Back in 1978 I bought myself a Champion model Victorinox Swiss Army Knife with my first real job wage packet. The knife was then the most equipped model Victorinox made. I was openly mocked any time someone saw me use it, which was every day because despite its seemingly impractical thickness it was the most thunderingly useful thing to have to hand for all sorts of minor everyday events. People would laugh at the magnifying glass, or the scissors, or the wood saw until they saw them in action.

Even the fish-hook disgorger, which I am reliably informed is about half as long as it needs to be to be actually useful as a fish-hook disgorger (I don't fish myself) has been invaluable since it also has the rulers on it, and I've twice used the descaling edge on it to tickle open the locks on 1980s-era Toyota doors to save the owners a call to a locksmith after a door-slam/headslap moment.

In short, a thunderingly useful tool in a pinch.

So when I needed something "me" to give to my daughter's boyfriend to show her and him that I approved of the match, I went hunting for a suitable Swiss Army Knife.

The new Swiss Champ is no longer the top-of-the-range, but is the most useful of the general purpose knives that bear the Victorinox mark in my opinion. It is like mine in most ways, but has in addition a pair of pliers, the neat hook that can be used for all sorts of things and for which I've been jonesing since I first saw it, a bradawl with a hole for stitching (mine is blind), an "eyeglass" screwdriver in the corckscrew (I had to retro-fit that), and a ball-point pen. A full catalog of the blades is in the listing.

The manufacturing is still superb, and the only questionable shift I could find was the riveted pivot for the scissors rather than the older screw pivot. I don't know that this matters. The magnifying glass is made in one piece now rather than a frame and lens assembly. Looks strange to me, but has no impact I could see on the ruggedness or usefulness.

All the blades open easily without the danger of a torn-out nail, and although there are no locking mechanisms, the blade springs are firm and positive. The blades will snap into position and stay there unless you are misusing the thing. The only time a blade could fold during use is when using the Philips screwdriver deployed in the 90-degree configuration. I've had that happen, but it is also a case of applying force in the wrong way when it does happen.

The knife blades are wickedly sharp. Before I handed this one over to my kid's boyfriend I showed him the correct way to close a knife (body gripped with the fingers out of the blade path in "good" hand, close blade with palm of not-so-good hand) so he would have no excuse for a sliced finger but his own carelessness. I fold mine one-handed all the time. I have the scars to prove it.

These days it is more usual to see this class of knife carried on the belt in a pouch, and Victorinox brands a nice leather pouch with elastic sides that works well.

Resources:

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Victorinox-Swisschamp-Xlt-Pouch-Leather-Black/dp/B0016KL9BC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Victorinox Swisschamp Xlt Pouch, Leather Black</a>&nbsp;-  a very stylish pouch for the beast.
Back in 1978 I bought myself a Champion model Victorinox Swiss Army Knife with my first real job wage packet. The knife was then the most equipped model Victorinox made. I was openly mocked any time someone saw me use it, which was every day because despite its seemingly impractical thickness it was the most thunderingly useful thing to have to hand for all sorts of minor everyday events. People would laugh at the magnifying glass, or the scissors, or the wood saw until they saw them in action. Even the fish-hook disgorger, which I am reliably informed is about half as long as it needs to be to be actually useful as a fish-hook disgorger (I don't fish myself) has been invaluable since it also has the rulers on it, and I've twice used the descaling edge on it to tickle open the locks on 1980s-era Toyota doors to save the owners a call to a locksmith after a door-slam/headslap moment. In short, a thunderingly useful tool in a pinch. So when I needed something "me" to give to my daughter's boyfriend to show her and him that I approved of the match, I went hunting for a suitable Swiss Army Knife. The new Swiss Champ is no longer the top-of-the-range, but is the most useful of the general purpose knives that bear the Victorinox mark in my opinion. It is like mine in most ways, but has in addition a pair of pliers, the neat hook that can be used for all sorts of things and for which I've been jonesing since I first saw it, a bradawl with a hole for stitching (mine is blind), an "eyeglass" screwdriver in the corckscrew (I had to retro-fit that), and a ball-point pen. A full catalog of the blades is in the listing. The manufacturing is still superb, and the only questionable shift I could find was the riveted pivot for the scissors rather than the older screw pivot. I don't know that this matters. The magnifying glass is made in one piece now rather than a frame and lens assembly. Looks strange to me, but has no impact I could see on the ruggedness or usefulness. All the blades open easily without the danger of a torn-out nail, and although there are no locking mechanisms, the blade springs are firm and positive. The blades will snap into position and stay there unless you are misusing the thing. The only time a blade could fold during use is when using the Philips screwdriver deployed in the 90-degree configuration. I've had that happen, but it is also a case of applying force in the wrong way when it does happen. The knife blades are wickedly sharp. Before I handed this one over to my kid's boyfriend I showed him the correct way to close a knife (body gripped with the fingers out of the blade path in "good" hand, close blade with palm of not-so-good hand) so he would have no excuse for a sliced finger but his own carelessness. I fold mine one-handed all the time. I have the scars to prove it. These days it is more usual to see this class of knife carried on the belt in a pouch, and Victorinox brands a nice leather pouch with elastic sides that works well. Resources:

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Victorinox-Swisschamp-Xlt-Pouch-Leather-Black/dp/B0016KL9BC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt? ie=UTF8">Victorinox Swisschamp Xlt Pouch, Leather Black</a>&nbsp;-  a very stylish pouch for the beast.