Victorinox new "soldiers" knife

Victorinox “Soldiers” Swiss Army Knife



For its 125th anniversary Victorinox which has been supplying the Swiss army since 1891 has launched its new military “soldiers” knife which I have had the chance to try out.
The soldier’s knife has been completely re-designed for better quality, safety, performance and value for money so that it meets the high standards and demands of the military.

Features:

1. One Handed Opening Lock Blade
2. Wood saw
3. Can Opener
4. Cap lifter
5. 3mm Screwdriver
6. 7mm Screwdriver
7. Philips Screwdriver
8. Wire Stripper
9. Reamer
10. Punch Tool

Specs:

Weight 130g/4.6 oz
Length when closed 11cm
Made from high quality Stainless Steel
Two component black and green handle
Srp: £34.99

First Impressions:

When I first took it out of the box I found the tool was a lot thicker and stronger looking to what I was expecting.
It had a good solid feel to it with a good weight and balance.
The individual tools also had a sturdy look and feel to them. First off they were slightly stiff but after 5 minutes of using, each piece had a smooth movement when opening and closing.
The one thing that I did not like was the small split ring for attaching it to things. I felt that it was too small and not strong enough for the knife although this can easily be replaced with something more substantial.

The Blade:


The main blade is slightly over 3 inches long. It has a 2mm spine tapering down to just less than 1 mm at the tip. It has a 2 inch section of serrations (which have been specifically asked for by the Swiss military as it keeps the edge sharper for a longer period of time) starting from the tip of the blade leaving the last 1 inch a straight blade with a chisel grind.

There is a hump on it which incorporates the thumb hole for opening it one handed. It took me a few tries to be able to do this but once I had the Knack it was simple and I did not have to loosen my grip on the handle.

The locking mechanism is a bar that slides into place when the blade is fully open. When locked it holds the blade very secure and there is no movement at all. To unlock you simply press the bar in and fold down the blade.

It comes out of the box very sharp and keeping in mind that it is designed for military use (Hence the serrations) the knife excels in handling jobs such as cutting through webbing, cordage and other materials.

Although a serrated knife would not be my first choice when it came to skinning and butchering I did find that this blade could handle a rabbit although if there was more of a point at the tip it would have made the task easier.For cutting up vegetables, bread, cheese and slicing/dicing meat etc I would say that it was highly capable.

Up to date the edge retention on the serrated section has been excellent. I have used the blade daily so it has already done quite a bit and I know that whenever it needs sharpening in the future I can easily do it with a fine needle file as the gap between the serrations isn’t so small that you can’t work with it as I have found on a lot of blades with a serrated edge.

The straight edge at the back is great for work like feathering sticks, cutting notches and similar jobs. I found that it left a nice clean cut every time. Using this part of the knife was not as awkward as I thought it would be and the hump on the spine allows you to use your thumb to get more pressure and control. Again in the 2 weeks that I have had this SAK I have only had to run this part of the blade over the sharpening stone a couple of times to get the edge keen again.

Folding saw:



The saw is 3 ½” long and tapers from ½” wide at the back down to a ¼” at the tip and has a thickness of 1.5 mm. It has 38 parallel teeth set in a double row with the last 5mm of the tip straight with no teeth.
The saw doesn’t open in the normal way with a nail groove on the side. Instead the tip extends slightly out from the back of the handle enabling you to open it up easily and quickly.



The performance of the saw was excellent. I cut through this green sycamore branch in 23 seconds and it will handle seasoned hardwood with no problems.

The blade is strong and doesn’t bend when cutting as I have found in some of the other SAKs.



This rigidity combined with the sharpness of the teeth leaves you with a straight and clean cut.
The only trouble I had when using the saw was the hump on the main blade made it uncomfortable to hold when used for any extended period of time.

Philips Screwdriver:



The Philips screwdriver is 1 ½” long and is set into the top of the handle which has a notch in it to house the bit when closed. It also allows you to open it easily. The end is solid and though it has a few marks it hasn’t “mashed” after using it quite heavily. It has quite a bit of give on the opposite side it opens from and I found this makes it a bit difficult to get the last couple of turns on the screw as it has a tendency to move to either side when using a lot of pressure. On the other hand the “give” made it easier to tighten down screws that had to go in at an odd angle or that where in an awkward space.
The corkscrew type grip you have to use allows you to get a lot of pressure behind the bit and is comfortable to hold.

The 7mm screwdriver:



This bit also is 1 ½” long and incorporates the cap lifter and wire stripper/bender.
It is very robust with a thickness of 2mm at the back tapering down to slightly less than 1mm at the tip. It opens with the nail groove and locks in the same way as the main blade. Again the tip is solid and apart from a few scratches to the finish there haven’t been any nicks or dents on it. Very solid to use although the hump on the main blade again can make using it for a while uncomfortable.

Wire Stripper/bender:

The wire stripper is a 2mm deep x 2mm wide U shaped notch cut into the bottom of the Screwdriver/bottle opener tool. It can strip wires up to 3mm but anything bigger takes a lot of effort. I think that if the notch was sloped more so the edge was sharper you would have better success. Using the notch and the hook allows you to bend wires to shape.

Bottle Opener:

The bottle opener has a 2mm hook and uses the shape of the 7mm screwdriver to pivot off the cap this easily handles bottle caps. It is very sturdy and simple to use.

3mm Screwdriver:



The 3mm bit is situated on the end of the can opener which all together is 1 ¼” long and again tapers from 2mm thick down to 1/2 mm. Although the end is strong I don’t think that the bit extends far enough passed the curved blade of the can opener. If used on a deeper slotted screw there is the chance that you can catch the blade and dull or nick the fine edge.

Can Opener:

The can opener has a 2mm thick hook to catch under the rims of cans and has a fine edged curved blade with a point to pierce. The hook is thick enough to give a good grip on the rim and the blade easily slices through the tin. Very easy and quick to use but it does tend to leave the edges rough. It opens with the nail groove.

Reamer/Punch:



The reamer is located in the top of the handle and has the nail groove to open it. The length is again 1 ½” and is 2mm thick tapering down to a fine point which is the punch. On one side the blade angles steeply and on the other it is concaved meeting the back and giving a sharp edge.

This tool makes the job of clearing holes simple. It is strong and sharp enough to bore through wood making it excellent for starting screws as well. I also used the edge to thin down the edges of leather with great success.

The point is very strong and punches into wood and leather with ease. As with the Philips screwdriver it has a bit of give in it but this time it didn’t give any problem or hamper the performance. Having to hold it in the corkscrew grip again allows you to put plenty of pressure behind it and is comfortable to hold.

The Handle:



The handle has been designed to be used in extreme conditions and is made from plastic with a rubber grip edging the outside and pads on the side as well. It is very comfortable to hold and the rubber does its job well preventing any slipping even when it is wet making it very secure when using. It comes in the military green and black colours and in my opinion far surpasses any other SAK for grip.

Conclusion:

This SAK is versatile of high quality and well designed meeting the high standards you would expect from a Victorinox knife. The tools are strong and robust and easily capable of the jobs they were designed for and although there is room for 1 or 2 improvements I find this to be a very dependable tool well worth its money. Great to have in a variety of situations or just for a reliable tool around the house/garden.


CBJ