Swiss Army Knife

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I use a premium-quality motor oil (which I get from "empty" 10W-40 cans at the local service station) on my knives, but most any kind of oil will do. Just be sure to lubricate all the hinges (my Camper has three).

As for how often you should oil the tool, I'd say once a month is plenty (unless, of course, you accidentally run the knife through the washer or drop it in a pail of cleaning solvent).

Expensive . . . but Worth It

Swiss Army knives are a mite more expensive than the common drugstore-variety penknife . . . but then, you're not likely to wear out a Victorinox.

I used my original Camper for a total of five years. Four of those came after an episode in which I lost the knife along a road . . . only to find it after it'd been run over by several pickup trucks. (Had it not been for the bright red handle, the knife might still be lying—unnoticed—on that same road today!) One side of the tool's handle was cracked in that little episode, but the knife's utility wasn't impaired in the least.

I finally ended up donating the run-over knife to a friend after the breaks in the handle had spread to the point where they were causing undue wear and tear on my trouser pockets. In the meantime, though, I bought another Victorinox, which is now in its fourth year of service and still as good as new. (EDITOR'S NOTE: A second tip from Hawaiian letter-writer Boyd Hill. "If the handle sides ever crack or chip, just mix up some epoxy cement and work it to a putty consistency . . . . Work this putty into the crack in the handle, let harden, and then sand smooth. "]

A final word of advice: If you buy one of these miniature tool kits, by all means have your name engraved on the handle. (I say handle because the stainless steel blades don't take engraving too well.) There are still a few honest souls left in the world who'll return a tool to its rightful owner . . . even if that implement happens to be a beautiful, red-handled Swiss Army knife!

SCREWDRIVER TIPS

Many S.A.K. models feature combination screwdriver/can opener attachments. As they come from the factory, these accessories are next to useless, however, because their rounded corners cause the screwdriver to ride up and out of screw slots, or ruin the screws, or both. The solution: Simply regrind the tip to a proper (i.e., squaredoff) screwdriver shape. This can be done in a few minutes with a chain saw file.

Knife Know-How

Today's knife buyer is faced with a sometimes overwhelming array of choices. As perplexing as this diversity may seem, though, it is possible to isolate a few points worth considering. These include the type of steel used for blades, handle materials, and the method of connecting the handle to the blade.

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