Tag Archives: Classic

Knife chat: Victorinox Pocket Pal- is this the best thin 58mm ever?

Knife chat: Victorinox Classic too small- how about the Ambassador?

The Victorinox Classic is well named, it is exactly that- a classic. Reputed to be the most purchased knife in history, it combines the trinity of most useful tools. Blade, scissors and nail file. If you have the SD version of the Classic, then you also enjoy the handy little 2.5mm flat ScrewDriver tip to the nailfile instead of the nail cleaner. Away from the lovely thin Alox scaled versions, the more usual Cellidor scaled Classics also come with tweezers and toothpick.

Just 58mm in length and around 21g, the Classic is small, light and ideal for hiking. So useful is it that I EDC a little white scaled Classic SD, given to me as a present, on my work keys. This will handle most day-to-day tasks. However, Three Points of the Compass feels that there are other 58mm Victorinox knives that offer greater functionality with very little weight penalty.

Victorinox’s 74mm Ambassador with the ‘holy trinity’ of tools shown- scissors, blade and nailfile

Looking beyond the little 58mm knives, some might feel that it would be even handier to have just a little larger blade, and just a little larger pair of scissors. If that is you, then Victorinox have you covered with the Ambassador. Shown above, this knife is from the, very limited in range, single layer 74mm models that Victorinox have released.

Blades of 58mm Classic and 74mm Ambassador compared. For just a little longer knife you get a lot more capable blade

Surprisingly, the nailfile on the Ambassador is smaller than that on the Classic, though it is still a capable tool

Found with or without a keyring, the Ambassador doesn’t have the wide range of variants that the Classic has offered. I don’t really know why there aren’t just a few similar alternatives. Is a pen provided as with the Signature, or a little LED light in the scale as with the Swiss Lite? Sorry, no. There is a fairly uncommon alox scaled version called the Lady Victoria and that is about it.

The Ambassador is a little longer than the Classic when closed, 74mm instead of 58mm, and a little heavier- mine weighs 34.6g. For that you get a knife that is more comfortable in the hand, particularly for those with larger hands. It is also quite a thin knife, just 9.5mm. More importantly, the drop point blade now provides 46mm of cutting length over the Classic’s 33mm. The scissors are noticeably beefier than those found on it’s baby cousin too, though still small. The scissors on the Ambassador have cutting blades around fifty per cent longer. Scale tweezers and toothpick are the same in both knives and are interchangeable. Perhaps surprisingly the nailfile on the Ambassador is actually smaller than that on the Classic. It only comes with a nail cleaner tip, there is no SD version. But the nail cleaner tip will handle many little Phillips screws.

74mm Ambassador from the first collector’s series. Toothpick and handy tweezers removed from scales

Victorinox have released limited edition sets of the Ambassador with special scales, though nowhere near as many as the Classic has come with. My example shown here, with yellow and purple abstract pattern on one of the white scales, comes from the first Ambassador collection released. Beside the coloured scales of the various collections, the scarce RocKnife series released from 1988 are heavier on trail (having actual stone scales) and deliver no additional functionality, they don’t even have the scale tools, though they are pretty.

74mm Victorinox Ambassador

Victorinox Ambassador specifications:

Length: 74mm, width: 21mm, thickness: 9.5mm
Weight: 34.6g
Pen blade
Nail file with nail cleaner tip
Scissors
Toothpick
Tweezers
Some models also feature a keyring

The Victorinox Ambassador doesn’t get a lot of attention, but if you feel a Classic isn’t quite large enough for your backpacking adventures, or even your EDC, but you still like the simple toolset, then why not have a glance at this very slightly larger offering. It may be just what you are looking for.

The scissors on the Ambassador are beefier and a vast improvement on the useful but much smaller scissors on the Classic

Three Points of the Compass has looked at quite a few knives and multi-tools that may, or may not, be suitable for backpacking, day treks or Every Day Carry. Links to these can be found here.

Knife chat: My annual pilgrimage to Victorinox

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Victorinox’s Flagship London store

The iconic red handled Swiss Army Knife makes a suitable display the height of three floors

Each year, Three Points of the Compass makes a pilgrimage to Victorinox’s Flagship store in New Bond Street, London. This was the first flagship store that Victorinox opened in Europe. While it displays and sells watches, travel gear and fragrances, mostly on show as soon as you walk in the front door, it is the lower floor that attracts me. This is where over 400 models of Victorinox knives and some 650 household and chef knives are displayed.

As you descend the stairs, you are immediately presented with the repair table where customers can drop off their battered and damaged possession to be expertly repaired by the on-site craftsman.

Kitchen and household ware do not necessarily draw me, it is the central cased knife displays and wall mounted models that draw me to them.

Repair work was underway

Some of the 400 or so pocket knives that are on display

I always have a small shopping list pre-prepared. To wander into such a shop without such discipline invites disaster. In London for a small planned walk later with a couple of friends from work (more on that in a future blog) I had an hour to spare in the morning to indulge in drooling over various knife models and variants that will never make their way in to my meagre collection. I am afraid not being in possession of deeper pockets has its disadvantages (or advantages as Mrs Three Points of the Compass might feel).

Victorinox released a number of models with walnut scales in August 2019, the Classic SD was one I was on the look out for

Victorinox released a number of models with walnut scales in August 2019, the diminutive Classic SD Wood (0.6221.63) was one I was on the look out for. Being a natural product, every knife is slightly different

While Three Points of the Compass does have representatives from the various lengths of knife that Victorinox has and does produce, it is mostly the smaller knives, especially the 58mm range, that has attracted me over the years. There were a handful of 2019 releases that I had in mind for this visit.

Each year, Victorinox releases a small range of their knives with special alox scales, 2019 offer was 'Champagne'

Each year, Victorinox releases a small range of their knives with special alox scales, 2019’s offer was ‘Champagne’

Swiss Card and 58mm ranges

As a subscriber to the Victorinox newsletter, I had been sent the offer of a free Victorinox chopping board. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I picked up mine from the downstairs till, the helpful lady who proffered this to me, also followed in my wake as I made my way round the store selecting my small number of purchases. She spread the walnut scaled knives across the counter so that I could select the one that was ‘just right’. I won’t relay here how much my choices cost but an applied discount made a welcome reduction.

A couple of my purchases will feature in some 2020 blogs where I take a closer look at some particular tool sets in the handy smaller knives that Victorinox offer the backpacker. But more on those next year.

My small haul from my 2019 visit to the New Bond Street store

It’s not all knives you know…

Knife chat: A top five of 58mm Victorinox knives- my number two choice

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The ‘Classic’ Series and derivatives

The Victorinox Classic is available with an immense range of scales. Here, the effective if small scissors are shown on the 'A Trip to London' Classic SD from the 2018 Limited Edition range

The Victorinox Classic Swiss Army Knife is available with an immense range of scales designs. Here, the effective if small scissors are shown on the ‘A Trip to London’ Classic SD from the 2018 Limited Edition range

Classic and Classic SD

All of the knives mentioned in this particular blog are from the small 58mm Classic and variants range produced by Victorinox. All are two layer models, all carry the same basic toolset. These are blade, nailfile and scissors. Most differences in the models shown here relate to inclusion or not of a flat ‘SD’ screwdriver tip to the nailfile, the scale material and the additional tools in the scales. There are a lot more variants than those shown here however the knives illustrated do give a good idea on the major alternatives.

Victorinox’s Classic is their best seller, with just reason as it contains a sweet little range of basic tools. There are also hundreds, if not thousands of scale designs but that is of limited interest to me on trail. Despite claims being made that this knife dates to the 1930s, this is incorrect to a degree. Elements of the knife- blade, scissors, nailfile and scale tools, certainly did appear on other knives earlier, but it is not until the 1970s that the ‘Classic’ begins to appear in catalogues.

If the basic Classic set of tools comprising blade, nailfile and scissors is all you want for hiking, take a look at those shown below and rather than simply snap up the first Classic you see, consider if there is a variant that you might prefer. For example, the 2.5mm flat screwdriver tip on the nailfile included in the Classic SD, introduced around 1987, is probably going to be more useful than the nail cleaning tip in the Classic. Three Points of the Compass has his preference amongst the Classic derivatives and it is the final one listed below.

The Victorinox 58mm Classic was a development of the earlier Bijou that lacked a keyring. A further variant on both Bijou and Classic was the addition of a flat 2.5mm ‘SD’ screwdriver tip to the nailfile. Clockwise from top left: Bijou SD, Bijou, Classic, Classic SD. All of these knives come with tweezers and toothpick in the red cellidor scales.

Classic SD knife fitted with a Wharncliffe, or Emergency blade. This blade is similar to a Sheepsfoot profile but the curve is more gradual, starting nearer the handle. The seldom seen 58mm Victorinox knives that have this alternative blade fitted allow for good precision work

Classic SD Emergency

When I covered my fourth choice of 58mm Victorinox for hiking in a previous blog, that knife, the MiniChamp had two ‘proper’ blades. One of those was the Emergency or ‘wharncliffe’ blade. This shape of blade is great for precision work and it is only found on the 58mm series. Away from the MiniChamp it is a far less common and rarely encountered blade. Some Victorinox knives were manufactured with this ’emergency’ blade instead of the standard pen blade and are worth snapping up if you come across an example. Three Points of the Compass is rather fond of his old Classic SD Emergency blade and has found it useful for detailed or precision work.

Victorinox 58mm Classic SD Alox

Classic SD Alox

While the Victorinox Classic is a simple, two layer knife and not all bulky in the hand, there is an even slimmer alternative. This is where the red plastic ‘Cellidor’ scales are replaced with Aluminium Oxide, or Alox, scales. The textured scales on the Classic SD Alox are comfortable to hold but can sometimes be a bit slippery in wetter weather. Despite being metal rather than plastic, there is little weight penalty with the alox variants. Respective weights are shown below.

Alox scales already exist in a variety of colours and a new limited edition colour is introduced each year. The coloured alternatives do wear quite easily though. Because alox scales are so thin, they do not permit the inclusion of any scale tools such as toothpick, tweezers, pen or LED light.

Classic (above) and Classic Alox (below). The differences in their respective thickness is apparent

Classic SD (above) and Classic SD Alox (below). The differences in their respective thickness is apparent

Tomo

An interesting diversion from tradition was made by Victorinox in 2011 when it released the Tomo designed by Abitax Tokyo. While based on the 58mm Classic and carrying the same toolset- pen blade, nailfile with nail cleaning tip and a pair of scissors, these were enclosed in a radically different set of scales. The scale design did not allow for a pair of tweezers and toothpick so it is difficult to see what advantage this knife offers to the hiker, other than not looking like a knife, which may be important to you. There is no SD version of this knife.

Victorinox 58mm Tomo. This has exactly the same tools as the traditional Victorinox Classic but no tweezers or toothpick. It is a less threatening tool to many people due to its shape and not looking like a knife

If you rock up at a bothy after dark, there is a good chance it already has occupants. The use of a small discrete light, if only at first, would be appreciated by sleeping hikers. Maol Bhuidhe bothy, Cape Wrath Trail, August 2018

If you rock up at a bothy after dark, there is a good chance it already has occupants. The use of a small discrete light, such as the one in a Victorinox SwissLite, would be appreciated by sleeping hikers. Approaching Maol Bhuidhe bothy, Cape Wrath Trail, August 2018

First introduced in 1986, the SwissLite has the Classic toolset with tweezers, but differs by having an LED light in the cellidor scales. Holding down the Victorinox shield on the scale operates the LED

SwissLite

The SwissLite is simply a Classic where the toothpick has been replaced by a small LED embedded in one of the scales. First appearing in the late 1980s, LEDs in these knives were initially red, replaced by white LEDs from around 2010. Most hikers will be carrying a headtorch or similar with them on trail, so a fairly feeble white LED is of limited use. However I like a small red LED in the tent, bothy or hostel, or when studying a map at night, as night vision is preserved and the light disturbs other occupants less. Not only that, but a battery will last far longer with a red light. A replacement CR1025 3V battery weighs just 0.6g but I have never had to change mine. Usually, Three Points of the Compass includes a mini Photon Freedom with red LED with his hiking gear. Any knife that includes such a red light, such as an early version SwissLite, could replace this. The light in the knife is activated when pressing and holding the shield on the scale. The inclusion of an LED is especially useful for late night note writing as it shines directly on to a page when writing.

Signature series

The Signature series from Victorinox is actually a separate series from the Classic range, but because it only differs due to the replacement of a particular scale tool, I have included a couple of these variants here with the Classic series.

Victorinox Signature has small pen blade, nailfile with 2.5mm flat screwdriver tip, scissors, tweezers and retractable ballpoint pen

The Signature does exactly what I prefer in any Victorinox knife, replaces the useless toothpick with something more useful- a slim retractable pressurised ball point pen. This has blue ink but I live in hope that a black ink version becomes available eventually. A set of tweezers are located in the other scale. If this little knife and its toolset suits you, you could consider instead, the plastic SwissCard which has very similar contents but a marginally more effective pair of scissors.

The Victorinox Signature carries a similar toolset to the very different SwissCard produced by the same company

The Victorinox Signature carries a similar toolset to the very different SwissCard Classic produced by the same company

Victorinox Signature Lite with red LED. The light is operated by pressing down the shield on the scale

The Signature almost has it. For some people it will provide the perfect set of tools. But for Three Points of the Compass, looking at the range of small 58mm knives available from Victorinox that are based on the Classic toolset, there is another alternative that I prefer. This is the SwissLite version of the Signature, the Signature Lite red LED where the tweezers are replaced with an LED light. As discussed above, while a white LED may be great for sorting out your keys at the front door, I feel it is less useful on trail where you will have a more powerful headtorch or similar, so I prefer the pre-2010 Signature Lite which has a red LED. Admittedly, the white light variant is far brighter than the red, but that is a choice for you.

Victorinox Signature Lite. The best of the 58mm knives based on the Classic

Victorinox Signature Lite. Probably the best of the 58mm knives based on the Classic design

Model	Length	Width (at widest point)	Height	Weight
Bijou	58mm	17.05mm	9.40mm	20.5g
Bijou SD	58mm	17.05mm	9.00mm	20.2g
Classic	58mm	17.30mm	9.00mm	20.8g
Classic SD	58mm	17.30mm	9.00mm	21.1g
Classic Alox	58mm	17.30mm	6.40mm	16.9g
Classic SD Emergency	58mm	17.20mm	9.00mm	20.9g
Tomo	58mm	19.00mm	8.95mm	22.1g
SwissLite	58mm	17.30mm	10.90mm	22.7g
Signature	58mm	17.30mm	10.00mm	21.9g
Signature Lite	58mm	17.30mm	12.45mm	23.3g

Signature Lite with white LED. Useful for writing with in the dark, if anything, the white LED is too bright for this task

Top five Victorinox 58mm knives. The Signature Lite, with red LED, at number two, is fourth from left

Top five Victorinox 58mm knives. The Signature Lite with red LED, at number two, is second from the right

Three Points of the Compass has looked at quite a few knives and multi-tools that may, or may not, be suitable for backpacking, day treks or Every Day Carry. Links to these can be found here.