Great selection of tools. So far, the only tool that I needed that this handy multi-tool did not cover was a pipe wrench. I didn't really buy it for that use and did not expect to use it for that. Product is strong and durable. I use it on a daily basis, so it gets alot of use.

I love everything about this tool! At first I thought that I'd have to still carry a pocket knife w/ me since this doesn't come with a traditional pen knife, but I was wrong. The knife that is in this tool is very sharp, cuts well and does about anything a regular pen knife does. Very good quality.

The only down size I have found is that it is a bit on the heavy size.

I own Leatherman multi-tools including the new Wave, Pulse, Juice S2, Skeletool CX, Micra, Squirt S4, and Squirt P4. I also own about 20 Victorinox Swiss Army Knives ranging from nearly all the recent Alox models and many cellidor models including the old Champion, Swiss Champ, Swiss Champ XLT, and Cybertool 41. After owning all of these types of pocket knives and multi-tools, I can say that Victorinox makes the highest quality, highest consistency multi-tools and pocket knives. (Don't get me wrong, I like Leatherman a lot as they make well-designed tools, too. But the consistency is lacking with Leatherman when compared to Victorinox.)

The primary strengths of the Vic SwissTool Spirit include:

All locking tools
Access to tools with the pliers in the closed position
Presence of scissors (which distinguishes it from the Spirit "S" model)
Reputation of extremely good corrosion resistance
Chisel (which is unsual in any multitool)
Extremely good wood saw (better than Leatherman)
Very light weight for its size (only 5.5 oz)
Premium brown leather case (best case I've seen that comes with a tool, only downside to the case is that it cannot be worn in the horizontal position on a belt)
Extremely attractive with highly polished metal handles and tools
Extremely comfortable handles for pliers

There are downsides, however, and they are in my opinion:

"Butterknife" shape of the only blade (it does NOT have the familiar drop point that Victorinox usually uses in their SAKs or MTs)
Serrations on that blunt blade take up most of the length
Plain edge is a very small part of the blade near the joint
Philips screwdriver that needs to be squared off as it slips quite easily
Scissors are tiny (and smaller than any other multi-tool I own listed)

The Vic Spirit exudes quality and precision crafting. People are always split on their opinion of the blunt, "butterknife" shape of the main blade. I dislike it. The serrations are also in the front of the blade, rather than the back part like most other brands. The serrations can be ground off, however.

If you want a drop point blade, then you can get the Spirit "S" version which substitutes a drop point blade, but removes the scissors.

I have never owned a multi-tool before. I did a lot of research into what tool would be best for me. I wanted a variety of tools that would be useful in day to day work as well as on a camping trip or on the trail. The SwissTool Spirit, the SwissTool RS, and the Leatherman Core were at the top of my list. I had the opportunity to try each of these tools out at local stores and the Spirit was clearly the tool for me. With all the same quality and functionality of the RS and Core, the Spirit comes in a small, sleek design that fits the hand perfectly in both open and closed positions. This is not a bulky and complex tool. It is elegant and fuctional. I highly reccommend this tool to anyone looking for a high quality munti-tool with all the might of a larger tool in a smaller package.

The good - this is a well built tool with many useful functions. The pliers/wire cutters are excellent as is the unusual knife blade.

I can't give it 5 stars because it is bulky. I know this may seem unfair, but hear me out. Unless you specifically need the pliers/wire cutters, I think that one of victorinox's smaller pocketknives will serve you better for everyday use, giving almost as much tool with less bulk. There are components here like a scraper and metal saw that you may not need.

That said, I think this is a well made and solid product of very high quality and am still glad I bought it.

I have looked at about 20 different Multi-tools in the last couple of weeks and this one is far ahead of the crowd for price, quality and value, especially with this offer of $10 off the $50 purchase. This tool is made with excellent precision and it is very obvious that it will not fall apart in the near future. The individual tools are easy to draw out and the feel and balance of this quality tool is unequalled.
What amazes most about this tool is the value for the money. There is no doubt that you would have to pay almost double the money to get a tool of this quality and feel. Each tool comes out so easy and it locks well. The lock release isn't difficult to find or engage either. If you need a specific tool in a flash, this is the one to get.

Ever since I started purchasing Victorinox knives I have absolutely enjoyed all their top quality products. This multi-tool is no different. Solid, well-crafted workmanship. The tool is well designed and easy to use. I repair a great deal of computer and electronic equipment and this has been an invaluable piece to carry with me always. I really like that it came with a very nice leather belt pouch. Would recommend this item or any others by Victorinox.

I read a bunch of reviews on Amazon and elsewhere before deciding on this multitool over a Leatherman or Gerber. I have both other brands and they are excellent, well-made tools, but the workmanship and the quality of the Spirit is second to none! Tight tolerances, super locks, SOLID! What's the caveat, you may ask? I was looking for a tool that was lighter than my Gerber 400 Fisherman's tool at 7.2 ounces. I was leaning towards the Kick or Fuse, but ran into the Victorinox - advertised at 3.25 inches and 5.75 ounces. It's actually 4.20 inches and 7.50 ounces so, while a little lighter than the Wave, an ultralight tool it ain't. Just be warned: once you get your hands on this one, you won't ship it back ... plan on ponying up some more $$$ for your backpacking multitool because you'll have to KEEP THE SPIRIT, baby!!

I bought the Swisstool Spirit as a backup for my Swisstool. After handling and using the Spirit, I decided I like it more. Both have nearly the same tools, with the Spirit having a partially serrated blade and scissors instead of the plain blade and serrated blade of the swisstool.

I find the handle comfortable and the tools functional. I probably will never use some of the tools, but the ones I do use (screwdrivers, saw, file, scissors, can opener, pliers) work well.

Complaints:
-Scissors are very small. Big enough for string, but too small for serious cutting (fabric, etc).
-Heavy ("sturdy" :P )
-The leather sheath cannot be mounted sideways.

Overall I am very happy with the Swisstool Spirit.

I was after a multi-tool for some time and was all excited about the Skeletool by Leatherman. It seemed just perfect for what I needed - the basics. However, after I started researching multi-tools, it seemed that maybe a more robust tool would be the way to go. I ended up buying both. They both fit different niches and they each have there pros and cons. Most noticeable to me was the manufacturing quality of the Victorinox. When this unit arrived, it was a work of art. All the implements operated smoothly, everything locked into place with a secure snap and it is rock solid tight. You can just feel the quality in your hand on the Swisstool Sprint. The Leatheman Skeletool was very stiff and the blade is difficult to operate. Perhaps this will loosen up over time. The Skeletool also arrived with the external clip (a nice feature I wish the Swisstool Spirit had) falling off requiring me to purchase a special torx driver to fix. There was just not that solid feel of quality like with the Victorinox.

I will use both of these tools depending on what I'm going to be doing that day, but if I had to buy just one - it would be the Swisstool Spirit hands down.

This product does 2 things most others don't.

The blades lock, and they are easy to open.

1) Locking blades

Anyone that has owned a Leatherman or other brand multi tool knows that most of them don't have locking blades. Why do you need these? Because you'd look mighty stupid cutting off a finger when the blade folds while you are cutting something else. Some brands have started adding locking blades, but this one has locks on all the folding tools, including the screwdriver.

2) Easy to open

It's a major hassle when you need a tool just to open a tool. Anyone that made the mistake of buying a cheap tool will know that you'll lose a nail just trying to open some of the features. This Swisstool is perfect since the blades all open smoothly without too much effort.

Other pros are a great quality pouch and precision pliers, the pliers on this model are so well made that you can use them as tweezers to remove splinters.

Took it to a camping trip and it was very handy, great feel and look. Made with high quality material, and for the price that I got it for ~$40, love it.

Not too big. Not too many tools. Not clumsy.
Unlike many multitools the Spirit is very well balanced (weight, size and tool selection). It is easy to find tools and they lock when open. I mainly use the knife (serrated), Phillips screwdriver and pliers which all work very well (solid, tough, right sized). The machining and finish are the best I've found. I carried a Leatherman for about ten years and I was mostly happy with it, but this Victorinox is far superior.

I expected a finest quality utility knife and thats exactly what i got.
Shape and weight are sweet, both perfectly balanced. The tools seem heavy duty and the security system makes you feel very confident when using them.
Also I must say the pouch is great, the brown leader makes a perfect match with the knifes color.
The only con i see is that the leader needle doesn't have a hole to insert the cord into the leader, but it isn't a reason to doubt in getting it.

There are lots of opinions on the tools, but I just wanted to comment on the large knife. Many don't like the change, but the reason Victorinox made it a square blade is because the tips will break off on their pointy blades. I've had it happen a couple of times, and you can see in their lifetime warranty form that its one of the more common problems people have.

The way they fix this btw is to just grind the tip back into shape, past the point where it broke off. You could probably grind a tip into the SwissTool blade too, although I wouldn't.

If you need a pointy tip, thats what the awl is for. Its thicker and stronger than knife blade tip.

this tools is all that i wanted it to be, was a present for my father, i liked the most the blade and kind was missing the ruler in the frame, my mistake because there's another model that have it.

I am very pleased with this Tool, I own a Gerber Diesel and I have to say that I like the finish of the victorinox way more. I havent been able to use it as much to rate its performance but it feels sturdy as well. I like that you can get the tools from the handle without opening the whole pliers, as in the Gerbers, but in the other hand i like the one hand opening mechanism of the Diesel for the pliers (which i use alot)
I wouldnt know wich to choose if I had to make a desicion, thats why i bought both ;). I absolutely recomend this product. Hope you enjoy your Victorinox!

This multitool is the best available. All of the tools are great, and do their job well. The knife, while lacking a point, is razr sharp. I carry my tool everywhere, and it hasn't let me down yet!

I have owned Leathermen, Gerber and of course, a Swiss Army Knife, but the Spirit is a much better thought out unit

I love the fact that you can access the tools without opening up the whole unit

I've never been a pocket knife kind of guy. A couple of months ago I
took a week off to catch up on some outdoor chores and was continually
finding myself having to go back into the house to grab some tool to
do something or other. While rummaging through a tool box I happened
upon this cheapo Brinkman multitool and snagged that. Wow, that thing
came in handy - even being a crappy in quality as it was.

That made do a little research about multitools and I ended up buying
one. I am now connected to the hip with my Victorinox Spirit
multitool. Damn, this thing comes in handy throughout the day and it's
actually small enough to just pop into your pocket and carry around
with you.

I carry it everywhere except for school and use it everyday. It comes in great handy when trying to work on paintball guns away from home and I even used it to cut myself lose from a thorn bush once. My point is that it is a very versatile tool.

This is the first multitool I have ever purchased and I intend to keep it with me only for emergency purposes, i.e., in the car, while hiking, etc. I'm happy with the variety of tools, the quality of workmanship, and the smooth action of deploying, locking and releasing each tool. The leather pouch has a velcro closure, it is constructed with heavy stitching, and it can accept a belt passing behind it (up to 2" wide) so it can be worn.

The scissor design has been changed to a lever spring action rather than the older thin spring action which could fail by misaligning, the metal and wood saws are precision tools and appear to be cut by laser or diamond, the pliers are stamped with the Victorinox logo and are lightly brushed, and the overall finish is very clean.

My only design concern is that the large knife blade has a scalloped edge for most of its length. While this edge is as sharp as a razor, the scalloping prevents it from being re-sharpened as may be needed with wear and tear. I would much rather prefer a straight-edged knife so I would be able to renew the edge when needed with a sharpening stone or by using a steel.

Otherwise, this is a smart-looking asset to have around for emergencies and should last many years. A good deal for the price.

I was sure to buy the best multitool... Victorinox: a brand, a legend

Mau

This is a good multitool except for one thing. It does not have a regular knife blade! I was shocked when I received it and could not find a regular pointed knife blade. There is a serated knife blade. But it is rounded at the end.

I have to update my review. I have had this multitool for awhile now and I've grown to love it. The serrated blade works great. I have another larger Victorinox multitool. But I always choose to take this one with me because it is more compact, lighter, and has all the tools I need. I wouldn't change a thing on it. 5 Stars!

This is a high quality tool. The fit, finish and action are very impressive. It would be perfect for the handyman, tradesman or anyone that doesn't care about bulk or weight. I especially like the locking feature for the tools. Because it's such a nice tool, I plan on keeping it. It will likely last for many years with minimal care. Having said that, it's probably not for the backpackers out there. The pictures don't capture how large and heavy this tool is relative to many other multi-tools and most swiss army knives. So if you're a backpacker who watches every ounce, there are better alternatives.

I've been on a quest for the best multi-tool for years. Over the last twenty I've had leathermen, SOGs, Schrades, Gerbers, swiss army knives and more. In this review I will put the Spirit up against the Leatherman Charge Ti and the Gerber Legend 800 - what I consider the primary competitors for best multi-tool on the planet at the moment. I owned the Gerber Legend 800 from 2002-2004 - and lost it when the cheesy nylon case broke. I owned the Charge Ti from 2005-2006 and recently had it stolen or lost in my living room by either my kids or a houseguest when I left it out over a vacation week. I got the Victorinox Spirit to tide me over until I found the Charge Ti. As the months pass I'm pretty happy with the Victorinox and can live with the fact this might be a permanent arrangement. I've had it for 3 months now and it has answered every call.

As way of background I'll share that I'm a computer guy and medium-duty handyman. I use multitools to repair electronics, gutters, minor carpentry & electrical; around the house and work stuff mostly. (Work has been a museum construction site for years).

Short and sweet - the Victorinox is smaller and more dainty - yet stands with the big boys in performance. Smaller and lighter than the others, the Spirit is superbly laid out and moves with solidity beyond its size and a fascinating precisions that is ... well... Swiss. Each tool is easily accessible to the thumbnail and comes out smoothly BY ITSELF. Each tool locks with an individual springlock (the spring lock back looks like the musical part of wind-up music box). Lock release is via an intuitive pull latch. Everything is a chromed glossy mirror finish except the pliers head - which is nice unit. Here's the lowdown on the matchup:

Pliers: Winner - Gerber Legend 800. Gerber has spring-loaded pliers that open themselves up. They also have replaceable interchangeable wire cutter blades. These two features are unique and are great. The downside for Gerber is that the pliers don't open quite as far as the other two - limiting their utility for plumbing. Victorinox and Leatherman have similar pliers - but on the Victorinox the jaws are a little stubbier, and the jaws only touch at the tip when closed (they become totally parallel when the jaw are open 2mm) as opposed to most others where the pliers jaws are totally parallel at the point of closure. In practice none of this made a bit of difference. The most controverial part of the Spirit is the curved handle which gives the pliers grip a short finger throw. This is a nice refinement - they make an elegant pair of pliers - but at the cost of the ruler markings on the grip. In the end I prefer the older swisstool style on this score. Put Victorinox #2. The final issue the the grip. The Gerber has all the tools inside, so the pliers grip is wide smooth metal all the way but theres a seam. The Leatherman charge - like the Wave, has the small tools recessed out on the grip side - so your hand grips the smooth back of the 4 long tools (knives, saws, and files). This makes the grip wider than the old-style leathermen, where you gripped only the metal edge, but narrower than the other two offerings. The Victorinox has all the tools inside the grip - and your hand mostly bears down on the smooth spring lock mechanism.

Knives: Winner: Leatherman Charge Ti. The Charge Ti has two knives, a superb smooth bladed clip point in a special hard alloy, and a nice serrated. Both can be opened with one hand without opening the tool. The Spirit has a single blade - a razor shaped aggressively serrated blade that must be opened with two hands. It's wickedly sharp, but serrated blades are harder to resharpen and the razor shape lacks a point. I find I use the awl when I want a knive point. I guess Victorinox figures the serrated blade will stay sharp. We'll see. The Gerber has a single clip point blade with a smooth front half and serrated back half. This sounds like a bad thing - but it actually worked well. It's openable by one hand.

Saw: Winner: Tie Victorinox & Leatherman. Both are wickedly sharp dual action teeth and are the same thickness. The Victorinox has a lower profile, but the Leatherman has teeth all the way to the tip - call it a tie. The Gerber has a cool mechanism that accepts jigsaw blades, allowing you to choose your own and replace as needed. Great concept - but trouble is that there aren't any great jigsaw blades made - nothing comes close the quality of the saws on these other two.

File: Winner Tie for Victorinox and Leatherman. Very close all around. They all give good files. The Victoriox is the sharpest, but the Leatherman is almost as sharp and gives you a bit more surface area.

Philips Screwdriver: Victorinox - for having the longest (gets in the most crannies). Leatherman Charge and Gerber both have interchangeable bits associated witht he philips screwdriver. The Leatherman Charge has the much better interchangeable bit scenario with cool low profile bits that store in the belt case and have a great selection. Gerber takes regular size bits - which is a plus, but the bit holding adapter doesn't mate totally securely with the screwdriver head and must be carried in a separate case. Victorinox also has a bit arrangement - with a cool little rotary ratchet - but its a completely freestanding separtate arrangment. This is bound to get lost.

Scissors: Winner: Victorinox hands down. Like a swiss army knife scissors, but with an upgraded beefy spring that's gonna last and which also holds the scissors closed enough that the blades are just crossed - so you can breeze through paper. The old Leatherman wave had a great scissors, but they upgraded for the new wave and Charge series. The new leatherman scissor is smaller and wimpier and opens too far to cut when the hand is relaxed. Gerber's is too skinny with too tough a spring (hurts to use it) - but compensates by being the only one openable with one hand.

Flat head screwdrivers: Winner Victorinox (but special honor for Charge Ti for glasses screwdriver/tiny philips). Like a swiss army knife, the Spirit has the excellent can opener combo with small screwdriver head, a beefy big screwdriver with wirebending notch, and now a cool sharp small-mid sized flat screwdriver head with a long narrow shaft - great for computers with serial ports. The Charge Ti has the interchangeable bits - which are great but have a very short shaft, a glasses screwdriver as a full tool which you can pull out and reverse to get a tiny precision philips head screwdriver (unique and totally awesome - great for watches and model trains and glasses), and a medium sized stand along screwdriver that is OK, but not particularly well shaped or long or distinguished in any way. The Gerber has the interchangeable bits and three decent built-in flat head screwdrivers.

Can Opener/Bottle Opener: Winner Victorinox - has good toold for both functions - just like the Swiss Army Knife. The Charge has a combo can/bottle opener that just barely tolerable. The Gerber lacks these tools.

Awl: Victorinox is the only one - and a great awl it is. Good for belts and for cutting nylon cable ties. Makes a great and safer box opener too.

Ruler: The Charge Ti is the only one of these three to include this important feature.

Chisel/Wire scraper - Victorinox - unique and great tool. You can always use the wire cutter to strip and scrape wire. The Victorinox has about a half dozen ways - but thise chisel/scraper tool is a really great wire stripper as well a solid chisel for detail work. For model building this is a big plus.

Handle grip: Winner: Charge Ti - the titanium textured grips are totally awesome. The Gerber has big aluminum grips with inset rubber panels. The rubber comes out after a year. The alumninum is light but bulky. The curve is kinda cool - but also kinda dorky. The Victorinox has a super shiny polished grip that looks like it's going to be slippery. In practice the grip is fine (I haven't used it in muddy or oily situations - but that would be bad for any multitool).

Case: Winner Charge Ti - available leather case with snap closure. Snap is more durable than velco. The bad thing about the Charge's case is the stretchy side panels. I wonder about their durability. The Victorinox has solid leather case - very nice - but velcro closure. After the velcro stops working I'll take it to a leather shop to have a snap closure put in. The Gerber only has a nylon case with velcro closure.

Cost - the Victorinox is half the cost of the Charge - but lacks the bits. The Gerber slots between the two. The Victorinox at $50 isn't dirt cheap - but is pretty good value for the money.

Size - the Victorinox is the smallest and lightest by a wide margin.

Fit and finish: The Victorinox is the slickest with the tightest tolerances and smoothest most polished motions. As someone else points out - however, it has dead pins, preventing you from replacing tools down the road. The Charge is a close second and has torx pin closure. The Gerber must be singled out for scorn on the design front. A number of tools cannot be taken out without removing the adjacent tool and the scissors opens and closes in such a manner that you risk a cut each time.

Overall winner depends on your list of priorities. I'd say the Charge Ti is the best overall - most useful in the widest range of situations. Ultimately, any of these tools will serve you well. The Victorinox Spirit with its high utility, great refinement, light weight and low price is real nice pick - expecially well suited to the well dressed, ladies, and anyone who appreciates a nice unit.

I just receieved my multitool, and I'm very impressed. It feels and works great so far. The Leather case is very classy, and the construction is top quality. The description, however, says there is a magnifying glass, straightpin, ruler, key ring, and a ballpoint pen. None of those are in mine. I'm guessing a description got mixed up in the wrong product listing. Despite that, I'm going to enjoy this for years. It's a very very nice multitool. I'd gladly recommend it to others.

I'll definitely give a 5 to my Swisstool Spirit: I must admit it is not something I would need to use much (maybe just once in a blue moon ) but I just love to keep this around in most occasions.
I purchased the "Plus" version, and the pouch is kind of bulky, since it needs to accomodate the extra stuff (maybe I'll separately buy the one just for the main tool).
Also, I'm not very excited about the main blade (It's not a normal, aggressive looking "pointy" blade, but it's sqare-headed, looks more like a tool. Too bad it's still forbidden to take on a plane...

The tool itself is just great: looks gorgeous and shiny, it feel super solid. I just tested the wood saw and it worked perfectly.

This thing is great for what I need it to do. This collection of tools comes in handy on a moment's notice. Stainless Steel eliminates the worry of rust. The knives work like butter. To close up a tool, once used, the locking spring assure that the tool will not pinch your finger. It came with a leather pouch that is often found sold separately. Compared to the Leatherman, the Victorinox lifetime warranty was the clincher for me.

What's good:
1) The needlenose pliers in spirit is more useful if you need need to grip smaller items.
2) Smaller size, easier to carry.
3) Inner tools can be opened when the pliers are closed.
4) Even better fit and finish in general. Eg locking buttoms, individual springs and that unique blade...etc.

What's bad:
1) Why use the dead pins to connect the whole tool? You can't fix it, you can't change the inner tools.... They should use screws instead.
2) May not 100% stainless steel, note that the file or some parts maybe casehardened steel.
3) No ruler.
4) Unlike some people, i don't like the curved handles of the spirit, sure they make the pliers action perform better, but if you want to use the outside tools, it performs poorer...
5) The new scissors design is bad, the spring is still under tension when closed and it's mouth is so short!
6) That stupid and poorly-designed hook. I only need a simple reamer...

I used the SwissTool Plus almost every day for three years until I lost it, and I bought the SwissTool Spirit Plus to replace it.

The first impression is that it fits better in the hand, but it feels less solid. I mean, the other tool produced a strong sound while closing and required force to open. It still felt new after three years of heavy use.

However, with the SwissTool one could break his nails trying to open the sheets appling force with a wrong angle. The new tool is much more confortable in that respect.

Also a big improvement are the scissors instead the plain knife. The more useful serrated knife is still there. There are 3-4 new functions and the bit case holds the bits much tighter. The leather pouch has a better construction, but I prefered the black color.

Another benefit is that the new tool is much lighter. To bad there is no ruler on the Spirit, since after some time with the other tool I used to measure small objects or distances on a map quite frequently.

In short, the Spirit is an improvement over the outstanding original tool. I only wonder if the new model will be as solid as the old one.

I have had the original SwissTool for a few years it is practaly industructable. I wanted somthing smaller and lighter, so when Victorinox came out with Spirit I got one. It is a nice tool It has most of what it's big brother has with less mass. I also would like a straight blade. I like the bend in the handle, it feels right. The Spirit is well desined with all the tools on the outside. The locking mechinisum works great, very safe. I hope that the Spirit will be as durable as the original SwissTool. Victorinox & Swiss Army Brand have a great warrenty Program so no problems.

What's good:
1) The needlenose pliers in spirit is more useful if you need need to grip smaller items.
2) Smaller size, easier to carry.
3) Inner tools can be opened when the pliers is closed.
4) Even better fit and finish in general. Eg locking buttoms, individual springs and that unique blade...etc.

What's bad:
1) Why use the dead pins to connect the whole tool? You can't fix it, you can't change the inner tools.... They should use screws instead.
2) May not 100% stainless steel, note that the file or some parts maybe casehardened steel.
3) No ruler.
4) Unlike some people, i don't like the curved handles of the spirit, sure they make the pliers action perform better, but if you want to use the outside tools, it performs poorer...
5) The new scissors design is bad, the spring is still under tension when closed and it's mouth is so short!
6) That stupid and poorly-designed hook. I only need a simple reamer...