Victorinox Swiss Army Soldier Knife Standard Issue
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Category: Sports
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Equipment Details
Manufacturer: VictorinoxBrand: Victorinox
Model: 53945
Color: Olive
Product features:
- New design - the first since 1961
- Ergonomic, dual density handle
- Production year etched on blade shank
- 12 tools include: One-hand serrated locking blade, Phillips screwdriver, can/bottle openers, reamer, wire stripper, wood saw
- Precision crafted in Switzerland; lifetime warranty
- Compact Swiss Army pocketknife for campers, hunters, and all-around users
- Enclosed in stylish olive green housing made to exacting Victorinox standards
- Includes serrated locking blade and small and large screwdrivers
- Measures 4-3/8 inches long; lifetime warranty
- Phillips screwdriver, small screwdriver, and large locking screwdriver
Sports reviews of Victorinox Swiss Army Soldier Knife Standard Issue
Customer Review: Nice knife -- but no toothpick!
Sport shop rating: 5 Stars
Executive Summary: The new Soldier knife is terrific, but it is not a replacement for my trusty Officier. The Soldier is for the outdoors, the Officier is for the indoors.
I am a long time Swiss Army Knife (SAK) user. In fact, I own three different traditional SAKs (so that I always have a spare - I never lose them for good - just rotate 'em) and a few of the tiny penknife/scissor/file pocketknives that are cheap and just handy to have around. I also prefer Victorinox over Wenger, but since Wenger was bought by Victorinox recently, this is now a moot point.
I carry a SAK for a lot of reasons. First, I hate being without tools. Watching someone trying to use a paperclip or a fingernail file to do what should be done with an actual blade or screwdriver or whatever is just annoying. SAKs are endlessly useful when you have a problem that requires a real tool (except when you need a wrench or pliers, but that's wandering into multi-tool territory). Second, SAKs are regarded as relatively innocuous by the public - no one is going to clutch their heart and gasp when you pull out a SAK. True, the airport security folk frown on them and that is a whole other discussion that doesn't belong here, but everyone else regard them as tools, which is exactly what they are.
The biggest beef I've had is the non-locking main blade. You should never carry a dull knife, and SAKs are made of pretty good stainless steel which sharpens and holds a fine edge, but working with a non-locking folding blade requires an extra degree of care. I've never had one fold back on me, but it is still something of a concern having your fingers in the path of where a razor sharp blade would fold back. You'd have to be doing something pretty dumb to get yourself into that position, but as they say, fools are ingenious.
Not being a knife fanatic I was not aware that Victorinox was producing locking knives until very recently. When I looked at the new knives, I was impressed and ordered the new Soldier (#53945) to see if it would replace my trusty "Officier".
The Officier (folded) is about an inch shorter than the new Soldier, about 1/4" thicker and about 1/2" less wide (the thumb hole on the new Soldier blade is what sticks out.) I don't have a scale, but the Soldier is somewhat heavier although not by a great deal. The Soldier is a relatively large folding knife -- I have medium size hands and it fits fairly comfortably; someone with large hands would probably find it acceptable. The Soldier will fit in a pocket, but you'll know it's there.
The Officer has the following:
Large blade
Small blade (penknife)
Small scissors
Phillips screwdriver
Magnifying glass
Can opener/small screwdriver
Large screwdriver/bottle opener
(reverse side)
Corkscrew
Hook
Awl (with hole in awl blade, presumably for sewing tarps and leather)
Tweezers
Toothpick
The new Soldier has:
Large locking blade, partially serrated (towards the front of the blade)
This blade is pointed, but not sharp at the tip. It can easily be opened with one hand and locked into place. It can easily be unlocked and folded in the _left_ hand. It is somewhat more difficult to unlock and fold with the right hand, due to the direction you have to push the frame lock. This is a minor issue; simply transfer to left hand, and fold if you can't get the hang of closing it with the right. (Usually lefties get the worst of it, but not this time. Wonder what that's all about?).
Wood saw - very fast cut in live wood
Can opener/small screwdriver
Locking large screwdriver/bottle opener/wire stripper. Nice to finally be able to use the screwdriver without having it fold, ouch!
(reverse side)
Phillips screwdriver
Awl (no hole)
(incidentally, I have no trouble opening and locking the large blade single handed with either hand - perhaps I have stronger thumbs than some)
As you can see, the Officier has 12 functions, the new Soldier has 7. The Soldier lacks a scissors, corkscrew, hook, magnifier, tweezers and toothpick. For some reason, the awl has no hole in it for sewing.
I actually make frequent use of the scissors, some use of the corkscrew and tweezers, no use of the hook and toothpick.
However, the two knives have different jobs to do. The Officier is more of an "indoor, every day" knife, the Soldier an outdoor knife, for more rugged purposes. The large locking serrated blade of the Soldier is about an inch longer, which makes it much more useful for a variety of outdoor tasks, including defensive and offensive tasks. I wouldn't want to have to defend myself with the Officier non-locking blade. The Soldier has a much better handle, giving much better control of the blade, and with its one-handed blade deploy, is far more useful when you are holding something with the other hand and can't drop it to open the knife blade. That doesn't happen so often indoors, but is a fairly common event outdoors.
I wouldn't want to have to make tinder, split kindling, saw branches, etc. with the Officier, but there's a lot of scissoring, fine knife work, cork pulling and tweezering the Soldier can't do indoors. Plus, no toothpick!
Conclusion: Officier for Monday-Friday, Soldier for weekends and holidays. Both are indispensable and you should own both.
Description of Victorinox Swiss Army Soldier Knife Standard Issue
This is not your father's Soldier knife. It's not even your older brother's Soldier knife. Last year, the Swiss Army developed a new specification - the first since 1961. Showing no favoritism, they invited seven potential suppliers, from Switzerland and other countries, to compete for the exclusive contract. Each condidate's knife was subjected to field testing by Swiss army personnel, as well as independent laboratory testing, even a cost benefit analysis. The result? Many changes: ergonomic, dual density handle, the one-hand serrated locking blade, the wood saw and much more. But one thing remains the same: the name of the Official Provider. That hasn't changed in 117 years.From the renowned company that created the Swiss Army Knife a century ago comes the Soldier Knife, a compact multi-tool for camping, hiking, hunting, or around-the-house use. Field tested and approved by the North American Hunting Club, this version of the Soldier Knife is stylishly cased in an olive-green housing with the familiar Victorinox logo on the side. More importantly, the unit contains a variety of classic Swiss Army tools, including a one-handed serrated locking blade, a Phillips screwdriver, a can opener, a small screwdriver, a bottle opener, a large locking screwdriver, a wire stripper, a reamer, a key ring, and a wood saw. As with all Victorinox items, the Soldier Knife is made to exacting standards, with dozens of steps going into its construction. Victorinox attends to every detail, from selecting the finest materials to performing the final inspection. In addition, each individual tool has been hardened in a different way to stand up to its designated use. The Soldier Knife--which measures 4-3/8 inches long--carries a lifetime warranty.
About Swiss Army Knives
? In 1884, Swiss cutler Karl Elsener set up shop in Ibach-Schwyz, installing a waterwheel in Tobelbach Brook to run his grinding and polishing machines. Thus began what would become the international brand name Victorinox, a combination of Victoria, for Elsener's mother, and "inox," or stainless steel. Today, Victorinox produces watches, luggage, clothing, and, famously, Swiss Army Knives. The original product dates to 1897, when Elsener patented the Swiss Officer's and Sports Knife he supplied to the Swiss Army. Following World War II, American servicemen and women shopping in PX stores shortened the name to Swiss Army Knife, which lives on in English-speaking countries around the world and has become a metaphor for versatility.
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