A Victorinox Swiss Army Knife is one of the most practical, classic tools you can carry, whether you just need a fresh everyday carry tool for the trail or an extra helper in the tool box. With so many features available in many of their tools, it’s no wonder that Victorinox is such an enduring brand.

The brand also stands on a history of excellence that is well-attested by its longevity, reaching back into history over a hundred years. It’s one of the longest standing and most highly celebrated knife makers in the market today, and the tools included in one of their multi-purpose designs verge on mind-boggling.

The fact that Victorinox has managed to incorporate all of these different tools into such small ergonomic designs is a miracle of knife-engineering. Take a look at any of the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife tools in our catalog and you’ll be likely to come across a model that has a healthy distribution of the following.

●Knife

Obviously, the central tool in any Swiss Army Knife is the knife, hence the name. Some Victorinox knives have nothing but a blade, which is one of the most handy tools you can carry anyway. With a knife, an experienced user can perform a lot of the tasks reserved for some of the other specialized tools on this list. A knife is also useful for basic tasks of food preparation, cleaning fish and game, whittling and carving tools from wood, producing cordage, preparing tinder and fuel and striking fires, and much, much more.

●Another knife

That’s right, many Swiss Army Knives have a second knife. That’s because one knife is rarely, if ever another, which is where the expression “two are one and one is none” comes from. Also, most Swiss Army Knives have knives of different blade profiles and sizes, which could be reserved for special tasks. For example, the smaller clip point of a pen knife might be reserved for whittling and woodcraft whereas the larger blade might be reserved for slightly heavier work.

●Phillipshead and flathead screwdrivers

These tools are common on most Swiss Army Knives and are indispensable whenever you need to tighten up the works. Whenever a screw works loose it’s maddening when you don’t have the right tools to tighten it up; luckily, a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife won’t leave you in the cold with this.

●Toothpick

A toothpick, like a knife blade, is a highly versatile tool that can enable you to exert leverage and exhibit a fine degree of precision for material manipulation. However, most of the time, you’ll just be using this tool to keep your teeth clean, which is very handy on the trail.

●Tweezers

It’s demoralizing and disappointing when you get something like a splinter on the trail and can’t get it out. Very skilled users can use a particularly well-honed knife to extract a splinter if part of it protrudes above the surface of the skin, but this is not a task for unpracticed hands. It’s a great job for a pair of tweezers, though, and not the only job for which they can be used.

●Magnifying glass

Need to get a closer look at the fine print? Out on the trail and need to inspect a blister or even get a closer look at where a fine sliver of wood or even a hair splinter has taken a foothold? A magnifying glass is great for getting a closer look, and you can even use it to start a fire if you have the knowledge.

●Scissors

When you need to make precise alterations to paper, fabric, cloth or cordage, a pair of scissors can be every bit as handy as a knife. You can also use them to keep your nails short in camp so that you’re more comfortable on the trail. Versatility is the name of the game with Victorinox.

●An awl with a sewing eye

If you ever bust a seam through heavy cloth like canvas or rip your sack open, the sewing awl that comes with many Swiss Army Knives can probably help you out. Just punch new holes if you can’t use the old ones, then create a lockstitch with the awl using the sewing eye.

●A corkscrew

A corkscrew is a surprisingly specialized tool to work into the design of a multi-tool that’s known so widely for versatility, but when it comes to getting a cork out of a bottle, there aren’t as many crafty ways to extract it as there are to get the cap off of a bottle. Also, these tools come from (and are still made in) Switzerland, where corked beer and wine bottles are common. The inclusion is reasonable, to say the least.

●A bottle opener

That being said, many Swiss Army Knives also contain a bottle opener for removing caps from bottles. Some experienced practitioners can accomplish this task with a fixed blade, but, like removing a splinter, that maneuver should be reserved for only the most experienced. For the rest of us, Victorinox has built bottle openers into many of its models.

●A can opener

Opening a can is decidedly harder than opening a bottle, and it requires precise force, leverage and control. That, or it requires a bottle opener, which Victorinox was wise enough to pair with so many of their knives and tools.

●A nail file

Equally useful for keeping your nails trimmed and tidy as it is for making fine adjustments to burrs on soft metal and uneven bumps on wood, a nail file is a precision instrument of abrasion. Used carefully, it can be instrumental in making precise alterations to whittled tools and sculptures.

●A metal saw

The large teeth of a wood saw will do little other than scratch the surface of metal before they jam in it, ultimately wearing down to the point that they are no longer useful. However, a hacksaw can be a lifesaver in the field for removing bits of metal and cutting through them, such as in the case of a protruding nail that can’t easily be worked free.

●A wood saw

By contrast, a metal saw will frustrate anyone who tries to cut wood with it, doing a better job of overheating than removing material from the wood stock. That’s why many Victorinox Swiss Army Knife models and multitools come not only with a metal saw but also a wood saw in addition to a blade and scissors.

●A fish scaler

Have you ever caught a fish and wanted to cook it streamside? There’s nothing like it, but some of us prefer our pan-dressed fish to be scaleless. Skilled hands can accomplish this with a spoon, the spine of a knife or even a pair of bottle caps - but, as typical, for the rest of us Victorinox has thoughtfully included fish scalers into some of their designs.

●Pliers

The number of odd jobs a pair of pliers can make easier for you is incomprehensible, let alone the fact that they can help you “get a better grip” on most any situation. Seriously, pliers are useful and they’re featured in many Swiss Army Knife multitools.

●Wire strippers

Wire strippers are more limited in their general utility than many other tools, but when you need to expose a lead, nothing works better. Highly useful for electrically-savvy individuals, many Swiss Army Knives have wire strippers built into them along with pliers.

●Wire cutters

Similarly, many of their tools feature wire cutters, although wire cutters are much more generally useful. You can use wire cutters not only to cut copper conductors but also to cut fish hooks embedded in skin, manipulate, cut and form snare wire, and even cut through wire fences (depending on the gauge of the wire, of course). Many Swiss Army Knives feature these.

●Wire crimpers

Wire crimpers and sometimes wire formers are included in the designs of some Swiss Army Knives. Both of these tools are instrumental in making precise alterations to wires and other pieces of metal. They can, of course, be used simply to crimp wires, but enterprising individuals can also make fish hooks and snares using them.

●A flashlight

A Victorinox Swiss Army Knife with a flashlight will also never leave you out in the dark. While you should always carry a dedicated light source in order to be better prepared, a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife model may have one that can serve as a backup for you - or just to see where the keyhole is on your door’s lock plate.

●A chisel

A chisel, like a knife, is a precise tool for working wood, and with the chisel including in your Swiss Army Knife, if there is one, you can make more accurately formed, better tools from wood.

●A ruler

The saying is to measure twice and cut once, and many Swiss Army Knives come with a short section of ruler to make that possible. With such a tool, you won’t need to gamble whenever precision is in order.

●A hook

Some Swiss Army Knives have a small hook that makes carrying or moving loads much easier. In fact, a little ingenuity and the use of that hook can turn a Swiss Army Knife into a handle for carrying bags and other loads much more easily and more comfortably.

●A ratchet set and a variety of bits and drivers

Many Swiss Army Knives come with ratchet sets and a whole bunch of different bits and drivers, including specialty ones. That makes them ideal for machinists and engineers who need to keep specialized tools on hand, at least as a backup. This varies according to the model in question, but they’re common enough in their catalog.

●A ballpoint pen

Some Victorinox Swiss Army Knives even come with a ballpoint pen, which is a marvellously useful piece of equipment to include with such a tool. Pencils are arguably more useful for life on the trail, but if you need to make a quick note in a notebook and you have literally nothing else, something tells us that a pen will work just fine. Besides, are any other multi tools so well arrayed, or so thoughtfully arrayed, at that?

●A compass

A compass, like a pen or a knife, is also highly useful for life on the trail. Some people can rig a compass from a needle and a buoyant leaf; others rely on basic technology to orient themselves.

Many Swiss Army Knife models come with a compass built right into them, so you’ll never have to use the stars again to figure out your way. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but that’s not the idea here. It’s about preparation, and Swiss Army Knife tools are tops for that.

●And probably more (It depends on the model!)

As you can see, creating a comprehensive list of tools that come with a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife is exhaustive. What comes with any given model will understandably vary, but these are some of the most common tools that come with many of their folding knives and multi tools. Their value is only further enhanced by the fact that they are made with such high quality materials, like Victorinox’s stainless steel and tough plastic or aluminum scales.

That’s why the term “Swiss Army Knife” has been applied as a metaphorical representation of a tool that does it all, whatever all of it is. Ergonomic, practical, resourceful and historically significant, Victorinox Knives have built a reputation that other knifemakers can only aspire to achieving.

It’s doubtful if Karl Elsener, the creator of the Original Swiss Army Knife, could have seen the success that lay ahead for the eternal brand he gave life to. Whether he did or not, Victorinox Swiss Army Knives are some of the most useful tools you can carry, whether in your pocket, in the truck, in the tool box, on the trail or in the shop. They go with you and serve admirably when and where you need them.

Here we have a large collection of them at excellent prices. Check out our page on Swiss Army Knives to find some new pocket candy for yourself or for a friend today, and if you have any questions or are looking for a specific model you don’t see listed, get in touch with us at WhiteMountainKnives@gmail.com.