Customer Reviews

Victorinox Swiss Army Ranger Pocket Knife

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have always wanted a Swiss Army Knife, probably because I watched too much Macgyver. I ordered the Swiss Champ from Amazon (Which has the best bargain anywhere!) and forgot how big it was. When I got it I was kind of overwhelmed and knew it wouldn't be carried around in my pocket all the time. It is definitely more of a Multi Tool than a pocket Knife. So I looked around and it was a choice between the Ranger and the Craftsman. They are basically the same except that the Ranger has a corkscrew and the Craftsman has a Philips Head screwdriver instead plus the pliers. I really didn't find it necessary to have a set of pliers plus, most Philips head screws can easily be screwed in by a flat head anyway. The pliers would have added a few more millimeters and might have made the knife feel too wide. The Ranger is a great all around tool and not too big for my average sized hands.

The Ranger is with one exception, the same exact knife model that has been sent up for 20 years on Space shuttle missions as NASA issue. That difference is it has a corkscrew, replacing the phillips screwdriver in the same location on the knife, all other things are the same. They called the model with the phillips "Master Craftsman" and is no longer made.
The Ranger will handle a lot of different tasks with its tool set. It is even equipped to saw through metal, and wood. A truly
versatile knife worthy of the MacGiver in you life, or yourself.
And a good balance between size/weight/abilities.Its alot in one small package.

I've always had this swiss army knife on every camping/hiking trip I took for the past 8 years. It is a great tool to have around, very sturdy, and gets the job done.

I've not owned a Victorinox SAK for a while. For years I've used my wife's old SAK Classic, but it went missing during a move, so now it's time to buy a new one. I decided to really figure out what I needed in a knife. I decided I needed the usual stuff for everyday life - blade, can and bottle opener, corkscrew, screwdrivers (both regular and Phillips head). I also needed a metal file and wood saw. This gave me only one option - the Ranger.

"Now wait", I hear some say, "the Ranger doesn't have a Phillips head screwdriver!" Oh but it does! On the end of the can opener there's a little screwdriver - it looks like a flat head screwdriver but it's really not. It's built to fit Phillips head screws, and it does so perfectly. Now don't get me wrong - you won't be using this screwdriver to drive screws into 2" of wood, but it's perfect for tightening up screws that have come loose, or for removing screws - and really, who needs a SAK for anything more?

I read some reviews claiming that the Ranger was too large for pocket carry, and for a while I was convinced by this claim. But heck, it's only another 1/8" - maybe 3/16" at most - wider than the old Mountaineer I used to carry, and the Mountaineer always seemed like it needed one more tool. At 5 slots/bays (whatever you like to call them) the Ranger is just about as wide as it is deep. When SAKs get much wider than they are deep - the SwissChamp for example - they just look and feel odd to me, so I think 5 bays is the optimum and the maximum for a true 'pocket' knife.

One reviewer says he is at a loss to understand the inclusion of corkscrews on so many SAK. I'm not a wine drinker myself, so I would be inclined to agree. On the other hand, thinking back on it, I must admit that the corkscrew is probably the single tool I've used most - not for myself, but for others. When people can't find a corkscrew there's nothing like being the lone hero who can open their wine bottle for them. The SAK corkscrew has, I believe, done more to popularize the SAK than anything else.

I do agree with an earlier reviewer who likes Wenger springs on the scissors. The SAK springs are nasty and they bend and break too easily. The good thing is, they're replaceable and they're not essential - if one breaks you can do without it for a while. I'd buy a Wenger for this alone if their knives were as versatile as the Victorinox ones. Yes, I understand that Wenger are as good as Victorinox - and now Victorinox owns Wenger anyway - but their knives often just don't seem to have the specific range of stuff I need on them, and I'm sorry, but their nail files SUUUUCCCKK! Maybe I'm just prejudiced - I must admit I do prefer the Victorinox logo to the Wenger one, and the Victorinox website has a Flash "Toolmatch" feature that allows you to match their knives to your needs - Wenger doesn't have that.

I've always found it hard to like the tools on the back of any Victorinox knife I've had. The reamer with the sewing eye seems like it should be on the end of the knife rather than in the middle, and maybe if it was I might have found reason to use it more. As it is, the reamer has been the tool I've found least useful. Then again, maybe it will save my neck one day. I have occasionally used the hook - it's great for carrying heavy shopping bags home from the grocery store. The other tools, with the exception of the aforementioned corkscrew, I have never owned and they both seem pretty useless, but when the alternative is no tool at all, I guess having a fine screwdriver and a chisel is a good thing.

When I made my decision, five other tools were in the running: the 4-bay Explorer, the 4-bay Huntsman, the 8-bay SwissChamp, the 4-bay Mountaineer and the 6-bay Handyman. I'll talk about these for a minute:

I liked the Explorer's magnifying glass, but the lack of any file or saw - and the inclusion of the tautological Phillips screwdriver quickly consigned the Explorer to oblivion. I know I'll miss the magnifying glass, especially since my eyes are not what they were when I was 20, but I reckon I can wait until I'm ready to buy a SwissChamp.

The Huntsman has no file, and while I like its wood saw, I need a file almost every day.

I wondered about the SwissChamp for a long while. It has everything I would ever want and a few things I don't. But what killed it is that it has 8 bays. That means it's nearly twice as wide as it is deep. I just don't see keeping it in my pocket. Maybe I'll eventually get one for the car, but right now I need a pocket knife.

The Mountaineer nearly won. It's nice and slim with 4 bays, it has everything I need except a saw, and I don't see needing a saw often, but I probably will need it sometimes. I'll probably get a Mountaineer for my wife.

The Handyman - again, this was close. I liked the inclusion of pliers, which is the only tool that separates it from the Ranger. In the end though, I couldn't see adding yet another 3/16" to the width for a tool that would probably be too small for any real situation that called for pliers. Also, some reviewers say that the pliers are weak, and with that same nasty Victorinox spring that they put on their scissors, I'll probably be best giving the Handyman a miss.

All-in-all, I think for my needs the Ranger fits the bill. It has almost everything I need and hardly anything I don't. Added to that, I'd only use the things it's missing very rarely, and with 5 bays this is about the widest SAK that will still fit comfortably in my pocket. For me this is the perfect multitool pocket knife.

I've knocked off one star because of a few minor annoyances:

1. Victorinox scissors springs suck.
2. The small blade is one blade too many - we don't need a penknife to sharpen quills anymore. Victorinox should replace it with something else.
3. The can opener needs redesigning - Wenger's is better.
4. The wire stripper on the bottle opener is completely useless. It does not strip wire or do anything else.
5. Why not add the eyeglasses screwdriver to the corkscrew?
6. Can't they find something more useful to put on the back/middle of the knife - a 'fine screwdriver' and a 'chisel'? Please!

...if like me and Mcgyver you find that a versatile tool always available can make a quick fix around the office, campground, on multi day river trips ,or whenever .People who know me are always calling on "McGyver" to come to their rescue with this tool!! I have had to just order a 3rd one due to loss or theft of previous ones because without this knife I almost feel naked and powerless!Have carried this model for countless years and use it practilly daily.

The Victorinox Swiss Army Ranger Pocket Knife is one of the more well-known models, but is more evolutionary than one might think. The current model is a good example of how well Victorinox responds to their customers' needs over the years, and the model that currently sits in my glove box is the same one that is here on these pages.

But this isn't my first Swiss Army Ranger; that was received as a gift from a Swiss photographic equipment company that I worked for in the 1980s, and it had the company logo on the handle. It was received during a trip to that country, and it differed from the current model in that it lacked the small wood chisel and the multi-purpose hook. The corkscrew was grooved, and the scissors had a small screw, which had to be replaced by getting the part from Victorinox in the '90s when it fell out.

Was advised by a Victorinox employee to put this older model away, as it had a collectible value of sorts (especially with the photo company's logo on the handle) so I did. Another interesting note about this model is that there was a special Space Shuttle version made of the Ranger, that had an inlaid image of the NASA's Space Shuttle on its handle. It differed from the Ranger here in that it had a Phillips screwdriver instead of the corkscrew, and it was retired in the early 1990s and is now a fairly scarce collector's item.

The Ranger is a standard sized Swiss Army knife (3-1/2"), and it's almost an inch thick. Some find that a bit large for carrying in a pocket, so you may wish to consider getting a Victorinox Belt Pouch to carry it. The Ranger has five rows of tools, and I won't list them all here as they're well covered in the Product Description, and most are self-explanatory... except for the hook.

The multipurpose hook tool was first introduced in the early '90s, and many wonder what it's used for. It's quite handy for carrying heavy plastic grocery bags (twist and loop them), keeping them from cutting into your fingers. It works fine with clothes on a hanger as well, and I've even used it as a plumb bob when attached to a string.

Pros:

- Excellent assortment of tools, all in one small package
- Made from high quality Swiss stainless steel
- Excellent value for the money
- Has a lifetime Warranty

Cons:

- Blades don't lock, so use with caution!


Tip: if you get one of these, spend about fifteen minutes familiarizing yourself with it, opening and closing all of the tools, and "exercising" them. Gently spray some WD-40 with the red nozzle tip into each of the joints so that they'll move freely in the field when you need them. Doing this will make it pay off with years of service for you.

If you're looking for a model that offers a few more features, you might wish to consider the Victorinox Swiss Army Champion Plus Pocket Knife, which is one that sits in my camera bag, ready to go at all times. Some might prefer the larger Victorinox Swiss Army Swiss Champ Pocket Knife because it has pliers, but I prefer the larger needle nose pliers in a regular multi-tool such as the lightweight Leatherman Kick Pocket Multi-Tool or the Gerber Suspension Butterfly Opening Multi-Plier for really getting the job done. If either of those seem too large, there's always the super compact Gerber Clutch Mini Pliers Tool, which can be carried in a pocket at all times.

Summary:

It should be noted again that all of the blades and tools are crafted from stainless steel, and it's still made entirely in Switzerland. It has a lifetime warranty from a company that know how to back it up.

This Victorinox Swiss Army Ranger is a great knife, with more than twenty stainless steel tools. It's an excellent value, and a splendid gift for just about anyone.

If I have my pants on, this knife is in the pocket. I have just replaced the Ranger that I have carried since I was In Viet Nam, with a new one, thought I would treat myself. I couldn't do without it.

This is my 4th Victorinox Swiss army Knife in the last 15 years, each with slightly different options, and I am as impressed now as I was back when i got my first one.

The knife is well made and sturdy. You know the list of tools for this model, they are all there and all work as they should. 10 years ago when I got a similar one a friend of mine took out the tooth pick and tweezers and said "Well, you're going to loose these so I might as well loose them for you now." 10 years later they are still in the knife and as good as they were back then. I have no reason to believe this will be any different as they are both in there solidly. The blades are sharp, the file is great and the teeth on the saw are perfect.

The only slight criticism I have is that because of the number of tools in this knife, some of them are a little tricky to pull out. Also, most of the tools have a little grease still on them. Neither of these factors are a big deal to me, the grease can be wiped off easily and the tools may only take an extra few seconds to pull out. However, if you have larger fingers, very short nails, poor eyesight or generally aren't good with small things then puling the tools may become more of an issue.

I've had my Swiss Army Ranger since February '08 and I must say it's one of the best gifts I've ever given myself, certainly the best thing I've bought on Amazon. Just some of the many uses I've found for it: I use the screwdrivers to tighten up screws on my laptop weekly, the sewing needle eye/leather awl for an art project which involved hole-punching carboard and threading the holes. The large knife used to pry up a metal sticker on my university-issued laptop which used some industrial adhesive, and the chisel to scrape off the remaining glue. The hole punch/leather awl to put extra holes in the ankle straps on a pair of sandals so I could tighten them. The nail file I use almost daily, also the small knife which is a handy envelope/box opener. Did I mention how awesome it is to have those handy supersharp scissors? Great for a quick manicure on the go. The metal hook is fascinating...I haven't used it yet but I have a feeling the day will come that I'll be more than grateful that it's there. Same with the saw, which I think outdoors-y people would get greater use from. Can/bottle openers I use more for their screwdrivers. I didn't find the corkscrew that efficient (it broke the cork twice) but I feel like you have to practice with it.

The only drawback I would attribute to the Ranger is its weight, which is understandable considering all it comes with but makes it kinda cumbersome for a keychain accessory, which I use it as. It's damn heavy, and when carrying a small handbag I usually take it off my keys but then it's greatly missed. I would suggest a smaller SAK for an everyday keychain, like the Super Tinker or Classic. The Ranger is heavy duty. I also wish it had a Phillips screwdriver, but with the larger SAKs there's always going to be tools you wish it came with to replace the ones you could live without.

Overall, a masterpiece in practical design, with thousands of uses. Just be wary of how heavy it is if you plan to carry it on a keychain.

Don't settle for less. I would always buy the cheap $5 pocket knife. They would break or were not sturdy and durable. Instead of buying all those $5 cheap products I should have purchased the Victorinox since the beginning. I would have saved some money in the end. It has never failed me and it is still up to standards since I took it out from its packaging.