Customer Reviews

Victorinox Swiss Army Midnite Minichamp Pocket Knife

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Victorinox Swiss Army Midnite Minichamp Pocket Knife is the most feature-packed of the small (2-1/4") from Victorinox. It includes an LED flashlight, a ballpoint pen, and scads of blades and tools... as one would expect from a true Swiss Army knife. Instead of saying how great this little multipurpose tool is, it would be better to explain the implements from a subjective perspective:

Blade - this is the same type small blade that's found on most multi-blade Victorinox Swiss Army knives. It's non-locking (so be careful) and hold a very sharp edge for a long time.

Scissors - very handy for paper, cardboard, aluminum foil, plastic and other such soft materials. Just don't use it to cut wire or hard items, as you'll quickly dull the blades.

Nail file with nail cleaner tip - has a roughened metal surface which doesn't clog when taking off rough spots from fingernails. It will probably never wear out, and the nail cleaner does it's job very well.

Cuticle pusher - many people look puzzled at first glance at this one, but it works quite well. Have a friend that thinks his is an upscale version of Jeff Foxworthy's infamous car key (in place of a Q-Tip) as he sticks it in his ear, but that's his opinion.

Ruler with a screwdriver tip - the ruler is about 1-1/2" (40 mm) long, and is marked in inches and metric units. The screwdriver blade at the end is good for small slotted screws.

Emergency blade - this is a second small blade that's a bit narrower than the regular small blade, and has a slight curvature which makes it work better when opening small packages and letters. It's also quite useful for removing splinters... so keep it clean!

Orange peeler with scraper - this is an underrated gem of a blade that has a notch and a sharp edge on one side of the notch. Just poke the blade under the orange rind, then pull it along to slice the rind without cutting the orange itself. It also doubles as a handy little scraper or wire stripper, but use it carefully. It does indiscriminate tasks that no other blade can handle.

Bottle opener with magnetic Phillips screwdriver - opens bottles quite well, and the Phillips screwdriver is a pretty handy size for smaller screws. It also has a handy cutout to be used as a wire scraper.

Key ring - well, this is really more useful as a ring to attach the Midnite Minichamp to a real keyring or to a lanyard.

LED mini light - just press on the red Swiss Army logo, and you'll have an handy LED, useful for finding a key hole, etc.

Retractable pen - it's a simple (pressurized) ballpoint pen, so it doesn't leak. It seems to have a very long life, and if you open the cuticle pusher or nail file as an extension, it fits the hand better when writing.


By the way, the battery lasts for years, but should you need to replace it, just look for a CR1025 button cell at a grocery or drug store. Just don't know where I'll find a replacement refill for the ballpoint pen.

By the way, there are other color variations available on this product. You can get it with Translucent Ruby or Translucent Sapphire handles, but the prices often vary.

So how does this small multipurpose tool hold up? Have had mine for almost seven years now and use it on an almost-daily basis. It's made of stainless steel, so there's no rust, and I just replaced the battery for the LED a couple of months ago, even though it was still working.

This is a true five-star gem, that's for sure!

This little knife lives on my "tools keychain," which dangles from my purse on a clip. It is a tiny toolkit in a very compact and lightweight form. The only thing that's missing is a corkscrew; the scissors work, the screwdrivers are a helpful size, and everything else is as sharp or as effective as it should be.

It would be difficult to improve on this device. Its small size belies how many really useful implements are packed in. Two knife blades including a concave-curved blade perfect for cutting clippings, scissors, spatula, nail file, flat-head and MAGNETIZED phillips screwdrivers, bottle opener, a short ruler, a ball point pen that writes well and lasts, a lanyard ring and a red LED that illuminates remarkably well, including where one is writing. It does not have the magnificently superfluous toothpick or the tweezers, and I haven't missed them. One caveat: it is so useful and so easy to carry that it quickly becomes a part of you, and you run the risk of forgetting about its blades and having it confiscated at airport security. Outstanding tool!

Having the most important tool when you need it!

This Swiss-made quality pocket knife has in a ~3" long package:

A Small Phillips screwdriver to change the batteries in Jonhny's and Janet's Xmas toys.
A Small Flat screwdriver for much the same reason.
A general purpose knife blade to open all your Amazon packages when they arrive
A separate knife blade to hold in reserve so it isn't dulled by years of opening Amazon packages
A scissors that have oh so many uses, including trimming your nails and cutting out articles from magazines in waiting rooms.
A cuticle spoon to tidy up your cuticles
A really good nail file to finish the job
A small ruler to see just how long that screw is that you need to buy at the hardware store, or to see how big a set-back that new window shade will need.
An LED flashlight to find that elusive keyhole in the dark, or the quarter you dropped in the blackness of the cinema
A ball point pen to write that critical note at the most unexpected time.
A ring to fasten a fob or spare key so everything is neat and tidy.
AND, a bazaar little tool for peeling oranges. Apparently the Swiss think you need a separate Orange Peeling Tool. Personally I use this tool for cutting string, ribbon, etc.. Like all the cutting blades, it's RAZOR sharp.

Lastly THE MOST important reason to buy this knife as a gift, is SO YOUR WIFE, DAUGHTER, and SONS-in-Law WILL STOP BORROWING YOURS!

I bought on Victorinox Midnight Minichamp pocket knife for all three of my daughters, their husbands, and my wife, this past Christmas. Christmas is only 2 weeks past and each and every one of them has told me they've used their new Victorinox Minichamp knife MULTIPLE times, AND no one has asked to borrow mine.

Two daughters and two sons-in-law have told me The MiniChamp is THE favorite Christmas gift they got this year, period! Very satisfying since one of those daughters got a 42" LCD Flat-screen TV and all the daughters got modest jewelry from me. SWEET! Hardware rules!

These knives are great products in our high-tech world! I've carried this model or a similar one for nearly 40 years.

Only bad point. I now have to check it in my luggage when I travel. BUMMER!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001COU5Y4/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title
In 2004, I was in Switzerland and bought this knife. Sometime about the middle of 2008 I misplaced (my wife uses the word lost) my little knife. Boy did I miss the scissors, two blades, light and pen. Now I didn't use the pen as much but when needed it was a backup. Similarly the pen was a good backup when you needed to unlock the door in the dark. It's a small knife so it doesn't wear a hole in your pocket but still serves a good function when you need to cut something.

I gave two of these mini knives for Christmas, both "boys" loved it and had lots of fun playing with the knife. Construction and materials looked good. I would recommend this for any "boys" on your gift list.

Fantastic Knife. All kinds of great things for your every day use when away from home, plus it all fits on a key chain. Living in Fla. and having my own orange tree, the orange peeler comes in handy.( And it works well ). The scissor works well also, my wife is always borrowing them to clip cupons when we are out and about.

The only negative I have is the knife is a bit thick and somewhat bulky when I put the keychain in my pocket. Hey!! The prestige of owning a Red Swiss Army Knife with the Swiss Cross on it overcomes any small negatives it might have. This cross in particular when pressed, has a glorious red light shining out of the end of the knife. Not sure what I am going to do with the light, it's just comforting knowing that it is there. I guess it would impress my friends, when I show them the cool red light coming out of my Red Swiss army Knife.

The cuticle pusher seemed usless to me but if you open it up, it will give you a extension on the knife where it will fit in your hand and you can write legibly with the pen.

The Red Swiss Army Knife is probably one of the most instantly recognized Swiss product's in the world, right up there with Swiss Watches and Swiss Cheese. Wow!! I got all this on a gold box deal. Can't beat that.

The "Victorinox Swiss Army Midnite Minichamp Pocket Knife" is truly a wonder of miniaturization! Coming in at roughly 2" long, the knife attaches unobtrusively to my keyring.

The tools on this swiss army knife really do not lose much effectiveness despite their small size. I find the VERY SHARP knife, magnetized philips head screwdriver, practical (really!) scissors, and the bright LED to be very handy. The built in pen has been a useful thing as well, but I try to not use it too much since replacing it might be difficult. The high quality and solid construction should make this litle knife last for years.

Highly recommended! I might have to order more since my wife and my son keep eying up mine!

This is the perfect size to clip into the inside of my purse. I am not really sure how useful the light really is (there are small cheap key ring types at Costco that I prefer - bright). The light is just a pinpoint and is red so as to not disturb your night vision, so it does not really illuminate anything well. The pen is next to useless - small and awkward, but works in a pinch. The scissors are very handy and durable. The blades are well described by a previous reviewer's marvelous description. The packaging (boxed) is very attractive and perfect for gift giving.

In any event, I purchased this for the screwdriver the product description states is perfect for eyewear. My dh has a Swiss Army knife with a screwdriver that cleverly screws into a bottle opener that is perfect for tightening the screws on my glasses. This, alas, is not. Just a smidge too big to do anything. I was tempted to send this back, but I can think of numerous times where I could have used a scissor, small blade to open a package, or screwdriver for opening endless toy battery covers - I am most definitely keeping this - and maybe wearing contacts more often.

It's really compact and packed with useful tools. I especially like the light and the pen. Just want to add that, unlike what the product description says, this "Midnite" minichamp does not have tweezers. The three that I received came with product instruction for MiniChamp (which does have tweezers) although they are themselves midnite minichamp knifes.