STACK Challenge Part 2: Swisschamp Boogaloo

BPRoberts · **Reply #60 on:** April 28, 2022, 02:27:59 AM

Day 58

Light day for the Swiss Champ. Scissors opened some fruit snacks, and that's about it. Continuing the "other knives" series of pics, here it is with my EDC Executive. It basically never leaves my keychain (except when I'm using it) and has been the Champ Plus and Swiss Champ's trusty back up for the last two months. Mostly, I just use the nail file, but there's been a few times I left the Champ sitting on my desk or something and the Exec has had to step in. For my money, it's the best keychain knife Vic makes. The "large" blade is just big enough to slice an apple, and the peeler is a great package opener. I'm not entirely sure the second small blade is necessary, the peeler handles most "messy" tasks that I'd normally use the second blade for, but I guess it doesn't hurt. If they could find a way to cram a 58mm style combo tool in there, I'd take it, but I don't think it'd fit. The scissors, despite their goofy looking proportions, are a small upgrade on the already serviceable 58's, and the file is a great step up. For me, the Cadet is a little too big to put on my keychain, so having something more capable than the Rambler but not too bulky is nice. In all honesty, I could probably get way with just carrying it and be fine 99% of the time if I'm not camping, working around the house, etc.

BPRoberts · **Reply #61 on:** April 28, 2022, 10:54:50 PM

Day 59

Got the plyers out again today to adjust the prong of a fan plug. Also sliced an apple. One more day!

BPRoberts · **Reply #62 on:** April 30, 2022, 03:33:44 AM

DAY 60!

Made it to the end! Took a last glam shot on the counter of the RV we're staying in for the weekend. Only use today (the night is still young!) was slicing my apple at lunch. Here are my thoughts after carrying the Swiss Champ for the last month, and the Champion Plus the month before:

Anyone who tells you the Swiss Champ is too big for EDC needs bigger pockets. It’s smaller than my wallet, and a hell of a lot more useful. I should probably slim down my wallet.

Here’s my overall rundown on all the tools, how I used them, and how necessary I feel they are for my personal EDC. I grouped them by by layer, rather than individual tool, since that’s how you have to get them for the most part.

Daily or near daily:

Blade Layer and Corkscrew- The main blade sliced a lot of apples in the last two months, as well as a hotdog and a few other bits of food. I tried to primarily use the small blade when I was dealing with non food (opening packages, cutting line, etc.) but it also did a little light whittling to make a marshmallow stick. I’ve long questioned the need for a second blade (vs a file a la the Cadet) and I see the use a lot more now.

Particularly with the ILP I much prefer the cork screw to the backside Phillips. It did a fair bit of knot poking, and the glasses screwdriver also came in handy a few times.

Opener Layer and Awl- I maintain that the can opener is the single most valuable tool on the Swiss Army Knife, and while the extra tools on the Swiss Champ reduce that somewhat, it still opened a few packages, tightened a few screws, and grabbed onto a few things that the hook was too small for. It also opened a surprising number of cans. It’s partner, the cap lifter, didn’t see quite as much use, but still handled a few screws, a fair amount of light scraping and prying, and a couple of beers. I don’t think I’ll ever be willing to give this up for the combo tool, and the lack of openers is probably the main reason I’ll never carry an Executive as my only EDC. The Awl is a nice all purpose stabby/scrapey tool, that succeeds when nothing else can quite get the job done surprisingly often. Someday I’ll use that sewing eye…

Scissors and Hook- Like most people, I probably use the scissors more than the knife. These are duplicated on most of the 58s and 74s, so I don’t know that they’re an absolute requirement, but they’re more capable and nice to have. Their backside buddy, the hook, got regular use helping me carry groceries, and was well appreciated for it.

Scale Tools- Only used the pin once or twice, but all the rest came in fairly handy. The best (and probably only good) use of the metal file was adding a point to the tweezers. They only came out a few times, but I was grateful for the precision when they did. I used the toothpick for its stated purpose most days. I love the pen and don’t know that I’ll ever EDC a SAK without plus scales. Or maybe I just need to buy one of those telescoping keychain pens.

Weeklyish:

Pliers- At the start of this challenge, I really questioned the pliers. Proportionally, they add a lot of weight/thickness to the knife. After two months though, I was glad to have them. While they can’t replace a full size pair for weekend plumbing projects, they can take care of a lot of little annoyances at camp or around the office.

Mag Glass/In-Line Phillips- I think my biggest take away from the challenge was how much better the ILP is than the can opener driver. Also nice that you don’t have to worry about damaging it on an overtorque as much. I’m sorely tempted to say I need one on future EDCs. The mag glass was rarely necessary, but was cool often enough that I’d take it over the weak LED that’s the other option here.

Wood Saw and Technician’s Screwdriver- This is right on the verge between the weekly and monthly categories. While I used it more than the metal saw, it wasn’t enough that I’d demand it for EDC. Definitely wouldn’t want to go to camp without it though. Tech screwdriver only saw one or two uses, and I would generally prefer to use the driver on the Exec (or a 58mm combo tool) for screws of this size.

Fish Scaler- I think Vic would get a lot less crap about this if they renamed it “all purpose poker/scraper” or something. I loved having something I could wriggle in to gaps to grab/press things in my pocket. I really wish it was easier to find this and the ILP together.

Monthly or less:

Metal Saw/File and Chisel- I just don’t work with metal enough to justify this, especially given the meh performance. The file saw occasional use, but not enough to convince me it was a necessity. For a nail file, I’d prefer either the Cadet or the Exec’s. The chisel is a great Lego disassembly tool, but that's nothing the openers can’t handle.

Overall, the surprise this month was how often I actually used the pliers. After the first month with the Champion Plus, I was pretty happy with the idea of carrying an Outdoorsman and saving the smidge of thickness/weight on the Metal Saw layer, but the Swiss Champ is now my go to “thick” SAK. I’m hoping to do a month or two with a three or four layer model to see how they compare. I do feel like the slimmer knives (with more centered tools) offer some ergonomic advantages, but I’m not sure it’s enough to make up for the extra utility.

In closing, glad I did the challenge, and thanks to SteveP for staring me on this road with his Challenge of Champions last month!

Farmer X · **Reply #63 on:** April 30, 2022, 04:12:12 AM

I've been meaning to make a video on how often I've used every tool on a SwissChamp. The metal saw may as well be never; I haven't used one in over 20 years. I only occasionally use the wood saw, but it's invaluable when working in the yard.

Great job with the past 60 days. Badge well-earned!

Barry Rowland · **Reply #64 on:** April 30, 2022, 05:26:14 AM

Great job!!

SteveP · **Reply #65 on:** April 30, 2022, 08:07:32 AM

Great job with the 60 day run! And I enjoyed reading your recap. Very similar to my usage patterns. The Champ is a little large, but packs a whole lot of usefulness into a relatively small package.
I'm honored to have been the inspiration for this journey.