Review of the Victorinox Climber (1.3703 and 1.3722 models)
The medium-sized Victorinox Climber is my favourite Swiss Army Knife (SAK) and I’ve carried one for fishing, camping and fixing things for several decades.
All Victorinox pocket knives that I have purchased have been of admirable quality with absolutely no play, snappy closing and a flawless finish. Although I managed to crack them by dropping on the ground, the scales really stand up to hard usage. The SAKwiki has a good page on all the different Climber models and history.
The steel they use is DIN 1.4110 (otherwise known as X55CrMo14), a martensitic stainless steel with less carbon than most high-end knife steels (it has 0.55% carbon while VG10 has 1%), making it virtually rustproof. More information is available at Otai Steel and Zhang Xiaoquan. It is very easy to sharpen and I actually prefer this characteristic in a pocket knife over edge-holding.
Climber Variants
Standard (1.3703 model)
The standard Climber is a three-layer SAK and has the following dimensions:
- Width: 26 mm
- Height: 18 mm
- Length: 91 mm and
- Weight: 82 g.
It is equipped with the following tools:
- Blade, large
- Blade, small
- Corkscrew
- Can opener and Screwdriver 3 mm
- Bottle opener and Screwdriver 6 mm
- Wire stripper
- Reamer, punch and sewing awl
- Scissors
- Multipurpose hook
- Key ring
- Tweezers
- Toothpick.
My current Climber was purchased at the Lausanne Victorinox store in 2023 (see https://phwl.org/2023/a-visit-to-the-victorinox-store-lausanne/). It has the “Plus” scales which include an extra slot for a pen. Not everyone knows that there is a hole for a pin under the corkscrew in all modern scales.
I use the large blade for food preparation and the small blade for other work such as opening boxes, cutting plastic etc. The scissors are often used for controlled cuts, particularly to trim fishing knots (an added bonus is that one is less likely to stab oneself when doing this on a rocking boat). I also like having the separate can and bottle openers because the can opener works very well as a Philips screwdriver. The bottle opener is often used as a flat blade screwdriver and for prying.
I have added a mini screwdriver on the corkscrew which has saved the day on more than one occasion by fixing eyeglasses. Even the toothpick and tweezers get used from time to time, the former being excellent for cleaning USB ports. The awl gets used infrequently but has been used to make a field repair on shoes (using dental floss as thread). Unfortunately, it closes if you put a lot of pressure on it and is not as effective as the inline awl used in the alox Soldier and Pioneer X (see below).
Long Nail File Version (1.3722 model)
A less common variant is the 1.3722 Climber which replaces the parcel hook with a long nail file. Furthermore, it has no keyring (this probably being because it was derived from an earlier model, the Traveller). I believe the nail file is a more useful tool than the parcel hook as apart from filing things, it is useful for making notches and prodding things in confined spaces as is often required in dealing with electronics.
84mm Version
There is also a smaller, 84mm Climber. Here is a good YouTube video describing the history of this rather rare Climber. The video includes the Victorinox 245kU which has the long nail file and the older Victorinox 235kU with bail.
Compared with Other Models
Others may prefer the 2-layer Compact or 3-layer Companion, but the utility of having 2 blades and the choice of two screwdrivers better suits my purposes. The Super Tinker replaces the corkscrew in a Climber with a Philips screwdriver. Unfortunately, one loses the mini screwdriver which has come in handy to fix glasses (mine and others) from time to time. Moreover, it can’t be used to open a bottle of wine in an emergency!
In aluminium scales (alox), the Pioneer X Alox (left) is very similar. The small blade, corkscrew, hook, toothpick, tweezers and pin are lost but in return, it is considerably thinner and the awl is handy. I haven’t used the new Synergy X Alox (right) but it has skeletonised scales, locking blade and clip.
Of course, 4-layer SAKs exist, e.g. the Huntsman that adds a saw. In my opinion, these are too thick and heavy for pocket carry. Additional tools I might want to carry include a saw, diamond file and bit set. If I think I’ll need them, I’ll include a Leatherman Wave.
Other Climber Reviews
Blogs
- https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/pocket-knife/victorinox-climber
- https://discover.hubpages.com/sports/Victorinox-Climber-Review-Perfect-Gift-You-Can-Get-For-You-or-Loved-Ones
- https://www.mantripping.com/stuff/victorinox-climber-swiss-army-knife-review.html
- https://archerwinsak.blogspot.com/2014/12/review-victorinox-climber-and-super.html
Forums
- https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/victorinox-climber-one-of-my-favourite-edc-knives.1178504/
- https://forum.multitool.org/index.php?topic=22231.0
Videos
- Google search - https://www.google.com/search?q=victorinox+climber+review&udm=7
- Victorinox Climber Small: History and Mystery of the 84mm Scissors - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUOVjlIOFNM&t=1s
