The Extremely Long Swiss Champ XLT Review!

[Mesbefok]

Unfortunately I do not have the model no of the seath. I'll try and find it if I visit the knife dealer soon and let u know. Regards.

[kkokkolis]

I still EDC it if you'd like to know. Not only that, but I EDC a Surge also, complete with 2 bit kits, extension and seath. This beast made my XLT to look as a small and lightweight option.
Do I use the tools that Cybertool 41 or Swisschamp lack? Yes, a lot. I even use the spatula to stir my drinks (I always clean it with dish soap afterwards).
Could I stick with a Swisschamp or Cybertool 41? Yes I could (even with a Climber or Mountaineer) but I would have less blades to play and, with my age and work schedule, playing chances are restricted.
I think I'll EDC it forever. I might put the Surge on call but the XLT not.

[djw]

I EDC CT41. It has most of the tools that XLT have. I miss the ruler and magnifying glass. But victorinox has a sheath designed with a plastic ruler that includes the magnifying glass as well as a compass and temperature/fahrenheit indicator. This ruler is thin, light and unobtrusive and fits into a separate compartment in the leather sheath which houses my CT41 perfectly.

It's an old thread, I know - but the information might still be useful for anyone deciding between XLT and CT41.

I believe the sheath is 4.0565.03. The ruler/compass/thermometer/magnifying glass is 4.0568.44.

[Huntsman]

Great post friends and thanks for all your comments   
Particularly of course to Spoonrobot and kkokkolis - especially good to hear about your use of the tool  - so thanks for taking the time to make the  posts 

It's funny even when you think you know about something (ie the XLT, although I do not own one) posts like this are still fascinating and you still learn stuff.

I have carried a SAK for probably 40 years or so (ouch) but always dismissed the Swisschamp as silly - ie too big.
However since starting collecting SAKs last year - and subsequently joining MTo - of course, now I do own a Swisschamp - and have even enjoyed carrying and using it - one of my collection rules is I have to carry/use the tool.
So my categorisation of 'silly' moved 'up' to anything bigger than the SC

Of course - this post has now got me thinking about getting an XLT 

[kkokkolis]

Funny, just after EDCing the XLT for over 2 years, people here persuaded me I shouldn't EDC 2kgrs of tools everyday and at the same time I received as a gift an Alox with scissors, so I carry that with a Spirit now. But I miss the XLT, it has so many tools to play with. I miss the small blade (used very frequently for removing paper from my VG bottles for example), the file's tip (prying on delicate stuff), the hook (yes), the Cybertool (I love the use of it), the magnifying glass (I use a triplet in its place at least), the spatula (I have to use the blade as a tea stirrer, we don't have those nice plastic stirrers they use in the US here) and the pruner blade (there is the Warncliff on my Minichamp, thank Swiss god!). But I still have it by my bedside and I can play with it at home.
Wide as it is, it still fits nicely in a palm and the drivers can be used, providing less speed but more torque as it is. And then, it is an "I've got bigger genitalia" thing, in a symbolic sense of course. Always in fashion with Eurasian populations.

[Mextreme]

Ohh no. You had to do it.
The one Sak I thought I didn´t need is now officialy on the list of must haves. No item has ever made it out of that list without a purchase. The thoughts of it will intensify until it´s in the mailbox.
Excellent review and comments, unfortunately....

[Grass]

Still kicking around the idea of getting this one; there's got to be somewhere relatively affordable to find one... FelineVet seems to be out of them at the moment

[kkokkolis]

They are more affordable than the XAVT (which I also couldn't resist to have and I'm not a collector, I have just a dozen after 30 years but I wouldn't skip the most tool loaded).

[djw]

I have a SwissChamp XLT, which I use every day for a variety of tasks. I have a CyberTool 34 on order, which will give my the tools I use the most in a lighter and slimmer package for everyday carry, but I find the XLT to be a very practical tool and there are times I'm grateful for the tools it has that smaller knives lack. The spatula is useful for a variety of tasks - I recently used it to stop the suction of a vacuum cleaner spinning a fan when I was vacuuming the dust out of a computer.

I felt the size and usability differences between the SwissChamp XLT and the CyberTool 41 were not enough to have any personal justification for owning both the XLT and CT41, especially as the CT41 was significantly more expensive than the CT34. For those who don't have an XLT or can't get on with the size, I can see the attraction of the CT41.

I have no use for the SwissChamp XAVT - the size and value would make it a pure collector piece for me, though everyone has their own trade off between size, weight and usability.


I carry a MiniChamp with my keys, which gets a lot of use, especially opening letters and packages, peeling oranges and cutting small areas of damage out of apples and similar hard fruit.

[Grass]

SwissChamp XLT arrived today. You would not want to try to be doing something in a small space, but otherwise seems quite usable with my relatively large hands. I am staring at it with two thoughts going through my head - (1) this is beautiful; and (2) I'm an addict and need help.

[Zed]

I avoid these posts in fear ill want one  my largest sak is my swisschamp,taxidad kindly gave me it ages ago,ive always thought it would be the largest i go sak wise,i also carry a scaled down handyman and even slimmer explorer,but now looking at this post i want a xlt  although im sure it would end up in my backpack and too be honest i prefer a plier based mt there  Great review

[HarleyXJGuy]

Sigh.

 

[Zed]

Sigh.

 

big sigh 

[matzesu]

Just made a new try to fit my XLT in the Knifepocket of my Pant, and if i swiffel it a bit whyle i pull the Knife out, it dosnt get stuck between the bit driver and the Locking Pin from the Pocket...

XLT is my best SAK so far, and the expensived since the Swisstool i got 16 Yeahrs ago..
The Swisstool was about 160 Deutsche Mark Back then, the XLT something about 150 Euro, which should be something like 300 Deutsche Mark bevore whe go the €..
But its whort every Single "Pfennig"..

[samek]

I have XLT for a long time. I made a little improvement  - knife has too many philips screwdrivers – I changed a solid phillips screwdriver into a marlin spike 






Samek

[matzesu]

Naha, i think the Philips from the Bit Driver is for bit smaler Phillips Screews and the one opposide the Mag Glas for bit bigger Phillips Screws..

Somethimes i think the Main Blade isnt that sharp but i dotnt know how sharp sharp is..

Somebody hear who have Problems to carry the  XLT??

[JM_Toolfan]

I'd like to thank the author of the Extremely Long Swiss Champ XLT review (kkokolis) - and this still some 5 years after he published it. I wondered whether it might be worth the (considerable) investement and even more than that, whether i would suit my trouser pocket. The review (a state of the art report, my compliments) convinced me to try. In fact, the most serious problem (as to whether or not it fits in a trouser pocket - essential for every day use (EDC)) was in ahead decided to be resolved (the knive being substantially similar to the dimensions of a cigarette box, only a bit narrower). Now, I'm very grateful for this review with so many good photographs. I can assure to anybody: Do NOT bother about the "bulbiness" or "thickness" of this knife. It suits your fist perfectly and nonetheless DOES find place in a trouser pocket (I dislike wearing sheaths on my belt). The only weak point is that it lacks practicable pliers. I resolved this problem like this: In my left trouser pocket, I carry a Leatherman Wave plus Bit Set (see my review on the Leatherman Bit Set on this website). In my right trouser pocket, I wear the XLT plus a Flashlight plus my flat keys (I don't bother that this will scratch the XLT plastic handle shells). So, you may refer to the very first photo of the Extremely long Swiss Champ XLT Review: This is a sort of maximum combination of what you can carry in your trouser pockets. Compliments!!! a state-of-the-art photograph! Cons to the author to compare just the two classical "rivals" of the field. In my mind, it's no contrast but they complement each other (although honestly said all the functions that are double are resolved better on the SAK). One mention about the magnifying lens: I used to have an old Swiss Champ until I lost it. The new magnifying lens has indeed a longer focal length than the old one but the magnification ratio depends on the distance from wich you watch the poit of interest (say, a splinter in the finger). Thanks to the much wider field of view you achieve an even greater versatility. The some Millimeter shortened Philips screwdriver does not resent this. I can say: watch out in Internet for affordable offers and do NOT puzzle about whether a Cybertool might be a (more affordable) alternative. Afterwards you would regret. The XLT is the king because it combines all advantages of a Swiss Champ and a Cybertool. It DOES fit in your trouser pocket!!!

[JM_Toolfan]

To matzesu: I possess a recent XLT and I can tell you the small blade IS a bit sharper than the big one (finger test only- not measured). Now, this will be a conscious choice because the sharper the blade the faster it will wear out. Since only few persons ever sharpen their knive with a grindstone, the blade needs to be designed to last for a life - and this works well in the case of Voctorinox. A good observation! Greetings!

[kkokkolis]

Actually, Spoonrobot was the original poster of the original Extremely Long Swiss Champ XLT Review. I just added a follow-up review at some point, more than three years ago. Still, the Swisschamp XLT remains one of my most valuable possessions, the one I like to play with a lot. It looks big but it's smaller than it looks.  It's just its personality that's larger than life.

[Xero]

i just shelled out the money to buy one myself.

i had the original swisschamp years ago - got stolen from me  along with some other knives in a move long ago (yet they left my wenger toolchest plus which was sitting right next to it....oh well)

the swisschamp xlt and the toolchest plus seem like they're almost the same width - i never minded the width of the TCP so i'm curious what the XLT will be like, really looking forward to the bit driver.

i don't get why victorinox has discontinued all the cool models? the xlt....ct41...etc...i always wanted an xlt and now that i learned it's discontinued i decided to grab a new old stock one while i still can....

[Huntsman]

i don't get why victorinox has discontinued all the cool models? the xlt....ct41...etc...i always wanted an xlt and now that i learned it's discontinued i decided to grab a new old stock one while i still can....

Hi Xero
I think these models are still available.
At least they are in the 2015 catalogue - Which is the current one available via their website.

Don't forget:

• Unfortunately they do not show all their models on their website (more in the catalogue - and much better organised IMHO!!)
• They renamed the CT41 to be CT L - as in Large!

[Bluermlou]

i don't get why victorinox has discontinued all the cool models? the xlt....ct41...etc...i always wanted an xlt and now that i learned it's discontinued i decided to grab a new old stock one while i still can....

Hi Xero
I think these models are still available.
At least they are in the 2015 catalogue - Which is the current one available via their website.

Don't forget:

• Unfortunately they do not show all their models on their website (more in the catalogue - and much better organised IMHO!!)
• They renamed the CT41 to be CT L - as in Large!

The XLT is definitely still available as I bought a brand new one from the victorinox store in NYC on Saturday.

[Xero]

ahh, you learn something new every day! I had no idea they just didn't have them on their website! I need to seriously look at that catalog now. I bet i'm going to find a bunch more stuff I want now, lol.

That actually makes me feel a lot better. I was afraid I was buying up old stock or something. Still, I guess that means the XLT is pretty pricey for what it is. I was thinking the price was just inflated due to it being old stock. Ah well. I must have one. I guess some kinda "duo-giftbox" that comes with the classic SD and xlt...

I guess they even still make the crazy big XAVT! That thing tempts me, but the XLT has everything i ever wanted....superchamp + bit driver + those extra knife blades for electrical work and etc...and it doesn't lose the full size phillips bit, which is the one thing that put me off from the CT41.

If I end up liking the bit driver a lot, I could see myself wanting a CT Lite for computer work...we'll see...I still would probably want an XLT cause I wanted woodsaw+bit driver+dedicated phillips in one unit....would be cool to have woodsaw+bitdriver+flashlight+scissor+pliers but I can't see going to an XAVT just for that, haha!

[Xero]

Yayy! It's here! I decided to take pictures of it next to my badly beat up wenger (toolchest plus? non-locking main blade, though, so it's an older one) and my classic SD and nailclippers, which are also new as of today!





I've only found one other picture of an XLT with a TCP, so I wanted to really get a notion of size comparison.

For whatever it's worth, the XLT is nearly the same width, it's sooo close, but i think the XLT might just be a tiny tiny hair wider. Length wise, of course, the vic is longer, but we already knew that!

However, in terms of usability, I feel like the tools in the XLT are way more useful as a whole. The compass eats up so much space on the TCP, it's not worth it. I've probably never had a legitimate use for it either. The scissors are completely broken on my TCP, which is a shame, and the pliers were one of the only things I liked, since they were slip joint which was kinda cool, except, the wenger-style backspring is basically useless now since as soon as the tool gets a little dirty, those wenger backsprings are the first thing to stop working right. At the moment that wenger is so dirty you need another tool just to extract any of the tools out of it! It's a nail breaker. Needless to say, it's probably getting retired now that the XLT is here! But I still had to do a comparison!

It's also amazing the price difference. An Evolution S54 (the current version of the Wenger TCP) is something like $70-80. The XLT? Yeah...2x that or more! But...is it worth it? From what I'm seeing now - comparing the vintage TCP to the brand new XLT - the quality difference is pretty big. XLT wins there as well.

[kkokkolis]

XLT is THE SAK for me. XAVT and Giant are bigger but XLT is at the sweetspot of usability and remains a great conversational SAK.

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[SAK Guy]

XLT is THE SAK for me. XAVT and Giant are bigger but XLT is at the sweetspot of usability and remains a great conversational SAK.

Στάλθηκε από το LG-V500 μου χρησιμοποιώντας Tapatalk