by It is the ultimate boy toy for all generations. Whether you grew up Only William Stories, The dangerous book for boys Or videos with YouTube crafting, the individual object that every man has, wishes or regrets, is a Swiss army knife. And women also love them very much.
Over the decades, there have been more than 150 different types of fold -out tools on Swiss army knives. Currently 178 different pocket knives from Victorinox are available, from Swiss Champ XXL with 73 different tools to the key ring size escort with only six.
When I constructed my own knife, The Ranger, a middle school that is probably the most traditional knife in Victorinox ‘Arsenal, I received a history hour about the individual tools and the best ways to use them.
1. Blade, big
The use of the standard blade was developed to do everything from wood heating to opening letters. They are pretty self -explanatory. “I use my knife blade every day to open packages, open food packages, everything,” says Elsener. “I’m carving an apple for breakfast first in the morning. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
For the work outdoors, the big blade is the best friend of a Woodman. To cut wood, open the blade and close a fist to close the handle so that the tip indicates. “This enables you to win power,” explains Felix Immler, Victorinox ‘Swiss Army Messer Expert instructor.
“From there, use the bottom of the blade at an angle of 45 degrees to carve your wood. Each blow should be an explosion of strength.”
2. Multi -purpose hook
Originally recorded on the Swiss army knife as a tool for men who hoped to make themselves useful for women who tighten their corsets, the use of the hook eras is a little more mysterious.
“You could use it for … everything you need a catch for,” said a Victorinox spokesman. However, I found particularly practical use. Open the hook halfway and use it as a portable stand to rest a phone.
You can also use it to pull a bicycle chain off your gears so that you can work without getting greasy fingers or even dealing with difficult knots.
3. Corkcrew/screwdriver
The original innovation, which was presented on the “officers’ and sports knife”, is quite self-explanatory to use the corkscrew. It is also a practical holster for the smallest screwdriver of the knife.
4. Reaer, punch, awl (nail cleaner) sew
One of the most mysterious tools on the Swiss army knife is the Reaer, Punch and Sewing AWL. This thin, sharp wedge is located on the bottom of the knife. Punch the resteer into something and then turn the whole knife to cut out a hole. “You can use it to put a new hole in your belt or make a conical hole in a piece of wood,” says Immler.
“My other favorite knit is to penetrate the tip of the frame into a stable surface to keep the knife calm. Then rub a piece of wood along the sharp edge of the reader to create small chips. Then you can quickly draw a fire striker along the reeamer to create a fire.”
5.
Most people will only use the Özelett of the key role to attach their Swiss army knife to something, but in view of the solid eyelet, IMMER uses its for additional tasks. “If you feed a paper bracket or a needle through the Özelett, you can bend it exactly to create a fishing hook,” he explains. “But it is also very difficult – if you ever have to crack a coconut, the eyelet is hard enough to do that.”
6. Blade, small
“Probably the most underestimated tool on your pocket knife,” says Immler. “If you carve wood, it should be your main blade. The small blade has a lot of advantages over the big blade. The small blade is usually sharper because it is used less and you can bring closer curves with it, so it is better for detailed work.”
Hold the knife as you would use the big blade and then put a thumb on the back of the blade. Push the knife with this thumb to make flat cuts in the wood precisely, flat cuts.
7. Wood saw
Another pretty simple tool, but the steel wood saw is very effective. “I would recommend if you saw something to clamp the wood between your foot and the floor, and then see as close as possible to your foot,” says Immler.
“This prevents the wood you sowing too much, and if you bend your shoulder with your shoulder and not your elbow, it gives you more strength and control.”
8. Toothpick
Another less well -known tool that is hidden in the scale of all Swiss army knives is the toothpick. It is also handy to clean the knife itself.
9. Bottle opener/screwdriver 6 mm/wire ripper
A bottle opener is always worth it to have a pinch, especially if (like the can opener) of the flat top also serves as a screwdriver. A slightly less known use of this tool is the small NUB below, which acts as a wire ripper. Place your wire between the handle of the knife and this notch, so that the wire folds the bottle opener again. Then carefully fold the blade against the wire to use it as a wire ripper.
10. Scissors
“My favorite tool is the scissors and we often hear the same thing from customers,” says Elsener. “You are very helpful if you buckle your nail and you can simply take your scissors and correct it.”
But the scissors are also strong enough to cut fabric and aluminum cans-useful to do basic camp crafts or first aid. Since they are loaded in the spring load, the trick with the scissors is to keep the knife in your palm and to “pump” the scissors instead of trying to open it and close it as you would do a standard couple kitchen scissors.
11. Small screwdriver
The smallest screwdriver function on the knife hits the end of the corkscrew and is designed to put on your glasses.
12. Pinzettes
Hidden in the “scale” of the knife is a small pair of tweezers. Not exactly a revolutionary piece kit, but given how small it is, many do not see that it is there. Victorinox also suggests that the tweezers can be useful if they absorb delicate jewelry or even tiny components when repairing the electronics.
13. The opener/screwdriver 3mm
While most people are familiar with Rotary Can Openers in general, it is always helpful to have emergency protection. Simply press the hactored “nose” of the can opener into the outside lip of your can and then use the upper “punch” in a update and down movement around the tip of the can to open it. As for the flat end of the Can Opener? It is also a helpful screwdriver.
The history of the Swiss army knife
Victorinox, the original Swiss army knife company, produces 45,000 pocket knives every weekday that takes place worldwide (the USA, Germany, Mexico, Great Britain and France are the largest markets according to Switzerland itself).
But the Swiss knife was originally nothing like that. When a young Karl Elsener opened his workshop in Ibach, a small town, an hour drive from Zurich, opened in 1884, he repaired tools for the local farmers and made a few knives a week. The contract for Swiss army knives from the standard fighting, which contained a blade, a reaper, a can opener and a screwdriver, belonged to a German company.
In 1896, Elsener presented the generals of the army a new knife, which, in contrast to the German tools on both sides of the handle and an innovative spring system, and a corkscrew, which he hoped that they would make it attractive for civil servants. The “officers’ and sports knife” was rejected by army chiefs.
After Elsener had already produced hundreds of knives, he stood financial ruin until he started selling the knives to American soldiers who were stationed in the country. They loved them and took them home as gifts.
Until 1909, the Swiss army had taken note of Elsener’s company and obliged to make knives for their soldiers. The rest is history. Today the company is a family -run foundation with Carl Elsener IV, the current CEO. So far, it has produced around 550 million multi-tool bag men.
“In Switzerland, most people carry a Swiss army knife with them every day,” says Elsener The Telegraph. He personally prefers the traveler, a pocket knife with an electronic display with an alarm clock (“in my case set every day for 5.15 a.m.”, altimeter, barometer, timer and thermometer.
“I am one of those who like to repair things,” continues Elsener. “When I am on the move and see that a screw in my hotel wardrobe is loose, I will get my pocket knife out and repair them. The Swiss are generally like that, we like to repair things. But you can use them for everything.
“NASA bought Swiss army knives for its astronauts, and once a Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield, used his to get to a Russian space station when the official tools broke. He said:” Never leave the planet without one. “
Hidden in Victorinox ‘Off-Limits Archive is a wealth of knives from the decades. There are Swiss army knives that are personalized with ebony and pearl mother handles, bone knobs and even a miniature tape occupied with diamonds with a Swiss army built on the neck, which was built especially for Elvis Presley.
It is remarkable how hard these knives are. Knife from 1937 (when the famous red plastic coating was added for the first time) show hardly any signs of age.
