Good show, Tobias!

Does the Outrider have a locking blade? Without looking it up (I'm lazy) I'm presuming that it has the thumb locking mechanism found on many of the other 111mm SAK's -- yes or no?

I have an old Cowboy and the 2008 Soldier knife. Those are my only 111mm SAK's. I absolutely love the Soldier!

Ron, Yes it has the slide lock.  The Skipper, and Huntsman also have the slide lock.  The rescue tool has a liner lock  My concern with the Outrider is if the long screwdriver will easily fold during use.  Only time and use will tell.

Thanks, Tobias! That's what I thought.

Good point about the long screwdriver and its potential for closing. That's something I really like about the 2008 - 111mm - Soldier knife is that the flat screwdriver/wire stripper/bottle opener has a liner locking mechanism. Here is a pic of my Victorinox 2008 Soldier knife next to its much larger Wenger counterpart..

These are two of my all-time favorite knives!

Those are nice, Ron and Toby!  I have two 111mm now, a BSA (Boy Scouts of America) logo Adventurer and my new Forester I got a couple of days ago.  I love them both, but I sure like those green ones, Ron!  Did you make the lanyards?

Hi, Todd!

Yes, I made the lanyards on those two knives. I use to have a great link that showed how to make it. It's really quite simple. Sadly my other computer with all of my links and most of my art work crashed and now I no longer have the link.

Here are a couple of pics of my Cowboy, a discontinued model and my only other 111mm SAK...

The last pic shows the sliding thumb lock that I was asking Tobias about in my other post. The 2008 Soldier knife has a liner lock - a left handed one at that.

Hi Todd and Ron,

Todd, I'm looking at the BSA Adventurer as well.  I needed for my growing BSA knife collection.   Is  Forester is essentially the same as my Hunter or does it have the one hand opening blade/liner lock?

I will admit that I bought the Hunter for the small gutting blade and combo tool plus the nifty OD scales.  That said, it is really a handy knife to have with me while hiking. Unlike the 91mm SAKs, I actually think this knife would make an excellent Bird and Trouter or Rabbit skinner. I really like it.

As for the liner locks, I'm pretty certain all the 111mm one hand (OH) openers have the locking screwdriver opposite the main blade.  I know my Rescue Tool does.

I really like that Cowboy, Ron.  I'm going to need to keep my opens for one.  Nice work on the lanyards, also.  Mine are always  a boring shoelace or something.

Ron I like that cowboy!  It's a nice knife!

Toby, my Forester is pretty similar to your Hunter, except it has the can opener/phillips and some black rubber inserts on the handle and it's red.   I'm thinking about getting one of the one-handers to see what they're like.

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

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. 

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!

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.

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?

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

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. 

How do you put a refill in those Toby?

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

Check out our latest video from Stefan

http://www.iknifecollector.com/video/the-simple-things-in-life-vict...

Here's a plate from a display from around 1980. Don't remember who I bought it from.

That's pretty cool, Craig.   When I saw the notice in my news feed I was expecting a plate with the president's face on it.  This is much better!

Yes, much better! LOL!

Hello all you SAKs fans! I just baught 2 new Victorinox knives to add to my collection. here they are:

I've got two already so I'm not bidding and definetly don't have a pony in the race.  But it looks pretty good and if the bid stays low would be a nice 108 for someone.  See ebay bid number:  350783354687

Looks like a good one! 

The Swiss Army knife: At the sharp end of everyday life .. a BBC article.

My latest Victorinox.  Not your typical Swiss Army Knife. 

I had been looking at getting this knife for awhile.  I'm not big on gardening but the funky blades have been calling my name for a while.  Finally I just broke down and got it when I saw it for  under $20.    It's their Grafter.  It has a grafting and a sheepfoot blade on a 100 mm frame.  I also have the florist knife.  I guess the pruner will also make into the collection.

Th funky looking blade is the grafting blade.  The swedge on the top is not sharp enough to cut skin but it does have a bit of an edge.  The inside choil near the tang has jimping so that you press down  with your thumb without fear of slipping onto the cutting edge.  The sheepfoot blade is the same blade found on the florist knife.

Same knife shown with my  Escort II with a rescue blade.

The Victorinox Gardener or Florist knife.  This one came as a bonus knife when I bought another SAK at a bigbox store. The other knife was gifted to either my son or nephew.

As can be expected, the knives live up to the usual Victorinox workmanship and quality.

Something cool and different! I've almost gotten one of those many times.....but never did.

Didn't want to hijack Ron's discussion with my junk, so........here's a Victorinox I wouldn't mind having - 

Sooner State Knives has that very knife for a mere 90 acorns. That would be chump change for a man like yourself. I say, if you want it then you should get it. You can't put a price on happiness!

What was that old Nike ad? Oh, yeah! Now I remember..."JUST DO IT!"

Just added a little tinker from my collection, and i carry one on my keyring everyday and CHAMP in my toolbag

I love that Collector's Tin, George.  Where did you find it!

For those who didn't hear.  Carl Elsener Sr. of Victorinox fame passed away yesterday, at age 90.   Victorinox has suspended its social media sites until Friday out of respect.  He was 90 years old.

He was inducted into Blade Magazine's Cutlery Hall of Fame back in 2011 

Hall of Fame

For those who haven't heard the Wenger knives are going away.  Well sort of.  So are really goign away but others will just be re-branded to Victorinox.  I wonder what will happen with the Wenger Scissors.  I kind of like them better than the Vic Spring loaded.  Anyway, heres an article with some info on the changes coming in 2014. a href="http://gearjunkie.com/swiss-army-knife-victorinox-wenger" target="_blank">http://gearjunkie.com/swiss-army-knife-victorinox-wenger >

I've been meaning to post this knife here for a few days now.  I don't buy many Wenger knives but when I run across an Eddie Bauer Whistle knife for $5 at an estate sell -- well that is something that I don't pass up!  Signature nice a clean.  Actually the entire knife is pretty clean.  It just has a small X near the top of the revesrse scale. (by small I mean perhaps an 1/8 of inch  Compass is still accurate and clear. Blade has scratches but is unsharpened. The combo tool appears unused.

Toby, Great score! What's that blade to the left of the whistle in the picture? It looks like there's an edge on it and a large flathead screwdriver? I have a lot of Wenger knives but I am not familiar with any blade that looks quite like that one???

That would be the Wenger style Combo Tool Ron.

Thanks, Wayne! I know that none of the Wenger's that I own have that tool, and I can't recall ever seeing one before? But, then again, I can't remember what I had for breakfast, either?

Here's another picture of one that I found...

Good to see you, my dear friend! I hope that you've been well and that your collection of SAK's continues to grow. 

Cheers!

As Wayne said, the Wenger Combo  Vic and Wenger both have a combo tool (Combination cap lifter/can opener/screwdriver.   The blade isn't widely used.

Wenger also has it on the Golf-pro, Soccer, Evo 63, Classic (Entree) and others.

The Vic  combo appears on the 111 Hunter, Some Golfers, the Compact, Mechanic Jr, and others.

I haven't used the combo tool on trhe Wenger but it looks like it will work better than the one on the Vic.

I have not used any of mine as a tin opener yet but I can tell you of a serious flaw in this tool. I have several smaller Wenger knives, 1 or 2 layers, and on these I have bought used the Combo tool has been forced out of the layer and sometimes even past the back-spring. I think what is going on is the amount of force needed to pierce the can causes the tool to slip past the back-spring and even sometimes damages the liners/rivet where it spreads them apart. The back-spring and the rivets are not strong enough plus the Combo tool might be too thin so as to cause this failure. This is of course just my observations of 2 or 3 Wenger knives with the Combo tool that has failed in some degree.

Wayne, at that point, I'd say the tool is useless!

Just carry a P-38 in your wallet. ;)

Tank, I have one on my key-chain. the P-38 in hands down better than any can opener ever put on a knife.

Yes, I agree the Wenger Combo tool is not as good as the Victorinox one. I have that same knife Tobias has shown below but never used it. I do have a couple of Entree models but I would not try and open any tin cans with it. I have the P38 and the P51(larger model) and have always liked them. First time I saw one my Grandad was opening a tin of can milk for his coffee and I was about 5 or 6. He really used the tool well and that can was open lickity-split! I recently bought one for my wife and she looked at it like it was an alien object or something. :)

C-Ration cans cowered and trembled in fear at the mere mention of my P38!

Nearly 50 years later my Army issued P38 still sees regular service and dispatches the lids off of cans with ease. Probably the single greatest invention and most useful tool that I have ever owned!

I carry a p38 in my wallet and it is a very efective can opener, in fact better than the can openers of any knife!!