Victorinox 1679500 Army Knife Swiss Champ Red

Review Summary: I love this ...

Review:

I always thought of owning a swiss knife ... but i wanted it to be special and perfect one . So i delved many sites and products before strucking upon it. But I truly say .. since I have got it I can't lay my hands off it ... its so elegant and usefull .. it has all the features that one can ask for (it has more bows then your quiver can hold)... So just buy and feel proud be an owner of Swiss Knife(which is rightly named Champ)

Review Summary: Everything you need

Review:

as it is with all swiss knife, you can find everything you need in this product. Great for picnics and holidays-)

Review Summary: Victorinox Champ

Review:

I bought my first Champ in 1988 and it is still in regular use, having only had a replacement toothpick (15p) and scissor spring (50p). In 1998 I bought the Victorinox SOS kit, which included another Champ, as it was on offer (c£50). It is still as new. Here we are in 2008 and at this price perhaps it is time to buy another one?

These really is an excellent quality product which is fantastic value for money!

Review Summary: Swiss Army Knife/Champ

Review:

I got this knife as a 21st Birthday present. I'm now 49!
You will appreciate that certain functions have been changed over time to meet the modern world but the fundamentals are that this knife has been well used (and abused) over the years. It's still perfect (the only new bits have been the spring for the scissors and the toothpick)
It's simply the best that you can buy.

Review Summary: Perfect

Review:

I add my name to the other positive reviews of this magnificent knife.

Over a period of 25 years I have owned two of them, because the first got stolen twelve years ago and I immediatly replaced it.

It has been used daily. The blades have retained their sharpness. The chisel, boring tool, screwdrivers, scissors have been used daily.
The crosshead screwdriver has been challenged by some very nasty old screws yet the blades have retained their defintion. You can tell that it has been used by micro-dents, but most other screwdriver bits would have lost the ability to engage the screw at all. This one engages as new.
The scissors have done regular string, cotton, paper, thin card and fingernail duties and have not only retained their sharpness, but the machining of the pivot remains as solid as when new.
The files have had light use on metal and fingernails through the years and retain their bite without any dead zones.
The only blade I have not used is the fish-hook remover and descaler.
All blades lock and unlock smoothly and precisely.
The pliers are more suited for light duties. They can do noble battle with whatever is small enough to fit between their jaws. I have typically used it to remove or restrain small nuts or to hold things for soldering or bending.
The magnifying glass has two minor scratches through wear .. hairline and about two millimeters each but optical function is not impaired. It achieves big magnification over a small distance and is more for inspecting tiny components or splinters in skin than wider areas. There is minimal distortion over two thirds of the lens's diameter but then degrades rapidly .. that it the price we pay for combining a small lens with massive curvature. I could see no chromatic aberation.
The red plastic knife-casing has received no special protective treatment ... it gets put in my pocket alongside other tools and shows no more than a few minor scratches and the overall glossy finish of the red plastic has toned down to a lusterous glow.

Its very widest dimensions when closed are 90 by 32 by 26, and words I would used to describe it are 'compact', 'chunky' and 'dense'. It will fit in your pocket, and will not catch on things but will drag on light clothing.

Alternatives to this product?

Leatherman and similar. But these are, IMO a different category of multi-tool generally built around full size pliers. This enables them for some more heavy and outdoor use, as does their optional hex-socket driver attachment for screw-bits and sockets.