Swiss Army Knives vs. Pure-breed Pocket Knives: Which One Is Best?

This is a perennial dilemma for knife buyers. Will you sacrifice versatility and usability for durability with a good Swiss Army Knife? Or will you accept having less function and enjoy the greater strength and reliability of a pure, the best quality pocket knives with only one sharp blade and none of the extras that could negatively affect their function?

In this article, we’ll discuss in detail all of the pros and cons of each design and give you a better idea of what you should get.

Swiss Army Knives

A Swiss Army knife, or a multi-purpose pocket knife, is far more versatile and has more diverse application than an ordinary good pocket knife. Beside a sharp edge blade, a Swiss Army knife also includes a number of useful tools like screwdrivers, nail files, bottle and can openers et cetera.

More complex models even have LED lights and USB sticks, like the Victorinox Jetsetter!

Naturally, because of their huge application, they are the go-to kind of pocket knife for those who are serious about Everyday Carry (EDC). With a good one at hand, there’s really no situation that you could face in your day that you couldn’t resolve.

But of course, there are certain trade-offs. Because the focus of Swiss Army knives are spread throughout the entire tool set, the blades fell from focus. Thus, the cutting and slicing capability of their blades aren’t as good as a dedicated, best pocket knife. Additionally, because the lock mechanism has to handle the locking and deploying of a multitude of tools, they are less reliable. It’s not uncommon for a Swiss Army knife’s locks to start slipping and loosening after months of use.

They won’t also be able to handle heavy knife work such as cutting off thick branches. The blade lock will surely fail then.

Swiss Army knives will also tend to be bulkier and heavier to carry around than your normal pocket knife.

Pure-breed Pocket Knives

A pure-breed pocket knife is far simpler than a Swiss Army knife. Instead of having a huge range of tools, it only has a single, sharp blade. The knife is used for cutting and slicing, nothing else.

Because of this pinpoint focus on making the blade as great as possible, these top pocket knives can fulfill their promises of excellent cutting, slicing, and chopping actions with zero compromise unlike their Swiss Army counterpart.

Their blade is of higher quality, usually made from stainless steel for both durability and corrosion resistance ability. A well-made blade will also be able to hold an edge for a long time even after heavy use. The locking mechanism (liner locks or frame locks) is also far more sturdier to allow for more heavy-handed knife work.

High quality pocket knives also have assisted opening mechanisms for easier deployment. Thumb studs (usually ambidextrous) to make it safer and more convenient for you to open and close the blade.

Which One to Choose, Then?

It boils down to needs and preference.

If you’re an electrician or engineer who regularly needs a vast arsenal of tools at hand while you’re working, a good Swiss Army knife and their wide selection of tools will do you a lot of good.

On the other hand, for hunters, firearm hobbyists, law enforcement officers, or active duty military personnel, having a dedicated best quality pocket knife will be best since a reliable blade will be far more preferred than all the extra tools. If possible, we recommend you to carry both: a pure pocket knife and a multi-tool to get the best both of worlds.

Read The Article: Top 10 Best Pocket Knives: A Comprehensive Review

Conclusion

We hope we’ve cleared up the confusion a little bit and that you now have a clearer idea of what you should buy. Head on over to our pocket knife reviews to see a list of top rated products and start shopping!