FIRST LOOK at the NEW Swiss Army knife

The Swiss army has entered the new millennium with a new issue Swiss Army Knife. Victorinox won the competition and we get our first look at what Swiss soldiers will be carrying into the future See what all the fuss is about as we put the new SAK through its paces.

www.equipped.org/blog/?p=103

The Trekker remains my back-up knife in the lumbar pack when hiking. I've had it for a few years and it seems to do well for most things I've put it through.

Have seen that knife when I was in Switzerland last year! Very nice, too bad I couldn't find a plain edged version. Otherwise, a superb survival/military pocket knife.

Along with the Farmer, the Trekker is brilliant. In most respects, it's a far more practical knife for *survival* use than the Farmer and certainly the previous issue knife.

I would have much preferred a New Ranger model in this position. My guess is, so would the Swiss army...



Too bad they don't make a OH model. Right?

Yep, too bad....

Holy beep where's that from?

Edit: Okay, that's a NR 78. Which answers my question, but brings up two new ones:

1. Why is this not the new SAK?

2. Who did I hear accusing Victorinox of not making a New Ranger OH Trekker and why did I believe them?

Time machine. SHOT Show this Thursday...

How feasible would it be to grind/file off the serrations that are on the OH Trekker model and make it into a "normal" blade?

JohnE

The new model OHT comes with the option of a non serrated blade
OHT

That's the smartest decision the Swiss Army could possibly have made. I suspect that a lot of their Soldiers have privately purchased one and the SA is bowing to the inevitable or taking a hint. Which ever way you want to take it.

I have two one handed trekker's. I have supplied to them to other people and I all ways recommend them to anyone who needs a light survival knife for North European conditions.

A couple of points, and I say this as some one who has used both the Victorinox and Wenger:

1) The Trekker is smaller, lighter and (in my view) better made than the Wenger. The eronomics of the trekker are (to me) better. And I speak as someone with big hands.

2) The reverse lock on the trekker is very easy to get used to and there is no chance of you disengaging it accidentally. Unlike a conventional liner-lock.

3) The saw is the most efficient that I have ever seen on a pocket knife. If I cannot have a Bahco Laplander on me, I want this. Cutting limbs of forearm thickness is perfectly doable. Yon just cut around the limb and then break it off. The speed that it goes through sapling has to be experienced to be appreciated.

4) The serrations on the blade are a lot more aggressive than appearances suggest. If used like a saw they make very short work of ropes, fibers etc. Placing them on the front two thirds of the blade appears to fly in the face of conventional wisdom but it actually works better than the conventional arrangment. By pure coincidence I tried sawing a section of wood at work today with the blade. Just to see if I could use it to create vee notches for figure four deadfall traps. The answer was yes, oh yes.

In conclusion: I would not be surprised to see it become the pocket knife of choice for all E.U armies. Either as issue or as private purchase.

Sorry I mis-identified, let me re-ask the question. How hard would it be to grind/file off the serrations from the blade of the new SAK as mentioned in Doug's original post?

I like the look of the scales on the new one better than the ones on the Trekker.

JohnE