Introduction:
I just took delivery of the Workchamp, which Heinz and a few other members think pretty highly of. I posted a couple polls in the last week, asking which is more useful between the Workchamp, Wenger Ranger 73, and Wenger Evo S557. I had been thinking about a bigger/heavier multitool for a while.
After thinking on it for a week or so, I decided I'll just get all of them, and if I don't particularly like any, I'll just send them back on my own dime.
The only other lock-blade Victorinoxes I have are an original Adventurer (think: "lock-blade Tinker") and the new Soldier.
I was surprised to find that the nylon scales are a deeper red than on my 80s or 90s era Adventurer. Also, the shield is silkscreened directly on the scales, instead of being painted in a stamped recess, as I recall being the case on the Adventurer.
Lock:
Victorinox's lock release in the scale is a great design; I've always thought so. I wish there was a way to combine this lock release with the one-handed opening design. I don't think it is possible though, since it is on the back scale, so it would only work for lefties.
File:
The file was the next shocker to me. The last file I'd seen on a SAK is my brother's 20+ year-old Swisschamp, and that file doesn't hold a candle to this one. As Heinz said in another thread, it's the nicest file (first impression only) I've ever seen in a multi-tool. It's made of very thick stock, and the cutting surfaces are nice and sharp. Assuming it is properly hardened, the only improvement I could suggest to Victorinox would be to either have a different coarseness on one side, or make one side a diamond file. Having each side identical costs a bit of versatility. Regarding the "saw" on the edge: It would take about a million years to saw through a steel bar with this, because the stock is so thick! But I guess it is good to have it as a bonus, for those emergency situations.
Saw:
The saw is the usual excellent Victorinox saw. It is especially on these larger models, since it allows us to cut larger branches.
Scissors:
Ditto. The usual excellent quality.
Inline Phillips':
Great to have these. However, the #2 is a bit of a challenge to get deployed, since the nub is right next to the blade, which sits higher away from the grip. One needs to use the
corner of one's finger or thumb nail to get it, or open the blade first (in addition to the pliers) to allow more clearance.
Pliers:
Same as on smaller Vic SAKs, but with a nail nick, since it doesn't extend past the end of the grip frame, as it does on the 91mm SAKs.
Can opener:
The usual. Very good.
Bottle opener:
They used the one from the 91mm Vics, which I can't understand. It is probably thinner than the one from the Soldier, and that's why they didn't fit the beefy one. There's plenty of room, lengthwise to get the beefy bottle opener/flat head screwdriver in there. As on the 91mm SAKs, it doesn't lock in place with a liner lock or a spring lock (ala Wenger) but it has a stop at 90° as well as 180°.
Reamer:
The usual, very good.
Corkscrew:
The usual, very good. On a knife like this, I think they'd be better off designing a marlin spike to go here. As we run down the list of tools, the corkscrew doesn't really fit with the theme: blade, pliers, scissors, screwdrivers (5), file, saw....
corkscrew. 
As has been pointed out before, it CAN be pressed into service as kind of a ghetto marlin spike, and it
does contain the great micro flat head screwdriver. So it isn't a tragedy. But I do think it is time for Victorinox to innovate a new tool for this particular SAK real estate. There just isn't such a high per capita ratio of wine drinkers in the USA to always warrant having it.
Key ring:
Definitely more of a 'lanyard loop' on this model. I dare you to carry your keys with this big boy!
Ergonomics:
While the knife is 6-layers thick, it is still quite comfortable in the hand. It does not feel clownishly thick. The only penalty is that it makes for a chunky pocket carry, and the screwdriver action (esp. the flat ones) is a bit more clumsy than on thinner SAKs.
Miscellaneous:
One other thing I didn't think about from seeing previous photos was that the backsprings are mostly smooth, and flush with the back of the frame and scales. It makes the knife much more comfortable in the hand that it would be otherwise.
Room for improvement:
Victorinox should try to place screwdrivers toward the center of the tool stack. For example, the Phillips' are in the 2nd and 5th layers. The knife would have better balance when using the screwdrivers if they were in the 3rd and 4th layers. As usual, the flat screwdrivers with the can/bottle openers are on the very edge, so on a 6-layer knife like this, the body of the knife is kind of flopping around clumsily when one is turning flat head screws. I can't think of any particular reason why the saw and file
must be in the center of the stack. There isn't even a good reason that is backspring-related, on this model.
Overall:
I give this knife a 9/10. I deduct one point for the minor oversights I mentioned above. I'm keeping this one for sure, and I'll make sure I have a quality pouch for it too.
Photos:
Instead of taking a bunch of pix with all the tools open, I took some with the knife in the hand. You can get an "all tools open" pic on swissarmy.com. But side views and in-the-hand views are never shown by them. The other knife shown in the photos below for comparison is a Wenger EvoGrip S16, 85mm. I'm 5'8" tall, and my hands are average size for my height. If anything, I have a bit bigger palms than usual, and a bit shorter fingers. (not that you care, but I thought that bit of info might be helpful if you're trying to figure out how it would fit in
your hands.
)
...now to go down to the lab and see if I can find some work to do with this "champ."
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