Victorinox 111mm questions

[kkokkolis]

Hello everybody.

I never had a Victorinox 111mm but, eventually, I might get one, just because I'd like to try it. I favored a Wenger Ranger for a while but now I'm inclined to Victorinox again. But until I get oneI have two questions for you:
1. In the pic from a Piraeus store, it is visible that the regular 111mm have a sharp tipped blade, but the OHO Duo blades seem rounded and not penetrative. Is that true or just an illusion?
2. What is the 111mm blade length? Also, is it the same for OHO and regular models?

Thank you.

[enki_ck]

Sorry, I meant to answer that question in the Game thread but it slipped my mind. The sharpened portion of the regular 111mm blade is 79mm, the whole blade including the tang is 86mm. I don't have a OHO model so I can't answer that one.

[Syph007]

I can tell you the standard OH trekker sure has a pretty blunt tip.  Some other variatins are more point though, but Im unclear as to which exactly.

[kkokkolis]

Thank you.
So, it is equal to the popular Opinels No 8 and my Leatherman Surge's blades.
But a blunt tip blade doesn't appeal to me. They already have the non tipped belt cutter there, why shouldn't the main blade be regular?

[nic]

If you lay a Victorinox OHO blade over the regular 111mm blade, apart from the thumb loop, the blade has a profile that is identical to the regular 111mm. It looks like a sheepsfoot, but the tip profile is actually the same as any regular SAK blade.

This is just the Swiss style. A very traditional blade shape, free of the 'tactical' overtones of a drop or clip point blade. In fact, I think that the Swiss Army Knife is deliberately utilitarian, and not at all optimised for use as a weapon. This is a cost effective tool to take care of the day to day tasks that a soldier has to perform in the field, so actual weapons can be preserved in a state of maximum readiness and efficiency. This sort of logic is all through the design. I have been playing with OH Trekkers for a week or two, and I suspect that even the funky ergonomics (i.e. The 'left-handed' liner lock) is to ensure that the majority of Swiss and German soldiers preserve their hands by forcing them to close the knife safely using two hands.

The Wenger Rangers on the other hand have a sharper point, are bigger and sturdier with scales that enhance a firm grip, and you can release the liner lock with your right thumb. The downside is that the knife is probably 1/3 or so more bulky than a Victorinox equivalent.

Attached is a photo of a Wenger Watch Knife, a Victorinox 111mm Cheese knife, a OHT, a Wenger Classic 16, a Victorinox Electrician, and a Swisstool X. The OHT isn't that blunt, is very similar to the standard 111mm, and will probably come to more of a point over time as it is sharpened.

[sawman]

IMO, Vic blades of all sizes, are not ideal for puncturing.  I find them to be more centered toward ease of slicing.

[sawman]

Another thought about piercing sharp blade points is there is a disadvantage: it makes the tip more prone to damage...

[nic]

Most SAK knives come with an awl, a purpose built tool for puncturing. And the large flatblade has also been built with use as a prybar in mind (this is very evident on the OHT and the Swisstool).

Many people (especially those from the US) have a nostalgia for the 'frontier blade', a nigh indestructible steel slab of a utility blade that can act as a knife, axe, can opener, prybar....

Swiss knives don't need to do that as they have a knife, wood saw, can opener, pry bar, screw driver, awl, toothpick, and tweezers.....

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

IMO, Vic blades of all sizes, are not ideal for puncturing.  I find them to be more centered toward ease of slicing.

Yup; what he said! 

[kkokkolis]

Yes, but sometimes you have to pierce something in order to cut it. And a sharp tip helps cutting paper in X-Akto style.

[firiki]

That's why I prefer the 108mm tip. It's relatively thinner so it becomes incisive enough to puncture a starting point for the cut 

The 111mm linerlocks are indeed bluntish and sharp, this is because they are meant to be good at slicing as others have pointed out already and it helps preserve an effective tip (that isn't a weapon). The plain edge blades are a little pointier in general I think but the serrated ones have a very sharp tip

I think my ideal for a locking blade would be a Vic 111mm slide-lock blade with a linerlock instead and maybe just a tad more robust overall.

Χρόνια σου πολλά Κώστα, is this your birthday present? - Aris

[kkokkolis]

Thank you Ari.
This is my present:
http://forum.multitool.org/index.php?topic=44761

[crackout]

I just came up with wonder about a certain 111 tool combination.
How come there are no 111 sized Vics with scissors that don't have a saw?

I'd love to see a modern Outrider without a saw.

[firiki]

Thank you Ari.
This is my present:
http://forum.multitool.org/index.php?topic=44761

Jeez, that's a brute. I am amazed by the sheer bulk of it everytime! Nice catch