VICTORINOX SWISSTOOL SPIRIT

There are a few things that are, in our opinion, must-have items. And when we say that, we don't mean must-haves for the Canadian firearms owner, nor do we mean must-haves for the average man about town... but rather, must-haves for the average person. Period. A decent pad of paper and a reliable pen, for example, is something that one should generally have at their disposal. A wallet with some accessible currency and a government-issued form of identification is another. And a decent multi-tool is the third. Regardless of whether you after a camping multi-tool or a fishing multi-tool for example, you need one. After all, the chief distinction that allowed our hairier ancestors to crawl atop the food chain all those many thousands of years ago was our ability to use tools.

And few companies have as much experience with equipping mankind for all eventualities as Victorinox. The creator of the immortal and immediately recognizable Swiss Army Knife, Victorinox has built a Swiss empire on producing tools that pack as much practicality and versatility into the smallest, densest, and most easily handled packages possible. In the case of the SwissTool Spirit, that entails packing over 16 distinct tools into a package that weighs just 200 grams; slightly more than a large cell phone. But it's not just the specific tools that count in the Victorinox's favour, it's the quality with which the whole thing's assembled.

Made entirely in Switzerland, that the Spirit's a multi-tool of a different breed is apparent from its mere appearance alone; while Leatherman, Gerber, and SOG continue to make ever more aggressive and spartan looking tools, the Spirit looks like it'd be as comfortable in a boardroom as it would be in the garage. And it's beautifully assembled, too. Be it deployed or closed, there isn't so much as a hint of looseness in the joints, and each tool folds out against an identical level of resistance and the same crisp snick sound that's defined Swiss Army Knives for generations. That's because the deployment of both the Spirit's pliers and individual tools use the same style of action as a Swiss Army Knife; incorporating stainless steel springs to keep things either closed up or locked open. In the case of the pliers, that makes for some super slick-opening squeezers that require none of the break-in time that many Leathermans do, while the individual springs retaining each tool prevent any unwanted additional tools from accompanying another's deployment.

So, what's it like in use? Well, first and foremost, it's pretty damned pleasant. Having grown used to pulling various tools out of a Leatherman Surge and Skeletool CX, I'd expected the small thumbnail grooves required to unfold tools from the Spirit to be absolute murder on my digits. But, since each tool is retained independently, even the smallest tool can be extracted with consistently less effort than is required by the Leatherman tools. However, when it comes to the larger and more frequently accessed tools like the file, blades, and scissors, the Spirit does give up serious ground to many of its competitors in that it still requires you pick away at the desired tool with two hands, rather than allowing for one-handed operation. It doesn't slow you down much and is far from a chore given how slick it's tool deployment feels, but it is a step that just feels unnecessary when you've grown used to the one-handed convention.

Now, I must make mention of at least a few of the Spirit's tools, as there are a handful that are deserving up much merit. First off, the weird main blade. Yes, it looks like a cross between a butter knife and a saw, and admittedly it did come out of the box with one hell of a burr on its edge, but after a touching it up with a stone, the bloody thing is amazingly versatile. In fact, after using it for a month or so, I would heavily suggest any potential buyer seriously consider opting for Spirit that's so equipped, even if it does require a bit more involved sharpening process. Next up is the chisel. A feature not found on any other multi-tools I've come across, the combination chisel, wire stripper, and random curved sharpened edge tool is actually surprisingly useful for those moments when you need to dig something small out of some substrate, or when you want to pry something with a sharp edge but don't want to risk chipping the knife blade. And finally, there's the bottle opener/flathead screwdriver/pry bar. Quite a bit longer than most similiar tools I've found, as well as quite thick, this tool gadget's got more prying power than most actual flathead screwdrivers... which makes it great for opening crates and beer bottle alike.

Much like the weird and so-called "peanut butter knife," the Spirit does admittedly look a little off when folded, but works extremely well as a result: once unfolded to expose the pliers, the Spirit's strange shape suddenly goes from that of an oddly bent "x" to that of a perfect pair of hand-filling pliers. Moreover, in dry conditions, the smoothed and rounded surface of the polished stainless steel keeps them comfortable and avoids any potential sore spots if you really need to reef down on the handles. And don't let the Spirit's pretty countenance confuse you; when you really need to squeeze down on something, it doesn't give up an inch in regards to robustness or rigidity.

Overall, there's no getting around it: the SwissTool Spirit is one of the best all-around multi-tools on the market, a label I'd restrict to the Spirit and the Leatherman Charge TTi. It's definitely the single best-made tool out there, and I have little doubt that it's probably the most reliable, too. After all, being made of stainless steel pre-empts any corrosion, and the finely polished finish seen throughout means there's less friction between the moving parts which in turn makes it far less reliant on the routine cleaning and oiling required by its only real competitor. In fact, if it wasn't for the Charge TTi's excellent one-handed opening operation, S30V blade material, and tougher interchangeable driver bits, the Spirit would be a tool without equal, and when you consider that the Spirit can be had in two different variants with slightly different tool sets, as well as with an optional (and very cool) ratchet driver, extension, bit set, and either a leather or nylon holster to contain it all, it's more than enough tool for most daily needs.