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Comment by Tobias Gibson on February 16, 2013 at 19:03

pop the scale off, slip in the refill pen, pop the scale back on.  Same goes with changing the batteries on the LED light.

Featured Comment by Craig Henry on February 16, 2013 at 17:48

How do you put a refill in those Toby?

Comment by Tobias Gibson on February 2, 2013 at 16:33

Midnite Manager to the Rescue.

so I'm at a sales pitch at work  for a new product that we'd be using on our iPads and iPhones.  I'm there with a half dozen colleagues from the office and everyone was just there for the free pizza, seeing how everyone was sitting there with an iPhone or iPad, no one brought pen and paper.

Suddenly we're handed a sign in sheet.  No one  from the office brought a writing utensil of any type. Not even the women!  That is, no one except the wierd-o guy with the SAK on his key ring.   I had to show people how to use the keys to make it easy to write with the pen.

I've pulled this knife out at some type of meeting at least a half dozen times  because someone needed to write something down and failed to bring a pen.  I love my Midnite Manager. 

Comment by Tobias Gibson on January 13, 2013 at 15:55

Ron I know the type.  I carried a similar one made by CCM of Germany while in the Army (traded my U.S. Camillus utility knife for it).   The Bundeswehr used it until around 2003.  I have since also acquired a Victorinox original.  I'd love to have a civilian version.

108 mm German Army Knife (later version with file on blade.)  Also shown, West German Army flashlight, circa 1980s

Comment by Ron Cooper on January 13, 2013 at 13:49

Toby, I completely agree -- size is a plus! In fact, my all-time favorite SAK is the 130mm Wenger Ranger 78! It dwarfs the Vic 111's in size and has a saw blade that can tackle just about any camping assignment you throw at it.

But, hey! The 111's are are nothing to thumb your nose at and they are all equally up to just about any task, also.

One of my favorite Victorinox "larger" knives is even a step down at 108mm -- the Safari Trooper is a no-nonsense, blade and saw, kind of knife. And it fills the hand quite nicely, too!

Safari Trooper...

Just the basics -- what more do ya need?

Comment by Tobias Gibson on January 13, 2013 at 12:38

Ron, I absolutely love this knife.  To me the size is an advantage.  The knife is much more robust and I trust it to do bigger jobs than I would the 91 and 93mm SAKs.  As for the screw driver -- its a minor flaw to me.  You have similar problems with other 111mm knives with in-line screwdrivers.  I just felt that it needed to be pointed out to potential buyers.  If that's a deal breaker for someone, then it is a shame.  They are missing out a fantastic knife.

Comment by Ron Cooper on January 13, 2013 at 2:59

Toby,

Nice review on your new Outrider! I completely agree with you about packin' these big boy 111's in a sheath. In fact anything larger than a 91 or 93mm SAK and it goes in a nylon sheath for belt carry with me. That's a bummer about the scissors and the hassle having to open them, close them, and then re-open them just to open, use, and then close the Phillips. But, I suspect you'll learn to live with it. In spite of that minor inconvenience it sounds like you've got a winner. Use it in good health, my friend!

Comment by Tobias Gibson on January 11, 2013 at 15:22

My Outrider Review on Amazon:

( I gave it 4 of 5 stars but to be frank, the stars are meaningless to me.  I try to say how the knife could be useful and where it might fail)

As a collector and user of Swiss Army Knives, I bought the Outrider simply because of the unique tool options on this 111mm frame SAK.  

The negatives:  As many people have noted these knives are big and some even consider them too large for pocket carry.  When buying any of these 111 mm SAKs one should realize that 111mm (4 3/8 inch) is going to command some space in your pocket.  You may want to consider buying a sheath for the knife.

Another problem, directly related to the Outrider is the deployment of the long Phillips screwdriver. It rests underneath the scissors. This means you will need to open the scissors in order to deploy and re-store the screwdriver to/from the handle.  The screwdriver is also spring loaded and will snap quickly back into the handle as you attempt to close it.  This means if the scissors are not out of the way, the screwdriver will definitely be hit by the screwdriver.

Enough with the negatives

Overall, the knife is what I expect from Victorinox.  It is a solid well made knife with familiar tools.  Despite, what some people have said, the slide lock on the main blade is very positive.  I have never had one fail on me.  What I like most about the large 111mm knives is their size.  The slightly larger knives make it possible for these knives to take on larger jobs.   For instance It is easier to saw wood with the longer saw blade and bigger grip.   The larger lock blade also makes it possible to take on bigger cutting chores.  The knife could be used to field dress small game in a pinch.

Of importance to the Outrider is the inclusion of the scissors.  While they are the same scissors used on the 91mm Swiss Army knives the larger grip allows the user to better handle them, making probably the best knife mounted scissors in the industry even better.  Finally, while the long inline Phillips is a bit tricky to deploy, the long shaft allows it to get to spots the shorter screwdrivers can’t reach.  Besides, most of the time I use the small driver on the can opener blade for Phillips screws so this long driver will get minimal work.

In all, I’m very satisfied with the knife. For now,  It looses one star due to the difficulties with the screwdriver. As I use the knife more this may become a non-issue.

For now, I think it would be handy for the day hiker or camper who is looking for something a little larger that the run of the mill pocket knife.  It would also make an excellent choice for the emergency first aid kit or bug-out bag. 

Comment by Todd Helmkamp on January 11, 2013 at 11:55

Mine is one of the odd ones then.  My Forester is a liner lock and it has a cork-screw.

Comment by Tobias Gibson on January 11, 2013 at 11:44

one of the more interesting observations I've made is:

Of the slide-lock models  almost all have a corkscrew. (13 out of 16 models)  But of the one hand liner-locks, most have a spine mounted Phillips Screw driver (10 out of 14).

This is different than the 91mm models where almost every model with a corkscrew has a similar model with a Phillips (Huntsman/Forester, Super Tinker/Climber, Camper/Hiker, etc.)

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