Victorinox Swiss Army Champion Plus Pocket Knife

Got my father's old Swiss pocketknife. I remember it as an 8-10 year old.(I'm 39 now) Going through my dad's effects I found the knife recently. Sharp as anything out of the store and NO RUST anywhere. Not even a little...Unbelieveable, the quality. Luckily, I didn't have to buy mine. But, your son may not have to buy his.

Let me start by admitting that I purchased this one on a whim. I found it as a Gold Box deal for under $20. I couldn't pass it up and thought I would use it as a gift for one of my elder sons. After it arrived and I took some time to look it over, it found its way to my pocket where you can find it most days.

Others have written comparisons to other models, and have highlighted specific tools. I'll try to add a few things that helped make this one of my favorite knives.

- Right off the bat, there's no beating the style of can-opener that you'll find on this and every other Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. I've used both types (on Wegner and Victorinox models) and this one wins, hands down.

- I wear eyeglasses, and the mini screwdriver that is nested in the corkscrew is perfect for tightening up the screws on my glasses. You can either use it separately, in your fingers, or you can flip it over and thread the blunt (handle) end back into the corkscrew, allowing you to use the full knife as a handle. That simply makes it easier to use.

- I don't use the hook for carrying tied packages, but find it invaluable for removing hot pots from over a fire. No more burnt fingers from the water pot for me!

- I like having both the larger and smaller cutting blades, especially for whittling.

- The scissors are larger than those on the Classic (I have one on my key ring), so I find them easier to use, especially for cutting fabric or larger sections of paper (like coupons from the in-store flier).

- The number of screwdriver tips makes this knife a wonderful tool to have on-hand for quick tinkering. The phillips head is suprisingly versatile. I was able to use it on extremely small wood screws, and it works very well on computer case and mounting screws (I'm a techie by trade, and love having this one with me at the office).

- The one feature I thought I would never use, the ballpoint pen, actually came in quite useful a few days after pocketing this knife. I was at a product launch meeting and I didn't have a pen (I had counted on the vendor giving away logo pens, but they ran out). The pen nests into the same groove as the hook (albeit at the opposite end), making for a suprisingly comfortable and easy-to-use writing instrument.

- Finally, since I've been wilderness camping for more than 25 years, I like having the magnifying glass as a good weather fire-starter.

This is the knife that sits in my pocket most days of the week. I also take it on all of my weekend camping trips and hikes. I do like some other knives for other occasions (I prefer, for example, my Centurian {also by Victorinox} when I'm canoeing in the BWCA since I can use the longer {4"} blade to fillet fish and since I like the thinner profile stuffed into my pocket while sitting in the canoe). This a fantastic, all-around knife. You can't go wrong for the price (even if $60). It's well-worth it and bound to become a favorite.

The only minor drawback the Champion Plus is there are no pliers like in the Champion. I got this for my son at a Lightning Deal price of $19.99. That's an incredible amount of knife for the money. Frankly, I expected a lower quality knife but was very happy when I received a high-quality product. It's big but any gear-head will like it. Add a Leatherman multi-tool and you're a walking toolbox.

I bought this for my wife as a gift since she had lost her other Swiss knife. She had one that has like 8000 tools but this unit suites her needs fine. She carries it in the car as more of a tool than a daily use type of knife. It's been used many times and she is perfectly happy with it. Craftsmanship and fit/finish seemed what you would expect from Swiss.

I like to camp and hike. I go as often as I can and every time I go I HAVE to carry my Swiss Army knife with me.I thought I would never use every tool on this knife but I have.
It is very good quality, you get MORE than you pay for. Excellent to carry with you or have in your car for emergencies.