Perhaps a sign of the times, Swiss Army knives have gone a little extreme in 2021. Victorinox's latest Swiss Army releases include one of the largest Swiss Army knives ever offered and a series of Mini Tools among the smallest to wear the cross. Victorinox adds "XXL" sizing to the Swiss Champ lineup with a 73-function monster that just might fill an entire pocket. Its corkscrew holds a tiny screwdriver small enough to repair your sunglasses.
The Swiss Champ XXL reminded us at first of the old, infamous Swiss Army Giant from Wenger, the other historic manufacturer of Swiss Army knives that saw its lineup absorbed into Victorinox in 2013. A closer look at the new Champ, though, and we see it's actually considerably smaller and more manageable.
The Champ XXL packs 73 functions, just over half the four-figure-priced Giant's 141, while adding just 12.5 ounces (354 g) to your pocket – downright feathery compared to the 3 pounds (1.4 kg) or so of the brick-like Giant. No one will call the Swiss Champ XXL's 2.5-in (6.4-cm) width sleek for a pocket knife, but compared to the 9-in (23-cm) width of the Giant, it certainly looks pocketable enough.
We won't bore you with the full list of 61 included implements, which you can review on the product page, but notable XXL tools include small and large blades; two female hex drivers to accept a full array of stored hex, slotted, Phillips and Torx bits; pliers and scissors; wood and metal saws; a magnifying glass; a pharmaceutical spatula; and a watch opener ... oh, and, naturally, a bottle opener.
Also included as part of the Swiss Champ XXL build is a corkscrew storing a mini slotted screwdriver, part of the new four-piece Mini Tools lineup. Featuring color-coded plastic handles, quite similar to the Tortoise Gear FireAnt, Victorinox's tiny tools are topped with task-oriented drivers. There's a gray-handled slotted driver for repairing and tightening glasses, a green-handled Phillips 000 and blue-handled Torx T4 designed for working with small electronics, and a red-handled pin for popping out SIM cards. They may be tiny, but they could be just the right tool at the right time – say, if the temples on your sunglasses pop loose in the field.
While the Swiss Champ XXL looks monstrous to us, it's actually not the largest multitool in Victorinox's current line, slotting below the 83-function Swiss Champ XAVT and above the 49-function Swiss Champ XLT. It retails for a not-insubstantial US$315.99. The Mini Tools go much easier on the wallet, retailing for $15 per four-piece set.
Source: Victorinox
