Q&A for How to Use a Swiss Army Knife

Swiss army knives can be useful in outdoor scenarios, but they have their limits, especially in survival situations. They’re great multi-tools for light tasks, like cutting rope, opening cans, or making small repairs. In an urban or casual camping environment, having a tool that offers a knife, scissors, a screwdriver, and more in one compact package is super handy. But if you’re camping or heading into the wild, a fixed-blade knife is the better choice. Swiss army knives have a lot of moving parts that can wear out with heavy use. A sturdy 6-inch fixed-blade knife is built to handle tougher tasks like like chopping wood or preparing food. That said, a swiss army knife can still complement your gear. It's compact and lightweight, perfect for small tasks when you don't need a bigger knife.

It is for thread. You wind the thread through the loop, then punch a hole into the material you are repairing. You should read up on how to sew before doing this.

Look at the tools you have inside the knife. Compare them to the models on the Victorinox/Wenger website, or on the internet page of a shop that sells Swiss army knives.

This is an awl, and is generally used for making holes in wood similar to a drill.

You can probably find one online by searching for the name of your knife and the words "manual" or "instructions."

Use WD-40 to loosen the items. If rusted, use method 1, once all items are out use a metal scrubber to clean the rust.

The Huntsman knife features a large locking blade, wood saw, bottle opener, flat head screwdriver, wire stripper, curved serrated knife for field dressing game, reamer, corkscrew, tweezers, toothpick, and split ring.

It depends on the kind of wood, but usually, the largest blade is the most appropriate to use.

A basic blade, a mini saw, a toothpick or pen, tweezers, a screwdriver, a corkscrew, and a pair of scissors.

You could use a sharpening steel, like in the kitchen knife sets or you can buy a knife sharpener. Alternatively, ask a neighbor or friend if they have a sharpener.

There are two thin sides of the large blade, one is sharp, and the other should be dull and have an indentation that is used to pull out the blade. Push from the side with the indentation inwards back into the Swiss army knife to close the large blade.