Wenger S557.

[Mr. Whippy]

Not sure if I'm gonna do pictures to go with this.  I've been EDCing the S557 around the farm for a couple weeks.  My first impression is fairly positive with only one significant negative.

First off, the locking blade is very nice.  The unlock mechanism is very trick!  The blade is thinner than a Vic main blade but is extremely sharp out of the box.  It holds its edge fairly well and sharpens nicely.

The scissors are awesome.  The slip joint pliers work very well, considering their size.  Not a Leatherman type pliers, but it works well on smaller objects.  The phillips head works fine.  The bottle opener works better than the Vic version. The tang seems to engage the caps better.

The one negative relates to the universal wrench.  I have yet to find a nut that it works on.  I was hoping a 7/16 nut (1/4 bolt) would fit.  No go.  All of the smaller sized nuts I've tried were not accessible enough to use the wrench. 

Size-wise it is very pocketable.  However, for me, I doubt it will be a permanent EDC.  If the wrench would work on a larger nut, it would likely replace the Skeletool (or Vic Spirit) around the farm.  The compromise that is the small pliers combined with the not too functional universal wrench taint my view of this tool.

Too bad, because I had really wanted to like this tool.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'm not sure, but I think the wrench is in metric sizes since Switzerland (and the rest of the world!) uses metric!  I haven't measured it, but that may be why you haven't found a nut that fits properly.

I like the S557 and think it's a great knife. 

Def

[Mr. Whippy]

It's more that

a) it won't take a 7/16 nut (10 or 11 mm?) in the jaws. So it's limited to small nuts

and

b) frequently small nuts are very close to corners where you can't get the tool on the nut correctly because:
                     1) Interference with with sides of the structure or
                     2)  The nut is so flush with surface, the universal wrench has to sit askew of the small nut.


If it were me, I'd make the jaws go out to a 1/2 (13 mm) sized nut and possibly make it detachable.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Good point.  I don't have one with me, and I'm mostly metric, so 7/16 is another language! 

I find it's great at electronics work- old, stuck computer case screws are a snap with it. 

Def

[Mr. Whippy]

Hmmm...

After measuring the universal wrench, it appears to fit 5/16 and 8 mm nuts very well.  Actually works really well.  You can really apply some torque.

Question:  Does anyone see a problem with filing off 1/8 inches (3 mm) off of the universal wrench?  That would make it capable to accept 7/16 (10-11 mm) nut and would be significantly more useful to me.

[Grant Lamontagne]

That seems like a significant amount on something so small... do you think it could maintain it's integrity under pressure when it's that much thinner?

Def

[DoughDTD]

I would say that would probably be a bad idea.  There is significant strucural stress on the wrench in the location you are looking to file away, and removing 1/8" of the material will allow applied torque during use to bend or break the wrench.  And as to the note about the wrench being metric....I believe it is a universal wrench designed very much in the same way as the McFeely Pocketwrench or an old Alligator Wrench with small "hook" teeth to engage all different sized nuts and bolt heads.  It is not incrementally sized like the atwrench or Crony.

[Mr. Whippy]

Thanks for the input.  Guess I'll wait until I find a "donor SAK" to try it out on.