Victorinox Cybertool 41 Swiss Army Knife

The Swiss Army Knife is perfect example of quality that lasts. In 1884 Swiss knife maker Carl Elsener began making what would become Victorinox Swiss Army knives. The company was named for his mother, Victoria. The first knives contained that all important can opener, a screwdriver (folded into the knife’s handle), a punch, and of course a blade. In 1891 he received a contract from the Swiss Army, and the legend was born. It’s interesting to note that another company, Wenger, is also the “official” Swiss Army Knife as well, the government believes there’s room for two. For my money there’s only one Swiss Army Knife, and that’s from Victorinox.

From the beginning Elsener was an innovator, and he provided several variants of the knives for officers, cadets, and enlisted. In the days before whiteout, he devised and “erasing blade”, which was used to delicately scrape off mistakes from paper. And of course he provided a corkscrew to celebrate the success of a well written document!

The distinctive red handles were rumored to have been created to aid visibility in finding them when they were dropped in snow. It’s elegant design has lead to its inclusion in the New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), and they’ve even been carried on space shuttle missions.

The knives have done a lot more than open a can of beans; in 1976 on Indian Airlines flight 524, a young girl was choking on a bit of hard candy. Despite the best efforts of the crew and a doctor on board the flight, they couldn’t dislodge the candy, and the situation was dire. A passenger handed over a Swiss Army Knife (take that TSA) and the girl was saved by an emergency tracheotomy. If you spend a night in the White House as a guest of the president- they give you a small gift. You guessed it, a Swiss Army Knife.

I’ve carried a Victorinox every day for over twenty years. My first one was a gift from my grandfather on a fishing trip, and I still remember the shiny red scales (handles) as I opened the box. Times have changed since then, and Victorinox has continued to evolve with the times. They even have a model now with a USB drive. My current favorite is the cybertool. I’ve given them to friends and employees as gifts, and also as rewards for a job well done. I’ve never had someone who didn’t appreciate their quality. Dr Joe Stirt at Book of Joe has a great review here. This particular cybertool has the following attachments:

1. large blade
2. small blade
3. corkscrew
4. can opener with
5. - small screwdriver 3 mm (also for Phillips screws)
6. cap lifter with
7. - screwdriver 6 mm
8. - wire stripper
9. reamer, punch
10. key ring
11. tweezers
12. toothpick
13. sewing eye
14. wrench with
15. - female Hex drive 5 mm for D-SUB connectors
16. - female Hex drive 4 mm for the bits
17. - Bit Pozidrive 0
18. - Bit Pozidrive 1
19. case with
20. - Bit Slotted 4 mm
21. - Bit Phillips 2
22. - Bit Hex 4 mm
23. - Bit Torx® 8
24. - Bit Torx® 10
25. - Bit Torx® 15
26. pressurized ballpoint pen
27. - also to set DIP-switches
28. pin, stainless steel
29. mini-screwdriver ( pat.)
30. pliers with
31. - wire cutter
32. - wire crimping tool
33. scissors
34. multi-purpose hook
35. wood saw
36. metal saw with
37. - metal file
38. - nailfile
39. - nail cleaner
40. - screwdriver 2,5 mm
41. - chisel and scraper

Here’s a link to buy the Victorinox Swiss Army CyberTool 41 Translucent Pocket Knife (Sapphire)

Sources:
Victorinox
International Directory of Companies
Book of Joe

Tags: Cybertool, pocketknife, Swiss Army Knife