A few years back, I went through a Swiss Army multi tool phase and amassed a small collection of about a dozen pieces. My favorite has been the 91mm Victorinox Spartan and I own multiple copies along with the smaller Classic. The Spartan is the quintessential Swiss Army knife and is based on the 1890s officer knife. The 1890s officer knife is an offshoot of the Model 1890 soldiers knife that started it all and was the actual knife used by the Swiss Army.
In the past I used to rotate through my various Spartan's and sometimes mixed it up with a 111mm OHT (one hand) Trekker with its awesome liner lock. The Spartan proved more useful with the corkscrew and lightweight size. I also own a large Swiss Champ and a Camper, which is basically a Spartan with an added layer holding a saw.
In my humble opinion the Spartan is close to perfect Swiss Army knife maintaining the brands DNA from the 1890s and providing all the basic tools and implements in a compact size and form factor. Adding more tools while always useful comes at the detriment of added weight and size. The Swiss Champ with its 33 tool options weighs in at almost 7-8 ounces (half a pound) to the svelte 2 ounce Spartan.
Spartan Specs
That said, while the Spartan is quite good. It lacks a few tools that I found useful. And those include:
Delemont Series - the perfect Swiss Army Knife?
Victorinox bought out its rival Wenger and ran both brands side-by-side, but in 2014 it retired Wenger's knives in favor of its own. I've been exclusively only carrying Victorinox and never thought or considered Wenger, until I did some research online and realized Victorinox created a 'hybrid' of sorts combining the best of both worlds from Victorinox + Wenger and created the Delemont series.
It's slightly smaller at 85 mm and has all the tools of a Spartan + everything else I'm seeking. It's quite surprising with all the many combinations and possibilities with a Victorinox knife...they never considered making a comparable model before the Delemont.
The S14 appears to be the more slim at 3 layers, but lacks a saw. The S17 would therefore be the perfect choice, but basically becomes another Huntsman w/ Liner Lock and a nail file. I may opt for the S14 due to size constraints.
Closing - the Spartan
While I debate on which model is the perfect Swiss Army Knife, I continue to carry my black scale Spartan and find it quite useful to have around. Even more convenient with a quick release key ring.
In the past I used to rotate through my various Spartan's and sometimes mixed it up with a 111mm OHT (one hand) Trekker with its awesome liner lock. The Spartan proved more useful with the corkscrew and lightweight size. I also own a large Swiss Champ and a Camper, which is basically a Spartan with an added layer holding a saw.
In my humble opinion the Spartan is close to perfect Swiss Army knife maintaining the brands DNA from the 1890s and providing all the basic tools and implements in a compact size and form factor. Adding more tools while always useful comes at the detriment of added weight and size. The Swiss Champ with its 33 tool options weighs in at almost 7-8 ounces (half a pound) to the svelte 2 ounce Spartan.
Spartan Specs
- 91mm length
- 2.1 ounce weight
- 12 functions
- Large Knife
- Small Knife
- 3mm screwdriver
- 6mm screwdriver
- Bottle opener
- Corkscrew
- Can opener
- Reamer/Punch/Awl
- Wire stripper
- Toothpick
- Tweezers
- Keyring
That said, while the Spartan is quite good. It lacks a few tools that I found useful. And those include:
- Scissors
- Nail File
- Saw
- Liner Lock
- Alox Pioneer X
- Compact
- Climber
- Huntsman
Out of the four....probably would have to settle with the Huntsman to get most of what I'm seeking.
Delemont Series - the perfect Swiss Army Knife?
It's slightly smaller at 85 mm and has all the tools of a Spartan + everything else I'm seeking. It's quite surprising with all the many combinations and possibilities with a Victorinox knife...they never considered making a comparable model before the Delemont.
The S14 appears to be the more slim at 3 layers, but lacks a saw. The S17 would therefore be the perfect choice, but basically becomes another Huntsman w/ Liner Lock and a nail file. I may opt for the S14 due to size constraints.
Closing - the Spartan
While I debate on which model is the perfect Swiss Army Knife, I continue to carry my black scale Spartan and find it quite useful to have around. Even more convenient with a quick release key ring.
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