A Swiss Army Knight may be the quintessential EDC pocket knife for many, but its weight surely dictates how you carry it. Too heavy and it becomes uncomfortable for your pocket and you might want to carry it in a sheath or put it in your bag. Too light, and it might not have enough tools you need on a daily basis. As such, a general idea of the weight of a Swiss Army Knife might help in deciding which model to go for.
The weight of a medium-sized Swiss Army Knife is around 60 grams. However, the weight varies a lot depending on the size and the number of tools. Small Swiss Army Knives meant for keychains can weigh as low as 17 grams, whereas some of the bigger ones meant for outdoor tasks weigh more than 250 grams.
In general, the more layers of tools a Swiss Army Knife has, the heavier it will be. Thus, one crude way of estimating the weight of a SAK is by comparing it with another similar SAK of the same size category, viz. 58mm, 91mm, 111mm, etc. So a 91mm SAK with 3 layers will be heavier than another 91mm SAK with 2 layers of tools.
While this is a good estimation, it may not always be correct, as all layers are not equally thick.
Let’s look at the weights of some of the popular Swiss Army Knives of various sizes.
Weight of medium Swiss Army Knife models (91mm, 93mm)
The most popular size for Swiss Army Knife is 91mm. In fact, this category has the largest number of models and also the most diverse combination of tools. Here are the weights of some of the popular SAKs in the 91mm category, and also the 93mm category which consists of the Alox models of medium-size SAKs.
| SAK Model | Weight (in grams) |
|---|---|
| Spartan (2-layers) | 59 |
| Tinker (2-layer) | 62 |
| Compact (2-layers) | 64 |
| Pioneer Alox (2-layers) | 71 |
| Camper (3-layers) | 74 |
| Super Tinker (3-layers) | 84 |
| Farmer Alox (3-layers) | 86 |
| Deluxe Tinker (4-layers) | 123 |
| Huntsman (4-layers) | 97 |
| Explorer (4-layers) | 101 |
| Ranger (5-layers) | 118 |
| Handyman (6-layers) | 155 |
| Cyber Tool L (7-layers) | 187 |
| SwissChamp (8-layers) | 185 |
From the above table, you can see that the number of layers is not always directly proportional to the weight of the Swiss Army Knife. E.g. the Deluxe Tinker with 4 layers weighs more than the Ranger with 5 layers of tools. One of the tools contributing to the heavier weight of the Deluxe Tinker is the set of pliers which is a pretty thick tool.
By the way, the 91mm models are a popular choice for EDC. In fact, I have identified the best Swiss Army Knives for EDC from the enormous catalog of 91mm models.
Weight of small Swiss Army Knife models (58mm)
The 58mm category of small Swiss Army Knives is actually what made SAKs one of the most popular keychain tools. Following are the weights of some of the popular 58mm SAKs.
| SAK Model | Weight (in grams) |
|---|---|
| Classic SD (2-layers) | 21 |
| Classic Alox (2-layers) | 17 |
| Rambler (2-layers) | 30 |
| Manager (2-layers) | 31 |
| Mini Champ (3-layers) | 45 |
In the 58mm category, you can see a lot of variation in weights for the same number of layers in the different Swiss Army Knives. This is because some layers are much thicker, almost twice the thickness of a thin layer. As such, the Mini Champ which has just one layer more than the Classic SD weighs more than twice the latter.
If you want a keychain multi-tool, nothing beats a 58mm SAK. I am sure this post on the best keychain Swiss Army Knives will give you some idea.
Weight of large Swiss Army Knife models (111mm)
The large Swiss Army Knife models are generally longer and heavier which you would usually prefer carrying in a sheath or in your bag. But of course, you may find the ones with fewer layers of tools light enough for pocket carry. Here are the weights of some of the popular SAKs in this category.
| SAK Model | Weight (in grams) |
|---|---|
| Adventurer (2-layer) | 107 |
| Soldier (3-layer) | 131 |
| Outrider (3-layer) | 156 |
| Hercules (4-layer) | 200 |
| Work Champ (5-layers) | 228 |
As you can see, anything more than 3 layers in the 111mm category weighs 200 grams or more. Such heavy SAKs may not be suitable as an EDC in your pocket. But the weight should not matter if you use a sheath attached to your belt.
Weight of larger Swiss Army Knife models (130mm)
This is the largest category of Swiss Army Knives made by Victorinox. As such, these are also the heaviest SAKs. Some of the common models and their weights are given below.
| SAK Model | Weight (in grams) |
|---|---|
| Ranger Grip 61 (2-layers) | 136 |
| Ranger Grip 78 (3-layers) | 172 |
| Ranger Grip 58 hunter (4-layers) | 200 |
| Ranger Grip Boatsman (4-layers) | 268 |
Similar to the 111mm, the 130mm models of Swiss Army Knives are generally unsuitable for pocket carry because of their length and weight. Most of these models are preferable for the outdoors and heavy-duty tasks.
I have written about some of the best Swiss Army Knives for outdoor activities that you might find useful.
Lightest Swiss Army Knife
The lightest Swiss Army that you can buy is the Victorinox Escort, a single-layer small SAK. It weighs only 17 gms.
The Escort belongs to the 58mm category of Swiss Army Knives. It has a blade and a nail file with a screwdriver tip.
Of course, it has the scale tools – the toothpick and the tweezers.
The Escort has been in the Victorinox catalog of Swiss Army Knives since 2000.
Heaviest Swiss Army Knife
The heaviest Swiss Army Knife made to date is also the largest Swiss Army Knife ever made, the Wenger Giant.
The Giant weighs around 1.4 kgs. It has 49 layers of tools.
The Giant is featured in the Guinness World Records for being the largest multi-tool ever made. It was made to showcase Wenger’s ingenuity by assembling all the individual tools into one single model.
The Giant was never designed for general use and hence most of the tools are blunt to prevent accidents while handling such a huge SAK. It was available commercially as a collectors’ item. It is not in production anymore.
You can read everything about this marvelous piece of engineering in this post: Largest Swiss Army Knife – The Wenger Giant.
At present, the heaviest Swiss Army Knife in production is the Victorinox Swiss Champ XAVT. This model is the big brother of the popular 91mm model, the Swiss Champ.
The Swiss Champ XAVT weighs 353 grams. It has 15 layers of tools.
The XAVT of course is not useful for any practical use and is marketed as a collectors’ item. However, due to the limited production, it is difficult to get hold of one.
Conclusion
The weight of a knife plays a crucial part in its use and functionality. While many medium-size SAKs are generally light enough for pocket carry, some of the models with a lot of layers of tools are quite heavy and you may consider carrying them either in a separate pouch or sheath attached to your waist-belt or in your bag.
Having a general idea of the approximate weight of a Swiss Army Knife model helps a lot while selecting the best SAK for your specific needs. A heavier model in your pocket may weigh you down while making you very uncomfortable. However, a lighter SAK that can be comfortably carried in the pocket is good enough to be an EDC.
