Victorinox Swiss Army Multi-Tool, EvoGrip Pocket Knife

Love this knife. Has everything I need in a pocket knife. Didn't like the lock feature at first but got used to it and like it now, it's a good idea and makes a good fidget in my pocket. Like it in yellow, too. I have 2 now. Thought I lost one so ordered a new one immediately because I couldn't stand to be without it, then found the lost one. Could have returned the new one but kept it because I'm sure I'll need it when I really lose my current one.

This is a medium size Victorinox, currently out of production and was previously a Wenger model.Nice locking blade (why I got it). Seems to have all the stuff I need. The side panels do not seem to be as sturdy as the classic Victorinox brand....these are more of a cheap plastic.

This knife (I got the evolution grip 10) is just like any victorinox when it comes to quality. I love this knife. It feels great to hold. A heads up though, as it is shorter that a normal SAK, at 85mm. It is also a little thicker due to the upgraded scales. I love this knife

I have several Swiss Army knives but this is my favorite. I have seen people complaining that it has a nail file instead of a second blade. That seems kind of silly to me. If I can cut something with the main blade, I don't think it would ever be better to be able to use a slightly shorter blade. On the other hand, I always have a nail file available as well as scissors, screwdriver and tweezers. I got a little belt case and this knife is always with me unless I am asleep in bed.

I love this knife, it has the best combination of tools for me with great ergonomics and craftsmanship. Sometimes I wonder whether I should have gotten the 18 rather than the s18. The locking blade feature is great but the lock release lever sticks out enough to occasionally get caught in the fabric of my pants pocket when you pull it out. When I was young, I injured my hand when the blade of a pocket knife closed accidentally while I was using it, so I have always preferred a locking blade and that's what affected my decision when purchasing this knife over other models. The non-locking blade model 18 is still very attractive though, and I do prefer the red color over the yellow.

I've had this model, Victorinox S557, for coming up on 7 years. I looked at the prices recently, and I purchased a few more as investments, and as gifts. I gave one to my son, and I swear he'd leave his right arm behind before his knife. He got into trouble showing it off at school! But I informed the administators that a pocket knife is a tool. If we start teaching our kids that tools are weapons, they'll use them as weapons!Further, no self-respecting, red-blooded American male is without his gentleman's knife, in case he finds a damsel in distress, he has the tools to remedy the problem. I gave some examples. Adjusting 10-speed brakes, cutting out the ruptured part of a radiator hose, loosening the clamp, and putting it back together; opening a can or bottle, removing a sliver, tightening a 10-speed axle nut, filing off a hangnail, tightening and loosening screws, sewing leather, opening a wine bottle (after age 21), recasing a two-way mobile handy-talky radio (I did 35 of them with just my SAK), punching an extra belt hole, trimming artwork in art class, cleaning fingernails, cutting wire and rope, shorting capacitors, scraping off excess dried glue, fitting wooden joints, making kindling (if a teenage boy hasn't tried building a girl a fire . . .), rescue reflector, loosen valve cap, toothpick, tweezers, opening any shipping carton,removing staples, getting broken-off cotton swabs out of a banana socket, cleaning tarnish off electrical plug prongs (saves electricity), manipulating threaded retaining rings in compound lenses and LED flashlights, bending the tab up in the bottom of a light bulb socket so you get good contact, cutting up food: fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese; and cleaning fish!When I finally sit down at the end of the day, my Victorinox S557 goes on the coffee table as my goto living room tool. I don't have a TV in the shop, so I might bring small projects to the TV room. I carry a lot less tools due to my trusty pocket knife. BTW, the school principal agreed that my son's SAK is indeed a tool, but asked that he not bring it back to school. I thought it was a great compromise given that a kid who left a butter knife on the back seat of his car--in the school parking lot--got suspended for 10 days for bringing weapons to school!When I leave in the morning, I always think, OH NO! What if something bad happens! Can't forget my trusty SAK. AND the S557 is about the most tools you can fit in a daily carry tool. It is also priced higher for the number of tools. But it is made in Delmonte, Switzerland, at the former Wenger factory, which Victorinox purchased and folded the brand, but kept the factory up.Wenger were always superior to Victorinox, and the Victorinox knives made in Delmonte have the Evolution scales (handles) and EvoGrip rubber inserts. I will settle for nothing less. The rubber is impervious to everything I've thrown at it. After 7 years it looks like new. But I dropped my carry Vx S557, and chipped the scale. The knife is still perfect. Just the handle is chipped.Update 12/22, I purchased new scales for my S557, so now it's perfect again. And, I'm a professional--an electrical engineer--so this is a great gift for white-collar guys too! And, it is very high quality!Once a guy has one of these--the Victorinox S557--he will never cease finding new uses for it! Every woman likes a handy guy! So, get yours a Vx S557 Swiss Army Knife! Guys are just weird that way! Whereas a girl might be insulted, a guy will be forever grateful! He'll think of her every time he pulls it out! Or, he'll pull it out every time he thinks of her! Or both! But there's only a 70% chance of that!There are more rugged tools, and you can't dismantle a freeway bridge with it! But it is an exceptional extension of the male mind and hands, making the fusion of man with metal greater than the sum of the parts! But this is a carry knife/tool. For a bug-out pack you want the Vx Evo S54 or wider.And, like I mentioned, Victorinox EvoGrip Swiss Army Knives make a great investment. Seven years ago my S557 (this listing) cost about 45.00. Now they're up to $75-$80, and even 92.00! I got my S54 in 2016 for about 60.00. Now they're going for $150! Hooey! That 'some' profit margin!

I have been a huge fan of Swiss Army Knives for decades! I won't be caught without one except on an airplane or in court. I have always had the Champion in the past. They DO break if you seriously misuse them, but not easily; you have to torture them. I went hmmm and ahhh for awhile and decided I'd try this instead of getting another Champion. I especially liked the multi-size nut driver and the "Channel Lock" style pliers. I have yet to use the nut driver thing so far, but I've already used the "Channel Lock" type pliers a few times. Nice! They open nice and wide, in a relative sort of way. The small knife is missing; it's just a nail file type thing now. The Champion has a pen, tweezers, and a toothpick. Oh! I remember! There's a "jeweler's" screwdriver wound into the corkscrew on the Champion. That was missing. I grabbed that from one e of my old ones and put it in there.This one has two slots, but it only had the toothpick, if I remember right. I added the tweezers (from a broken Swiss Army Knife.) I'm thinking of changing my mind and adding the pen instead of one of them, probably the toothpick.Anyway! The remaining (large) blade now has a lock!! Very nice! It's not going to close on your fingers or anything until you release it! The spring metal hold open devices on the scissors and the pliers have been improved! It's hard to explain, but there's MUCH less chance of them going off to one side and getting bent out of shape like they do on the Champion. There is NO reduction in quality anywhere! The knife was dangerously sharp, just under a razor blade. It's already a little duller than it was, from my use stripping wires and stuff, but not much! I'm used to having to sharpen Swiss Army Knife blades every once in awhile. Absolutely no complaints! I guess I wish they'd send it with the tweezers and a pen. Not sure if mine was missing something or what, but every single Swiss Army Knife I have (I have three or four with just one little thing broken) has got a spare tooth pick, pen, and tweezers. Not a big deal at all.

There are four significant changes to the updated version on the classic Swiss Army knife. Two of the changes expand tool utility; two of the changes improve the ergonomic handling. I bought this new model to update my well-used (and still in excellent shape), 25-year-old model.Change #1: Adding a flat-head screwdriver tool to the can-opener feature. The old tool (see top version, far left top tool) has can-piercing power. The new ‘knife’ will still open a can albeit less easily since the end doubles as a 3-mm flat-head screwdriver. This is in addition to the 5 mm screwdriver tool on both the old and new models. In backcountry travel, I use the can opener tool more often that either screwdriver, so it’s a change that sacrifices and adds utility.Change #2: Replacing the corkscrew opener with a Phillips screwdriver. Although I’ve never opened a bottle of wine while off-road, I liked this feature. In the event you are presented with a bottle of wine while on the trail (given the knife’s provenance, a very European concern), there is now no way of uncorking it. I never used this tool; even still, I miss it. It was the most unreasonable but romantic part of my old knife (still available on the EvoGrip 10 model).Changes #3 & 4: The scaled and slightly curved grip provide improved ergonomic handling.In general, you’re better off in the world with rather than without a Swiss Army knife. This is a credible and attractive knife.

This knife is available in the Wenger design and this Victorinox "hybrid" design. Victorinox bought Wenger some time back and now, both produce this model. The all-Wenger model has the brand name embedded at the bottom of the scales. BTW, those are not just stick-on grippy surfaces, they are recessed into the handles and the grip-tops are flush with the celador scales. The feel, in either direction, is just the berries. The ergonomics are simply awesome. At the moment, this model is the absolute favorite of about 7 SAKs that I own. Both the Wenger and Victorinox models are the same size & weight and have the same tool set, but I like this Victorinox better.First, it just looks and feels fantastic. The yellow is not as "bright" as appears in pictures, think that's the lighting. The primary "best thing" is that it has all the best of the Wenger tools (who originally designed and produced it) and all the best of Victorinox tools wherever they would be an "upgrade". I'll digress a moment here to say that I think the Victorinox tools are, when speaking generally; better. But it's not the case 100% of the time, and there's a few places where Wenger tools do come out ahead. But on this model, wherever Victorinox had the better tool, it went in. Wherever Wenger had it right, their design stayed. Here's the run-down: The awl/reamer is just a pointy, unsharpened spike on the Wenger model. Yeah, it'd work, but the Victorinox has the eyelet, is sharpened, and has a hollow grind on one side. The Victorinox reamer is simply better and it was incorporated. The Wenger toothpicks are sharper, but also shorter and a bit flimsier. WIth the tweezers, it's less clear, the Wenger is spot-welded & doesn't have the plastic tip. If the tip is the only thing connecting the two sides on the Victorinox, the Wenger might win this, but I can't tell. I think the plastic tip aids in getting it out and in handling. Additionally, the Victorinox seats their location (on all models, as far as I know) on the outside of the scales. I think they are easier to access from there, but I understand those who feel the Wenger design preserves more of the round edge look of the scales. I prefer the Victorinox designs and location, and both are replaced by Victorinox versions on this model. The saw is still Wenger, and the tip has more of a downward drop that might help keep it from pulling it all the way out of the cut you're making. Probably an advantage and disadvantage, but the difference is so minimal that I just don't think it matters. The Wenger main blade was kept and has a little more belly to it making the cutting length just slightly longer. But, like the saw, this difference is too minimal to factor in. I'd consider it a plus if I considered it at all. Same steel I believe. But, unlike [maybe all] the Victorinox models in this size category, the blade locks. I love that. They do make a non-locking version, the 18 - no "S", Some will mind the push-button style release, and I get their arguments, but having edc'd this model for a many weeks now, I have zero beef with it. Another example is the flat head screwdriver. The Wenger design has in an internal lock to it. If pushed hard, when you're really bearing down on a tight screw, the blade moves inward, very slightly on a spring. It recesses into the knife and engages a lock. Won't close up on you. Locks on it's own when pressed on firmly. Wenger design, very slick. Lastly, the can opener: for no valid reason I prefer the cut-away-from-you design of the Victorinox model. It's what I've always had/used. Either works fine, I've compared the two. It's personal preference only, but I do prefer the Victorinox design for another reason besides familiarity. There's a more significant trade off in my opinion: The Wenger can opener doubles as an excellent box-blade which can cut cargo tape and open boxes very well with a pull stroke. That's a very handy "second blade", sort of - it's not sharpened to a honed edge but works well for things like this. That's "two-tools-in-one" for the Wenger can opener. That said, the Victorinox can opener also has a small flat head driver on it, but this also doubles as a small 2D phillips driver. That's "three-tools-in-one" for the Victorinox. For me, the Victorinox wins there too, and I'm glad that Victorinox version replaced the Wenger version there as well. In all, at least four tools were were replaced with the Victorinox versions on this model. Oh, the scissors: I like the Wenger design better and it was retained. The spring design is feels sturdier and the blades have micro-serrations. One would think the serrations a drawback until they go to cut a cable tie. The Wenger hangs on and bites into slipperier things like that. The Victorinox kind of "pushes" things away. Definitely makes a difference. Either will cut paper so I give the advantage to Wenger here and it too, was retained. All this leaves out the scales, the shape of which (I think) is a Wenger design. The ergos of the shape and inlays are just fabulous. I do wish the scales were mated flush with the tools on the bottom like all my other Victorinox knives are, but I can over look the small overlap to gain the rest of the awesomeness of the Wenger grip design (now incorporated in several Victorinox patterns, overlap and all). This knife is still available in the all-Wenger design and also in this "hybrid" Victorinox-branded model. I'm glad I chose it and I think it's better for all the reasons I just went through. I wish neither one of them had the nail file, would prefer a second small blade instead. That said, the tip of the nail file doubles as a #1 2D Phillips driver often enough to be useful. I've also used it to pry molded plastic parts apart without having to dull my knife blade. You dads opening toy battery covers know what I'm talking about.This knife has replaced my other models for weekday edc (Every Day Carry). Very easy to carry in work slacks. I still opt for the stoutness of my Hercules model on weekends when I have jeans or cargo shorts with heavier fabric and deeper pockets, and I'm not driving so much where the fabric pulls tighter on the leg. I absolutely love this model and heartily recommend it to anyone trying to buy "the one" Swiss Army Knife to edc. I live in the sticks and use the saw, but if you're not likely to need that, I believe the S16 is the same model without the saw. It'll be a bit thinner & lighter and is also available in a non-locking version, the 16. All in all I completely recommend the S18 (or 16) and would opt for the Victorinox version first.3 YEAR UPDATE: Of all the SAK's I own, this would still be the last to go if I had to surrender them one at a time. I have changed over to carrying my Explorer model at the office, however, as I find the tool set more suited to an office environment. That said, I still feel the S18 has the best 'over-all' tool set if confining my choice to only one SAK. The rubber grips have held up just fine and there's been no issues around reliability at all - which holds true for my other SAK's as well. A testament to the brand. My S18 is still found in my pocket every weekend, and more, without fail. Other than routine sharpening (ceramic rod) and a little oil, it gets nothing but use. Still offer my sturdiest of recommendations to this model.