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Victorinox Rescue Tool (53900) $72 Because of its excellent design and function, the Victorinox Rescue Tool won the prestigious "Knife of the Year" award at the 2007 IWA in Nuremberg, Germany. The Rescue Tool's ingenious design is not an accident. Victorinox developed the Rescue Tool in close collaboration with rescue and safety services. The Rescue Tool features several implements designed for removing people from damaged vehicles, including a window smasher, seatbelt cutter, windshield saw, and crate opener. The Rescue Tool can be operated while wearing gloves, and the large blade and crate opener lock in the position position. The Rescue Tool has luminescent handles to make it easier to locate in the dark. While the Rescue Tool's primary functions are for removing people from wrecked vehicles, it also features several general-purpose tools like a large locking blade with combination edge, tweezers, screwdrivers, punch, reamer, toothpick, key ring, and so on. Comes standard with a red cordura pouch. Color: Yellow
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Victorinox SwissTool X (53936) $84 The Victorinox SwissTool X is a beautifully crafted multitool that has been designed with maximum ergonomics and utility in mind. Individual tools can be opened from the outside of the handle without having to open the pliers, while individual springs hold the other tools in place. Opening one tool does not splay open the adjacent tools, and each and every tool positively locks into place when opened fully. To close, simply slide the release button to fold the tool away. The SwissTool X is basically identical to the SwissTool RS, but with a metal file/saw instead of the curved seatbelt cutter. Comes standard with a black cordura pouch. Color: Stainless Steel
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Victorinox SwissTool RS (53935) $84 The Victorinox SwissTool X is a beautifully crafted multitool that has been designed with maximum ergonomics and utility in mind. Individual tools can be opened from the outside of the handle without having to open the pliers, while individual springs hold the other tools in place. Opening one tool does not splay open the adjacent tools, and each and every tool positively locks into place when opened fully. To close, simply slide the release button to fold the tool away. The SwissTool RS is basically identical to the SwissTool X, but with a curved seatbelt cutter instead of the metal file/saw. Comes standard with a black cordura pouch. Color: Stainless Steel
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Victorinox SwissTool Spirit (53800) $75 The Victorinox SwissTool Spirit is a beautifully crafted multitool that has been designed with maximum ergonomics and utility in mind. The SwissTool Spirit is identical in concept to the original SwissTool, but slightly smaller in size and lighter in weight. Individual tools can be opened from the outside of the handle without having to open the pliers, while individual springs hold the other tools in place. Each and every tool positively locks into place when opened. To close, simply slide the release button to fold the tool away. Comes standard with a brown leather sheath. Color: Stainless Steel
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Victorinox SwissTool Spirit Plus With Ratchet (53806) $116 The Victorinox SwissTool Spirit is a beautifully crafted tool that has been designed with maximum ergonomics and utility in mind. The SwissTool Spirit is identical in concept to the original SwissTool, but slightly smaller in size and lighter in weight. Individual tools can be opened from the outside of the handle without having to open the pliers, while individual springs hold the other tools in place. Each and every tool positively locks into place when opened. To close, simply slide the release button to fold the tool away. The Spirit Plus With Ratchet is composed of the SwissTool Spirit, plus some other tools that take the Spirit to another level. The Spirit Plus Ratchet features a 1/4" hex drive extension a 10-bit bit holder, assorted 1/4" drive hex bits, and a a very handy gear wrench. Comes standard with a brown leather sheath that holds everything safety and securely. Color: Stainless Steel
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Victorinox Forged Professional 10" Chef's (7.7403.25G) $90 The Victorinox Forged Professional 10" Chef's is designed for people who prefer a larger chef's knife for greater leverage and slicing power and who prefer to switch to something smaller like a Santoku for the more delicate slicing jobs. The 10" Chef's is large enough and heavy enough, and the balance is blade-heavy enough to enable the 10" Chef's to perform most of the cuts and light chops required of a light cleaver. Like all Victorinox Forged Professional knives, the 10" Chef's features a high-carbon stainless steel blade, hot drop-forged construction, ice tempering, bolsterless edge, full-tang construction, and ergonomic handle design. |
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Victorinox Forged Professional 10" Granton Edge Slicer (7.7223.26G) $95 The Victorinox Forged Professional 10" Granton Edge Slicer is optimized for slicing cooled poultry, roasts, and hams. The grantons ground into the sides of the blade permit very thin and delicate slicing because they prevent meat slices from adhering to the sides of the blade. The 10" Granton Edge Slicer also features a very thin blade, enabling the blade to slice through whereas a thicker blade like that on a chef's knife would wedge. The balance of the 10" Granton Edge Slider is neutral for control while slicing large pieces of meat. Like all Victorinox Forged Professional knives, the 10" Granton Edge Slicer features a high-carbon stainless steel blade, hot drop-forged construction, ice tempering, bolsterless edge, full-tang construction, and ergonomic handle design. |
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Victorinox Forged Professional 9" Bread (7.7433.23G) $75 The Victorinox Forged Professional 9" Bread is optimized for cutting breads and cakes. The 9" Bread's stiff blade and serrated edge will bite into and grip hard-crusted breads rather than skid across the hard crust like standard knives. The serrated edge will also saw through very soft breads and cakes without compressing and ruining them. The balance of the 9" Bread is neutral for control while cutting breads and cakes. Like all Victorinox Forged Professional knives, the 9" Bread features a high-carbon stainless steel blade, hot drop-forged construction, ice tempering, bolsterless edge, full-tang construction, and ergonomic handle design. |
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Victorinox Forged Professional 8" Chef's (7.7403.20G) $90 The 8" chef's knife is probably the most popular kitchen knife in the Western world because of the myriad of different cuts, slices, and light chops it can perform well. The Victorinox Forged Professional 8" Chef's follows the traditional chef's knife design, but with the ergonomic handle shape and the bolsterless edge. The balance of the 8" Chef's is slightly blade-heavy to facilitate heavier cuts. Like all Victorinox Forged Professional knives, the 8" Chef's features a high-carbon stainless steel blade, hot drop-forged construction, ice tempering, bolsterless edge, full-tang construction, and ergonomic handle design. |
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Victorinox Forged Professional 8" Slicer (7.7203.20G) $65 The Victorinox Forged Professional 8" Slicer is the same length as the 8" Chef's, but features a lighter weight blade with a thinner cross section to make this knife easier to use as a slicer but still usable as a general-purpose knife in the kitchen. The thinner blade makes the 8" Slicer much less likely to wedge on deeper cuts, and the blade has a much more general-purpose shape than specialized tools such as the 10" Granton Edge Slicer. The balance of the 8" Slicer is neutral for control while slicing. Like all Victorinox Forged Professional knives, the 8" Slicer features a high-carbon stainless steel blade, hot drop-forged construction, ice tempering, bolsterless edge, full-tang construction, and ergonomic handle design. |
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Victorinox Forged Professional 7" Granton Edge Santoku (7.7323.17G) $85 The Santoku is the Japanese equivalent of a chef's knife, but with a deeper drop to the point and a thinner blade for better slicing. The Santoku has been gaining popularity in Western kitchens over the past few years, probably because of its full-length edge (something that is missing on the vast majority of forged chef's knives). The Victorinox Forged Professional 7" Granton Edge Santoku does not have as much structural strength or weight as the 8" Chef's, but is a superior slicer because of its thinner blade and granton edge. The grantons permit very thin and delicate slicing because they prevent meat and vegetables from adhering to the sides of the blade. The 7" Granton Edge Santoku's balance is neutral for control during slicing. Like all Victorinox Forged Professional knives, the 7" Granton Edge Santoku features a high-carbon stainless steel blade, hot drop-forged construction, ice tempering, bolsterless edge, full-tang construction, and ergonomic handle design. |
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Victorinox Forged Professional 6" Wide Utility (7.7403.15G) $65 The common 6" sandwich knife lies between the typical the 8" chef's knife and 4" paring knife, both in terms of size and function. The typical sandwich knife features the same proportions, curves, and angles as the chef's and paring knives and thus switching from one of these knives to the other for different cuts becomes second nature. The Victorinox Forged Professional 6" Wide Utility is Victorinox's interpretation of the sandwich knife design. The handle on this knife is slightly larger than typically seen on sandwich knives, making this knife suitable for heavier tasks than is normally seen by sandwich knives. (You can always go down to the paring knife if you want something smaller.) The balance is decidedly handle-heavy for greater blade control while performing finer cuts. Like all Victorinox Forged Professional knives, the 6" Wide Utility features a high-carbon stainless steel blade, hot drop-forged construction, ice tempering, bolsterless edge, full-tang construction, and ergonomic handle design. |
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Victorinox Forged Professional 6" Boning (7.7303.15G) $55 The boning knife is designed for removing membranes and meat from bones easily. The Victorinox Forged Professional 6" Boning follows the design of the classing boning knives. The blade is thin in cross section so that it will be flexible during filleting tasks. The blade is thin top to bottom so that it will fit into small confines such as joints. The balance is decidedly handle-heavy for greater blade control during finer cuts. Like all Victorinox Forged Professional knives, the 6" Boning features a high-carbon stainless steel blade, hot drop-forged construction, ice tempering, bolsterless edge, full-tang construction, and ergonomic handle design. |
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Victorinox Forged Professional 3.5" Parer (7.7203.09G) $35 The paring knife is a must-have kitchen tool, and is optimized for smaller and more delicate cuts such as peeling apples, cutting fruit, butterflying shrimp, and seeding small chilies and peppers. The paring knife has a very small and thin blade that makes it easy to maneuver for delicate or complex cuts. While much smaller, the paring knife features the same proportions, curves, and angles as the chef's and sandwich knives and thus switching from one of these knives to the other for different cuts becomes second nature. The Victorinox Forged Professional 3.5" Parer follows the traditional lines of most paring knives, but is very slightly shorter in blade length. The balance is decidedly handle-heavy for greater blade control during finer cuts. Like all Victorinox Forged Professional knives, the 3.5" Parer features a high-carbon stainless steel blade, hot drop-forged construction, ice tempering, bolsterless edge, full-tang construction, and ergonomic handle design. |
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Victorinox Forged Professional 5" Serrated Steak (7.7203.12WG) $35 The Victorinox Forged Professional 5" Serrated Steak follows the traditional lines of most steak knives, but is serrated along the entire blade length. The balance is decidedly handle-heavy for greater blade control during finer cuts. Like all Victorinox Forged Professional knives, the 5" Serrated Steak features a high-carbon stainless steel blade, hot drop-forged construction, ice tempering, bolsterless edge, full-tang construction, and ergonomic handle design. |
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Victorinox Forged Professional Chef's Set (7.7243.3) $160 The Victorinox Forged Professional Chef's Set is composed of the 8" Chef's, the 8" Slicer, and the 3.5" Parer. The Forged Professional Chef's Set represents a substantial cost savings over purchasing the three pieces separately. |
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Victorinox Forged Professional Santoku Starter Set (7.7233.2) $100 The Victorinox Forged Professional Santoku Starter Set is composed of the 7" Granton Edge Santoku and the 3.5" Parer. The Forged Professional Santoku Starter Set represents a substantial cost savings over purchasing the two pieces separately. |
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Victorinox Forged Professional Two-Piece Starter Set (7.7253.2) $105 The Victorinox Forged Professional Two-Piece Starter Set is composed of the 8" Chef's and the 3.5" Parer. The Forged Professional Two-Piece Starter Set represents a substantial cost savings over purchasing the two pieces separately. |
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Victorinox Utility Shear (87771) $15 The Victorinox Utility Shear comes into play for kitchen tasks that are better performed with scissors than knives. The Utility Shear features one smooth blade, micro-serrations on the other blade, and a bottle opener integrated into the molded plastic handles. The Utility Shear fits into the square slot in the 17 Slot Bamboo Block. |
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Victorinox Forged Professional 17 Slot Bamboo Block (41501G) $80 The best way to store your Victorinox Forged Professional Cutlery is inside a block. The Victorinox Forged Professional 17 Slot Bamboo Block is constructed of premium-grade bamboo, which is stronger than the traditional maple and also more ecologically friendly. The nine slots in the top of the Bamboo Block house larger kitchen knives, a sharpening steel, and the Victorinox Utility Shear. The eight slots in the face of the Bamboo Block house paring knives and steak knives. All 17 slots go all the way through the block to let water and debris fall away from the block. The entire block sits above the counter surface for air circulation and to prevent the block from deteriorating from sitting on a wet countertop. (Shown for illustration purposes with Victorinox Forged Professional knives, which are sold separately.) |
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Forschner Edge-Mag Multi-Pack (48344) $15 The Forschner Edge-Mag is a revolution in safe knife transport. Each Edge-Mag is composed of two magnets (similar to refrigerator magnets in thickness and pliability) that hinge open and closed along a flexible hinge. The magnetic sheets firmly hold the knife in position and prevent the cutting edge and sharp tip from cutting or piercing surrounding objects. The Edge-Mags are very thin and take up very little space in your knife roll or field kitchen, and are very easily cleaned and dried. The Edge-Mags are constructed with multi-poled magnets that cannot magnetize your knives. If you like, you may cut/trim your Edge-Mags to fit your particular knives to maximize storage space in your knife roll or field kitchen. The Edge-Mag Multi-Pack contains four Edge-Mags in lengths of 7", 9", 10.5", and 12.5". (Shown for illustration purposes with Victorinox Forged Professional knives, which are sold separately.) |
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Forschner Knife Roll (44902) $45 The Forschner Knife Roll is ideal for transporting your knives and other kitchen utensils in the field. The Knife Roll is the "hard" type of knife roll and measures 20" x 6.5" x 3". The 20" length makes the Knife Roll suitable for transporting the largest of kitchen knives. Once opened, the Knife Roll contains numerous partitions and elastic-lined pockets for securing your knives and other kitchen utensils. The Knife Roll locks shut with two plastic buckles, and the shoulder strap is detachable for more compact storage within your field kitchen. |
Because of its excellent design and function, the Victorinox Rescue Tool won the prestigious "Knife of the Year" award at the 2007 IWA in Nuremberg, Germany. The Rescue Tool's ingenious design is not an accident. Victorinox developed the Rescue Tool in close collaboration with rescue and safety services.
The end of the Rescue Tool is fitted with a window breaker. This is one of the Rescue Tool's primary tools. Grab the Rescue Tool tightly with the thumb over the butt end and smash a window with the window breaker. Side and rear windows will shatter into countless pieces. Windshields will break but will remain in one piece because of their laminated design.
To cut the broken windshield glass, use the saw. The saw's tooth profile is designed specifically for cutting broken windshield glass. To use the saw, break the windshield using the window breaker. Laminated windshield glass by design will break but not shatter. Punch through the windshield using the saw and then saw the glass as you would other materials like wood.
The seatbelt cutter features a serrated edge for slicing through seat belts The tip is hooked and blunt to prevent cuts to people.
While the Rescue Tool is designed primarily for removing people from wrecked vehicles, it also features general-purpose tools to make it handier for everyday uses. The Rescue Tool features a large blade with one-handed opening and locking features.
The large blade is serrated for part of its length and smooth for the remainder, to make it useful as a general-purpose blade.
The Rescue Tool's large blade features a thumb hole for one-handed opening. This is a departure from most Swiss Army blades, which are usually opened via a nail nick. The thumb hole in the blade is large enough that the blade may be opened even while wearing protective gloves.
The large blade locks open via a liner lock.
To unlock the large blade, press the liner lock sideways.
The back of the Rescue Tool features a Phillips screwdriver.
The crate opener features several tools in one, including a bottle opener, slotted screwdriver, and wire stripper. The crate opener locks in the open position via a liner lock.
The crate opener also detents into the 90-degree position.
Beside the Phillips screwdriver is a punch/reamer.
The tip of the seatbelt cutter protrudes beyond the outer edges of the Rescue Tool's handle to enable one to open the seatbelt cutter while wearing gloves.
The end of the Rescue Tool is fitted with a key ring and nylon lanyard.
This same end of the Rescue Tool also houses additional tools.
The tweezers and toothpick are the traditional Swiss Army type.
The Rescue Tool's handles are bright yellow to make the Rescue Tool more patently visible and easier to find in an emergency.
The yellow handles glow in the dark.
A bright red Cordura pouch with yellow trim is included with every Rescue Tool.
The Rescue Tool is not a toy. Watch it in action.
For a larger and more serious multitool than the MiniChamp II and SwissCard Lite, there is the SwissTool X.
The SwissTool X is roughly equivalent in size to original Leatherman Super Tool. The SwissTool X is relatively large in size and its tools are sized accordingly. The larger size makes the SwissTool X less convenient to carry but easier to use.
The Victorinox SwissTool X is a beautifully crafted multitool that has been designed with maximum ergonomics and utility in mind. Individual tools can be opened from the outside of the handle without having to open the pliers, while individual springs hold the other tools in place.
The reason is because the tools are not held stationary with tension as on competing designs. The SwissTool X features small leaf springs on the handle that hold the other tools down and keep them stationary while you are opening one tool to use it. Note how opening one tool, in this case the metal file/saw, does not affect the spring tension on the other tools.
Once opened fully, each and every tool positively locks into place. Spring pressure holds the tools in both the open and closed positions. However, the open tools are positively locked open with a mechanical locking mechanism not unlike that of the Benchmade AXIS Lock. To close, simply slide the release button to fold the tool away. Again, each tool is spring-loaded and will snap shut.
The handles of the SwissTool X are marked with a ruler in both metric and inch increments.
To use the ruler on larger objects, open the handles so that they form a "T" with the plier jaws. The handles are spring-loaded and detented, and will snap into the fully closed, half-open, and fully open positions.
The plier jaws are a multipurpose design and feature needlenose tips, flat gripping surfaces, concave gripping surfaces, and wire cutter/wire stripper jaws. As a general-purpose plier, this design is hard to beat.
The handles are spring-loaded against the plier jaws and remain stationary relative to the plier jaws during use. The handles snap open and snap closed relative to the plier jaws. This is in stark contrast to competing designs where the handles are held to the plier jaws with friction only, and the handles swing relative to the jaws. This is frustrating to say the lease. The edges of the handles are rounded and will not cause discomfort to the user, even when he must exert high amounts of gripping force during use.
The large blade is very usable for most small cutting tasks. This drop-point design is the same blade design found on the Swiss Army knives and has withstood the test of time.
There is a bottle opener for opening bottles,
and a can opener for opening cans.
The scissors are useful for making precise cuts and are spring-loaded for easier use.
The SwissTool X features a multifunction scraper tool.
The tip of the scraper is designed for scraping flat surfaces.
The side of the scraper features V and concave scraping surfaces for odd shapes.
The reamer/awl is useful for making holes in leather and fabric, as well as enlarging preexisting holes in soft materials.
For cutting wood the SwissTool X comes with a wood saw.
The SwissTool X is equipped with a Phillips screwdriver,
as well as four different slotted screwdrivers. The tips of both the bottle opener and can opener function as medium and small slotted screwdrivers.
The metal file features teeth on three sides. The teeth on the thin edge function as a metal saw.
Because it features, among other tools, a can opener and a bottle opener, the SwissTool X is an ideal multitool to keep inside your field kitchen.
The SwissTool X is shown on the left. On the right is the SwissTool RS.
The difference between the SwissTool X and the SwissTool RS is that the SwissTool X features the metal file/saw and the SwissTool RS features the curved seatbelt cutter.
Both the SwissTool X and SwissTool RS come standard with a black cordura pouch.
The rear of the pouch features a belt loop for carry on the hip.
Both the SwissTool X and SwissTool RS have the same dimensions and fit into the same pouch.
An alternative to the SwissTool X and SwissTool RS is the SwissTool Spirit. Like the SwissTool X and SwissTool RS, the SwissTool Spirit is a beautifully crafted multitool that has been designed with maximum ergonomics and utility in mind. The SwissTool Spirit is smaller and lighter than the SwissTool X and SwissTool RS, and features a more ergonomic shape to the handles when the pliers are opened. The ruler function on the SwissTool X and RS is lost however.
Individual tools can be opened from the outside of the handle without having to open the pliers.
When one tool is withdrawn, the other tools remain in place and do not splay outside as on competing designs from other makers.
The reason is because the tools are not held stationary with tension as on competing designs. The Spirit features small leaf springs on the handle that hold the other tools down and keep them stationary while you are opening one tool to use it. Note how opening one tool, in this case the bottle opener, does not affect the spring tension on the other tools.
Each and every tool positively locks into place when opened. Spring pressure holds the tools in both the open and closed positions. However, the open tools are positively locked open with a mechanical locking mechanism not unlike that of the Benchmade AXIS Lock.
To close a tool, simply slide the spring-loaded release button and fold the tool away. Again, the tool is spring-loaded and will snap shut.
Within the handle there is a small leaf spring that pushes the lock buttons into engagement.
The largest tool on the Spirit is the plier. The Spirit is shaped so that the plier handles will be ergonomic in shape and comfortable to use. The edges of the handles are rounded and curved, and will not cause discomfort to the user, even when he must exert high amounts of gripping force during use.
The handles are spring-loaded against the plier jaws and remain stationary relative to the plier jaws during use. The handles snap open and snap closed relative to the plier jaws. This is in stark contrast to competing designs where the handles are held to the plier jaws with friction only, and the handles swing relative to the jaws. This is frustrating to say the lease.
The plier jaws are a multipurpose design and feature needlenose tips, flat gripping surfaces, concave gripping surfaces, and wire cutter/wire stripper jaws. As a general-purpose plier, this design is hard to beat.
The wire cutter will handle wires up to 40 HRc in hardness and will, of course, strip the insulation off wires.
The scissors on the Spirit differ from previous Victorinox designs.
The scissors are spring-loaded as with previous designs, but the leaf spring is not a machined part.
The scraper is also different from previous designs, and feature multiple cutting/scraping edges.
The scraper has V and concave scrapers.
The tip of the scraper has both forward and side scrapers.
The serrated blade is a sheepsfoot shape, presumably to prevent one from using it for stabbing.
The edge is serrated.
The metal file features teeth on three sides. The teeth on the thin edge function as a metal saw.
For cutting wood the Spirit comes with a wood saw.
The Spirit is equipped with a Phillips screwdriver,
as well as several different slotted screwdrivers. The tips of both the can opener and bottle opener function as medium and large slotted screwdrivers.
The reamer/awl is useful for making holes in leather and fabric, as well as enlarging preexisting holes in soft materials.
The sides of the handles feature holes that function as both lanyard holes and a receptacle for a detachable corkscrew (sold separately).
Both the Spirit and Spirit Plus come standard with a brown leather sheath.
The Spirit Plus' sheath is necessarily larger to accommodate the extra tools that come with the Spirit Plus.
The Spirit Plus' leather sheath holds the 1/4" hex drive extension.
The 1/4" hex drive extension comes in handy when you need better grip or working in tight spots.
The extension is designed to lock solidly in place when used with the 1/4" hex drive gear wrench.
In addition to an extension, the Spirit Plus comes with a tidy 10-bit bit holder, six bits, and a gear wrench.
The six bits are, from left to right, a T15 Torx, T10 Torx, Phillips No. 3, Phillips No. 1, 4mm Allen, and 3mm Allen. All of the bits are standard 1/4" hex drive size. There are six bits but 10 total bit holes in the bit holder One can either add to the existing six bits or customize his own portable tool set to his specific needs.
The gear wrench features a unidirectional ratcheting mechanism on the head, and a fixed bit driver on the tip. Both the ratcheting end and fixed end feature a small spring within them that tightly holds onto bits.
The spring within the drivers will securely hold the 1/4" drive hex bits, much more securely than even a neodymium magnet will.
To change directions on the ratcheting end, simply pull the bit, flip the head around, and insert the bit once again. One side of the gear wrench's head is marked with the Victorinox logo to designate the ratcheting direction.
That is a lot of tools in a single pouch.
Victorinox manufactures more than multitools. The Victorinox master cutlers have applied their unique ingenuity and techniques to design a kitchen cutlery line of very high quality. This cutlery is hot drop forged and ice tempered by master forgers in Solingen, Germany. Then the forgings are shipped to Victorinox in Ibach, Switzerland for application of their famous proprietary edge and rigid quality-control finishing. The result is beautifully balanced and perfectly weighted knives with full-tang construction, bolsterless edge, and ergonomic handle design.
All of the Forged Professional blades are constructed from a high-carbon stainless steel (X50CrMo V15) alloy.
The blade, bolster, and tang are hot-forged from a single piece of steel for increased elasticity and maximum strength. The hot forgings are ice-tempered to create a hardened blade that will hold its edge after prolonged use.
A key feature of the Forged Professional Collection is that the knives feature a bolsterless edge. That is, they permit use of the entire edge from front to back. Compare the two knives above. The Henckels at the bottom has the traditional bolster. The very back of the edge is not usable. The Victorinox Forged Professional at the top has a bolster like all good forged knives. However, the bolster does not interfere with the use of the entire edge. The sharpened edge runs the entire length of the blade. The bolsterless edge is a decided advantage. If you think it is not, then it is probably because you are accustomed to using forged cutlery with bolsters and accustomed to working around the bolster's disadvantages. Once you use a bolsterless edge, you will find that the sharpened rear of the blade makes a tremendous difference in utility.
One of the reasons the Santoku design has gained such popularity in recent years is because Santokus typically have a full-length cutting edge while equivalent chef's knives do not. All knives in the Victorinox Forged Professional Collection feature bolsterless edges.
The traditional bolster also interferes with sharpening. Knife-sharpening systems like the Edge Pro can work around the bolster, but most sharpeners cannot.
A second key feature of the Forged Professional Collection is the ergonomic handle design.
The handle material is Poly Oxy Methylene (POM), a soft black plastic that will hold its shape and will not crack or separate from the tang. The POM material feels closer to the pliable plastic used on Pelican Protector Cases instead of the traditional hard black plastic that tends to crack with use and age. The POM slabs are riveted to the tang and then finished flush with the tang.
The Victorinox Forged Professional handles do not follow the traditional handle design. Above are shown Henckels and Victorinox Forged Professional sandwich knives. The Henckels features the traditional bird's head handle, with the spine of the handle being straight. The Forged Professional features the ergonomic shape with upswept spine.
Here are two 8" slicers. On the left is a Henckels and on the right is the Forged Professional. Both handles feature almost identical amounts of "belly" in the handle and are very similar on the bottom of the handles. It is at the top where the handles differ greatly, as the Forged Professional features upsweep on the spine of the handle.
This shot illustrates much better the amount of upsweep in the Forged Professional's spine.
This is how the handles look from the rear.
The belly and upsweep are designed to work in coordination.
Note how the upsweep fills the hollow of the hand. Handles with a straight spine like the traditional Henckels or Wüsthof do not do this.
The fingers close on the handle's belly and immediately to the rear of it.
When the knife is held in this position, it is very secure and may be secured by a light and lively hold. Thus, the knife is less fatiguing to control and use. We really like this handle design and apparently so do the knife manufacturers. More and more, the manufacturers are abandoning the traditional bird's head design and going with similar designs to the this one. Already, Henckels has its "Twin Cuisine" line with a similar handle shape. Wüsthof also has its "Grand Prix" and "Culinar" lines as well with very similar handles.
We opine, however, that the Forged Professional handles are better designed and easier to use than the Twin Cuisine, Grand Prix, and Culinar handles. The reason is the Forged Professional handles have retained the flat sides on the handles. The flat sides of the handle are parallel with the cutting edge, and give the user instant and reliable index of how the cutting edge is oriented and will cut. The ovalized handles on the Twin Cuisine, Grand Prix, and Culinar provide much better blade indexing than the terribly designed round handles, but they do not match the blade indexing of the slab-sided designs.
One of the reasons the traditional bird's head handle has held for so long despite its incorrect shape is that it offers excellent blade indexing. When you hold this handle in your hand, you know exactly how the edge is oriented and how it is going to cut when you put the blade into action.
The Forged Professional handle provides better ergonomics than the bird's head handle, and better blade indexing than the Culinar-style handles. This handle is our favorite of the currently available, production kitchen knives.
All knives in the Forged Professional Collection are laser etched with the Victorinox logos and part number.
No single knife can do it all, at least not well, and thus the Forged Professional Collection is made up of several different knives. Each knife is optimized for its particular task, from length, to weight, to handle size, to edge design, to blade surface, to balance, and so on.
Blade shapes are optimized for their intended use. When required or beneficial, grantons or serrations are fitted so that a particular knife can perform its intended task better than a general-purpose piece.
The most versatile knife in the western kitchen is the chef's knife. The chef's may be used for cutting, slicing, chopping, and mincing. The curved edge allows rocking back and forth for fine chopping and mincing. Chef's knives come in blade lengths from 6 to 12 inches. The longer the blade, the more leverage you have and the more slicing power you can generate. However, the longer the blade, the more difficult it will be to control on the finer cuts.
The Forged Professional 10" Chef's is designed for people who prefer a larger chef's knife and for those who prefer to switch to something like a 7" Santoku for their finer cuts instead of using a single 8" Chef's for everything.
The 10" Chef's is a large knife It's about equal in size (but not in weight) to a Cold steel Laredo Bowie, which has a 10.5" blade. The 10" Chef's is large enough and heavy enough and the balance blade-heavy enough to perform most of the cuts and light chops required of a light cleaver.
The 10" Granton Edge Slicer is optimized for slicing cooked poultry, roasts, and hams.
The 10" Granton Edge Slicer gets its name from the grantons ground into the sides of the blade. These grantons permit very thin and delicate slicing because they prevent meat slices from adhering to the sides of the blade.
The 10" Granton Edge Slicer also features a very thin blade, enabling the blade to slice through whereas a thicker knife like a chef's knife would wedge. The balance of the 10" Granton Edge Slider is neutral for control while cutting large pieces of meat.
The 9" Bread is optimized for cutting breads and cakes.
Many breads have a hard crust that will prevent a slicer or chef's knife from biting into and gripping the bread when you start to cut instead of skidding across the hard crust like standard knives.
To bite into the hard crust, the 9" Bread's edge is serrated and the blade is stiff. The balance of the 9" Bread is neutral for control while cutting bread.
Not all breads feature a hard crust. Many breads and soft cakes have soft crusts. A chef's knife used on this soft crust will compress the bread or cake and ruin it. The 9" Bread's serrated edge permits the knife to saw through the soft breads and cakes without compressing them.
The 8" chef's knife is probably the most popular kitchen knife in the Western world.
The Forged Professional 8" Chef's follows the traditional chef's knife design, but with the ergonomic handle shape and the bolsterless edge. The balance of the 8" Chef's is slightly blade-heavy to facilitate heavier cuts.
The 8" Slicer is the same length as the 8" Chef's, but features a lighter weight blade with a thinner cross section to optimize this knife for slicing. The thinner blade makes the 8" Slicer much less likely to wedge on deeper cuts, and the blade has a much more general-purpose shape than specialized tools such as the 10" Granton Edge Slicer.
The 7" Santoku is the Japanese equivalent of a chef's knife, but with a deeper drop to the point and a thinner blade for better slicing. The Santoku has been gaining in popularity in Western kitchens over the past few years, probably because of its full-length edge (something that is missing on the vast majority of forged chef's knives).
The Santoku is an excellent general-purpose blade for use in field kitchens, where heavy knife work is usually not performed.
The Forged Professional 7" Granton Edge Santoku does not have as much structural strength or weight as the 8" Chef's, but is a superior slicer because of its thinner blade and granton edge. The balance is neutral for control during slicing.
These grantons permit very thin and delicate slicing because they prevent meat and vegetables from adhering to the sides of the blade.
Most cheeses routinely adhere to the sides of blades. The grantons help to prevent cheese from adhering.
While not as effective as a dedicated bread knife, the Santoku performs admirably on bread if the bread isn't too soft or too hard. For the field kitchen, use what you have if you are not inclined to carry specialty cutlery with you.
These appetizers were prepared with the Granton Edge Santoku and were served on Snow Peak Trek Titanium Plates and Bowl.
The 6" sandwich knife lies between the typical the 8" chef's knife and 4" paring knife, both in terms of size and function. The sandwich knife features the same proportions, curves, and angles as the chef's and paring knives and thus switching from one of these knives to the other for different cuts becomes second nature.
The 6" Wide Utility is Victorinox's interpretation of the sandwich knife design. The handle on this knife is slightly larger than typically seen on sandwich knives, making this knife suitable for heavier tasks than is normally seen by sandwich knives. (You can always go down to the paring knife if you want something smaller.) The balance is decidedly handle-heavy for greater blade control while performing finer cuts.
Of course the ergonomic handle shape is there.
And like all of the knives in the Forged Professional Collection, the 6" Wide Utility knife features a bolsterless edge, with the cutting edge going back to the rearmost portion of the blade. The larger handle plus the bolsterless edge make the 6" Wide Utility seem larger than it is.
The boning knife is designed for removing membranes and meat from bones easily. The blade on a boning knife is typically ground thin to make the blade flexible.
The Forged Professional 6" Boning follows the design of the traditional boning knives.
The blade is thin in cross section so that it will be flexible during filleting tasks. The blade is thin top to bottom so that it will fit into small confines such as joints. The balance is decidedly handle-heavy for greater blade control during finer cuts.
Like all pieces in the Forged Professional Collection, the 6" boning features a bolsterless edge, which makes using the entire portion of the recurve possible.
The paring knife is a must-have kitchen tool, and is optimized for smaller and more delicate cuts such as peeling apples, cutting fruit, butterflying shrimp, and seeding small chilies and peppers. The paring knife has a very small and thin blade that make it easy to maneuver for delicate or complex cuts.
While much smaller, the paring knife features the same proportions, curves, and angles as the chef's and sandwich knives and thus switching from one of these knives to the other for different cuts becomes second nature.
The Forged Professional 3.5" Parer follows the traditional lines of most paring knives, but features the ergonomic handle shape and bolsterless edge. The balance is decidedly handle-heavy for greater blade control during finer cuts.
The Forged Professional 5" Serrated Steak follows the traditional lines of most steak knives.
But unlike many steak knives, the Forged Professional 5" Steak is serrated along its entire length.
If you are tired of wimpy table knives that cannot cut meat or vegetables well, give the 5" Steak a try.
We prefer serrated for our steak knives because the serrations cut food very well, but the knife does not have to be razor-sharp to do so. Razor-sharp knives on the dining table can be dangerous. Serrated is the solution.
The balance is decidedly handle-heavy for greater blade control during finer cuts.
Like all Victorinox Forged Professional knives, the 5" Serrated Steak features a high-carbon stainless steel blade, hot drop-forged construction, ice tempering, bolsterless edge, full-tang construction, and ergonomic handle design.
The Victorinox Utility Shear is for tasks that are better performed with scissors instead of knives. The handles may be used to open twist-off caps on bottles. The Utility Shear fits into the square slot in the 17 Slot Bamboo Block.
The Utility Shear features a smooth edge on one blade and a micro-serrated edge on the other. During cutting, the micro-serrated edge bites into the object to be cut.
The best way to store knives is in a block. The 17 Slot Bamboo Block holds 17 different knives.
The Bamboo Block is constructed of premium-grade bamboo that is free of artificial stains or dyes. Bamboo is stronger than maple and is more ecologically friendly. Bamboo grows much more quickly than maple is thus much more of a renewable resource than maple or other hardwoods.
The Bamboo Block is sealed with a no-maintenance finish.
The 17 different slots are sized different to house knives of different lengths and blade sizes.
The slots run all the way through the Bamboo Block to let water and debris drain from the bottom of the Bamboo Block. Four feet are screwed into the bottom of the Bamboo Block for air circulation. The four feet raise the bottom of the Bamboo Block from the countertop and let air circulate under the Bamboo Block and through the slots. The feet also prevent the block from damage if the block is rested on a wet countertop inadvertently.
A Victorinox escutcheon is inlaid into the front of the Bamboo Block.
The 17 Slot Bamboo Block is designed specifically for use with the Victorinox Forged Professional line of kitchen cutlery. The eight slots in the front of the Bamboo Block are for steak knives.
The forged bolsters of the Victorinox Forged Professional cutlery will rest against the Bamboo Block's slots. The knives are secured by gravity alone.
The slots for the larger knives are oriented horizontally so that the knives do not rest on their cutting edges.
For transporting your knives for field use, the best device we have found is the Edge-Mag. The Edge-Mag is a revolutionary idea in knife protection and safety.
Basically, the Edge-Mag is two magnetic sheets that are held together along a flexible hinge. The magnets are similar to the common refrigerator magnets in thickness and pliability.
The Edge-Mag is very easy to use. Simply fold open the Edge-Mag and place the blade against one of the sides. Rest the cutting edge against the Edge-Mag's shoulder rather than against the flexible hinge.
The magnet holds the knife firmly in position.
Close the Edge-Mag to encapsulate the blade. The Edge-Mag prevents the knife's cutting edge from cutting anything, and also prevents the knife's tip from puncturing anything.
The Edge-Mags are very thin and take very little space within your knife roll or field kitchen.
When opened, the Edge-Mag can be washed and fully dried before you reinsert your knife.
Do not insert your knife into a wet holder or the blade will corrode. Even stainless steel corrodes. The flat surfaces of the Edge-Mag are very easy to clean and dry.
When several of the Edge-Mags are stacked near each other within a knife roll, the Edge-Mags will stick to one another and prevent the knives from shifting about. The Edge-Mags are manufactured with multi-poled magnets that will not and cannot magnetize your knife blades. The Edge-Mags utilize magnetic fields that alternate every 1/8" so that there is no permanent alignment of the magnetic poles in any magnetically receptive object.
The Edge-Mag Multi-Pack contains four Edge-Mags in lengths of 7", 9", 10.5", and 12.5".
The 7" Edge-Mag will house knives like the 6" Wide Utility or smaller. If you want, you may cut/trim the Edge-Mag so that it is sized perfectly to your particular knife.
The 9" Edge-Mag will house knives like the 8" Slicer.
The 10.5" Edge-Mag will house knives like the 9" Bread.
The 12.5" Edge-Mag will house long knives like the 10" Granton Edge Slicer. Again, you may cut the Edge-Mags to fit exactly your particular knife if you desire. The Edge-Mags are inexpensive, so don't be afraid to experiment a little.
Even in camp, you can secure your knife against accidents by fitting the Edge-Mag when the knife is not in use. The Edge-Mag is so easy to use, there's no reason not to secure your blades as soon as you start serving.
This not a safe way to transport your knives. If you are fortunate, your knife will cut only your knife roll or other utensils. If you are unfortunate, your knife will cut you or somebody else.
Once placed into Edge-Mags, your knives are made safe for transport.
For transporting your knives and other kitchen utensils in the field, there is the Forschner Knife Roll. The shoulder strap is detachable for more compact carry inside your field kitchen.
The Knife Roll is the "hard" type of knife roll and measures 20" x 6.5" x 3". The 20" length makes the Knife Roll suitable for transporting the largest of kitchen knives.
When closed, the Knife Roll snaps shut with two plastic buckles.
Once opened, the Knife Roll features multiple partitions and pockets for securing your knives and kitchen utensils.
The large mesh pockets holds all kinds of different small containers for your field kitchen.
Your knives and kitchen utensils are kept segregated and organized.
Fine cutlery like the Victorinox Forged Professional knives deserve to be kept sharp. Not only are sharp knives easier to use than dull knives, they are safer to use than dull knives. Dull knives require force to cut, making the likelihood of an accident much greater.
Our favorite tool for sharpening knives is the Edge Pro Knife Sharpening System. The Edge Pro gives your cutlery a precision edge that cannot be achieved using other sharpening methods.
Bevel angles are adjustable from a steep 35° to a razor-thin 10°. The effort to resharpen an Edge Pro'd knife is considerably less than with any other sharpening system, and the amount of material removed to achieve a razor-sharp edge is dramatically reduced compared to conventional sharpening systems.
Edge Pro edges are even, exact, and free of burrs, consistently, quickly, and easily every time.
The Edge Pro's patented knife guide system does not clamp the blade like inferior sharpening systems, so the Edge Pro will easily sharpen any blade length or blade shape at precisely the same angle every time. Knives like the Victorinox Forged Professional Knives are easily sharpened on the Edge Pro. The Edge Pro accommodates all blade heights, lengths, and shapes. Plain edges or granton edges do not matter on the Edge Pro.
Here is what the 7" Granton Edge Santoku's edge looks like from the factory. This is a very good factory edge.
Here is the identical knife after after the Edge Pro. Note how the edge is perfectly even and mirror polished. There is no comparison to the factory edge. The difference in slicing efficiency between the factory edge and Edge Pro edge is more dramatic than the visual difference.
Knives with thin blades often present sharpening issues because their blades easily flex and the consistency of the edge angles can be affected. This is not a problem on the Edge Pro, because the portion of the blade being sharpened rests upon the blade table during sharpening and blade flex is eliminated. Even on very long and thin bread knives, the edge remains consistent from front to back and side to side. Sharpening this Forged Professional 8" Slicer is child's play on the Edge Pro.
After an Edge Pro session, the edge looks like this. The edge is perfectly even and razor-sharp from tip to bolster.
The Forged Professional 6" Boning features a blade with recurve at the rear and a tip with a very small radius.
The Edge Pro can sharpen this odd blade shape easily. The Edge Pro edge is perfectly even and razor sharp from tip to bolster. No other sharpening method can produce such a result. While the factory edges on the Forged Professional knives are very good, they can be improved upon with the Edge Pro Sharpening System.
A smaller alternative to the multitude of different Swiss Army multitools is the Swiss+Tech Utili-Key. The lightest and most compact multitool ever developed, the Swiss+Tech Utili-Key is lightweight, durable, and always with you.
The patented, quick-release design easily snaps to your key ring, and just as easily releases for everyday tasks. There is no more convenient way to have a multitool always with you.
Benchmade AXIS Folders
Cold Steel Laredo Bowie
EdgePro Knife Sharpening System
Snow Peak Outdoor Products
Swiss+Tech Utili-Key Multitools