Victorinox Swiss Army One-Hand Trekker Multi-Tool Pocket Knife

I'm a avidd hiker and occasional hunter and fishermen. I started with a Leatherman but didn't like the weight. Then I moved to the Swisschamp and a fixed blade but prefer not to have a knife showing when hiking anywhere around kids. So I moved to the champ and a Buck 110. Still too heavy. I wanted a one tool option with a one handed open blade and other tools as well. I got this model with a full straight edge.Pros: great one handed opening option. Locks secure. Hair busting sharp right out the box. Comfortable in hand. I exchanged the toothpick for a ferrod called the Firefly. The flathead snaps into position half way and actually locks in the fully open position. The saw is amazing for a saw on a multitool. It is the longest I've seen, neutral cut, 90° spine sends great sparks from a ferro rod, the spine is thicker than on the champ and seems very sturdy. The tool is light for its size and pocket carries well. The tip of the main blade is not sharp, I like this as it causes me to use the reamer rather than breaking the tip of my knife drilling holes and cleaning small animals is easier if you don't have to worry about poking what need not be poked.Cons: (if you can call them that) it's odd that the locking feature is on the flathead/bottle opener rather than the can opener. For $50. If I bought a single bladed knife the edge retention on the blade and the metal would be better. It's not that the metal is bad but on multitools in general the edge needs sharpening often and this one is no exception.

I have always carried a Swiss Army knife of some sort. This one is easily one of my favorites. This is a true utility knife as it includes features that are very functional and practically no useless ones. I love the shape and size of the handle. Some may think it is too large but I don't detect much difference from other Swiss Army knives when I have this one in my pocket.Here's my take on the features of this knife.Blade: The one handed opening blade is very handy to have. I used to always carry a tactical folder, along with my ever-present Swiss Army, but having an obvious knife clipped in your pocket isn't always appropriate in public. The flat grind of the blade is also a plus. I immediately noticed that it cut more efficiently than most pocket knives. I purchased the non-serrated blade because I knew that sharpening would be much easier. Swiss Army knives do tend to dull with heavy use, but I have found they are extremely easy to return to a razor edge. The liner lock is definitely good to have for safety reasons.Saw Blade: These small saws work great for their size. I've cut through many branches, 2x4s and even large pieces of plywood without much effort. The one on this knife is a little larger than the regular sized Swiss Army knives, which makes it even better.Can &Bottle Openers w/ flathead screwdrivers: The screwdrivers work fine. What I like is they are easy to get at and are part of another tool, as compared to a Leatherman that has about five different size screwdrivers that just take up space and offer no other function. The can opener is the same as the regular version. The bottle opener is a little larger and has a liner lock. I guess if you're doing some serious beer drinking you want a bottle opener to stay in place.Phillips Head Screwdriver: This works fine for simple things like removing small screws from electronic equipment. It can't reach very deep and I wouldn't recommend putting too much torque on it, as I have bent the frame on a regular Swiss Army while trying to remove screws that were corroded in place.Reamer: This is probably the most underrated feature on most Swiss Army knives. It is great for drilling small holes in wood, plastic, leather, and even thin sheet metal.Tweezers and Toothpick: The tweezers are nice to have handy, although I've found the toothpick will wear if it's removed a lot and eventually not stay in place. I usually just replace it with another pair of tweezers. Your teeth may suffer some, but the reamer is great for dental work too!The only change I would make to this knife would be to add another small blade. Other than that I am very happy with this knife. I can't imagine finding a better pocket knife for the same price.

In my opinion, Victorinox Swiss Army knives are the top of the line, bar none. I personally own this and the non-serrated version. This model is what I carry out in the field. The edge stays sharper, longer because of the serrated pattern. And you'll never have to cut steak with those plastic picnic knives ever again. The selling point for me with Victorinox Knives is the blades. They hold an edge better than any blade on the market, and I keep mine razor sharp, literally. This blade is solid, sturdy, and most importantly, locking. It has no side-to-side or back play in the locking mechanism. The 'humpback' feature gives this blade added strength and thickness as well as just needing your thumb to open it. The best bonus of all is the locking feature on the bottle opener/screwdriver blade. Anyone who has used a similar screwdriver feature without the lock knows just what I mean by skin savings. This is an oversized pocket knife with larger blades and fits nice in the hand. Because I like my knives to have the sharpest edges possible, I have found the Lansky TB-2D2C Diamond-Ceramic Four Rod Turn Box Sharpening System to be the best out there. Amazon sells it at a good price. It is small and portable for backpacking/camping. The rods are pre-angled at 20 and 25 degrees for precise sharpening of different types of blades. I use 20 degrees for this type of blade. Here's a sharpening trick of the trade - Blades "mushroom" as they dull. Lift and remove this mushrooming by first running the knife blade upwards on the rod first before running it down the rod to sharpen it. And always hold the knife straight up and down to the angled rods.