VictorinoxSwiss Army Multi-Tool, SwissChamp XLT Pocket Knife, Ruby

I was scared off from the XAVT, the big brother to this XLT, by all the people saying that it was too big to carry and use. So, I got the XLT instead.Well, this XLT is NOT the size of a pack of cigarettes, it is NOT almost one pound of stainless steel in weight (it's only 54% of one pound, actually), and it will not pull your pants down carrying it. Hyperbole by others can mislead the investigating buyer. I'll shoot you some facts and ways to think about things.The XLT is certainly not too big or heavy to carry--and now I question whether the XAVT would have been too big; perhaps I should have sprang for it. I may pick that one up in the future if I see it on sale (currently it's 40% more expensive than the XLT). The cost per tool on the XLT is about four bucks per tool, and on the XAVT is about four and a half buck per tool (divide number tools from price). So, something to consider.Victorinox Swiss Army SwissChamp XAVT The XAVT is more of a collector's knife, and one might be paying for the display box, but it has many useful functions this XLT does not: more sizes of bits, not one but two magnifying glasses at 5x and 8x magnification (and designed to be used together to get 13x magnification!), clock, thermometer, etc. Conversely, it also has some redundancy (two exact same package hooks and two screwdrivers on the XAVT--see other reviews) and I wonder if Victorinox counts those twice to get 80 tools on the XVAT. The XLT has no truly redundant tools, but it does have similar tools such as the thick (i.e. takes up a lot of space on the handle that could be used for another tool) stand alone Phillips screwdriver, which is almost the same (not quite, but so close as to be essentially the same purpose) as the regular Phillips screwdriver on the bit set.Some of the tools are fairly useless, such as the pharmacist spatula. Some stir their coffee with it, one guy uses it as a mirror (why? the knife blade is a large high polished mirror, the spatula is matte). Huh!? Other tools would be better, certainly. Heck, give me the other magnifying glass, Victorinox!Many reviews on the build and quality of Victorinox, and I agree. Most of you already have another Victorinox knife, I'd assume. I will try to stick to a few things you may not know about this model XLT specifically.Weight: 8.75 ounces on my scale. Size: 3.5 inches long. 1 inch thick if you include the closed sticking out of the tools. And most importantly, the width (from side-to-side): 1 5/8 inches.This XLT, by Victorinox's counting (and a nice one page guide comes in the knife box), has 50 uses/tools. I find the Victorinox counting of uses to be accurate, but quite generous. Example: the little round keychain ring on the end of each Victorinox knife---that's one of the fifty tools! Another example: the bit driver is useful, and it comes with the black bits of various sizes, lovely. See the tiny black plastic piece that you move up to take out the bits? That's in and of itself one of the fifty tools! Yes, it's called the "case" for the bits. Please!The chisel is facing the wrong way for the ergonomics of the knife handle (you'll see when you get it) for proper use on wood (the thick knife handle would be against the wood). Victorinox, please just turn it around and cut the thumb groove on the other side.I purchased the Victorinox case for this knife, still to arrive, but had I waited, I'd not get it now. If I put a long Paracord lanyard on the key ring, I can have this at the bottom of my cargo pants pocket with the lanyard knot hanging out, I just grab and pull this out easily and quickly.Anyone on the fence about this and the XAVT, don't be scared of the other knife. It has some pros and cons, and I have never owned it but presented some ideas about it above. For those of us that carry an EDC medium to large blade folding knife already (approx 5-7 ounces), this XLT is no biggie. And you get a lot more tools ounce for ounce, so I like that (but still carry an EDC blade like the ZT0350Zero Tolerance ZT0350TS G10 Handle with Speed Safe and Tiger Stripe Blade (Non-serrated).Cell phone (4 ounce). Car keys (2-3 ounces). Put in one pocket as you carry these daily anyhow.XLT (8.75 ounces) in the other pocket. Nice overall weight distribution.So, this knife is far from massive. It's compact and tough and well made. It's less weight than most Leatehrman type tools. I do carry, especially since it clips to my belt loop on pants directly, the awesome Skeletool Leatherman 830850 Skeletool CX Multitool for a quick carry. It's something to consider against any Swiss Army Knife depending on your use needs; I mention it here so that you can check it out, too. I love my Skeletool, also.Cheers and happy Swiss knifing.

I collect SAKS. Seems like I can never find the right combination that I would create if I were were the designer. But this one pretty much does. I carried a Tinker for many years. It performs most of the tasks people require on a daily basis. And it is comfortable to carry and light weight. Then you get the other Tinker models. I look at it as "Mission Creep!" The more un-necessary tools you have, the more uses and tasks you create as an excuse to use them and buy bigger and fancier knives!I recently bought the massive and heavy knife which came with an elegant leather covered box. It has every tool SAK makes. The problem with the knife is there are several duplicate tools added for "fluff" just to make it more "impressive" and cost more. And for EDC it is too heavy, too massive even with the belt case.I love the "Champ" model and would normally be satisfied with that model. It has more than enough tools for almost any contingency. It is also very thick and heavy for EDC. Still, it was missing something -- more "screwdrivers?!" Then, I saw the XLT Champ model! It has the driver bits I find use for as well as the other tools.So, having said all that, the knife borders on being too heavy and bulky. But it is doable for EDC.What I would eliminate, thus reducing size and weight, would be the spatula, fish scaler, electrician's knife and hook. These are so seldom used if at all that it insults one's intelligence that a fine company like Victorinox would add them! A spatula? For what?! Cutting your cocain?? Use the knife blade. If you plan to fish you will have a scaler in your tackle box. Use the knife blade to strip wire, etc.In spite of what I would change, for now, I would still buy this knife again. It is worth it! But you have to get used to its bulk and weight. I suspect that I will have to carry it in a belt pouch tho. And the quality is unsurpassed!

Every positive review stated for this little gem has pretty much said it all with great accuracy. I have owned numerous Victorinox Swisschamp and their Cybertool for over 20 years. The XLT has a "coolness" factor that is off the scale. The new magnifier lens is slightly larger than the grey framed lens, which translates into a better gatherer of sunlight should you need to start a small fire ( I have experimented different size lens). The knives are still traditionally manufactured in Switzerland, and Victorinox tempers each tool blade individually for its designed use. In addition, there is a lifetime warranty for the Victorinox knives and multi tools. Very few multitool manfacturers have this feature. The really , extremely important part about the warranty is that you need to keep a copy of your invoice as proof of purchase.The size factor of the knife is really perfect for daily carry with its sheath. I did consider about purchasing the XAVT, but the size factor was a little large and I did not want to have to worry about getting the time mechanism wet. If you are a fan of Swiss Army knives, then you should really checkout the XLT or the XAVT. Victorinox has always crafted their knives with top notch materials , to extreme standards and are of exceptional Swiss quality.

Save your money. What you get is much smaller than what is listed as and is overpriced for what is sold. The features are MUCH MORE LIMITED due to those tools and features actually missing from it. At the price, you're better off avoiding for your own sake.