Review by C. E. Hopwood:

I received this as a gift 5 years ago and its only just starting to look tatty even though I work in an outside job and have travelled all over the world backpacking with it. A great combination of tools (although the saw could be sharper), and I’ve actually used them all unlike some more complicated models. A great balance between size and utility… it’ll fit in a handbag too!

Review by Spider Monkey:

This pocketknife is a solid bit of kit from a well known and respected brand (beware of cheap imitations as the saying goes). It has all the basic tools you may need and even after years of owning one it still functions well and the blades have remained sharp. You can get these in different colours and they are so sturdy that they begin to look tatty only after extensive usage. If you want a Swiss army knife and are unsure which one to go for, this one is probably the standard that others are measured against and unless you need sport or industry specific tools on your knife, this one should cater for all of your needs. A great tool and a good buy.

Review by Tarot P. Atkinson:

I was bought a swiss army climber about 6 or 7 years ago by my mother. since having it I have found all the blades useful with the possible exception of the multi purpose hook, but I am not a climber. Presumably if I was this would be the icing on the cake.

Every other blade has been used often, even the reamer although I always thought reaming was an intimate pastime. If this is so, although my innocence can’t confirm it, I would suspect this tool is not named with that (whatever it is) in mind.

It is compact as swiss army knives go. It fits well in the pocket and for all it does, it is not obtrusive or heavy. You will at some point need spares, the tweezers and toothpick do go walk about. These are available for 2-3 pounds each. I have lived for many years without either but at some point when you have a few pence in your pocket you will want them, and before that day you will miss them so you might as well buy them as soon as they go missing.

I would advise you, if you do buy this knife to also buy an extendable cord keyring because you will want the certainty that an extendable cord will give you, in that your knife will always be attached to a belt loop, and also whilst being firmly tied to the device you will still be able to use it. I once lost mine for 6 months and many times during that period I cursed my absent mindedness.

Review by Oliver Dunkley:

Mine is about 10 years old – I was given it by my Dad after he “lost” it, went out and bought a new one then “found” it again. I’ve been using it for whittling odd things quite a lot and the blade seems to still be quite sharp, although I have sharpened it once. The stainless steel edge keeps very well.

All of the other functions are very good, and the scissors will easily cut through most things. Not sure what the reamer is supposed to be for but it does a good job at punching holes and untying tough knots.

Just one word of warning though: if you are looking for a proper knife which locks and is more suited for cutting, try one of Victorinox’s large lock-blade knives. I own the Picknicker, and the only tool on that I ever use is the blade, though you can get ones with more functions like this one.

Overall, a good pocket-tool with lots of good functions, and a great edge that will hold; but if you are looking for a more full-time knife, try elsewhere. Great for odd jobs.

Review by Ethan Hammond:

First of all, I was contemplating on whether to buy the Voctorinox Craftsman, but after much procrastination I decided to spend 6 pounds extra in order to get the Champ.

I am a student and it is a real pain, when I don’t have utensils or tools to hand. I have used the knife on so many occasions, such as cutting food, perforating packaging and a multitude of other things. The other components such as the saw, screwdrivers and reamer have come in handy, when assembling flat packed furniture. Lastly the tweezers have a literal god send in removing splinters or picking up delicate items that are fiddly such as watch screws.

One tiny disadvantage is that the pliers cannot really be used for anything too substantial. The jaw span of them only seem to open to half an inch, thus the pliers are not practical for the big bolts and hexs around the house. But with that said, that isnt really a big problem and they are still useful for small camping based jobs, such as mending portable butane stoves or aspects of your tent. To remedy this I also have a pair of Sebertool (M2) snap on pliers that I carry with me.

Im yet to backpack to Croatia and Romania and I am inevitably going to throw this into my travel luggage.

In regards to the dimenisions of the knife, I would say it definitely fits snuggly into my hand and is in now way cumbersome ! I have the tan brown leather Victorinox pouch and so I have the ‘Champ’ holstered on my person most of the time, whether outside on the town or in the house.

I have owned 2 swiss army knives (huntsman and classic SD), but I must say that this knife is the most durable and useful that I have ever come across. It really is an essential piece of kit equally useful to both men and women. I cannot complement this knife too highly!

P.s. This knife has a lifetime warranty (with proof of purchase shown) and Victorinox UK have excellent customer service.

Review by Elise:

My dad is extremely difficult to buy presents for, you spend hours trekking round shops wracking your brains, and even when he gets them tends to be inscrutable and so you’re never quite sure whether he really likes what you’ve bought or not. In general, therefore birthday present buying is approached with some trepidation. This year I bought him this swiss army knife, knowing that he had a much more basic one and found it useful.I was not disappointed, he actually appeared very pleased, and spent a lot of time investigating the uses of all the attachments (which there appear to be a couple of hundred of). I can highly recommend it for any man who loves a gadget, and as it comes inside a box, it’s even easy to wrap up!

Review by The Jade Merchant:

One day Victorinox will allow you to custom order your own knife, but until that time arrives, the Explorer will suffice. I’d owned a Champ for over 20 years, but in an attempt to reduce the weight of junk I carry around with me, I wanted a smaller model. Beyond the basic tools, I wanted it to have the scissors, a Phillips head screwdriver and a magnifying glass (until you carry one around, you don’t appreciate how often it gets used). The Explorer is the only model that fitted the bill.

It is a splendid everyday carry item, and Victorinox build quality is unrivalled. Give it a bit of an oil and a clean each year, run a sharpening stone over the blades if you feel them a bit dull and you’ll be passing this to the next generation – unless like me you’ll be taking it to the grave, because you never know when it’ll be needed….

Oh, and if I were to custom order a knife, what would I change? I’d replace the hook thing with the small chisel and then perfection would be attained.

Buy one today, at this price you can’t go wrong.

Review by Gord:

This is the one to get!

Some knives are just too small but any more “blades” than on this one and it would be too cumbersome or you may as well get one of those Leatherman jobbies which simply aren’t practical to carry everywhere. This one is still pocket sized and mine has had loads of use – the big knife blade is ideal for food purposes (cutting fruit and the like at work), the small knife blade is the best for general cutting- the smaller blade giving a bit more control and power (think of a Stanley knife – big handle/small blade)

Another good reason for getting this knife is that it has both flat and Philips screwdrivers – in fact it was the Philips screwdriver that sold it to me! it’s had so many uses over the years. Also, you’d be suprised at how often the magnifying glass has come in handy for removing splinters.

The other blades will have their uses, even if you dont indulge in a lot of reaming or punch eye hooking!

Okay, mine is 12 years old now and I didnt buy it from Amazon but I feel it’s an item worthy of a very high recommendation. If I ever lose it, I’d get another one.

Review by Walter George Newell:

Victorinox Classic SD Swiss Army Pocket Tool. Such a handy piece of kit to carry on key ring,I personaly have found hundreds of uses. I have carried the same one for over twenty years. Beware of airport security they will steal it if given the chance. .

Review by P. Reville:

Decent quality – but much smaller than I thought it would be – Length 58mm – double check this with a ruler and don’t be a monkey like me!

Review by C. Williams:

I have owned several Victorinox penknives before. In fact, one that I bought in 1973 is still in use.

I was looking for a knife that was small enough to carry with me always but would still be able to cut open packages, peel fruit, trim and file split fingernails and cut string.

This knife is perfect. Small enough to fit in the watch pocket of a pair of jeans, manufactured to a very high quality and good looking, too. The best always costs a little bit more.

Review by A.F.B.:

What can I say, it is a victorinox with 3 “blades”… bought one to my wife after I caught her looking with envy to mine silver one… I’ve initially get her the classic red resine one, but wasn’t the same appeal, so I had to purchase her another Alox in orange. She loves this last one.

- scissors, tiny and effective,

- screwdriver and nail file,

- small blade.

We don’t leave the house without them (our official keyrings). Very useful to have with your keys…

Review by Mrs. J. Burrows:

Bought this knife for 23yr old son who is planning a week cycling trip. His 15yr old brother already has one which was in constant use on last years camping holiday.Would recommend this product to anyone that enjoys camping or travelling, having said that the knife has been in constant use in and around the house.

The knife is bulky and is best suited for putting in a backpack or bag as opposed to in a pocket, this is good I think as it prevents the 15yr old carrying the knife around when he ought not.

It looks great in black!!

Review by L. Jones:

great knife ,very sharp(almost razor sharp) ,oosies quality,it reminds me of surgical steal ,no play in any of the blades/tools ,feels bomb proof.

yes i would recommend ,

edward

Review by R. Boshell:

good little tool for little and simple jobs… I’ve used mine for so many things! Particularly useful when camping, as it is small and lightweight. But its is only really useful for crafty things, doing your nails and sorting out loose screws and frayed edges.

Nice knife

Review by Ivor Gotone:

Very simple construction using stiff leather and relatively lightweight stitching. It has a belt loop at the back (simply constructed by having slits in the casing) and I guess you could wear it on a belt if you wanted, but I just bought it to protect the knife and tend to put it in my pocket. It doesn’t have a soft interior and due to the soft plastic used on the Champ knife, I find it scuffs it.

Perfect size for the Swiss Army Champ knife.

Sort of completes the package with the Champ knife, particularly if you are buying it as a gift for a dad who would have loved to have got it from his kids but do they ever think of me…

Review by H. G. Mikkelsen:

This item is very nice, it fits the Victorinox Champ that I bought separately perfectly. This is a very clean and smart looking item.