...or:
A Junior for the junior
For most of us getting the first knife for our little ones is a pretty big deal, so choosing „the right one“ can be a difficult decission.
Having none myself yet, my sister was kind enough to make me a double uncle, so I can have a dry run so to speak :-)
So, what to get for a little boy?
A SAK is always a good choice, no matter what.
So that is set.
But which one to get?
A Victorinox Huntsman is among the most popular sellers for Victorinox, and rightfully so.
Its also one of my personal favorites :-)
Luckily a new release from Victorinox for this year is the Delémont Edition Junior 03, essentially a kid-friendly Huntsman, based on the Wenger 85mm frame, equipped with a locking blade and a blunt tip for safety.
Side by side with its own parents, Wenger Evo17 and Vic Huntsman :-)
The mainblade comes sharp as usual with Victorinox. Opening is smooth, with little effort, so a kid most likely can open it without any difficulty. The blunt tip will prevent any accidential stab.
The blade then has a halfstop at about 95°:
For closing the blade the locking lever has to be pushed down.
There might be some parental assistance needed here, the lever needs some force.
But better this way, than when it would disengage too easy.
Next comes the nailfile, rather useful, when the hands got dirty playing in the mud :-)
Fun fact:
The files tooth are on the othe side, compared to the setting on the older Wenger models:
My guess is, that this change was made to prevent marring up the mainblade, as the toothing now faces the liner, not the bade anymore.
Same is true for the file on the S54, reviewed here:
http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,53707.0.htmlOne of my personal favorite tools when I was a kid was the saw. The Junior 03 comes with the standard saw, tapered to the back, preventing the saw to get stuck in the cutting media:
No surprises here, a tried and true design, no need for any improvements.
The scissors are an often needed tool and for kids-use they are awesome. The microserrations will keep them going, even with hard use or inappropriate cutting media.
Kids learn by trying, so errors in judgement can and will occur :-)
The large screwdriver/caplifter is the locking variety, it sinks into a notch in the backspring, when under downward pressure.
Quite ingenious, and a long standing feature on the Wenger-made SAKs:
On the left, my trusty Huntsman, in the middle the Junior 03 and on the right and older Evo 17
The canopener is now the Victorinox-variety, in my humble oppinion the better design than the older Wenger-one, seen here:
It brings the small screwdriver on top, and both work perfectly.
The new awl is also the Victorinox-version, scraping, poking, piercing, no problem here :-)
No surprises with the corkscrew, it could hold the mini-screwdriver and is great for undoing thight knots.
It will be your little ones time to shine, if your on a family-picknick, and someone forgot to bring a corkscrew :-)
A family-shot:
The old Wenger-awl and the Victorinox-model, now used on all Victorinox made Delémot-Editions:
Caught a splinter while playing in the woods?
Junior 03 to the rescue, as it comes with Toothpick and tweezers, upgraded as well to the Victorinox-design:
A smart move I think, as the Wenger ones, while not bad, where no match for the one made by Vic.
The new tangstamping:
And now the conclusion, as seen by yours truely:
Victorinox has done some awesome things in the past.
Allways improving its products, tinkering to get the best possible tool for the job.
With the merger in 2013 Wenger didnt cease to exist, it evolved into a whole new line in the Victorinox universe, bringing us the best from both SAK-worlds.
In summary, your little one will get a superbly crafted Swiss Army Knife, full of fun and waiting for adventure.
As allways:
If you have any questions, feel free, I will do my best to answer them!
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