Well Jon, I have to thank you for my wife, stepdaughters and several friends thinking I am a prepared for anything genius. Without going into detail, gadgets procured and added to my EDC, because of your videos, have gotten their attention by turn minor crises into mere annoyances. I think updating my, and my wife’s, kit based on your latest video is turning into my retirement hobby 😅.
Tip of the day! For those that don't know the toothpick is a perfect usb-c charging port cleaner. I had an old android phone that started acting up while charging and since I used to clean it out with air spray and couldn't see anything stuck in the port i first assumed the cord was damaged then assumed the port itself was after several new cords and getting a new phone I one day started digging Abit in the port with the toothpick turns out it had a ton of hardpacked pocket lint that couldn't be blown out by the spray or be seen and the phone was as good as new after that. With the relatively soft plastic it's unlikely to scratch or damage the port if you are just a little bit careful.
Sir...Thanks for another wonderful video and review. Your videos are always interesting, intriguing and well made. Unlike many other EDC sites your's is not testosterone charged, overly marketed, opinionated and stacked with unrealistic gadgetry....and I appreciate that. The camera work, editing and sound are spot on. All of that aside, I also find them therapeutic, relaxing and positive.
@@NNICKKK Err...actually you're very wrong indeed nick. The law clearly stipulates that a blade must be less than 3 inches long and F O L D I N G . Also non locking . The blades in the Swiss cards are F I X E D BLADES . NOT folding . And are therefore illegal to carry in the UK. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Great review again. As somebody who practices classical guitar and needs longer fingernails I like the nail care card. I’m always reaching for a nail file during the day and I love the glass ones. Oddly Victorinox scissors also make the best nail clippers I’ve used.
I’ve had a Swiss card for 15 years or so, it’s literally what I have EDC’d the most, you just never forget it. So happy to see you review these, about a year ago I mention on one of your other videos that I carried it. Super excited when this Video popped up on my YT notifications. Love the vids, and honest review and opinions. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I couldn't believe it when you took out that mini flashlight. Mine arrived through the post just today,and after charging it up I was amazed by the power of the lights. The maximum setting,on/off,is unbelievable. I have been stocking up on torches in view of the blackout warnings lately. My wallet toolkits are several years old now,but I use them a lot. Interesting and informative video.
I still have my original Swiss Card! But mine is a translucent green. I guess that was a limited color as well! Good to know. I've had mine for close to 20 years now!! I hardly use it these days, but I still love it in my collection, and it isn't going anywhere!
I have watched a few of your videos now and I’m really appreciative of how in depth your reviews are. They are insightful, well paced and informative. You sir have earned a sub from me. I think your one of the best gear and gadget reviewers out there! Btw, I love your background setting as well!
What a great company - Victorinox - producing a range of Swiss cards matched to individual needs, and also good variety of their multi-tool knives. Very useful!
Great comparison. For suits the Swiss card works really well because it usually sits snug in the inner pocket of a suit jacket and is much quicker to retrieve than fiddling around with a SAK and pocket clip. It also just seems like a more subdued form factor for those formal occasions or even in the office. A pocket clip is just a bad look with dress slacks IMHO.
Thank you for a great video, i have had the Swisscard Quattro since 2002, it has lived so long in my wallet that i forgot it there, through airports and checkpoint in atleast 10 years. I use it for small tasks. And a year ago i bought 2 Swisscard Nailcare one of them i gifted to my wife, the other in my survival tin, because the nailfile can be used as a knife sharpener, and everything else is good in a survival situation. Perhaps i will buy another one to keep in my travel kit.
I still have my blue Swiss Card Lite i got it in 2006, it has the red LED and still has the original battery that still works. The red light is good for highlighting the really thin splinters like fibre glass or hairs from sugar cane which I come into contact with fairly often, living and working on sugar cane farms.
Neat, I remember the first cards and thought they were pretty cool but I already had a victorinox champion since 1992. I still carry it in my pocket. I've used all the tools at some point.
I do believe I got my Swiss card in 1999 or 2000. The pen still writes, but I lost the toothpick many moons ago. What a useful tool. It's probably my most-used pair of scissors over the last 20 years 🙂
I've got the classic in my wallet everyday, I love it, I get splinters at work, tweezers great, I use it a lot want the other ones now. Sewing pin might be good for navigation.
Another fantastic review! Thank you. My main question when shopping for one of these was whether the light on the "lite" would be bright enough to be a factor to consider but when I purchased one for my wife, I wanted to make sure it had a knife and a magnifying glass so the Lite was the only choice anyway. It didn't occur to me to think about the scissors as a tiny knife. Smart. Very pleased with the Lite though. She's found it useful and now I kind of want to get one just because of the 007 factor. :)
I am curious about that Victorinox glass nail file. I bought a glass nail file once just to try it. I thought it was etched to make it abrasive, but it turned out just to be a coating that wore off with use.
Great video, very informative. They all just seem like novelties though. For around the same price range you could just get the Huntsman and have twice the options and still not take up very much space.
Thank you; I have been collecting Victorinox for many years and haven't yet acquired a Swiss card. Your review has urged me to a decision. You can always find a way for me to spend my money. I always have a knife, and lamp on me here in the USA, it's the Nailcard for me.
Thanks for the video Jon. I like your videos, I binged a month ago and I have added some new things to my carry since watching. That is saying quite a bit as mine hasn't changed much in the last couple years [the thin/flexible glasses and the thin cordage] I have a Swiss Card from around 97-98 and love it. Looking forward to the next.
Great video Jon! I prefer the Lite and NailCare versions because both have the mag glass, scissors and quattro screwdrivers. The Nail Care version is in my travel carry on bag. I carry the Lite version in my wallet with one modification. I replaced the blade with a metal file replacement part from the original "Classic" Swiss Card. The replacement file costs $2 at Optics Planet. It's smaller than the blade, but it fits securely in the blade slot.
I bought the nail care as a gift - its a really lovely thing. everything on it you need - and nothing you don't. it's the sweet spot in my opinion. when you have a hanged nail its a file you need and too few of the SAK's have it. plus you can take it on the plane.
I've had my Classic for many years, and I reckon I use it for one reason or another about every other day. Excellent. I once went through an airport metal detector and it didn't set off the alarm. Before I lost it, I had a quattro, and I was impressed by the strength of the screwdriver. Top quality, as always with Victorinox.
Thanks for the review. My first SwissCard Classic was purchased from a seller that also had some used items. It was missing a knife. Apparently there are a lot SwissCards missing knives as they could not pass a check point. The good news is that at least you do not lose all items. By the way, scissors are not allowed flying out of India, at least not at some airports. My daughter lost a pair of mini EMT style shears that way. We had never guessed they would be a problem. She also had problems with the Wenger AT Clipper (no blade) on a previous trip. She had kept it out as she was using it to cut bandages for a gash in her hand caused by someone dropping a glass on her table. Even though she had flown around to and from Australia and New Zealand, some over zealous check point officer, said she could not take the scissors on board when she was returning to the USA. I figure that either he did not want to back down as he might have initially have thought it to have a knife, wanted to keep it, or was just being over zealous. I had never thought those small scissors would be a problem. I had worried when I carried one, about how pointy the eye glass sized screwdriver that was inserted instead of a blade, thinking it might raise questions. That did not come up. Since Victorinox does not make its version of the Clipper without a blade, that would have been a real loss. Luckily, a ticket agent was a lot more accommodating and she managed to check it somehow. I still have not figured that one out. [Hence the far less expensive mini shears/scissors on the later trip.]
I remember seeing that the hole in one of the cases can be used as a pivot point to draw an arc, like a protractor and maybe using one of the other tools on it to hold the pen.
I really like you and your videos, you are easy to listen to and you got a convincing voice and you know your stuff, really nice to listen to you. Cheers,
But I seriously need to stop listening to you…you are making me spend money galore(lol) but you got so many thing I like I can’t help myself. Husband now is watching my every move when it comes to watching RU-vid survival, EDC, and all the others. Cheers
For my everyday I have a SAK compact on my keychain and a Swiss Card Lite in my wallet, there is some redundency but having a back up is not a bad thing, I highly recommend the Swiss Card Lite I find the magnifier to be quite handy reading fine print.
Hello, Jonathan! Good review! I still have and use the red & gray '97 "Classic" with the "sliding" door...I have had to adapt a small clip to the door as it no longer stays in place and I don't want to lose it...I think that "defect" was probably the reason why V. changed the card in '08...Good job!
First of all really love your videos, just one note on your comment on knifes and hand luggage. One can carry a knife in hand luggage if it’s a not locking blade and below 6 cm. I’ve carried a MiniChamp via Heathrow several times without an issue. I’ve never tried out a medium sized knife because I don’t want to risk to lose my precious Compact in case I misinterpreted the rules but based on UK and EU regulation it is allowed. TSA is a different issue but my relatives who live on the other side of the pond were able to carry a keychain sized SAK without any issue.
Thanks for the clarification Otto. You are correct, although as you will know there is no argument if security decide it is a 'dangerous item' and in the US and other parts of the world no pointed knife is allowed at all in the cabin as far as I know (technically at least). I have had several Leatherman Micra taken off me over the years - so there is always a doubt about what will be allowed.
I have a pre-2008 one and wile the sliding door was pretty cool and fun to fidget with the build quality on it could have been more reinforced as it broke off pretty quickly. Overall the the Swiss Card is a great product and doesn’t get as much attention as it could, there’s something in it for everyone.
i had a Swisscard Lite (original red LED version) that was a gift, i loved it, so useful for little jobs on the go but i nearly got in trouble because i had it in my pocket on the way to the airport, thankfully i realised before we got out of the car and left it in the car, i would have been very sad to lose it, its now long gone, the scissors broke after many years of use and parts went missing over time but having seen this again i very much might get myself another.
Great video pal! Very informative! I've had many of these Swiss Victorinox credit cards the last few years. They really are the dee bees and once you've had one you you wondered how you managed to get on in life with out one especially the pen lol. My only gripe with them is the casing should be made of some kind of resin / rubber that's more durable and giving than the plastic they use now. See this is why I've bought so many as I've always had them inside my wallet for a rainy day and because my wallet is always 9/10 in my back pocket of my jeans / trousers the actual Victorinox credit card eventually gets broken and snapped etc! Keep up the good work and stay safe!
If you are looking for something similar in the "wallet tool" space, I would suggest looking into the Lever Gear Toolcard Pro. It's thinner and has no blade in case yo'u're not allowed to have them (cough cough Australia). It still has a lot of non-cutting functionality, and would be a better tool if you already carry a Victorinox than a Swisscard imo.
i've carried a Swiss Card Classic in my wallet for over a decade. Great tools, have used it a few times. I've toyed with putting together a "Credit Card" style EDC kit. There are fewer card style tools now than a few years ago.
Hi Jon. Great review, as always, but the knife isn't legal carry in the UK on 2 counts. It's a fixed blade and could also fall under the disguised blade category.
If stopped you would need to justify carrying the knife. First you would have to give the police cause to stop you, then cause to search you. These are unlikely if you have not drawn attention to yourself. Given the small size the police might offer to confiscate it, or decide that your good cause is acceptable and not arrest you. I also think the CPS would not be enthusiastic when there are violent people with kitchen knives. This is not legal advice.
I've carried my Swiss card around for years in my wallet, and on many flights. Never had an issue, and no police officer is ever going to stop you unless you're doing something stupid with it in public.
What I really like about the nailcare swisscard is that it is the most useful and distinctive one of them all. A knife is in every other Victorinox anyway, and the flashlight is better on the phone
I've been considering the Nailcare model mainly because I do not carry a normal wallet -- instead just an elastic band for credit cards -- and so if I remove the nail file and slip a bill into the slot, I can have some emergency cash should I need it. It looks like it would be big enough whereas on the Lite model, the knife handle slot extends too far lengthwise for a secure hold. I find it somewhat ironic that the Nailcare does not have a nail cleaner like what they put on so many of their knives, but I rarely need it, and it would be too redundant with the big nail file anyway.
Thank you for another great video Jon. I disagree about the toothpick through. Stuck food debris against a gum, hygiene aside, can be a pesky irritant when out and about. 👍
I want vic to release a swiss card that is geared towards making a sewing kit swisscard. Take the original design, replace the straight needle with a small sewing needle, find room for a second slightly more robust sewing needle, replace the toothpick with a needle threader, replace the space of the file with an instrument to store thread. Boom, new product. You can send the royalty check in the mail, vic.
Thanks for this review. Although I did not know the differences between these various models, I have the early produced one in an advertisement model, and just ordered the lite recently. The light will go in my wallet and the early model is in a small two box walkabout kit in my truck for emergencies, hopefully never to be used! I will clean out some unnecessary business cards etc. from my wallet to make room for the Lite! Stay safe and be prepared!
1:19 I have the exact same model of pocketknife, has it for like 20 years I think. It has saved me several of times and I never leave the house without it!
You’ve really thought it through, that’s for sure. I have the original with the folding door. It has saved me many times, Still as good as new and in my laptop bag.
Great review again! I think there is a possible problem with the Swisscard with a fixed designed knife. I mean, it could be interpreted as a fixed blade knife (despite the size) which is illegal to carry in some countries. There’s also a “blade hidden in other thing” doubt.
@FukTheGender Agenda Ian Pou is right, police might well not bother but the blade is fixed, you do need a good reason to be carrying the knife at that time, and "just in case" i.e. EDC has been demonstrated not to be a "good" reason in case law. If prosecuted, the burden of proof lies with the carrier of the knife to persuade a judge that they had good reason to carry it at that time. If the police pass on to the CPS there is a desire to prosecute all knife possession cases so that toerags can't argue that they are being singled out for carrying a chef knife in their trousers.
@FukTheGender Agenda Indeed, it would be an upset officer. But annoyed officers exist; people have been arrested for a leatherman in the globe compartment. Given UK law, the Swisscard shouldn't be recommended as "EDC" when one of the 53mm Victorinox models like the Manager perform the same functions and are exempt from the law, i.e. they are EDC.
It’s called a crystal nail file and they are actually much more efficient and better for your nails. Pro tip, always file in the same direction for a nail to prevent micro splits
I like that you put the focus on usage in day to day life. Yes, your videos cover some emergency items. But overall EDCers tend to stack up their kit to prepare for a multitude for unlikly scenarios. I am not sure about the flyability of the nailcare-set. A friend metioned to me, that they won't allow glasfiles anymore. On the other hand Victorinox is exceptionally well organized and may have found a loophole...
Oh god! Another item I’ll buy. My John Gadget purchases: Fenix TK16 Victorinox Compact. Which led to a classic and Rangler! Rovivon A8x The best stuff I’ve ever bought. The man knows his gear. I also try to replicate his thinking when I shop for anything now!
I'm told most don't but what I carry in my pockets every day is a Leatherman a box cutter a multi bit screw driver and some keys in that pocket and the next one has a pen a black and silver felt tip marker and a micro pen size screw driver then a Leatherman squirt es4 and a small pair of knipex cobras and a small crescent wrench and a 21700 flashlight
If instead of that glass nail file, they would have a metal tool with several hex bolt sizes, that would be a very useful thing. The nail file might just as well not be there at all, you can't file metal or wood with it. I've never even once in my life filed my nails.
This has probably been said, but the only one of these Swisscards that's legal to EDC in the UK is the nailcare version. While small, all the others have FIXED blade knives which are instantly illegal to EDC, regardless of length. Which makes the nailcare Swisscard a great addition to the range for the UK audience.
I got out my Original with the swing away scissor cover to fiddle with while I watched this. I’ve carried it in my wallet for at least ten years. I was quite surprised to find something I have never noticed before. The rear of the swing out cover is marked as a protractor or inclinometer from 0 to 50 degrees. Can’t say I have ever had the need of one in the last ten years, but at least I know it’s there if I need to measure an incline in the future.
That is something he failed to mention in this review. In use with a small flat topped bubble level, one would have a crude, but effective, inclinometer!
Don't travel in Australia...airport security will confiscate these cards if the scissors are in them and I had the small 4 way screw driver confiscated because I could potentially " do something to the aircraft?!?!?!". What exactly they wouldn't say, maybe they didn't want to give me any ideas!
I never knew these existed. Love them. And it gave me an idea, I keep a back up USB drive in my wallet and it is bulky. I should be using a SD card. Gonna do that now.
I've had the Classic in my wallet for about 11 or 12 years and it is hands down the best $20 I've ever spent in my life. I have used every single tool in it many times including the pen and the ruler. It has saved me from hundreds of splinters, used the knife to do everything from open packages to peeling stickers to cutting a water bottle into a funnel to put oil in my car on a roadtrip, I've used the little needle for literally countless different reasons. I have an undying love and appreciation for this thing
My EDC is a Swiss army Spartan and a Swiss army lite Which I have mainly as a backup flashlight but mostly for the multitool and I carry a cheap Chinese made pocket rechargeable flashlight
I wish they’d make a survival card that has a ferro rod and another couple of things geared for outdoor use. I know there’s other companies making that type but they feel cheap. I guess you could replace some of the implements in the Victorinox version and maybe put one of those very thin Ferro rods that are designed to go in the Victorinox pocket knives. It’s obviously the type of thing that people would almost never use but it would be cool to put one in an outdoor kit.
Really love mine. Bought 2. One is in my purse, and the other is in my book bag. I'm wondering why I don't have a third? 😅 I have been using them quite a bit. The mini flashlight comes in very handy, also. I'm glad it's in there.
I'm a nearly 40 year old American and I had never heard the term dopp kit before, until you said it in this video. After some searching it looks like it is a regional thing here.
Another great video again Jon! Very interesting to see there are four different models of the swiss card. Might have to pick one up to put in my edc pouch!
Great video Jon, Beware of flying with a screwdriver, I had a wallet ninja and had to give that up due to it have screwdriver when he flew from the UK last year
scissors should be OK but fixed blade is technically illegal - although would be crazy if someone was pulled up for carrying this - you could do much more damage with a pen!
@@JonGadget Hi Jon, I agree that the knife carry rules are crazy in this respect. I also know someone who had small scissors picked up by x-ray and confiscated at an airport, apparently in one of the 911 attacks a pilot was poked in he eye with scissors (that's what they told her, anyway). Keep up the good work - it's great to see some UK based, lightweight EDC reviews.
The legislation makes any length, folding or not illigal without good reason. It exempts folding, non-locking blades less than 3 inches tip to hilt from requiring good reason, there are some locations and circumstances where they would be prohibited. This is not legal advice.
