Victorinox Ranger or Victorinox Handyman?

V

victorinoxorwenger

Joined
Jan 15, 2012
Messages
7
Hi. I'm planning to buy my first Swiss Army Knife and I want it as versatile as it is comfortable.First I was thinking of getting a Swiss Champ but the fish-skaler thingy and maginifier is not for me (i wanted to have both the phillips screwdriver and corcksrew but they say the can opener do the same job). So I ended up thinking of Ranger and Handyman models.They are similiar but as you know Handyman adds pliers to the knife.If I buy a Handyman I won't do some heavy duty work but i can use it for loosen some nuts or cut wire.Are they strong for these tasks? If they are strong, do they create some serious bulk? And if you had to choose which model do you choose from these two?

Thanks


note: i know there are 2 threads about the sak pliers but i want to know your opnion on these 2 models too :)
 
I own the Ranger and love it. It has nearly every kind of blade or saw option so the way I think of it is that it will cut anything I need cut. I'm not a big believer in the SAK platform for pliers. They're ok for very light options, but you do not want to put any serious torque on them. A Leatherman is a much better option if you really need pliers in a multi-tool. The Ranger is also very tool dense for how thick it actually is. Moving up to the Handyman or Swiss Champ is a big jump up in carry size .... too big if you ask me given the minimal incremental functionality you get with SAK pliers.
 
Hi,

if you want all tools of the Swisschamp but without the fishskaler and the magnifying glass, maybe the Victornox Cybertool 41 is the right pocket knife for you.

Kind regards,

Andre
 
fotobaerchi said:
Hi,

if you want all tools of the Swisschamp but without the fishskaler and the magnifying glass, maybe the Victornox Cybertool 41 is the right pocket knife for you.

Kind regards,

Andre
Click to expand...

Thanks Andre. After your suggestion I searched for the cyber Tool 41 and you are right. It has all the tools I want.But this makes it very bulky for me I'm afraid.It's as wide as a Swiss Champ (33,5 mm) and it has the pliers (I'm not sure of the pliers' usefulness). I don't want to carry that kind of bulk.

Mud Shrimp Moe said:
I own the Ranger and love it. It has nearly every kind of blade or saw option so the way I think of it is that it will cut anything I need cut. I'm not a big believer in the SAK platform for pliers. They're ok for very light options, but you do not want to put any serious torque on them. A Leatherman is a much better option if you really need pliers in a multi-tool. The Ranger is also very tool dense for how thick it actually is. Moving up to the Handyman or Swiss Champ is a big jump up in carry size .... too big if you ask me given the minimal incremental functionality you get with SAK pliers.
Click to expand...

Yes. I too think about the potential problems with the pliers.If they are not strong enough for even rusty, small nuts then I will buy a Ranger.
 
Well, i carry a Swisschamp almost every day in a pouch at my belt or in the small pocket of a five-pocket jeans. I also have some smaller SAK´s, but sooner or later i missed a tool. I never finded it bulky.
If you need something more sturdy, did you take a look at the Swisstool Spirit?
 
fotobaerchi said:
Well, i carry a Swisschamp almost every day in a pouch at my belt or in the small pocket of a five-pocket jeans. I also have some smaller SAK´s, but sooner or later i missed a tool. I never finded it bulky.
If you need something more sturdy, did you take a look at the Swisstool Spirit?
Click to expand...

Yes I searched for the spirit too.But I want an EDC SAK with some extras to be more versatile and Swiss Champ / Syber Tool 41 is just too big for me to carry.I will buy the Syber Tool 41 too after i get my first SAK , to be prepared for every situation :D But right now Ranger/Handyman (Handyman is a bit bulky but i don't know if the pliers will be usefull) are the best choices for me as an EDC. As for the Spirit , I think Letherman Charge tti or Super Tool 300 are better HD multi-tools. But they are another story :D
So I think if you had to choose you would choose the handyman right? And if you carry the Swiss Champ , did you ever use the pliers? Where did you use them? How strong they are?
 
The pliers are just for light work. I don't want to missed it, but you can't work with much force. And you also can cut just small wires. So if you need good pliers grab a multitool (i've got a Leatherman and think the Spirit is much better, but surely another story). If you have got more than 3 or 4 layers at your SAK the size wouldn't be important anymore, because the width of the knife will become the smallest side of the knife.
Just buy both knife at an online-shop and send one back after deciding which one suit most fore you.

Well the answer of your question is yes, i would take the Handyman.

Kind regards,

Andre
 
fotobaerchi said:
If you have got more than 3 or 4 layers at your SAK the size wouldn't be important anymore, because the width of the knife will become the smallest side of the knife.
Click to expand...


Well, the size is pretty important to me. I prefer them no thicker than they are wide, which means about four layers. The Ranger is five, but it's a fairly manageable five, compared to some. The pliers layer is pretty thick. It's my favorite >4 layer Vic for this reason. I can still carry it in jeans, although it's pushing it. In a coat pocket it's fine. I choose not to wear a sheath because I don't care for the way they look. The larger SAKs are really cool pieces of engineering, but feel like bricks to me. And, yes, I'm splitting hairs between thick and just a bit thicker, I guess. But for me there is a sweet spot, and The Ranger hits it best for me. Even The Ranger is too big for summer carry, for that matter. But it has the tools I most value, without a bunch of stuff that I don't value.
 
A couple months ago I was also deciding which SAK to buy, either the Ranger or the Handyman and the pliers where also the main fact to consider.

I asked a couple of friends about their usefulness and got mixed comments, so I actually decided to try them first hand by getting a Tinker Deluxe and carrying it for a couple of days. I found the pliers to be on the weak side but capable of bending some cables and wire (not very thick ones). But the job for which I used them the most was just grabbing and picking up small objects or holding things you don't want to cut.

So, yes, they're useful, but If you are gonna carry something as bulky as a Handyman, I think you are better off buying a Leatherman Juice or a Victorinox Spirit, that way you get full pliers. Just my two cents.

By the way, this thread might help
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...t-Victorinox-Handyman-next-to-a-4-layer-model
 
I own both the Ranger and Handyman. The Ranger is one of the models that sometimes goes with me on a hiking or camping trip and I carry the Handyman sometimes in a small Victorinox pouch on the belt. On working days I always have a Leatherman in my working bag; the Handyman its pliers are nice for light duty tasks and for medium duty tasks I have the Leatherman available. For heavy duty tasks I use dedicated pliers. In my opinion pliers are very handy tools, so for EDC I'd prefer the Handyman over the Ranger.
 
I would prefere the ranger over the handyman because it is smaller and lighter.
If the pliers are a big plus for you, you may consider buying something like a leatherman wave which has more "fire power" ;)
 
Yeah I made my decision.I will buy a Ranger. I don't need pliers everytime. I just want to have a versatile and compact tool. So the Ranger is the best option for me. Thanks for all of the suggestions folks :)
 
You might look at the SAK Mechanic. It has pliers, but is still small and compact with all the usual SAK tools. I love mine; my EDC.

Rich S
 
I have to agree with fotobaerchi.

When the SAK is more than 3 layers, the size doesn't matter anymore because most of the time, it goes into my bag already. That's why I carry a SwissChamp. It's practically complete as most SAKs go and the size/weight doesn't matter so much because it's in my bag and not bulking up my pockets.

What I have in my pockets is a Rambler (on a keyring with a whistle) and a Spartan. And I think that's all the knife I would like to have in my pockets because I don't want them to be bulging out. I have a Super Tinker that I leave at home these days because for some reason, I notice the difference in the bulkiness between that 3 layer SAK and my 2 layer Spartan. It's still doable though... I just prefer the Spartan these days.

Actually, I sometimes even leave the Spartan at home because I often find that the blade on the Rambler is enough for most tasks. And for the rare time that it's not, I know my SwissChamp is close by.

But caveat. Each to his own.
My preference is dictated by my profession. I'm a lawyer and I wear dress pants all of the time hence the lesser tolerance to bulky pockets.
If your profession is different from mine, then the SAK for you would probably be different as well. :)

Cheers.

As a note, I agree with Mud Shrimp Moe regarding the large jump in layer thickness of the pliers and minimal jump in utility. (I think I convinced him on that some time ago.) But hey, if you go fishing, those pliers work well in removing fish hooks. :D Just know that those pliers can replace your thumb and your index finger for a lot of pulling or gripping tasks that may come your way. So don't discount their usefulness specially if you don't care about size. :)
 
I care about size. I will buy a SAK for mainly camping work and some repairs. But i will buy a Cyber Tool 41 or a Swiss Champ for advanced uses later.
 
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