universe. However, as written above, those are fragile, and the simplest with metal shell is 50 bucks (or slightly less if you dig a bit, but definitely over 40).
That would be the “Pioneer” with 8 “features”, including a blade, an awl (reamer), two flat screwdrivers, a can opener, a bottle opener, a wire stripper and a key ring (apparently counts as a tool 🙃). So really, 7 features, because I don’t honestly consider a pinhole meant to pass a keyring in it as a “feature”.
Now, the closest one can get to this price with leatherman is the Rev. It is also available at 50 bucks, but this one has 14 tools (two counted twice, so 12 really): Pliers, Wire Cutters, 420HC Knife, Package Opener, Wood/Metal File, Can Opener, Bottle Opener, Ruler (1.5 in | 3.8 cm), Phillips Screwdriver, Medium Screwdriver, Small Screwdriver, Wire Stripper. The belt/pocket clip isn’t counted as a tool 🤡. Unlike the Swiss Army Knives, Leatherman multi tools have locking blades, and are user serviceable, which is IMHO an absolute game changer (I cut myself more than once with a Swiss army knife folding back on my hand).
If you start searching for other brands, there are other seemingly good tools like the Gerber Suspension, at the same price point.
I edc a sidekick. Got for about 60 euros. Its really good quality
@7heo @sleepybisexual Yeah I addressed this in another comment, it’s dumb to say “this is objectively the best”.
Buy I stand by Victorinox’s quality! Have you see the Swisstool Spirit MX Clip? The tolerances and fitment are better than Leatherman tools according to many youtubers. Gerber is shite. I do wish Victorinox had more one handed models, and pivots you could disassemble like LM.
Anecdotally, my Mountaineer is shaving sharp, and I’ve batoned it through firewood and it’s still that sharp
Buy I stand by Victorinox’s quality! Have you see the Swisstool Spirit MX Clip? The tolerances and fitment are better than Leatherman tools according to many youtubers.
I’ll be honest, I don’t how it is since the new millennia… I just know that the store I went to, near Switzerland, swore by Wenger, and carried no Victorinox models whatsoever. So I dunno if it’s real or if they pretended because of a bigger margin, but they didn’t seem too fond of Victorinox knives.
Gerber is shite.
Never tried. I’m really happy with my leathermans. I only mentioned it because of some reviews I found. But yeah, I never actually got one.
I do wish Victorinox had more one handed models, and pivots you could disassemble like LM.
Yeah exactly. This is one of the best aspects of leathermans IMHO.
Anecdotally, my Mountaineer is shaving sharp, and I’ve batoned it through firewood and it’s still that sharp
OK so it would seem that the quality did, in fact, go up, since I was a kid. For the blades at least. That or my knives were given to me with dulled blades. I actually couldn’t tell.
if they’re accompanied with a knipex
Their kitchen chef’s knives are also tremendous quality. My go-to knife recommendation
I am no longer objective: I love these, I’ve been IDCing specifically the 91mm versions (like yours) my entire adult life. It has become a true extension of my body. I wouldn’t consider a change simply because the muscle memory - this thing jumps into my hand safely and reliably without me ever getting to think about it no matter if I am drunk/ stoned or anything. The rule is that when I no longer can find the beer bottle opener - it’s the most tricky one on the knife IMO - I should consider going home. Nothing gets close, different knifes can actually get dangerous for me now because I ain’t used to the shape and I ain’t any longer used to watch my hands operating a knife - I watch only when the cutting is done.
Anyway, I find the old-school opening “an important feature”. These Victorinox knives are widely recognized around the world as not suitable for self-defense (at least not an effective one), which makes them perfect to bring places, where “regular” eg. “liner lock” knives might get you strange stares if not straight up confiscation. Places like government buildings, schools or guarded server rooms. The 58? mm models are too small for effective use, the bigger ones tend to have locks. I am an admin.
@yojimbo Yes, the 91/58mm Victorinoxes are uniquely non-threatening and that’s valuable. I assume no matter what they do, that style will always be available.
The idea that knives aren’t allowed AT ALL in many places is asinine to me. I can understand courthouses, and blade length restrictions for some govt buildings, but entire university campuses? Hilarious! My SAK comes in handy on campus sometimes.
I have one with the nail clipper and small scissors, and it’s been such a lifesaver! The clippers are actually better than most of the dedicated clippers I’ve used. I’m hoping they come up with a bigger version with a few more tools attached, and more interesting materials for a back up pair!
Depends on your use case, I carried one for years, and found it limited.
Switched to a Leatherman Skeletool and used it far more often, one of the major advantages is one hand knife opening (without a spring). If I’m holding something that needs to be cut, it’s often inconvenient to have to put it down to get out a blade.
Best part is that it’s really not noticeably bigger than a swiss army knife.These days I carry a belt pouch with a Leatherman Signal, but if I’m going somewhere that a belt pouch would be weird, I have a Skeletool in my pocket.
@mipadaitu I honestly didn’t consider how objective my title was, lol
The 91mm SAK is *one of the best* pocket tools in existence, certainly. But normally I wouldn’t say something is THE BEST, because that’s highly subjective.
My only real complaint is:
- They don’t have a “build your own” program which I think would be amazing (but probably not worth the cost on their part)
- In the age of modern steels, they haven’t changed their formula. Now, look, I’m not asking for a Magnacut blade or anything like that, but something with a bit more edge retention? How about 14C28N? And yes, I can buy the MKM Campo with M390 steel which pretty much meets my needs except it’s $160. I feel like, with their buying power, Victorinox could put out something with better steel for only slightly more money.
Anyway, these are pie-in-the-sky thoughts. the SAK is a standard by which others look to emulate for good reasons.
I have a Farmer X in green ALOX, a Camper in black ALOX, and the classic Hiker in red ABS and I’m happy with all 3. My Hiker is now my go-to for gathering fatwood in the nearby forest. That saw is perfect for the branches I’m looking for.
I’d love to see a next-gen SAK without nail nicks
Have I got some news for you, because the Swiss army is now issuing knives more like this one and there’s some other similar variants
I haven’t actually used any of the new style SAKs, I’m sure they’re just fine though, I’ve never been burned by a Victorian product and I agree they’re probably the best pocket tools (I do personally tend to prefer Leatherman tools, but I consider them more of a belt tool so apples and oranges.)
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My Leatherman Squirt P4 will disagree with you. And that I need a keychain tool not a pocket tool. The SAK is too chunky in width to pocket carry comfortably for me.
They discontinued the squirt line which sucks though.
