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- LAST UPDATED: February 18, 2021
Today's review guide is brought to you by product expert Jordan
Published 12:20 pm
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Whether you’re a hiker, rescue worker, handyman, hunter, or housewife, a Swiss Army knife is one of the most versatile tools you can carry with you everywhere you go.
Packed with multiple tools, you can use this knife to cut your nails, tighten a screw using its in-built screwdriver, chop wood, scale fish, light a fire using its magnifying glass, cut paper with its scissors, and much much more.
Compact enough to fit in your pocket, the Swiss Army knife was first manufactured in 1891 by Victorinox, a Switzerland based company. This knife had a can opener, blade, screwdriver, and an awl. It was issued to Swiss soldiers so they could use it to maintain their rifles and easily open their food rations.
To date, Victorinox has sold over 500 million Swiss Army knives, showing you just how popular this everyday carry knife is. The knives sold range from ones with a few basic features to pieces with every imaginable tool you can think of.
With many versions of the Swiss knife available, choosing the best one for you can be a challenge. That’s why we came up with this best Swiss Army knife guide. If you are looking to buy a Swiss Army knife, I recommend considering one from our buying guide below.
Fun Fact: The little red and white cross on Swiss Army knives is not just another random company logo. It represents the Swiss coat of arms.
The Best Swiss Army Knife
Victorinox Swiss Army SwissChamp
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This Army knife has over thirty tools that you can use to fix just about anything. Its features include two blades, a large one and a small, phillips screwdriver, corkscrew, can opener, pliers, scissors, cm and inches rulers, a wood and metal saw, nailer cutter, and a fish scaler.
I recommend you buy this medium silver pocket knife with transparent scales if you like to fix broken things yourself because it has more than enough tools for DIY repairs.
It is also ideal if you’re an outdoors person as you can use it to chop wood, scale fish, start a fire, etc., on a hiking, fishing, or camping trip.
Key Features:
- 8 layers of tools covering 32 functions
- Despite the many tools, this knife is slim enough for comfortable everyday carry
- High-quality stainless steel material and ABS housing
- Made in Switzerland and comes with a lifetime guarantee
Specifications:
| Brand: | Victorinox |
| Tools: | 32 |
| Length: | 3.6" |
| Weight: | 6.5 oz |
Victorinox Classic SD
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There are three things I like about this Swiss pocket knife. One is that it is affordably priced at roughly under $20. Two, it only has seven tools including, a 1.50″ pen knife, nail file, flathead screwdriver, scissors, keyring, tweezers, and a toothpick, but the things included are what you often need to be on standby.
The third thing is the Victorinox Classic SD is available in over 70 different handle graphics and colors, meaning no matter what your taste is, you can get one you’ll like.
Simple and compact, this knife is a perfect item to have in your pocket or car compartment box as it is highly likely that you might need to use one of its features, for example, the toothpick, sometime during your day.
Key Features:
- Made in Switzerland and sold with a lifetime warranty
- The Classic SD has 7 highly functional and desirable tools
- Lightweight so you won't feel uncomfortable carrying the knife in your pocket
- Durable because of the high-quality stainless steel and polished ABS casing used to manufacture it.
Specifications:
| Brand: | Victorinox |
| Tools: | 7 |
| Length: | 2.28" |
| Weight: | 0.74 oz |
Victorinox Swiss Army Swisschamp Xavt
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Let’s play a game. Name five tools you regularly use. Whatever your answer, I can bet the multi-tool Swisschamp Xavt pocket knife has a significant number of the items you name, if not all of them.
This Swiss knife has a whooping 83 tools including a nail cleaner, metal saw, phillips screwdriver, chisel, pliers, magnifying glass, ballpoint pen, sewing eye, corkscrew, scissors, and multipurpose hooks.
The knife also has an LED light, electrician’s blade, digital clock, barometer, thermometer, alarm, countdown timer, watch opener, pruning blade, pharmaceutical spatula, and an altimeter.
If you like having all your gadgets in one place, this is the best Swiss knife for you.
It is bulkier than most Swiss knives and expensive, but its vast number of functions and inbuilt technology make it well worth the price. You can do anything with this knife, but you could also buy it as a collector’s item.
Key Features:
- 15 layers of tools covering 83 functions.
- It has several tech features
- Hand made with100% quality stainless steel making it durable
- It is composed of 118 parts assembled in 500 meticulous steps
- The Swisschamp Xavt comes with a lifetime warranty and a gift box
Specifications:
| Brand: | Victorinox |
| Tools: | 83 |
| Length: | 3.58" |
| Weight: | 12.38 oz |
Victorinox Swiss Army Hiker
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Victorinox made this Swiss Army knife purposely for those who enjoy the outdoors. It has several gadgets that can come in handy during a hiking or camping trip.
This includes a wood saw you can use for kindling, a can opener, two blades you can use to cut prey on a hunting trip, and a rear spike you can use to defend yourself in case you’re attacked while outdoors.
This Victorinox Swiss knife also has a phillips screwdriver that you can use for simple everyday repairs, a bottle opener, toothpick, tweezers, and a key ring.
It is light, compact, affordable, and is an excellent multi-tool pocket knife to add to your outdoor gear.
Key Features:
- It has 13 tools made from 100% quality stainless steel
- The knife has polished ABS/cellidor scales, which make the handle shiny and smooth
- Its small size makes it comfortable to carry in your pocket
- Easy to sharpen blades
- Reasonably priced and comes with a lifetime guarantee
Specifications:
| Brand: | Victorinox |
| Tools: | 13 |
| Length: | 3.6" |
| Weight: | 2.71 oz |
Victorinox Swiss Army Huntsman
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The Huntsman’s has a large and small blade, can opener, 3 and 6mm screwdriver, bottle opener, wire stripper, reamer, punch and sewing awl, corkscrew, scissors, wood saw, multipurpose hook, toothpick, tweezers, and a key ring.
The tools on this Victorinox Swiss knife make it versatile enough to be used at home as well as outdoors. For example, if you go camping, you will be able to open your drinks, gut fish, and saw wood using this Swiss Army knife. At home, you’ll be able to tighten up loose door handles in seconds and easily peel your oranges.
If you want a pocket knife that comes with essentials devices and for a fair price, this is one of the best Victorinox knives to get.
Key Features:
- Compact Swiss made pocket knife with 15 functions
- The Huntsman has two blades
- Its tool makes it the best knife for outdoor enthusiasts
- Available in a variety of handles
- It comes with a leather carry case and a lifetime warranty
- Made from stainless steel and sleek polished ABS housing
Specifications:
| Brand: | Victorinox |
| Tools: | 15 |
| Length: | 3.58" |
| Weight: | 3.42 oz |
Victorinox Cadet Black Alox
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Unlike previously reviewed Victorinox Swiss knives, the scales on this pocket knife are not made from ABS but aluminum. That’s why Alox, which means aluminum scales, is included in the title. The Alox handle gives this knife an elegant look and better grip.
The Cadet comes with nine gadgets, which make it a light pocket knife. The everyday use devices are a large blade, nail file, nail cleaner, can opener, 3 and 6mm screwdriver, cap lifter, wire stripper, and a key ring.
Key Features:
- High-quality stainless steel, with attractive Alox housing
- Features 9 everyday tools
- Compact enough to be carried in your pocket as an everyday accessory
- Lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship
Specifications:
| Brand: | Victorinox |
| Tools: | 9 |
| Length: | 3.30 " |
| Weight: | 1.63 oz |
Victorinox SwissCard
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This pocket knife doesn’t have the traditional design of a Swiss knife. Instead, it is built to look like a credit card. I have had a SwissCard for several years now, and its size is similar to 3 credit cards, so it easily fits in my wallet.
Don’t let the slim and compact size fool you. The SwissCard has several useful gadgets. This includes a small blade, scissors, straight pin, tweezers, toothpick, pressurized ballpoint pen, ruler, nail file, and a screwdriver.
Victorinox started producing the SwissCard in 1997 and have released several newer versions over the years. The Swiss Card Lite is one such example. This Victorinox Swiss knife has a LED light powered by a small battery, magnifying glass, and a four-way screwdriver.
Key Features:
- Slim credit card design that perfectly fits in your wallet or purse
- Has most of the essential Victorinox Swiss Army knife devices
- The SwissCard has a polycarbonate body that holds its removable gadgets made from high-quality stainless steel
- Sells at an affordable price
- It comes with a lifetime warranty
Specifications:
| Brand: | Victorinox |
| Tools: | 10 |
| Length: | 3.19 " |
| Weight: | 1.00 oz |
Victorinox Swiss Explorer
The Explorer is one of the best gadgets to carry along with you for a camping or hiking trip, but it can also come in handy as you go about your everyday tasks.
It features 16 tools, some that you would expect on a Victorinox Swiss knife like a large and small blade, can opener, screwdrivers, scissors, bottle opener, corkscrew, tweezers, toothpick, reamer with sewing eye, and others like the magnifying glass and parcels hook which are not too common.
I like the Explorer because it has a good number of essential tools and it is reasonably priced.
Key Features:
- The Explorer has four-layers of gadgets
- High-quality stainless steel material with ABS/ Cellidor scales
- 2.75" blades
- Made in Switzerland and comes with a lifetime warranty
Specifications:
| Brand: | Victorinox |
| Tools: | 16 |
| Length: | 3.58" |
| Weight: | 3.70 oz |
Victorinox Swiss Compact
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I love this multi-tool knife because it comes packed with the most popular Victorinox Swiss Army knife tools. With the Compact, you can do so many things, from opening beer bottles to writing.
It has a large blade, corkscrew, mini screwdriver, scissors, bottle opener, can opener, 5mm screwdriver, wire stripper, multipurpose hook, nail file, toothpick, tweezers, pressurized ballpoint pen, pin, and a keyring.
As the name suggests, this every day carry Victorinox Swiss Army knife is small in size. It has a width of 1.00″ and a thickness of 0.60″.
Key Features:
- 15 stainless steel tools in a two-layer frame
- A super-thin 2.75" stainless steel blade that is perfect for food prep
- It has combined features in a single tool. For example, the Compact has a tool that can be used as a can opener or bottle cap lifter.
- Lifetime warranty
Specifications:
| Brand: | Victorinox |
| Tools: | 15 |
| Length: | 3.58" |
| Weight: | 2.30 oz |
Victorinox Swiss Army SwissTool X
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This Victorinox Swiss Army knife-like the SwissCard doesn’t have the usual Swiss knife design. It has two folding segments that hold 27 tools. What is on this stylish multi-tool pocket knife? Well, a lot. Here is a list of devices on the SwissTool:
- Needle-nosed pliers
- Wirecutter for thin and soft wire up to 40 HRC
- Reamer, punch
- Can opener
- 2 mm screwdriver
- 3 mm screwdriver
- 5mm screwdriver
- 7.5 mm screwdriver
- Bottle opener
- Wire bender
- ½ Phillips screwdriver
- Strong crate opener
- Hardwire cutter
- Wire crimping tool
- Large blade
- Scissors
- Wood saw
- Chisel
- Wire stripper
- Wire scraper
- Ruler (inches)
- Ruler (cm)
- Lanyard hole
- Coupling for corkscrew
- Metal saw
- Metal file
The large number of features on the SwissTool means you can do just about everything with it whether you’re at home, in the office, or outdoors. Its large number of multi-tools do, however, come at a higher price. This pocket knife costs more than a hundred dollars.
Its vast multi-tools also make this Swiss knife bulky and challenging to open with one hand.
Key Features:
- Made using stainless steel, which makes it durable
- it has ergonomic handles
- Tools have individual springs that stop them from accidentally opening
- Lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship
- The SwissTool X comes with a nylon belt pouch for more comfortable every day carrying
Specifications:
| Brand: | Victorinox |
| Tools: | 27 |
| Length: | 4.53" |
| Weight: | 9.80 oz |
Victorinox Swiss Signature Lite
Weighing 0.8 oz, this is one of the lightest Army knives ever made by Victorinox. Its lightweight means it doesn’t have many functions.
The 7 tools the Signature Lite has are a small blade, scissors, nail file, 2.5 mm screwdriver, LED light, keyring, and a pressurized ballpoint pen.
I particularly like the LED light that you can use at night to find something you might have dropped and the ballpoint pen because it always happens that I need to sign something and can’t find a pen nearby.
For me, these two features make this Victorinox Swiss Army knife a perfect addition to your keys or ideal to carry in your pocket wherever you go.
Key Features:
- Top-notch stainless steel Swiss-made blades
- Durable and sleek cellidor handle
- Super compact making the Signature Lite comfortably to carry
- Come with a lifetime guarantee
Specifications:
| Brand: | Victorinox |
| Tools: | 7 |
| Length: | 2.3 " |
| Weight: | 0.80 oz |
Victorinox CyberTool 34
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If you’re an electrician or love opening electronics, then the CyberTool is made just for you. Victorinox first released this knife in 2000, intending to have a Swiss knife on the market with gadgets necessary to open and close electronics.
They have since released several knife models, including the CyberTool M, the standard model in this series, CyberTool S, and CyberTool L.
Devices included in this Swiss knife that you can use to take apart electronics include a bit slotted 4, bit Phillips 2, bit Phillips 0 (Pozidrive), bit Phillips 1 (Pozidrive), bit Torx 10, bit Torx 15, bit Hex 4, bit Torx 8, female Hex drive 5 mm for D-SUB connectors and a female Hex drive 4 mm.
The Cyber tool also has the regular gadgets found on an Army knife like a blade, screwdriver, scissors, bottle opener, corkscrew, and wire stripper.
Key Features:
- 2.625" blade
- Over 10 tools you can use to fix electronics
- Made using high-quality stainless steel for durability
- Limited lifetime warranty
Specifications:
| Brand: | Victorinox |
| Tools: | 32 |
| Length: | 3.50 " |
| Weight: | 5.46 oz |
Those were our reviews of the currently most popular Swiss Army Knives on the market – see how they compare and find the one that suits your needs. There’s an Swiss Army Knife for everyone’s taste and budget, and we’re sure you’ll find one to your liking.
Here are some things to consider when shopping for a Swiss Army knife.
Swiss Army knives come in different sizes, with those with more devices being larger. Smaller knives have about 4-20 gadgets, while a larger one would have 35-56 items. So pick the right size for you depending on what you want to use the knife for.
For example, if you plan to use your knife for simple everyday tasks or need a pocket knife that you can carry around just in case you might have to cut something, a small pocket-sized Swiss knife will do just fine. This type of knife weighs about 3.5 oz. has a height of 0.8″ and length of 3.6″. It will also include a 2.45″ blade.
If you’re a handyman, you might have to use your Swiss Army knife for some heavy work. I recommend you get one with a thick blade, handle, and extra tools, which will be bulky in size but will make your job much easier.
A bulky Swiss knife would weigh about 5.89 oz and have a height of 0.75″ and a length of 4.37″.
Compared to Butterfly knives (you can link to the Butterfly knife article here once it’s posted) or OTF knives, which can cost you an arm and a leg, the Swiss Army knife is quite affordable.
Prices for basic Army knives, which come with gadgets like a bottle opener, screwdriver, scissors, and a blade, start at about $20.
The more expensive knives, which come with extra tools like a window breaker, disc saw, serrated locking blade cost anything from $60 to a few hundred dollars.
A Swiss Army knife’s reasonable price means the knife’s features will be a more significant consideration than budget when shopping for one.
Knowing what you’ll use your Swiss Army knife for will make it easier for you to choose the best army knife for you. If you’re a rescue worker, a knife with a glass breaker would be ideal for you. If you enjoy camping, one with an LED light would be nice.
For me, the key reason you should identify your army knife’s purpose is that you don’t want to spend money on one with many gadgets that you’ll never use.
One of the critical things you need to look at when buying a knife is the material used to make it. This will tell you if the product will serve you for years to come.
Victorinox makes all its Swiss Army knives tools using stainless steel, a high quality, reliable and durable material. The knife’s body is all made from a sturdy material. So, unless you buy a knock off, you’re guaranteed a quality product.
What devices would you like your Swiss Army knife to come with? Answer this question, and you’ll be able to get the best Army knife for you. As I mentioned before, you don’t want to spend on a product with too many tools you’ll never use.
For genuine Victorinox knives, the only brand to consider is Victorinox. Because of the massive popularity of these knives, there are many fakes on the market. So, before you pay for your product, do your research to make sure you’re buying an original knife.
Whatever your preferences or personality, you’re sure to get a knife Swiss Army that you’ll like.
The red color Swiss Army knife is generally most recognizable, but Victorinox makes these knives in different colors, handles, sizes, accessories, so there are plenty of styles to choose from.
Tools on Swiss Army knives depend on which blade you order. You could get one with less than ten tools or buy one with over 50. Here are the most common Swiss Army knives tools:
- Corkscrew for opening wine bottles
- Blade. Most come with two, a large and a small blade
- Can opener for opening soda or beer cans. This was one of the first tools included in the Swiss Army knife
- Ballpoint pen for writing
- Screwdriver for those quick DIY tasks
- Straight pin you can use to reset buttons
- Magnifying glass
- Tweezers
- Pliers that were first included in Swiss knives in the 1980s
- Scissors
- Nail Cutter
- Wire crimping tool for connecting wires
- Wood chisel that you can use to curve wood
- With technology, high tech tools like USB drives, digital clocks, and LED flashlights are now a welcome addition to Swiss Army knives
Yes, it is legal to own or carry a Swiss Army Knife in the US. However, there are some areas where you’re not allowed to take a blade. This includes schools, courts, on board planes, and military bases unless you’re a soldier.
If you regularly use your Swiss Army knife after some time, the wear and tear may cause the tools not to move easily, or the screws and springs holding it together could come off. If this happens, visit your local knife shop or contact Victorinox for details on how to get your knife serviced.
However, to ensure your Victorinox knife stays in mint condition, here are tips to help you maintain it:
- If your Swiss Army Victorinox knife tools begin to jam, put the knife in hot water, then open and close the tools several times. This should remove the residue that often collects in between the devices and make them easily moveable again with one hand. Be sure to dry the knife once you’re done with this exercise.
- Regularly oil your knife to ensure it works smoothly and efficiently. You can do this but applying small drops of oil in the tool shank and springs.
- Sharpen your knife’s blade if you use it often. To do this, use a whetstone or a grinding wheel.
- If you love DIY projects, you could disassemble your knife to clean its components properly. If you decide to do this, make sure you keep in mind where everything goes for easy reassembling. You could take photos to help you remember where everything is supposed to go. To clean the parts thoroughly, use a jewelry cleaner and a toothbrush to polish and remove any residue that might have accumulated on the different tools.
- When done using your Swiss Army knife, check to see if screws or hinges are still tight. If you find any loose ones, tighten them immediately using a screwdriver. This action will ensure that your knife doesn’t fall apart.
- Store your knife in a clean and dry place to prevent it from rusting. I suggest you get a pouch to store it if your knife doesn’t come with one.
There are hundreds of Swiss Army knives on the market. Getting the best one for you can be quite a challenge.
So, if I were to choose one of our best Swiss Army knives for you, I would pick the Victorinox Swiss Army SwissChamp Silver Multitool. It has all the essential tools, like scissors, can opener, screwdriver, pliers, fish scaler, etc., you need for a DIY project or outdoor adventure. It is also not over the top like the Victorinox Swiss Army Swisschamp Xavt Pocket Knife, which has 83 tools.
Having used the SwissCard, I would also recommend it because it has necessary everyday carry tools and is affordable. The fact that it can also fit in your wallet or purse, making it portable, makes it a good buy.
I hope that this article on the best Swiss Army knives will make it easier for you to choose the best Victorinox knife for you. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at any time.
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