VIC Mini Champ

[captain spaulding]

Just been pondering getting a VIC Mini Champ.  I would like to hear the good the bad and the ugly on it so I can decide if I really want one.

[theonew]

All good, no bad or ugly

[captain spaulding]

All good, no bad or ugly

Well all sounds good so far. 

[enki_ck]

I was thinking of getting one but went with a manager cause of the tools on the minichamp I'd never use like the cuticle pusher, the extra small rouler or the cotton picker tool (I know it can be used as an orange pealer but I'd rather use an executive for that). The manager still has the most used tools and the pen too.

http://Http://www.sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Manager

[Southern Dad]

I have a couple of the older Minichamp 1's (no screwdriver/cap lifter or pen) and I have one of the newer Minichamps made by Swissbianco (alox scales, so no tweezers or pen). I love them both. The cuticle pusher gets criticized a lot - But sometimes you DON'T want a blade, so a rounded blunt tool is just the thing you need. And the little screwdriver, which I think is magnetized, is very handy for opening those little battery covers that some tools & toys have. Guys make fun of the nail file, but hey, I sometimes file my nails down because I have a little daughter with very tender skin, and I don't want to scratch her when I pick her up. So it's useful for me. On the downside, the Minichamp and all 58mm SAK's are VERY small and easy to lose if not on a keychain.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I have a couple of the older Minichamp 1's (no screwdriver/cap lifter or pen) and I have one of the newer Minichamps made by Swissbianco (alox scales, so no tweezers or pen). I love them both. The cuticle pusher gets criticized a lot - But sometimes you DON'T want a blade, so a rounded blunt tool is just the thing you need. And the little screwdriver, which I think is magnetized, is very handy for opening those little battery covers that some tools & toys have. Guys make fun of the nail file, but hey, I sometimes file my nails down because I have a little daughter with very tender skin, and I don't want to scratch her when I pick her up. So it's useful for me. On the downside, the Minichamp and all 58mm SAK's are VERY small and easy to lose if not on a keychain.

I've been thinking about one of these myself actually, not because I really *need* one, but just because they seem like fun, handy little tools.

When I was checking them out, I saw the cuticle pusher, and thought "I'll never use that... meh..."  But then almost immediately afterward I realized, actually, I would...  I occasionally smoke a pipe (yeah, I know, professor stereotype, yada yada yada) and the cuticle pusher would actually double very nicely as a pipe tool. 

I actually use the nail file that's on my Style CS that I keep on my keychain now... usually for when I slip when using the dang tiny and worthless nail nick that's on the blade of the CS... 

Still, I'm not planning on getting one right away; my CS does pretty much everything I need in a keychain tool right now, but if I lost or broke it or the like, I'd get a Mini Champ as a replacement.

[powernoodle]

It has too much unnecessary stuff for me - cuticle pusher (really?), extra blade, orange peeler (really?), and so forth.

I guess I don't dig it because I try to pack as much utility into the smallest possible space, and there is just a lot of stuff on this one that provides no utility for me. 

[Sazabi]

It has too much unnecessary stuff for me - cuticle pusher (really?), extra blade, orange peeler (really?), and so forth.

I guess I don't dig it because I try to pack as much utility into the smallest possible space, and there is just a lot of stuff on this one that provides no utility for me. 

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Truth be told, the cut-n-picker blade (erroneously referred to as an orange peeler in mistranslation - Victorinox /needs/ to update their English translation!  it's been a decade!) works wonderfully as originally intended.  I've used it to pull the cotton ball from a pill bottle; it worked great.

[captain spaulding]

Thank you everyone for all the great information. I'm still on the fence about getting one as like most I hate having tools I will probably never use. One the other hand I might find a use for them that I have not thought of yet.  The only other thing holding me back is I will have to pay full blown retail for one.  Hmmm...... I think I need to go to the store and stare at it until I convince myself to buy it. 

[Gareth]

I got one last month and I do like it.  I will say though that it does have a lot on it that I've not yet used.  They're still small enough that I'd say the tiny amount of extra bulk it has over it's slimmer siblings isn't any kind of an issue IMO.

[captain spaulding]

I got one last month and I do like it.  I will say though that it does have a lot on it that I've not yet used.  They're still small enough that I'd say the tiny amount of extra bulk it has over it's slimmer siblings isn't any kind of an issue IMO.

That's what I was thinking. Since it is so small the "extra" tools will not be a issue.  Uh O. I think I just justified the purchase. 

[Gareth]

....and my work here is done.

[captain spaulding]

Just got back form REI.................... with my new Minichamp. 

[kirk13]

I was thinking of getting one but went with a manager cause of the tools on the minichamp I'd never use like the cuticle pusher, the extra small rouler or the cotton picker tool (I know it can be used as an orange pealer but I'd rather use an executive for that). The manager still has the most used tools and the pen too.

http://www.sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Manager

Like he said!I have a Manager on my work keys.Its the only bit of my EDC that never changes!

Just got back form REI.................... with my new Minichamp. 

Your easy....

[Ashley]

Just got back form REI.................... with my new Minichamp. 

Good call I have one that was given to me by a friend in Canada and it never leaves my keys but sure does get used alot. I have it on a little red nite z s biner so I can easily remove and use as needed.

[captain spaulding]

Your easy....

I know i'm so weak when it comes to SAK'S and MT'S. 

[captain spaulding]

Just got back form REI.................... with my new Minichamp. 

Good call I have one that was given to me by a friend in Canada and it never leaves my keys but sure does get used alot. I have it on a little red nite z s biner so I can easily remove and use as needed.

I was thinking of putting it on my keys but might put a Classic on there instead.  Either way it will get some pocket time. 

[Gareth]

I'd say keys are a perfectly reasonable option as well.

[captain spaulding]

I'd say keys are a perfectly reasonable option as well.

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I need some of those little clips. Where can I get a few?

[Gareth]

I'm afraid to say I've just picked them up randomly.   They're a version of what I'd call a lobster clip so might be worth googling that.  Also Victorinox sell a version as well product # 4.1845 and call it a 'snap-hook'.  I love using them myself, quickly change what's on your keys and frees them up easily for use.

[captain spaulding]

I'm afraid to say I've just picked them up randomly.   They're a version of what I'd call a lobster clip so might be worth googling that.  Also Victorinox sell a version as well product # 4.1845 and call it a 'snap-hook'.  I love using them myself, quickly change what's on your keys and frees them up easily for use.

I will look around and see what I can find. I just like the ability to change out my key chain EDC or take it off for ease of use. 

[badwolf]

Here you go Capt'n, nice selection http://www.victorinoxstores.com/victorinox/dept.asp?dept_id=3817&

[captain spaulding]

Here you go Capt'n, nice selection http://www.victorinoxstores.com/victorinox/dept.asp?dept_id=3817&

Thank you very much. I would really love to find them at a local store to avoid shipping and waiting and all the good stuff that goes along with ordering on the internet. I'm sure I will NOT find VIC snap-hooks, but might be able to find something similar. If I cannot find anything I will most likely just order online.  Thank you for locating them for me. 

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I'd say keys are a perfectly reasonable option as well.

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I need some of those little clips. Where can I get a few?

http://www.lighthound.com/Lanyard-Swivel-Metal-Hook_p_748.html

[captain spaulding]

I actually found a clip similar to the one pictured on a key chain light I have and gave it a test run yesterday. I'm not sure if I like it.  I think a few more days and I will make a decision.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I actually found a clip similar to the one pictured on a key chain light I have and gave it a test run yesterday. I'm not sure if I like it.  I think a few more days and I will make a decision.

I long ago gave up trying to get clips, lanyards, etc. on ALL of my various lights and tools.  For the ones that don't have dedicated jobs/homes, I put a split ring on them whenever I can, and have two or three different lanyards that I've set up that clip onto the split rings with the above clip.  I have a wrist lanyard and a neck lanyard that both can be cinched down if I like, and a woven pull lanyard as well.  I typically use the pull lanyard on the knife or MT I'm carrying/using, and the wrist or neck lanyard on a light and/or keys. 

That way I don't have to worry about trying to deal with getting lanyards for everything, and if I want to use a tool or flashlight without one, I can just unclip it.  It's a very handy system actually.  When I'm camping with my family and the like, I can just stash different things in the pockets of my cargo short / tactical pants, and wear the wrist lanyard empty like a bracelet.  When I need to use a tool, especially if I know there's a chance I might drop it, particularly where it might not be recoverable, I just clip it on and I'm good to go. 

This system has worked well for me, particularly when I went caving with my son up at Lava Beds National Monument this last summer.  In places where I could walk or stoop, my headlamp wasn't too good for seeing where I needed to step because it caused tunnel vision and I couldn't see the surface of the floor and would stumble over stuff that looked flat in my headlamp.  So I kept my SC50w+ clipped in my pocket, and used that instead of my headlamp in those situations.  When we were in tight spots where we had to go on all fours or belly crawl, I'd just unclip it, stick it back in my pocket, and then rely on my headlamp.  When belly crawling, tunnel vision isn't nearly as much of a problem, so relying just on my headlamp wasn't an issue. 

Lava Beds has a lot of different caves too... some that you can literally walk the entire way through, and others where the highest point in the cave is no more than about 18" - 24" high for several hundred meters.  At one point we stopped in a small gallery where there's a frozen underground pool.  We'd been belly crawling for several hundred feet, and had squeezed through a couple of spots where we had to take our packs off to get through.  It was about half way through one of the high difficulty ones and there was just enough room for us to sit without hunching, and my son was complaining about being cold.  So we stopped and I pulled out my Jet-Boil and to lite it I pulled out my Windmill and clipped it on my lanyard, and we were good to go.  Half an hour later, after some cocoa and granola bars, we were on our way again.