Reviews > Knives > Folding > Victorinox One Handed Sentinel > Test Report by James E. Triplett

Victorinox One-Hand Sentinel
Serrated Lockblade Swiss Army Knife


by James E. Triplett
Initial Report - October 16, 2009

Personal Biographical Information:

Backpacking Background:

I am an experienced hiker, backpacker, and camper, and am gaining more experience with winter camping every year.  I hike every day, and backpack when possible, which leads to many weekends backpacking and camping each year.  I try and take at least one annual week-long backpacking trip in addition to many one to three-night weekend trips.   My style can best be described as lightweight, but not at the cost of giving up too much comfort.  I generally sleep in a tent, and seem to be collecting quite a few of them to choose from.

Manufacturer Information:

Product Information:

1.  Lock blade for one hand opening  
2.  Key ring
3.  Tweezers
4.  Toothpick

Initial Report
October 16, 2009

Initial Inspection:
This is a basic Swiss Army knife from Victorinox.  It has one serrated blade which locks when opened all the way.  The case is made of black plastic which seems grainier than the shiny red Swiss Army knife I used to have.  Victorinox says it is a no-slip handle, which makes sense based on the feel of the material.  It is nice to see that the famous Swiss Army tweezers and toothpick are housed in the case opposite from the blade hinge.  There is also a "key ring" between the tweezers and toothpick.  The blade has a thumb hole to facilitate opening the Sentinel with one hand.



The Victorinox One-Hand Sentinel is a decent sized knife.  With the blade closed, laying it across my hand it is slightly longer than my palm is wide (above my thumb).  With the blade extended the knife measures about 7 ¾ inches (19.7 cm) long.  The weight of the Sentinel seems about right for a knife this size.  The center of gravity along the length of the opened knife is about right under the red Swiss Army logo.



The serrated blade is flat on one side with the serrations beveled into the other side.  The blade came pre-oiled and the machine oil can be seen around the pivot point of the blade, as shown in the picture above.  The blade makes a nice solid clicking sound when it snaps into place.  The "click" is a long flat spring which moves in behind the blade when the blade is fully extended.  To collapse the blade the spring must be moved back to the side which allows the blade to pivot back into the closed position.  See the illustration from Victorinox, and one of my photos, below.  The knife seems to be fairly sharp, and sliced into the padded envelope it arrived in with just the slightest of pressure.

   

Initial Report Summary:
The Victorinox One-Hand Sentinel is basically what I expected.  It is light for its size, but still has a nice solid feel to it.  Victorinox lists the folded size of the knife as 4 3/8 inches (11.1 cm), which is accurate.  The blade length wasn't given, but at 3 3/8 inches (8.6 cm) it is a nice sized blade.

Victorinox guarantees all Swiss Army Knives to be of first-class steel and provides a lifetime warranty against any defects in material and workmanship, but not damage caused by abnormal or unreasonable use.

Reviews > Knives > Folding > Victorinox One Handed Sentinel > Test Report by James E. Triplett