Victorinox WorkChamp vs. Victorinox SwissChamp. Which ONE would you buy and WHY??

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Sep 7, 2009
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If you could buy either the Victorinox WorkChamp OR the Victorinox SwissChamp which would you buy and why?? Can't have both.
That is my situation and I really would appreciate your help and opinions. Your reasons for your choice are most important to me.
Help me decide please.(Use point is general.)
 
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I prefer the ergonomic handles of the Workchamp.

Have you considered a Victorinox SwissTool? Much more capable of 'real' work than those overloaded Swiss Army Knives.

Either way, good luck deciding!
 
Thats a tough one. The Workchamp is longer (111 mm) but "only" 6 layers. Its more of a real "pocketknife" configuration. The Swisschamp is a pretty darn fat 8 layers. If you are man enough to pocket carry one of these babies, the Workchamp might be a little less obtrusive. The Swisschamp arguably provides more utility as it has more tools, like the magnifier, pen, etc.

I subjectively like the 111 mm lineup better than the fat, fat 8 layer Swisschamp, as the 111 SAKs are just more hand-friendly (for me).

So maybe it boils down to how you are going to carry one of these beasts (pocket, glove box, man sack, belt, etc.), and how you feel about the longer, thinner profile of the Workchamp vs. the shorter, fatter Swisschamp. And whether you need a dang fish scaler (not really), magnifier, etc.

If the two were laying on the table and I could pick one, I'd go with the Workchamp, but thats just a subjective opinion. Neither are really objectively "better". You just gotta figure out which flavor suits you the best.

Edit: you also get a locking blade on the Workchamp, I think. That may make a difference depending on what you will be doing with the blade.
 
The more blades, the better, as far as use is concerned... and the worse for EDC. Sort out your needs and you should hit the good choice. I was gifted a "ginormous" SAK (around 17 or 18 tools !!!) almost 40 years ago : I chuckled and joked about the brick it was. There were so many useful tools in it (YES !), I endeavoured to EDC it. In the pocket first (fell to the ground almost everytime I changed into my overall) then in the dedicated belt pouch (slid of the belt or fell to the ground with the belt... not good). I ruined the scales, mended them with Araldite (ugly but very solid) and decided to keep the thing at home. Believe it or not, I have been using it daily since and all the tools are still functional. The most used are... Ba, Dumm ! : the scissors, the magnifying glass and the tweezers. The spring of the scissors has snapped, I broke the chisel (I was so strong), I lost the ball pen and the toothpick but here I am, still living with that brick of a SAK and it's with me everytime I travel. Talk about an endorsement ! And if you didn't know, had I reported any of the "failures" above to Victorinox, they would have mended or replaced the knife (at their convenience).
 
For a good number of years a Swisschamp was my only pocketknife and during that time I used every one of its blades and implements except for that small flathead screwdriver on the backspring side.

Most used, in no particular order, were both knife blades, can opener, bottle opener, scissors, both flathead screwdrivers (at least half the time for prying), in line ph head driver (oh so sweet!), pen (20 years, still writes!), and magnifier, which got a lot of use back in olden times when I used it to examine negatives and slides away from home base (photographer.) Big frustration at the photofinisher was their loupes were always either in use or missing. The Vic magnifier's optical quality was excellent (the glass version, I don't know about current plastic), so that became my away main tool for close examination. I never could work out how to use it as a fire starter, though, but haven't given up yet. I've used the file many times to knock down ragged edges on plastic and metal, and to smooth out my fingernails.

Used occasionally but glad to have them when needed are the saw, awl, pliers and strangely believe it, fish scaler which I used only once for scaling fish and will never on this earth ever do again. However, it also is a ruler that sometimes comes in handy, and gets most of its use as a probe for poking things I can't or don't want to touch. For a time it served as a lock pick (easy lock) and has been a field expedient pickle fork.

Seldom used are the corkscrew, necessary to pull corks only twice in 20 years, but used occasionally "just because." A time or three it helped pick apart a stubborn knot and is a good place to stow the tiny screwdriver. This item didn't come standard on my Swisschamp, so I got one as an accessory which I ever used once or twice. The tweezers are better than nothing for pulling splinters, and the toothpick gets used only in the direst of dental emergencies (celery stuck between teeth, drives me crazy), but is sometimes useful to actuate tiny pushbuttons like to change the time setting on an instrument panel.

Rarely used include the package hook. Several times it helped me pick up bundled newsprint or baled straw bound with wire. The chisel has been used so seldom that I honestly can't remember for what, but it is scratched and the edge has a few small chips.

Mostly, I carry the Swisschamp in a Vic belt pouch, but sometimes dangled into my right front pocket. There, it carries okay but doesn't leave much room for anything else, like for example a hand. It's a thick package, but my XL glove size hand finds handling ease to be acceptable. The scales show use, but everything on my S'champ is right and tight. It's one of my all time favorite SAKs. I've never owned a Workchamp, so not able to make comparison.

I hope this helps.
 
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I think both will do just fine for 'general' use. Their weight and width are somewhat similar, and the main major difference is 111mm Workchamp has a lockable blade, and swisschamp is a much shorter tool and has a few more tool blades.

Personally, I'd choose the Swisschamp over the workchamp, since it is still somewhat possible to pocket(probably a little on a heavy size to pocket it daily); and it has a long history in Victorinox product line that even one day you cease using it, it is still a nice piece to collect.
 
Ive been looking at those two as well and I am leaning more towards the workchamp. I like the longer blades and slightly narrowed down tool list. The two different sized phillips drivers really do it for me. I was also looking at the craftsman more because of the paired down tools. For me the workchamp would work great for some of the smaller devices I have to work on.
 
Great thread and of interest to me today even (I realize this is an old thread).

Any further opinions on Swiss Champ vs. Work Champ?
 
I'd go with something more knife sized with 4 layers or less.
Not fat and chunky, and feels more like a knife in hand.
A Vic is a knife with tools, if you want a multitool get a pair of pliers with tools like a Leatherman or swisstool.
 
If you could buy either the Victorinox WorkChamp OR the Victorinox SwissChamp which would you buy and why??...
Help me decide please.(Use point is general.)

IMHO, the workchamp is longer of the two, hence
it would offer a more secure, firmer and overall better grip.
In contrast, The short, thick and stubby swisschamp
Might be a tad uncomfortable if not cumbersome
In some instances with its blade tool usage.
No offence, but I have a strange feeling
That stuff like the swisschamp would end up in the drawer
Doing really great as some cool executive fidget toy
Or some long forgotten boyhood keepsake
Which sometimes, comes to the rescue
as the chanced multitool of the moment.
Good luck with the choice and I do Hope
you would be able to live with your eventual decision.
 
I prefer the Swiss Champ for many of the reasons noted above. Its one of my favorites. At one point or another I have used all the tools, even the fish scaler ( I've used it as fork and to reach things that my fingers can't quite get to). The large width actually fills my hand nicely and its comfortable to hold. I attached a small paracord lanyard which I attach to a small carabineer clipped to my belt loop above my right front pocket and the knife just hangs in the pocket without feeling bulky. I also carry in a sheath sometimes.
 
I prefer the Swiss Champ for many of the reasons noted above. Its one of my favorites. At one point or another I have used all the tools, even the fish scaler ( I've used it as fork and to reach things that my fingers can't quite get to). The large width actually fills my hand nicely and its comfortable to hold. I attached a small paracord lanyard which I attach to a small carabineer clipped to my belt loop above my right front pocket and the knife just hangs in the pocket without feeling bulky. I also carry in a sheath sometimes.

^^^^ All that, only to add that lanyard carry as described works best with high pocket trousers, like jeans, not as well with slash pockets, like slacks. No prob for me, I wear jeans 98.6% of the time.
 
^^^^ All that, only to add that lanyard carry as described works best with high pocket trousers, like jeans, not as well with slash pockets, like slacks. No prob for me, I wear jeans 98.6% of the time.
Yep, slash pockets on pants such as Dickies suck for carrying any knife without a clip or bigger than something like say a peanut.
 
IMHO the Swisschamp is way too fat. Why carry such a heavy SAK when a pliers style tool like the Swisstool is a way more capable tool for similar weight and carryability. Either way you are comitting to carrying a multitool-brick might as well get the most use out of it.

I read somewhere (SAK wiki) that the Swisschamp was largely envisioned as a knife for collectors who wanted a big knife with almost all their tooks to show off.
 
IMHO the Swisschamp is way too fat. Why carry such a heavy SAK when a pliers style tool like the Swisstool is a way more capable tool for similar weight and carryability. Either way you are comitting to carrying a multitool-brick might as well get the most use out of it.

In my case, I got my Swisschamp before the Swisstool Spirit was on the market. They are really different animals (the original Swisstool is much bigger and heavier, so is not really an equivalent.) The S'champ carries easily in a belt pouch, and for me, far more useful on a daily basis. It was my only SAK for a number of years. The Spirit is a great tool, but I prefer the Leatherman Charge TTi in the same size and weight neighborhood, so the Spirit doesn't really move me :rolleyes::D.

I read somewhere (SAK wiki) that the Swisschamp was largely envisioned as a knife for collectors who wanted a big knife with almost all their tooks to show off.

That is probably true of the extra large versions, but the regular one is easily held in the hand and is quite serviceable while the others are clearly designed for "Show And Tell." However, mine has given me a great deal of celebrity among the neighborhood kids, who often ask me to show it off to them. The call me "Knifeguy." :)
 
I just gave away my WorkChamp to a friend of mine who EDCs a Huntsman and wanted something larger to keep in her purse. I kept my SwissChamp and Cybertool 41 (which I think is better than the SwissChamp).

If I'm going to be lugging around a thick, heavy SAK I want as many tools as possible. The WorkChamp has fewer tools than the SwissChamp or Cybertool 41. While the increased length of some of the 111mm tools makes them better (the saw, the long shank phillips and so on), others are more or less the same as on regular SAKs (pliers, for instance).

To be honest, I think once you go over 4-5 layers with a SAK you're better off with a plier based multitool (SAK pliers aren't that good).
 
If I were going to use it primarily as a pocketknife: WorkChamp.

If I were going to use it as a portable toolbox: SwissChamp.
 
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