Do I need a workchamp?

[Demel]

I've been thinking about trying one of victorinox 111mm knives. The one that appeals to me the most is the workchamp simply because if all its offerings. The thing is I have a spirit, a compact, and signature. So I am not sure what more the workchamp can offer me, but I still want to try it. Should I? or should I pass on it all together? O the struggle continues

[magentus]

You're asking the wrong people here demel of course you need a Workchamp. At least one, if not two.

[Smashie]

Yes you do

[AimlessWanderer]

It doesn't offer any new functions that you don't already have, so it's a question of priorities. How often do you need pliers? Can you cope without the Spirit pliers as you probably won't want to be carrying both tools. Specific bonuses of the Workchamp are the long smaller Phillips that can be used as a marlin spike (apparently), and the additional size of the longer tools (blade, saw, file) which might make certain tasks easier.

[Top-Gear-24]

I've been thinking about trying one of victorinox 111mm knives. The one that appeals to me the most is the workchamp simply because if all its offerings. The thing is I have a spirit, a compact, and signature. So I am not sure what more the workchamp can offer me, but I still want to try it. Should I? or should I pass on it all together? O the struggle continues

If I were you, I would go for a thinner 111mm Vic, like the Soldier, and combine it with your Spirit, but that's just me (I always carry a plier based tool combined with a SAK).  And if it's a bigger knife/saw you're looking for, I would also recommend taking a look at the 130mm Vics, nothing beats the knife/saw on these beauties.  I don't know what you're going to use it for, but for camping/hiking the Spirit along with a 130mm Ranger is an awesome combination in my opinion.

Like I said, I always carry a plier based tool with a Sak, if you only want to carry one tool on you, the Workchamp is probably your best choice  .

Here are some pics of some of the 130mm Vic Rangers:










And here are some pics compairing a Wenger Ranger 130mm with a Vic Soldier 111m and a Spirit, so you can see the difference in size:

[Demel]

Loving the pics it would mainly be used at work in regular rotation with my other tools. It is not a "need" but I like having options 

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[Demel]

50ft, the only thing I'm not fond of on the champ is the pliers. If I could get a plier less workchamp that would be great

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[Demel]

How thick does the champ feel in comparison to tools like the wave or spirit or any other full size mt?  Would it be awkwardly bigger in the sense of width?

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[AimlessWanderer]

50ft, the only thing I'm not fond of on the champ is the pliers. If I could get a plier less workchamp that would be great

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If you lose the pliers, you lose the large Phillips  (it lives underneath)

[Demel]

50ft, the only thing I'm not fond of on the champ is the pliers. If I could get a plier less workchamp that would be great

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If you lose the pliers, you lose the large Phillips  ok: (it lives underneath)

True. But that would be sacrifice I am willing to make.

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[AimlessWanderer]

50ft, the only thing I'm not fond of on the champ is the pliers. If I could get a plier less workchamp that would be great

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If you lose the pliers, you lose the large Phillips  ok: (it lives underneath)

True. But that would be sacrifice I am willing to make.

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Fair play matey  However if you were to look into modding one, you could possibly replace the corkscrew for a backspring phillips if that's an option. Losing the pliers would make the tool noticably slimmer 

[eddie1115]

50ft, the only thing I'm not fond of on the champ is the pliers. If I could get a plier less workchamp that would be great

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If you lose the pliers, you lose the large Phillips  ok: (it lives underneath)

True. But that would be sacrifice I am willing to make.

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Fair play matey  However if you were to look into modding one, you could possibly replace the corkscrew for a backspring phillips if that's an option. Losing the pliers would make the tool noticably slimmer 

This would be an Outrider plus metal saw/file, which wouldn't be much thicker than a stock Outrider, which isn't too bad in a pocket.  I just got a Hercules recently (Workchamp minus metal saw/file) for my day hike/outdoors bag.  I like having a knife-based tool there, and the SAK pliers are good enough for my outdoor uses.  If you're pairing with a full sized MT, then the pliers would become unnecessary/wasted space.

To the original question though, YES, you need one

[Demel]

Outrider plus file sounds good. I don't like having a saw but now file.

[tosh]

Ofcourse, there's always the WorkChamp XL to consider.
I'm a sucker for fat SAKs 

[tosh]

Ofcourse, there's always the WorkChamp XL to consider 
I'm a sucker for fat SAKs 

[charlie fox]

Do you NEED a Workchamp or do you WANT a Workchamp - be careful how you answer as it will change the entire perspective of this conversation

Honestly though, I looked long and hard at one awhile back and just could not justify the size and weight as opposed to a Swisstool or Wave...YMMV

[ToolJoe]

I know it has a saw but have you considered a Hercules?

[pfrsantos]

You're asking the wrong people here demel of course you need a Workchamp. At least one, if not two.

 

[Yuri]

You're asking the wrong people here demel of course you need a Workchamp. At least one, if not two.

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[Smaug]

I love my Workchamp. It is probably my favorite 111mm model.

I chose it instead of a Swisschamp because it has everything I think I would need, without things I don't think I'd need.

• Longer file
• #1 and #2 inline Phillips'
• Scissors
• Locking blade
• Full opener layer
• Longer saw

It IS thick though. Comfortable in the hand, but not in the pocket, unless you use a pocket hanger.

Here is a pic for comparison, with the Workchamp being the thickest one. Wenger Rangers are to the left of it, and a couple Wenger 85mm's on the right:

[Smaug]

Top-Gear: Awesome pix. Sharp and well-exposed, without distortion. We get so used to looking at cell phone pix here (even good ones) that it is always a shock to my optic sensors to see such sharp ones. 

[Smaug]

 

Here's an idea.

If you promise not to abuse it and you pay shipping, you can borrow mine for a couple weeks. Then, you'll know if it's worth it for you to drop some serious coin on.

To me, if I'm going to carry a MT on my belt, it's either going to be a Workchamp or a pliers-based MT. The Workchamp is gives quick access to ALL tools and the blade is easy to open even if you haven't got fingernails. (some guys chew them down something fierce)

Also, I think Victorinox's side lock mechanism is the best in the business. More convenient than a liner lock on an MT, safe, and fast. The only one that gives it a run for the money is Wenger's design, where pressing on the shield actuates a liner lock.

[Top-Gear-24]

Top-Gear: Awesome pix. Sharp and well-exposed, without distortion. We get so used to looking at cell phone pix here (even good ones) that it is always a shock to my optic sensors to see such sharp ones. 

Thanks mate  .

Taking pics of my "collection" is a bit of a hobby of mine.  I even got a mail from an online knife shop showing one of my pics of the 130mm Vic Delémont collection some time ago, to advertise their knives (you can read all about that here).  Long story short, they gave me a BO Rebar to make things right  .

[WoodsDuck]

I'm in a similar boat with wondering if I would like a WorkChamp. I've had an Outrider in my rotation for a bit now, but thought I might (eventually) move up to a WorkChamp or Hercules. My main concern is just if they would be comfortable to use, as I don't have particularly large hands, and I know both models are quite beefy.

[Demel]

I know it has a saw but have you considered a Hercules?

i have but the file thing again 

Here's an idea.

If you promise not to abuse it and you pay shipping, you can borrow mine for a couple weeks. Then, you'll know if it's worth it for you to drop some serious coin on.

To me, if I'm going to carry a MT on my belt, it's either going to be a Workchamp or a pliers-based MT. The Workchamp is gives quick access to ALL tools and the blade is easy to open even if you haven't got fingernails. (some guys chew them down something fierce)

Also, I think Victorinox's side lock mechanism is the best in the business. More convenient than a liner lock on an MT, safe, and fast. The only one that gives it a run for the money is Wenger's design, where pressing on the shield actuates a liner lock.

thanks for the offer i'll shoot you a pm. getting a feel for one in hand would be much easier to decide.

[Demel]

I'm in a similar boat with wondering if I would like a WorkChamp. I've had an Outrider in my rotation for a bit now, but thought I might (eventually) move up to a WorkChamp or Hercules. My main concern is just if they would be comfortable to use, as I don't have particularly large hands, and I know both models are quite beefy.

I like the comment someone said about adding a file to the outrider. it seems to get a workchamp would be the best choice unless you REALLY dont need the file.

[TRUE LIBERTY]

Put a clip on it and you can't but help even like the tool even more.

[Demel]

Very nice

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[Demel]

Thanks to smaug I got to handle a workchamp today for the first time and initial impressions is this is a FAT sak. But it doesn't swallow my hand which is nice. I haven't actually used it yet but I will get to next week. Overall it feels nice. Quality is superb as to expect with victorinox. Thanks again to smaug for lending me such a good tool

[Demel]

To make my time with the workchamp worthwhile I felt I should do a small summary on my experience with it. First a few comparison pictures
As you can see this is one of the big boys, and compared to smaller tools...

As large as it is, is is very comfortable in hand. I have large hands(referring to glove size) and this feels good to hold
I wore it with the sheath and in pocket, and I prefer it in the pocket because of how far it sticks out in the sheath. I don't like it when tools bulge from my belt.

All the tools work as expected from victorinox. I really like the placement as well. Saw and file are center. on each of those are scissors and pliers, and of those the opener layer and blade. Very well thought out. After doing some research, it is almost identical in tool set to the craftsman, except it has only two backside tools. So if you want a supersized craftsman, this will be your new best friend.

Overall a great tool, and one I would eventually add to my collectiion. Very comfortable, perfect tool set, still includes toothpick and tweezer, and has superb quality. My only question to victorinox would be who is the worchamp's competitor? I was trying to think of another company's tool that is similar but I couldn't. It seems to me the workchamp is in a league of its own. Which is not a bad thing. So to victorinox for this awesome tool, and to smaug for sending me the tool to use.