by Paul Brook
The Swiss Army Knife has been made since 1884, and it is such a useful piece of technology that it has become a commonplace item; even those who don't own one know about them.
Victorinox are the original makers of the Swiss Army Knife and the Victorinox Spartan follows in the footsteps of the 1897 'Officer's Knife' which is one of the most popular Swiss Army Knives on the market.
When you first get the Victorinox Spartan it is in attractive packaging, which of course will no longer be needed once opened, but is a great way to both know the quality of the knife you are getting; it's also great for those wanting to purchase this amazing tool for a loved one.
The Victorinox Spartan houses twelve functions inside its small and lightweight body measuring just 9.1 x 2.6 x 1 cm and weighing just 59g.
Possible the most used item on the Victorinox Spartan will be the large blade that measures 6.9 cm and is the perfect size for many general purpose tasks and large enough to even prepare foods.
For the tasks where the large blade is too cumbersome the Victorinox Spartan holds a smaller blade measuring 3.8 cm and is great for smaller task like opening boxes or peeling fruit.
One of the multifunctional tools on the Victorinox Spartan is a can opener with a small 3mm screwdriver at the end of it. The can opener is very easy to use and comes in very handy in wild when using canned items and for general ease in your home kitchen.
The smaller screwdriver is particularly useful around the home and for fixing smaller items ‘in the field’.
The second multifunctional tool of the Victorinox Spartan is a bottle cap opener and combined larger screwdriver and wire stripper. The bottle opener will open bottles that have a pressurised cap such as a beer bottle or glass bottled fizzy drink. At 5mm the larger screwdriver is perfect for more hefty work, and can be locked in the 90 degrees and 180 degrees position to provide better leverage and manoeuvrability. The wire strippers are great for any general DIY purposes where you need to expose wire from its housing.
On the other side of the Victorinox Spartan a corkscrew can be found that is centrally positioned, providing a great deal of leverage when removing a cork from a bottle.
Right next to that corkscrew is a reamer, punch and sewing awl. As the name suggest this is used for punching holes in material. The sharpness of this tool will allow you to punch through even the thickest of belts with ease and accuracy. With the addition of the hole in the reamer an effective sewing awl is at your disposal, perfect for those 'in the field' mends that you may need to make.
Two little recesses in the top of the Victorinox Spartan hold a very accurate and precise pair of tweezers and toothpick. The toothpick itself comes in very handy even when not cleaning out spinach from your teeth.
To make the Victorinox Spartan easy to attach to your favourite items, be that keys, lanyards or carabiners a very strong key ring comes as standard.
Everything about the Victorinox Spartan is easy to use and more importantly easy to locate. The scales of the Spartan are made from an ABS and Cellidor plastic giving both strength and comfort.
Owning a Victorinox Spartan gives you a multitude of useful and necessary tools that are with you when you need them most.
You can buy the Victorinox Spartan directly from this site.
February 2016
