SOSAK 2009 KOTY Wenger RangerGrip 78

[stressmaster5000]

My new SOSAK Wenger RangerGrip 78 came in today and I shot a couple of quick photos to share.

[ufox9al]

Beautiful! 

[cliosguy]

Beautiful! 

indeed

[Benner]

It came out good. 

[stressmaster5000]

Now for a quick review.

• Its big and heavy---this thing weighs in at 5.7 ounces or 164 grams(it should probably be carried in a sheath)
• It measures in at about 126 mm's----personally I like the length compared to the Victorinox 111mm line.
• It feels solid in my hand and I think this is due to the thickness--It's a 3 layer knife with the OH main blade, a wood saw and the opener layer
• The back side tools are a Phillips Screwdriver and the Awl
• The Awl is pretty sharp and pointy compared to other Wenger Awl's but lacks length IMO(I like the 108mm Awl)
• The Phillips Screwdriver has a sharp enough point that it will probably fit most medium screws but it does not really impress me, I figure it will strip off like most cheaper Phillips tips
• The main blade has an odd shaped OH hole that seems a little small for my big thumbs, but I like the feel of the knife with the blade opened.  The thumb rest on the back side is kind of small too but as I have mentioned my thumbs are big. The lock button mechanism for the liner lock seems about right to me. It sits almost flush with the scale so you do not accidentally release it during use. The blade action is smooth and it locks up super tight with no play that I could detect. When closing it the spring action is kind of light but that may be a safety feature.
• The wood saw is massive and looks like it will work very well. I measured it at about 112mm's long with a 100mm usable saw tooth length. Compared to a Victorinox 111mm saw at 95mm's long and a 90mm usable saw tooth length. The base of the saw is much wider as well at 18mm's.
• The can opener seems to be exactly the same as any most other Wenger SAK's. The bottle opener is a little longer and seems beefier but I would hesitate to put much torque on the flat screwdriver tip. The backspring seems a little light since it does not "snap" open very much. It closes fine though.
• The whole knife has a slight curve to the backsprings and seems to aid in the ergonomics for using it. I like the way the wood saw lines up as compared to the Victorinox 111mm.
• Last observation but IMO certainly the best feature of this knife is the scales. They are thick but that makes the whole knife fit my hand so much better. They seem well built and would probably take a beating and hold up well. The rubber grip pads are sufficiently "grippy" but not overly so that it would interfere with ease of use.

My conclusion is; this knife is not something I would put in my pocket and EDC but if I were headed outdoors camping or hunting/fishing, etc, this knife would be my main one. It is superior to the Victorinox 111mm IMO. This is the second Wenger Ranger line I own and probably not the last.

[Gareth]

Thanks for the thoughts mate.  I must have smaller hands than you though; I had no issue with the thumb hole, but I found the overall thickness to be more than it needed to be.  BTW the saw is excellent.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Here's a couple of down and dirty shots of mine, which just arrived this morning!

Def

[WhichDawg]

sweet! the red-monster

I better get on the ball next year!

[Bowman1911]

Purdy!!!

[scrappy]

that iis beautiful

[Neil]

Looking really nice  ...    ...  must be patient

[Freudian Frog]

Beautiful... too bad I couldn't afford it. =S

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

That really is a bit nice

Shame it's not edc-able or I would've been quite tempted

[Chako]

That is nice indeed.

[Black Rose]

Shame it's not edc-able or I would've been quite tempted

Yep, that's why I didn't opt to get in on the offer.

[edap617]

Is it as big as GAK, Def?

[Grant Lamontagne]

Bigger- JZMTL has some great comparison shots in this SOSAKOnline article a while back:

http://sosakonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=474&Itemid=35

The GAK is made on Victorinox' 111mm frame, while the Rangers are based on a 120mm frame.  It doesn't sound like much, but it means that the blade, saw etc is significantly larger when folded out.



The blade has earned the Ranger series the nickname "folding machete" around here, and the extra length is always welcome on a saw!

Def

[Chako]

edap617, if you think that is big, you should see their Wenger Mike Horn model. That is one big thick knife.

[turbov21]

So, so pretty.

WAAAAAANNNNNT! 

[Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!]

It's enormous!

[Gareth]

It's enormous!

Is that your first one Dave?  Big aren't they.

[Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!]

Yeah, it killed two birds with one stone. I predicted it would be too humungasaurus for my tastes and be a drawer Queen, so having it as a KOTY worked out perfectly.

Have I mentioned that it is huge?  

[Gareth]

Yeah, it killed two birds with one stone. I predicted it would be too humungasaurus for my tastes and be a drawer Queen, so having it as a KOTY worked out perfectly.

Have I mentioned that it is huge?  

See the one in jzmtl's pic above?  That used to be mine.  Just to big for my dainty little hands.

[Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!]

I put it in my pocket and it pulled my Trousers down...

...that may not be a bad thing mind you...

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah, it killed two birds with one stone. I predicted it would be too humungasaurus for my tastes and be a drawer Queen, so having it as a KOTY worked out perfectly.

Have I mentioned that it is huge?  

The nice thing about the Wenger KOTY models is that you can actually carry them if you want, and not worry about the logo coming off. 

Def