Spring Specials for Father’s Day
Spring Specials from Victorinox.
For a limited time, Victorinox is offering its Hardwood Series. Three of its most popular knives in three price ranges, Spartan, Huntsman, Swiss Champ are being offered with hardwood handles.( Sides of the knife). These knives are being offered April 1 to June 30, 2011 or until supplies run out.
These knives are a perfect gift for Father’s day, Dad’s birthday, Christmas etc. Get them now while the supply lasts!
Mother’s Day Specials!
Looking for something unusual to give mother for Mother’s day? Victorinox has come out with five new Swiss Army Knives called Fashion Prints. Each knife is about 2¼ inches long. It is part of the Victorinox Classic SD line. Just perfect to fit into her purse.
Each knife includes a blade, scissors, a nail file/screwdriver combination, toothpick, tweezers and a key ring. (She can even attach it to her key ring). She will thank you for this addition to her purse.
Avoid Being Scammed
Swiss Army knives and tools are valuable items. There are unscrupulous people out there who will try to pass of imitators of the real thing. If you’re unsure of how to detect if you’re being scammed, here are a few tips to look out for.
First, if the price looks too good to be true, then it is probably a fake. If a particular model is retailing for $50, but the seller is only asking for $10 it should raise a red flag. Second, an original Victorinox Swiss Army knife will have the trademark cross and shield. The shield has five corners with small depressions in the middle top of the shield. The outline and interior of the shield should be white with a red cross in the middle. You’ll also want to look for the Victorinox brand name stamped into the side.
Girl Scout Program Aid
For two summers during high school, I volunteered as a Program Aid at a Girl Scout day camp. Each session the camp would have a big overnight stay. The girls loved roasting s’mores over the open fire, telling ghost stories, and having pillow fights instead of settling down in their sleeping bags.
I’m not sure what it is about little girls and camping, but sleeping through the night is not an option. I spent most of the night removing spiders from the cabin, shushing giggling girls, and escorting them to and from the latrines. Fortunately, I had my trusty Swiss Army flash light to illuminate the dark paths. I was grateful that the overnights tended to be on Thursdays, so I only had to stay awake through one day and then I could crash comfortably in my own bed for the rest of the weekend.
Keeping Your Valuables Safe
I’ve reached the age where most of my peers are getting married. With so many female friends, I’ve attended a lot of bachelorette parties. Inevitably we end up at a bar or a club for dancing and drinking. I don’t like to take a purse or clutch with me to crowded areas because it would be so easy for someone to lift my wallet without me noticing.
Instead, I take a Wagner Swiss wallet. It’s small, durable, and lightweight. It also has steel money-clip that can double as a belt clip. Generally, I put my cards, ID, and a little bit of cash into the wallet and then clip it to the inside of my pants’ pocket. When I need to get cards I just slide side button and the cards extend out for easy access. This small accessory is easy to use and it keeps my valuables safe when I’m out with the girls.
Swiss Tools for Handy Man
Tech support and installation is the bulk of my job description. Even though I always ask for a detailed description of the problem before heading to a work site, I never know exactly what I’m going to encounter. No matter where I go, I carry a Victorinox SwissTool.
The Victorinox SwissTool I use has 24 stainless-steel tools. While I of course have a professional set of tools, the SwissTool is great for working in tight areas. It also serves as a great back up in case one of my normal sized tools fails. I have found the wire cutter, strippers, and chisel to be incredibly handy on the job.
Swiss Army Knives Join the 21st Century
Swiss Army Knives have long been the gold standard in multi-purpose, utility, and pocket knives. Remember when you got your first Swiss Army knife? Possibly you were a Boy Scout or Girl Scout and you were proud of your multi-purpose knife that not only had a blade, but had a toothpick, corkscrew, bottle opener, nail filer, and Philips head screw driver. Today’s modern man or woman carries an updated version of the Swiss Army knife to battle the contemporary wilds.
The Victorinox Swiss Army knives now come with USB drives, LED mini white lights, and retractable ball point pens. That’s right; you can buy Swiss Army knife flash drives! It’s ingenious if you stop to think about it. If a person is already used to carrying a pocket knife, then these updated, 21st century knives are perfect for work emergencies when a project needs to be saved on a flash drive, or for using a flash light to locate your car in a dark parking garage. It’s a modern jungle out there and the makers of Swiss Army knives are just helping us cope!
SHARPENING YOUR MULTITOOL AND SWISS ARMY KNIFE PART 3.
Finishing with a Honing Steel.
After sharpening with a whetstone (See Part 2), finish the sharpening with a Honing Steel:
1.Hold the steel with your left hand (if right handed). Point it away from your body.
2.Grip your pocket knife firmly with your right hand (if right handed) and keep your fingers away from the blade. Place the blade on the steel at a 20-degree angle.
3.Start at the base of the knife and slide the blade across the steel. Pretend you are peeling the steel. Be sure to swipe the entire blade along the steel. Repeat twice.
4.Turn the Swiss Army knife over and sharpen the other side, pulling the knife toward you. Repeat twice for this side.
5.Continue until the Swiss Army knife is sharpened. Always sharpen both sides of the knife equally. Test your knife for sharpness by slicing into the edge of a piece of paper. A well-sharpened pocketknife will slice the paper easily.
To touch up your knife on regular basis, just use the honing steel.
SHARPENING YOUR MULTI-TOOL AND SWISS ARMY KNIFE, PART 2.
Begin Sharpening with a Whetstone
Whetstones are generally made of carborundum or another abrasive and are available in three densities, coarse, medium (for all-purpose sharpening) and fine. Coarse is the all-purpose stone, good for Chef’s Knives, while fine is good for slicing or boning knives.
An oil whetstone is prepared by lubricating it with a few drops of honing oil which is smoothed to a light film across the stone. When the stone is prepared, place it on a non-stick surface (a tea towel is good to steady the stone) and begin.
Place the blade at a 20 degree angle and lay the heel of the blade on the stone. Steady the extended tip of the knife with one hand to guide it, and draw the blade toward you, sweeping across the stone in an arc. Turn the blade over and repeat the process on the other side. Always go in one direction – NEVER NEVER NEVER go back and forth. You will repeat this sharpening gesture 10 to 20 times on each side. Test for sharpness, then move on to the honing steel. NEVER wash your whetstone. Wipe off excess oil with a cloth.
SHARPENING YOUR MULTI-TOOL AND SWISS ARMY KNIFE, PART 1.
Nothing beats a good Swiss Army knife for versatility when out on a camping trip. But a dull blade can make even the best pocket knife useless. The proper kit for keeping your knife keenly sharp is to have a sharpening kit.
You can sharpen your pocket knife with either a whetstone or a steel. A whetstone is a stone that is used like sand paper to sharpen knives. A steel is a textured metal rod with a handle. For an extremely dull blade we recommend firstsharpening with a whetstone & honing oil. Second with a sharpening steel. Learn how to keep your Swiss Army knife sharp and ready for action. Parts 2 and 3 will give details on how to properly sharpen and hone your knife.