Tools ยท Gear Review
The Best Pocket Multi-Tool. For cutting, opening, and trimming.
When most of your list is cutting tape, opening packages, trimming thread, and turning the odd screw, a slim knife-style tool does it at a weight you will keep carrying. For most households our pick is the Victorinox Huntsman: two blades, scissors, a small saw, and a lifetime warranty at about 3.4 ounces.
Top pick price
About $40 to $55
Weight
About 3.4 oz
Readiness tier
Survive
At a glance: Victorinox Huntsman
Strengths
- Scissors and a small wood saw cover jobs a plain knife cannot.
- At about 3.4 ounces it carries easily in a front pocket.
- Victorinox covers it with a lifetime warranty against defects.
Limitations
- None of its blades lock.
- It has no pliers and no Phillips screwdriver.
- Because it has a blade, it cannot go in a carry-on bag.
By Dan Whelan, founder of New World Survival
Researched from manufacturer specifications, TSA guidance, independent reviews, and long-term owner reports. See our sources
The field
Five knife-style tools, sorted by what each adds.
These are pocket tools built around a blade rather than pliers. The questions that separate them are simple: does it have scissors, does it have a saw, and does the blade lock. Specifications are from each maker. We did not bench-test these tools ourselves.
Our multi-tool handbook explains how knife-style tools compare with keychain, compact plier, and full-size ones.
| Tool | Scissors | Saw | Blade lock | Weight | Length | Typical price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victorinox Huntsman | Yes | Yes | No | About 3.4 oz (97 g) | 91 mm (3.6 in) | About $40 to $55 |
| Victorinox Climber | Yes | No | No | About 2.9 oz (82 g) | 91 mm (3.6 in) | About $35 to $50 |
| Victorinox Farmer X Alox | Yes | Yes | No | About 3.8 oz (109 g) | 93 mm (3.7 in) | About $65 to $75 |
| Victorinox One-Hand Trekker | No | Yes | Yes, liner lock | About 4.6 oz (130 g) | 111 mm (4.4 in) | About $60 to $75 |
| Victorinox Spartan | No | No | No | About 2.1 oz (59 g) | 91 mm (3.6 in) | About $30 to $40 |
Sources: Victorinox Huntsman, Victorinox Climber, Victorinox Farmer X Alox, One-Hand Trekker specifications, and Victorinox Spartan. Prices are typical ranges as of November 2, 2026, and change often.
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Why the pick wins
The most jobs at a weight you keep carrying.
Scissors and a saw
The scissors handle tape, tags, thread, and bandage trimming better than any blade. The saw is what the Climber and Spartan lack. In Outdoor Life's testing it cut branches about 2 inches thick and made clean notches. (Outdoor Life)
Independent testers agree
Outdoor Life named it the best Swiss Army knife for the outdoors, and CleverHiker named it the best lightweight multi-tool. (CleverHiker) Our full-size comparison also names it the best knife-style tool. Outdoor Life's overall pick is the smaller Victorinox Compact; we explain below why we chose differently.
Built to be kept
Victorinox warrants its pocket knives against defects in material and workmanship for life. (Victorinox warranty) Owners describe carrying the same Huntsman for twenty or thirty years, and the plastic scales can be replaced cheaply when they wear.
The honest limit is that it is a cutting and opening tool, not a repair tool. If you need pliers or a Phillips driver, a plier-based tool is the better choice. If you want a blade that locks, the One-Hand Trekker is the pick below.
The picks
One for most pockets, and four for specific needs.
Best overall
Victorinox Huntsman
The classic medium Swiss Army knife with 15 functions: large and small blades, scissors, a wood saw, a can opener and bottle opener, two flat screwdrivers, a wire stripper, a reamer, a corkscrew, a hook, tweezers, and a toothpick. It is 91 mm long and weighs about 3.4 ounces. (Victorinox)
Choose it for a household that wants one pocket tool for town, yard, and camp. Keep one blade sharp for fine work and use the other for cardboard. None of its blades lock, so close the blade before you push hard on anything.
Specifications
Best for town
Victorinox Climber
The Huntsman without the saw. Its 14 functions keep both blades, the scissors, the openers and screwdrivers, the reamer, the corkscrew, the hook, tweezers, and toothpick, at 82 grams. (Victorinox)
Choose it if the knife lives in an office, a purse, or a front pocket in town and will never meet a branch. It is a little thinner and lighter than the Huntsman and does every daily job just as well.
Specifications
Best metal build
Victorinox Farmer X Alox
A 93 mm knife with ribbed aluminum (Alox) scales in place of plastic, and 10 functions: a large blade, scissors, a wood saw, can and bottle openers with two screwdrivers and a wire stripper, a reamer, and a key ring. It weighs about 3.8 ounces. (Victorinox)
Choose it if you are hard on tools and want the scissors and saw in a body that will not crack or scuff. It gives up the small blade, the corkscrew, the tweezers, and the toothpick, and it costs more than the Huntsman.
Specifications
Best locking blade
Victorinox One-Hand Trekker
A larger 111 mm Swiss Army knife whose main blade opens with one hand and locks open with a liner lock. Its 12 functions include a partly serrated blade, a wood saw, a Phillips screwdriver, a locking bottle opener with a large flat screwdriver and wire stripper, a can opener, a reamer, tweezers, and a toothpick, at about 4.6 ounces. (specifications) Outdoor Life named it the best Swiss Army knife with a locking blade. (Outdoor Life)
Choose it if you want a blade that cannot fold on your fingers, or a Phillips driver. It has no scissors. Its lock releases toward the edge side, which many right-handed owners find awkward to close with one hand; try it in a store if you can.
Specifications
Best value
Victorinox Spartan
The original medium Swiss Army knife and the base the others build on. Its 12 functions are two blades, a can opener and bottle opener with two flat screwdrivers and a wire stripper, a reamer, a corkscrew, tweezers, a toothpick, and a key ring, at 59 grams. (Victorinox)
Choose it as a first knife, a spare for the car or a kit, or a gift for someone who will carry it every day. It is the lightest and least expensive tool here. If you find yourself wanting scissors, that is exactly what the Climber adds.
Specifications
What owners actually say
Decades in a pocket, and the few things that wear.
These patterns come from retailer reviews, the BladeForums and Multitool.org communities, and long-term reviews, read November 2, 2026. A pattern means many independent owners said it.
Huntsman: the one people keep
Owners describe carrying the same Huntsman for many years with every tool still working, and praise the scissors, the saw, and the build quality. The most common wish is for pliers. Some long-term owners move to aluminum-scaled models because the glossy plastic scales scuff with years of carry, and a familiar way to lose one is forgetting it at an airport checkpoint.
Climber and Spartan: the daily carries
The Climber is a common choice for town carry, and its owners point to the scissors as the reason. Spartan owners value how thin and light it is, and the upgrade most often suggested to them is scissors, which is the one difference between the two.
Farmer X Alox: solid, with gaps
Owners call it very solid and like the feel of the aluminum scales and the thicker blade. Some report the saw handling wrist-thick branches. The note that repeats is the missing tweezers and toothpick, which the aluminum scales cannot hold.
One-Hand Trekker: one recurring complaint
Owners report years of use without trouble and like the saw and the locking blade for yard and boat work. The complaint that comes up across forums and retailer reviews is the reversed liner lock, which right-handed owners say is hard to release one-handed. The partly serrated edge divides opinion.
Across all five, the blades are easy to bring back with a few strokes on a stone, which is part of why owners keep these knives for decades.
The one thing to know
Most of these blades do not lock.
Four of the five tools here hold their blades open with a spring, not a lock. Push on the back of the blade, or twist it in a cut, and it can fold onto your fingers. That is not a defect. It is how these knives are designed, and it is the main way people cut themselves with one.
Cut away from yourself, let the edge do the work, and use the blade for cutting rather than prying. OSHA identifies misuse as one of the greatest hazards of hand tools. (OSHA) If a job needs force, get a proper tool, or choose the One-Hand Trekker for its locking blade. Our handbook's carry rules cover where a bladed tool can and cannot go.
How they fail, what they cost
Bought once. Kept with a little care.
Springs and scales
The scissors spring is the usual part to tire first. Plastic scales can crack after a hard drop. Both are covered when the cause is a defect, and replacement scales are inexpensive.
Pocket grit
Lint packs into the joints and makes tools stiff. Rinse, dry with every tool opened, and oil occasionally with an oil made for pocket tools. Victorinox advises keeping its knives out of the dishwasher. (Victorinox)
A dull blade
A dull blade needs more force and slips more readily, which OSHA identifies as a reason to keep knives sharp. (OSHA) A few strokes on a fine stone every month or two keeps it working. Our sharpening guide covers the method.
What it costs
A one-time purchase of about $30 to $75, plus a drop of oil now and then. On the Trekker, check that the lock still engages fully and the blade does not wobble; if it does, send it in.
What we didn't pick
Good tools, wrong fit for this list.
Victorinox Compact
Outdoor Life's overall pick, with scissors, a pen, and a swappable mini screwdriver in a smaller body. It is a fine desk and travel-bag knife. We chose the Huntsman because its saw and second blade cover more household jobs for about the same weight.
Leatherman FREE K2x and K4x
Knife-style tools with a locking blade and magnetic one-hand tools. As of November 2, 2026, Leatherman's US site lists only these serrated versions, at half price while supplies last, and the plain-edge K2 and K4 are no longer listed. A good buy at that price, but we cannot count on them staying available.
Leatherman Skeletool KB
A light, well-made locking pocket knife with a bottle opener built into the clip. OutdoorGearLab rates it a good value. It is a knife rather than a multi-tool, with no scissors or screwdrivers.
The biggest Swiss Army knives
Models with 30 or more functions are impressive and too thick for most pockets. They make more sense in a drawer or a kit than as a daily carry.
Skip a knife-style tool for repairs
If you need to grip, bend, or cut wire, or drive a Phillips screw, a plier-based tool is the right design. See our full-size and compact multi-tool picks.
Skip a bladed tool if you fly often
A bladed pocket tool cannot go in a carry-on bag. If you fly often, a blade-free keychain tool is the one that stays with you. See our keychain picks.
Where it fits in your readiness
The tool that is with you when the toolbox is not.
A pocket tool belongs in the Survive tier because it handles the first small jobs of a disruption wherever you happen to be: opening supplies during a power outage, cutting cord or tape after a storm, trimming a bandage, or freeing a tangled strap in the car. It does not replace a full-size tool in the vehicle or a basic toolkit at home. Our hand tools handbook covers what a household needs behind it.
Questions people ask
Before you add it to the cart.
Should I get the Huntsman or the Climber?
They are the same knife except for the wood saw. If you will ever trim a branch, cut a dowel, or notch a stick at camp, get the Huntsman. If the knife lives in town and cuts tape, tags, and packaging, the Climber is a little thinner and lighter and does those jobs just as well.
Do Swiss Army knives lock?
Most of the classic 91 mm and 93 mm models do not. The blade is held open by a spring, so it can close if you push on the back of it. Victorinox's larger 111 mm models, such as the One-Hand Trekker, have a liner lock. If you want a locking blade, buy one of those.
Can I take a Swiss Army knife on a plane?
Not in a carry-on bag. TSA prohibits multi-tools with knives of any length in carry-on bags. It can go in a checked bag, sheathed or securely wrapped. A blade-free keychain tool is the option that stays with you through security. (TSA)
How do I clean and oil a Swiss Army knife?
Open every tool, rinse grit and lint out with warm water, and let it dry completely with everything open. Then put a drop of oil made for pocket tools on each joint and work the tools a few times. Victorinox advises keeping its knives out of the dishwasher.