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Updated my EDC over the years, but settled on some basic brand names. Card Wallet concerns.  For the longest time I’ve owned a Coach card wallet but always was nervous to use it as I found myself it falling out of my pockets at home.  I finally found a way to clip it to my inner pocket and weigh it down next to my keys.  I may try other attach point options to clip it to my phone. Another reason for downsizing to a slim wallet is to keep my back pockets empty as it’s painful during long drives and a nuisance to be mindful to relocate my larger wallet. March 2024: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Casio A168WG Victorinox Manager Victorinox Huntsman Coach Leather Card Wallet

I’m liking the Huntsman Victorinox 4 layer more and more.  I thought I’d prefer a Deluxe Climber/Tinker but the added height from the pliers make it debatable.  I also am oddly enjoying the Champion Plus for EDC pocket carry…it’s even larger than any 4 layer. I think what’s making me prefer the Huntsman is the wood saw.  It makes it ideal for true EDC. Outside of a Mountaineer, Angler, Fisherman and Deluxe Tinker.  I have most common 4 layers to choose from.  Doubtful beyond collectible only would I EDC the Fisherman/Angler.  Mountaineer sounds cool, but I’d prefer a discontinued Passenger or a Ranger instead.

Picked up another discontinued model that’s a bit more uncommon, a Deluxe Climber.  It’s almost identical to a current model Deluxe Tinker, except it has a corkscrew instead of a phillips. I’m debating on whether to sell this and get a Deluxe Tinker instead, but for now will pocket EDC this as I do like the pliers. This was a fair price of $26. Truthfully, this needs only the bit driver and it’s a Cybertool M.  If all I want is a phillips, I should splurge for the Cybertool.

Picked up a Champion Plus.  It’s a discontinued Victorinox Swiss Army knife model and the predecessor of the current Swiss Champ.  The one big difference it lacks the Pliers. I kinda like this 6 layer tool set, although it feels impractical for pocket EDC, I’ll try it.  Otherwise I’ll stick to my Huntsman or Deluxe Climber. As opportunities present themselves I’ll pick up discontinued models in good condition to add to my collection. Paid only $45 for this one, a decent price.

Trying the Victorinox repair service for the 1st time and sent it in to their Monroe Center in Connecticut. Summary Day 1 - Create Repair Order online Day 1 - Mailed to Victorinox - Paid for USPS - $5.85 Day 6 - USPS delivered to Victorinox Day 11 - Victorinox email received knives Day 17 - Victorinox emailed shipping w/ UPS tracking Day 18 - Victorinox charged $5.41 per knife Day 21 - Received my knives back Total Cost $ 16.67 Total time for repair was 3 weeks from printing form to receiving back my knives.  2 weeks (11 days) was for shipping transit time so actual repair was about 1 week (10 days). Overall, quite good.  Huntsman is spectacular.  Explorer is functional again, but due to its age might be better to buy a new one than seek a repair. The new scales alone are wow!  Absolutely stunning like a gleaming gem.  Thank you again Victorinox. For $17 it’s not cheap, but reasonable.

It’s been a while and I’ll get back into the habit of cleaning my knife collection.  I’ll need to get some oil, sharpeners and other tools to do this properly. For now it’s simple cleaning off any residue on the knives and implements as I often use them to open packages and get all the tape gunk on the blades and scissors. My Trekker sees the most action and I’m finding the Phillips head is useful.  I’ll need a Deluxe Tinker or Handyman to include a set of Pliers.

Did a small haul and got 8 pristine Swiss Army Knives. Fieldmaster x 2 Huntsman x 2 Tinker Delemont Evo Junior 9 - Sold Pruning Knife - Sold Bantam Champion Plus Deluxe Climber I’m now fully stocked on Huntsman and Fieldmasters as I wanted those for my car and backpacks.  Now let’s take inventory of what I have in the collection… I did some adjustments and sold the Delemont and Pruning Knife.  I’ll keep the Bantam, kinda cool knife. Current Collection - 35 knives 111mm - 1 Trekker Black // 2011 91mm - 18 Swiss Champ Red // 2011 Champion Plus Red // 2009 - 2016 Huntsman Silver Tech // 2009 - 2011 Black // 1979 - 1985 Red // 2011 Red // 2011 Camo // 2011 Fieldmaster Red // 2011 Red // 2011 Explorer Red // 1991 - 1992 Deluxe Climber Red // 1992 - 1998 Climber Red // 1979 - 1985 Traveler // 1979 - 1985 Hoffritz // 1985 - 1990 Ruby // 1999 Camper Red // 1999 - 2005 Spartan  Red // 2005 - 2009 Black // 2009 - 2011 Ruby/Sapphire // 2009 - 2011 Tinker Red // 2011 58mm - 10 Classic Classic x7 S

It’s the utility of a simple pair of scissors that makes a 58mm Classic Swiss Army Knife probably one of the best for urban EDC.  While a knife can work, the scissors just works better in most situations. Bottles, bottles… The one drawback of a Classic is the lack of a bottle opener that is remedied with the similar sized Rambler or Manager. For me a Manager, which is essentially a Rambler with a retractable ballpoint pen is my ideal urban EDC. Size and Weight are also factors in dubbing the 58mm Swiss Army Knife one of the most convenient and therefore practical EDC tools. It also free’s up simplifying my choice of a completing the Classic with a separate knife folder and Im finding a 91mm Camper or my 111mm Trekker ideal. But the awl… The only additional tool I could find useful on a 91mm SAK is maybe the awl.  It’s surprising how valuable it is to make a hole in a plastic lid using an awl. That said, the Cellidor 91mm awl is in an inconvenient location in the bottom tools and can ea

I got a chance to visit the Surplus Store in Austin and it lived up to its name in finding cheap Victorinox Swiss Army knives. They had them arranged in several set of bins ranging in price from $1 for basic 58mm Classics to $3-4 for 91mm and specialty scales 58mm Classics. Most were in rough shape and had seen better days, but there are a few hidden gems and for $9, scored 6 58mm Swiss Army Knives: Memory Signature Rambler Classic x3 The Memory, Signature and Ramblers go for $15-20 each online and the Classics at least $3 a piece so overall a $69 value for $9. This is the price point that makes this hobby fun. Update - 7/1/22 - Cleaning 🧼  Finally got around to cleaning the knives I bought.  Most were surprisingly already clean with no dust or debries between the scales. I’m liking the Rambler and may use that for my EDC.

I'm really liking the simplicity of the Casio A168 and normally rock that most days (swapping for my G-Shock 5600 for weekends). I'm also preferring a lighter weight kit and went back to the Victorinox Cadet. It's otherwise the same gear I've been rocking for almost 2 years and while the iPhone 11 has done great, I'm wanting something with 5G. I'll wait and upgrade to the newer iPhone in November. Feb 2022 EDC: Apple iPhone 11 Victorinox Cadet Swiss Army Knife Casio A168 Watch Leather Wallet   

Found a nice example of a 1991-1992 Swiss Army Knife Explorer model.  I dated it based on the tang stamp on the main blade is from 1986-1992 and it has to be after 1991 as it includes the carrier hook on the bottom tools. The old style grey magnifying lens confirms it’s an older model Explorer and those were from 1973-2004. Overall a good find for $20.  And something I wanted to complete my collection as a counterpoint with the similar 4 layer Huntsman.  The choice of Phillips and magnifying lens makes this a useful choice.

Lately, I’ve simplified my Pocket EDC and generally carry 7 core items with an additional 4 optional items. My core consists of: iPhone 11 Wallet Keys Wristwatch USB thumb drive (on keychain) Swiss Army Knife (on keychain) Bandaids (in wallet) My optional items: Airpod Pro Pen LED flashlight BIC Lighter More often than not I’m including only the optional Airpods with my core EDC.  The rest I find more convenient leaving in my messenger bag or backpack that I have near me.

I’ve been wanting to invest in a foldable backpack and was considering Osprey and some other brands, but wasn’t ready to spend $30 dollars or more. Instead, I got a Foldable Backpack from Daiso for only $4.  I needed something to carry a water bottle and some snacks while out and about; this bag was perfect! But for $4 understand you are getting an ultralight bag with very thin material and weak zippers.  Treat it gently and it’ll work fine.  The instruction tag also warns to avoid moisture so it’s probably not water resistant and could get soaked. Plenty of Pockets This thing comes with a main compartment, a smaller compartment (where it also reverses and folds back into) as well as two side mesh pouches that can fit a small bottle of water.  There is also a small hanging pocket within the main compartment. I found the pockets quite useful, although I wouldn’t put anything expensive or valuable in the side mesh pockets, I just stowed cheap water bottles. Watch the Straps CAUTION on th

I’ve now had the opportunity to own and try both Alox and Cellidor Victorinox Swiss Army knives.  The Alox and Cellidor describe the type of materials used on the knife handles or scales. Alox Alox is Victorinox’s branding of Aluminum Oxide and are the metallic scales that were used commonly on their military issued Soldier knives to the Swiss Army from the 1960s until about 2008.  They also maintained civilian versions with the Pioneer Alox being a near perfect copy of the Soldier with addition of a key ring. Cellidor Cellidor is their branding of plastic scales that they’ve used for many years on their civilian knife models and famous for their red Cellidor knives. So which is better? Neither, both are.  Its really what you are seeking and how you plan to use the knife.  The common complaint of Cellidor is due to the inherent nature of plastic in that it’s brittle and susceptible to cracking on hard impact or disintegrating from harsh chemicals.  Alox is metal and more resistant to b

Finally taking the plunge and picked up my first Limited Edition and going with the Aqua Blue Alox Pioneer.  The Pioneer is part of the annual colors editions released in 2020 and found this one for a particular good price. I’m also halting my collecting for remainder of 2021, with exception of picking up perhaps another Limited Edition like a 2021 Alox Pioneer X. They made half-a-billion Swiss Army Knives as of 2017 so I see no reason to chase after common models and styles.  Instead focus on the Limited Editions. The Main Blade This is the most substantial main blade that I've yet to experience on a Swiss Army Knife and I own several different models from the svelte 58mm Classic to the 111mm Trekker and the blade on the 93mm Alox is a beefy contender.  It has a very strong backspring and is sharpened more aggressively.  I could feel my fingernail getting cut just by running it across the edge.   The Pioneer earns its reputation as the 'Civilian' version of the old Soldier

Amazon is pretty cool (or scary) in that it retains a history of everything I've ever purchased and I just realized I got my Victorinox Swiss Army Knife - One Hand Trekker from their site in 2011, making it a decade old.  It still looks and feels brand new as I barely used it. Locking Blade The Trekker is a substantial size knife in comparison with other Swiss Army Knives and one of the reasons I picked one up was I had sliced my hand pretty badly using a regular 91mm Swiss Army Knife and was seeking a locking blade and preferred sticking with the Victorinox brand, thus the 111mm Trekker. Error was more on me, I was moving while on a hike and trying to multi-task and was cutting something and wham.  Blood dripping everywhere.  Fortunately, I was able to wrap my hand and apply first aid.  I was only a few hours into my journey and circled back before it got dark.  While it hurt like heck, I was still able to drive home and didn't need to go to a hospital.  I had just gotten my

Portability, Weight and a good pair of Scissors.  These are the three (3) factors in determining which Swiss Army Knife is ideal for Urban EDC and after trying and owning several models I've reached the conclusion the Climber is the ideal model for me.  Other contenders would be: Compact (no awl, no second blade) Super Tinker (Phillips head instead of corkscrew) Pioneer X (no bottom side tools and awl instead of second blade). Specifications Large Blade Small Blade Can Opener Bottle Opener Scissors Awl/Reamer Corkscrew Tweezers Toothpick Go Big? But the Saw... You can easily get all the tools you want by upgrading to most 4+ layer models like the Huntsman, Explorer, etc, but then weight and portability become an issue and I've pocket carried on separate occasions the Huntsman or Climber and I could feel the difference of an extra half ounce of weight in the Huntsman.  Also, while I have used the wood saw, I don't think that is of value in a typical Urban setting (although

I've decided to restart my Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Collection for 2021.  I recently acquired an Alox Cadet and now have both a Huntsman and Climber on the way. I plan to acquire only a few more models and prefer now the Alox for durability and aesthetics.  The plastic scale models will be more for utility and stored away at the office, home and bags. Current Collection Swiss Champ Red // 2011 // Collectible Trekker Black // 2011 // BOB bag Huntsman Silver Tech // 2016 // EDC rotation Black // 1979-1985 // Hiking Bag Cadet Alox Silver // EDC rotation Climber Black // 1979-1985 // Collectible Traveler // 1979-1985 // Collectible Hoffritz // 1985-1990 // Collectible Ruby // 1992-2005 // EDC rotation Camper Red // 1999-2005 // Collectible Spartan  Red // 2009-2011 // Car Red // 2009-2011 // Office Ruby/Sapphire // 2009-2011 // Messenger Bag Classic Classic // First Aid Classic Lite // Collectible With the Huntsman and Climber on the way, this has freed up several Spartans that are

I’m usually with my messenger bag that includes more items, like first aid, bottled water and some snacks.  But if I’m on foot around town this is usually what I have in my pockets along with my keys and a Kingston 8gb USB drive. I’ll likely add a Bic lighter to make for a more complete basic tool set.  Possibly a small bit of paracord wrapped in a keychain. March 2021: iPhone 11 Ballpoint pen Victorinox Cadet Swiss Army Knife Leather wallet    

The past 12 months have been the wildest of my life and even that is an understatement.  To commemorate the COVID-19 years and remind myself of how crazy its been I picked up a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife - Alox - Cadet. I've always wanted an Alox model ever since I purchased the Alox 8gb USB drive and found the all metal design truly breathtaking.  There is a certain feeling of assurance in its durability when you hold it in your hands and while its smaller than my Spartan it weighs about the same. My trusty Spartan has been by my side for several years and unfortunately its begun to show its age and the plastic scales are warping and coming undone.  While I have several other Spartans, I wanted to opt for an Alox as my everyday carry as I anticipate this will last longer and not require more regular replacement, although my Spartan has been with me for at least 7 years. In short, the Alox Cadet is beautiful and I'm very pleased.  While it'll take some getting used to as I