We’re big fans of the Swiss Champ pocket knife, with its over two dozen tools giving you plenty of utility, whether you’re working at the shop, wilding out at camp, or fixing up stuff at home. If you’re going to carry a multi-tool that thick and heavy, though, it better come with nicer aesthetics than a typical Swiss Army Knife. You know… instead of the standard Swiss Champ, you can opt for something like the Victorinox Swiss Champ Damast Limited Edition 2021.
A special edition of the 33-function Champ, it’s clad in a more contemporary aesthetic that both city folks and backcountry enthusiasts alike should find particularly attractive. That’s right, it ditches those shiny red scales that have long been the signature design of Swiss Army pocket knives, giving you a more stylish tool to add to your EDC arsenal.
The Victorinox Swiss Champ Damast Limited Edition 2021 doesn’t have the same 33 functions as the standard Swiss Champ (and definitely not the 73 functions of the Swiss Champ XXL), instead coming equipped with just 29 tools, which, hopefully, leaves it just a tad more manageable than the medium-sized original. The main draw here is a large blade cut in Damascus steel, which boasts both hard and flexible characteristics while maintaining a sharp edge for long periods. Like other knives cut in the same metal, the blade is covered in a prominent light and dark pattern that makes it highly recognizable. According to the outfit, this specific blade is finished in a pattern called “Bjorkman’s Twist.”
Aside from the large blade, you also get a smaller knife to go along with it for more light-duty tasks. There’s a complement of the usual basic tools, of course, including five different screwdrivers, two types of saws, pliers, scissors, a chisel, a metal file, a nail file, a nail cleaner, a pair of rulers (one metric and one Imperial), a wire stripper, a wire cutter, and a wire crimper.
The Victorinox Swiss Champ Damast Limited Edition 2021 also comes with a fish scaler and a hook disgorger, in case you pack it during a fishing trip, as well as a reamer, punch, and sewing awl when you need to repair any gear on the fly. There’s also a magnifying glass and a multipurpose hook, along with a can opener, a corkscrew, and a bottle opener for all your eating and drinking needs. Naturally, there’s a keyring for hanging it off hooks or lanyards.
Instead of the shiny red scales of traditional Swiss Army knives, it comes with forged carbon scales wrapped in a sleek black color with paint-like patterning. It’s an aesthetic that goes perfectly with the two-tone patterning of the Damascus blade, making it quite a unique-looking version of the long-running multi-tool model. Being a limited edition release, only 6,000 of the multi-tools will be made by hand right in Switzerland, each one individually numbered for authentication. Dimensions are 3.6 x 1.3 inches (length x thickness), with a weight of 6.5 ounces.
The Victorinox Swiss Champ Damast Limited Edition 2021 is available now, priced at $400.