Customer Reviews

Victorinox Swiss Army One-Hand Trekker Lockblade Pocket Knife (Black)

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't open a lot of wine bottles outside of a kitchen, I don't study things with a tiny magnifying glass, and I don't often scale fish. I just need a great knife with the essentials and this knife provides exactly that.

The serrated locking main blade is great. I use the one handed feature all the time: my left hand will be occupied holding something, but my right can easily grab the knife and open the blade. Having serrations makes cutting twine, threads, and rope much easier.

One warning though: at almost 4.5" this knife is fairly large; larger than most pocket knives. For some people that might rule the "pocket" part out.

According to Victorinox, this knife is the official field knife for the German Army. I can see why: it contains exactly what's needed without the superfluous attachments that weigh down so many other knives.

I love the locking blade, and I love how it can be opened with one hand (the other is usually whatever it is you need to cut, right?). I also love the fact that the flat-head screwdriver locks when it's open, saving your hand from the accidental snap-pinch you can get while using it on other models. The weight and feel of this knife are pefect too. The only downside is it's slightly larger proportions. This is longer than the 3 1/2" models, and it makes a difference. If you're planning on carrying this in your pocket, it needs to be one of the only things in there. Still, if your lifestyle demands a slightly more rugged SAK than usual, this is a great choice.

I've been a fan of the traditional Swiss Army Knife and a loyal Victorinox customer since the age of twelve. I've owned five different models of the traditional SAK and I've probably given away dozens of them as gifts. This is my latest acquisition and I can confidently say it's the best SAK I've seen so far.

What's so great about it? The new large form factor design is comfortable in the hand, particularly in a model like this without a gazillion blades. The construction quality is first rate, with smoothly functional brass bushings, detents on the secondary blades, and a rock solid lock on the main blades. The serrated main blade can handle everything from cutting cheese to slicing through heavy sisal rope. The design of the Victorinox saw blade, utilizing alternating teeth with excellent bite and enough gap space to prevent clogging, is the best on the market.

Drawbacks? Nothing major, and mostly a matter of opinion. While stainless steel is easy to care for and resistant to most abuse carbon steel is still superior when it comes to taking and keeping an edge. One the rare occasions I need to touch up the blade I use a pocket sharpener from Gerber that's smaller than a credit card. It's easy to use, can easily handle sharpening the serrated blades, and puts on an edge that can shave the hairs from the back of my hand. Which is a stupid thing to do with a serrated blade, but I'm a traditionalist. You can find similiar sharpeners using small ceramic rods in almost any department store.

The only other thing you should be aware of is the awl. It's the same design found on the underside of dozens of SAK models. While it's a great little tool it is absolutely unforgiving of mis-use. *Do not* try to punch the awl through heavy material or it will snap out of it's detent and close on your fingers. If you use strong, steady pressure it works fine, but try to jab it through heavy leather or a nylon pack strap and your new nickname will be Stubby. Use your head when you use your tools and you won't have any problems at all.

Its a very good pocket knife, it has everything I need, no a lot of tools that you'll never use.
Just one complain, the philips screw driver, why isn it in straight position when you open it? I mean like the bottle opener and the other screw driver, why in "T SHAPE"? this makes a little dificult to use it or in sometimes useless.

Victorinox will have to reconsider the position.

For that reason I'm giving it 4 Stars.

The Construction in general, the quality of the plastic and the finish at all is FIRST CLASS!!!

There are this type of knives with more tools included, yet I felt that too many tools only make knive's grip worse. For most people(unless your hands are either too small or too big), I think that this is just perfect size providing excellent grip and tools used most frequently.

Be aware that the large blade is - for some inexplicably stupid reason - "steak knife serrated" - except for the last inch or so (which is straight).
Re-sharpening this blade will take a bit of work, and the lack of a non-serrated blade is a significant drawback.

Also, the tip is rounded off and dull, the blade is clearly only intended for use slicing.

This isn't clear on the first Amazon picture (it looks like a straight blade with a normal tip). To make things more confusing, the Swiss Army website shows this as a non serrated knife (what I thought I was buying) - there are apparantly multiple versions of the same knife floating around.

One handed opening is rather awkward and slow (a Leatherman Wave is much faster). It is also very difficult / dangerous to close one handed, but I think this applies to all the locking SAKs

Quality is great, fit is perfect, the knife is fairly light, blade locks well, but you'll probably want to go for something a bit better.
The "Outrider" edition is currently only $3 more and is, in my mind, a far superior knife. A little bigger, but it even includes scissors (which this lacks)
The "Locksmith" is also only a few dollars more and comes with a file.

Victorinox swiss army knives are not made in China..

All Victorinox swiss army knives are made in Schwyz, Switzerland.. If you will look on the main blade of your knife you will see the Victorinox Switzerland stamp..

The quality difference between an authentic swiss army knife such as a Wenger or Victorinox, compared to cheap Chinese copies is instantly apparent..

This particular knife is as good as it gets for an outdoor or survival folding knife.. The steel although somewhat soft by todays standards, is easily sharpened on a stone, rock, etc.. It is also for all intents and purposes rust proof.. There are currently some German army versions of this knife currently on the market, with olive handles, the German army seal and no tweezers or toothpick..

I highly recommend..

This was my second Swiss Army Knife purchase. I also purchased the Fieldmaster. I don't like the Leatherman or Swisstool type utility gadgets, so I took a chance and bought this one.

The quality of the blade is first rate, and especially the sawblade. I have found uniform and excellent blade quality in all the Victorinox knives. You are not going to have problems cutting smaller tree branches, etc...with this one. The locking blade is solid, and with a little practice you will have no problems operating it with one hand. The "action" gets smoother the more you use it and now after working it for several days it comes open with very little effort. It is sharp enough to cut a piece of paper without any trouble. I can definitely see quite a few uses around the house for this knife. It doesn't have scissors, but I can live without that.

I don't think this is the right knife to be carrying around in your pocket though. It's just too big to be comfortable. I can envision it in my backpack or glove compartment, or in the kitchen drawer. The only thing that keeps this from getting 5 stars is the plastic grip material. It doesn't feel to solid and I can see it chipping or cracking over time. Other than that, a very good blade with almost no wiggle that could stand some heavy duty torque if you are trying to cut something tough.

This is the knife you need if you're going to do some serious drinking, because not only does the main serrated blade lock, but the bottle opener does, too. (This is also the flat-blade screwdriver, good for prying things. So it does make some kind of sense.)

This is also the knife if you're going to do serious hiking. You never know when you're going to find yourself with an arm pinned under a giant boulder. The saw will come in very handy. This is when the one-handed operation really shines.

I bought this one in a kit including a "free" Classic. You can never have enough Swiss army knives.

And speaking of which, you will have noticed this knife is sold in a couple of different variations. Here is a summary. Compared to this Trekker...
- Bundeswehr is similar, sans toothpick/tweezer
- Parachutist has belt cutter instead of saw
- One-Handed Trailmaster is same thing, old/non-US name
- Trekker Camo similar, non-serrated blade
- Sentinel only has the one locking blade
- Fireman has saw AND belt cutter
- Rescue Tool has saw AND belt cutter, and window breaker
- Workchamp and Hercules have all that, "but wait, there's more"

For more info, check victorinox.ch.
Look on Youtube for videos demonstrating one-handed operation.

I'll start with a disclosure. I have not used the knife in any outdoor settings. I have used it primarily to open packages at home.

Having said that, the knife is great. I like the fact that I can swing out the blade with one hand and that the blade locks in place. The main blade is placed exactly on the center of the handle so the knife feels balanced with the blade open. The blade has serrated edge on the front two inches of the blade. The edge is ground only from one side.

The one hand trekker model looks to be the same as the German army version which has olive green handle and the Bundeswehr insignia.

One word of caution. When opening the blade with one hand the thumb is placed in the hole toward the end of the blade. If the thumb slips out while the blade is half open, one may instinctively try to open it all the way by pushing on the heel of the blade. The blade is edged all way to the heel so putting the thumb on the heel will result in injury. This is not an academic point. My son actually cut his thumb exactly in this manner and is now sporting a band-aid on his thumb : )

I still recommend this pocket knife highly. And my son does too : )