I have had several Victorinox Swiss Army Champ knives, or very similar. One was lost, one was stolen, so I needed a new one, and purchased this. That was 3 years ago. I was very disappointed. I have other Victorinox knives to compare. This knife is a bit lighter. The pliers in this knife are thinner. There is no groove in these pliers to help the spring stay where it should, so the spring never stays in place. The scissors don't cut well. The cork screw is thinner. The knife blades are smaller. This knife looks like a knock off in comparison to other Victorinox Champ style knives I own. I bought this knife three years ago, and hopefully they have fixed this problem, but if you don't like your knife because it seems a bit flimsy, you, too, may have a knock off. I purchased the same thing from a reputable mailorder dealer in Maine, and the difference in the two knives is very noticeable.

It can do a lot as long as it is nothing strenuous. The scissor blade bent from trying to cut a very small zip tie. The small knife ended up being able to do the job but was riskier to do with all the wires where I was working. After failing to cut a zip tie and bending the blade edge the scissors couldnt close all the way. When folding the scissors to close it the bent edge snapped off. It was a very small bit of the blade edge and a sharpening stone was able to fix it like new.

Victorinox Swiss Army SwissChamp Pocket Knife, Black Victorinox Large Pocket Knife Clip Pouch, Leather Black 33210 Carrying Case (Pouch) for Knife - Brown

This is the third Victorinox Swiss Army SwissChamp pocket knife that I've owned. I carried the last two SwissChamps in a black leather Victorinox Pocket Knife Clip Pouch (B000HJKT9Q). When the leather covering the belt clip came off that pouch, I reordered the same model pouch. After several years of use, the grips (aka scales), fell off and, rather than returning the knife to Victorinox, I decided to replace the knife with a new one. When the new SwissChamp came in, I continued using the same clip pouch that I'd used to carry my first knife in, even though the case fell off my belt on several occasions. Unfortunately I didn't learn my lesson until last week when, while on a hike, I lost both the pouch and my knife, when the pouch unclipped from my belt one final time. That turned out to be a rather expensive lesson.

So I bit the bullet and ordered a new SwissChamp. Lesson learned, this time I didn't order a clip-on pouch. Instead, I ordered the
Swiss Army Model 33210 Carrying Case (Pouch), from Amazon. This leather case has a belt loop, rather than a clip. Before I ordered this pouch, I read a number of the many great reviews on Amazon. One of the reviewers, "Tool Collector," noted that the SwissChamp was a tight fit in this case, and that the case was made of dry stiff leather. "Tool Collector" suggested using Neatsfoot Oil to soften the leather of this case. Wanting to avoid scratching the new knife's shinny new ABS scales, I purchased a bottle of Neatsfoot oil to have on hand for when the new case and knife arrived.

When I received my new SwissChamp, and the Swiss Army leather case, I was disappointed to see a number of large scratches on both of the ABS scales (grips). The SwissChamp, which arrived in a sealed Victorinox cardboard box, wasn't wrapped in a protective layer of tissue paper, or anything else. While I'm not sure how the scratches actually happened, I suspect it may have occurred during shipping.

I immediately contacted Amazon's customer service, and they graciously agreed to exchange the knife. While I'm disappointed that I had
to wait another five days for my SwissChamp replacement to arrive, the new leather pouch was nice and supple by then.

The replacement knife arrived in perfect condition.

If you're on the fence about the SwissChamp, buy this instantly. I've had one for a couple years now (got the black version from here). The number of tools for its size is incredible, and it fits perfectly in the little 5th jeans pocket, or even easier in a cargo pocket. I've used all the tools, so many times each, and I never leave home without it. The amount I've accomplished with this tool is just astounding. The small size of some of the tools--such as the pliers--is often an advantage. They are so fine that they significantly out-needle-nose regular needle-nose pliers, and can do things that no other pliers can. Sure, sometimes you need a larger tool, and that's to be expected with any multitool. I've learned many times over though that sometimes the small version of a tool on the SwissChamp is actually the best tool I own for the job, besides also being much more convenient and portable. Pair it with a drill and drill bit set and you truly feel like you can take on anything. I will ALWAYS own one of these from now on. I have researched Victorinox's entire catalog extensively, and this particular Swiss Army Knife is definitely the way to go if what you want is sheer variety of capability in the smallest possible package.

This is my third Victornox Champion in thirty years. The other two I gave to friends as parking gifts, I went 8 years without one and had to have another. I work with the military and travel continually, it's great to have in your backpack for those unexpected needs on the road. Quality is excellent and it just feels good in your hand like the exceptional tool that it is. Once you know what it contains you find yourself reaching for it over and over. This is my first blue one and I like how it looks, the feel is exactly the same. Having one again is like finding your long lost favorite dog. Don't forget to put it in your checked luggage when flying! Carry a preposted envelope for the knife so if you forget to check it you can mail it to yourself. : )