Whether you’re a first-responder, a survivalist, or you just love outdoor adventure, the Swiss Army Rescue Tool from Victorinox makes an excellent multi-tool, with an emphasis on rescue applications. It’s my choice for everyday carry in my Maxpedition Sitka Gearslinger bag (read my Sitka review), and we have it for sale from Amazon in the SNO Store.
With this knife you can:
- tweeze your eyebrows
- pick your teeth
- break glass
- cut bread and cheese for a snack
- pop open a bottle of soda
- save lives
- and much more!
Victorinox spent five years developing this knife in collaboration with various rescue services, and won the Knife of the Year award during the 2007 IWA, the largest knife exhibition in the world. It was chosen in a competition involving 77 knives.
Please watch the video review, then come back and finish reading for more details.
Video review of the Victorinox Swiss Army Rescue Tool
Design and Build
Flawless. It’s an ideal balance of weight, durability, and function. The focus is on utility, not stealth: the sheath is brightly colored, and the handles glow in the dark. It would be a little large for a pocket-knife, but competes well with folding multi-tools (although it doesn’t feature a pliers). Stainless steel for salt water applications. The grips are not glossy, like most swiss army knives, but finely textured for a no-slip grip even when wet. Caution: wear gloves to protect your hands when using the window breaker.
If you lost your fixed-blade survival knife, for a folding knife this makes a good backup. Its rugged build will stand up to more abuse than most other folding knives. But hey, don’t lose your survival knife.
Precision construction, top-quality materials and machining, and intelligent design make the Victorinox Rescue Tool a top-drawer choice.
Features
It doesn’t include the kitchen sink, but it does have a lot of useful features:
- One-handed blade
- Phillips screwdriver
- Window breaker
- Strong 6mm screwdriver
- Cap lifter
- Wire stripper
- Punch and reamer
- Belt cutter
- Key ring
- Tweezers
- Toothpick
- Disc saw
- Luminescent grip shells
- Nylon cord
- Nylon case
I would definitely replace the included nylon cord with a homemade paracord lanyard; the one included is a little short, makes it difficult to find with gloves on.
That is one loud looking knife.