COLLECTION: Victorinox Champion Plus 91mm (2000s)

Here's my Victorinox Champion Plus. It's a seven-layer 91mm SAK which is one layer less than the SwissChamp.  This has all the SwissChamp's tools except the pliers.  It is one layer thicker than the original Champion and has additional magnifying glass and inline philips screwdriver on the extra layer.

COLLECTION: Victorinox DofE Pocket Tool 91mm (2000s)

Victorinox has partnered with The Duke of Edinburgh's (DofE) Award, to release a Pocket Tool specifically designed for use during adventure activities of the group. The DofE is a leading youth charity gives all young people aged 14-24 the chance to develop skills for life and work, fulfil their potential and have a brighter future.  The group runs the DofE programme which provides personal programme activities in five areas - Volunteering, Physical, Skills, Expedition and for Gold, a Residential and they give out awards (Bronze, Silver, Gold) after completing the activities.

The Victorinox DofE Pocket Tool is the recommended tool to use during these adventure programmes.  It is the only 91mm tool released by Victorinox with a main blade tip rounded (mostly for safety - use by teenagers in adventure activity tasks).  It is very similar to the tool layout of a Compact which has the corkscrew instead of the Philips screwdriver found in the DofE Pocket Tool. It has the logo of the DofE Award in the front scale.

References:
www.dofe.org
www.sakwiki.com

COLLECTION: Victorinox Mechanic 91mm (1990s)

The Victorinox Mechanic is a three-layer SAK which is a Tinker with a pliers layer.  This is one of the thinnest Victorinox model with pliers included in the tool set.

The early pliers did not have a crimper.  After 1995, Victorinox included a crimper near the pivot point of the pliers to make it more useful as an all around tool.  The spring is a leaf-spring type design which is the same as the scissors.

Early release of the pliers did not include a crimper

Later half of the 1990s featured pliers with the crimper which is still in used today

References:
Victorinox 1990s Catalog
Victorinox 2001 Catalog
www.sakwiki.com
SAAM's 91mm Tool Evolution

COLLECTION: Victorinox Spartan Silvertech 91mm (2000s)

The Silvertech scales were first introduced in 2008 Catalogs.  They are transparent scales with silver paint backing and are different from the normal transparent scales which are sometimes available for sale as replacement parts.  

The Silvertech scales have been used for popular models such as the Signature Lite, MiniChamp, Spartan, Climber, Huntsman and SwissChamp.a

Spartan in Silvertech scales:

References:
Victorinox 2008 Catalog
Victorinox.com

REFERENCE: Victorinox Swiss Army Knives Sizing Chart

This is an extract from the Victorinox 2012 Catalog.  It's a cool way to see in one glance all the current Victorinox models.  All rights reserved to Victorinox. I just want to share.

Reference:

Victorinox 2012 Catalog

REVIEW: Victorinox Climber and Super Tinker 91mm (2010s)

The Victorinox Climber and Super Tinker are two of the most versatile 3-layer SAK currently in production today. Apart from the standard main blade, small blade, can opener and cap lifter on the front layer, it has the scissors which is very handy in any environment.  They also have the awl with sewing eye and parcel hook in the back layer.

Both are virtually the same except for that the Climber has the corkscrew and the Super Tinker has the philips screwdriver in the back layer.  

Personally, my choice will always be the Climber aka Super Spartan (get it?) in the 3-layer SAK category (considering only the models currently still in production).  I feel the philips screwdriver in the back layer is awkward to use.  I prefer the inline philips screwdriver as it feels like a normal screwdriver design (long handle, inline).  Also, the can opener tip is small enough to be used in place of the philips screwdriver.  Having the corkscrew in the back layer also enables you to carry the mini screwdriver that is very useful in many situations (like fixing eye glasses, small toys, etc).

Anyway, whatever you prefer, you can't go wrong between these two amazing SAK models.

Comparison Photos: Climber (left) and Super Tinker (right)