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Swiss Army Knives used in MacGyver episodes (2019)

2020-09-048:475540www.macgyveronline.com

List of SAK's used in each episode.

Note: Unless specified otherwise all SAKs are Victorinox brand.

Episode

Knife used

Pilot   Tinker small
The Golden Triangle Tinker small
Thief of Budapest Tinker small
The Gauntlet GAMBIT: Wenger Handyman  MAIN: Tinker 
The Heist Executive
Trumbo’s World Golfer Original / Wenger Pocketmate
Last Stand Executive / Tinker
Hellfire Tinker / Executive
The Prodigal Tinker small
Target MacGyver Tinker / Standard
Nightmares Tinker
Deathlock Tinker small
Flame’s End Wenger Classic 11 / Tinker
Countdown Executive
The Enemy Within Tinker
Every Time She Smiles Executive
To Be a Man Camper
Ugly Duckling Executive
Slow Death Camper
The Escape None
A Prisoner of Conscience Camper
The Assassin None Used
The Human Factor Unidentified 3 layer with corkscrew (Climber)
The Eraser Standard
Twice Stung Camper / Tinker
The Wish Child Camper
Final Approach Climber / Camper
Jack of Lies Fisherman
The Road Not Taken Standard
Eagles Climber
Silent World Spartan
Three For the Road Camper / Climber
Phoenix Under Siege Spartan
Family Matter None used
Soft Touch None used
Birth Day None used
Pirates Climber
Out in the Cold Unidentified
Dalton, Jack of Spies None
Partners Unidentified
Bushmaster None used
Friends None used
D.O.A.: MacGyver Mountaineer / Huntsman
For Love or Money Huntsman
Lost Love (1) Sportsman
Lost Love (2) Sportsman
Back From the Dead Unidentified
Ghost Ship None used
Fire and Ice Recruit Economy
GX-1 Recruit Economy
Jack in the Box Recruit Economy
The Widowmaker Recruit Economy
Hell Week Recruit Economy
Blow Out Standard
Kill Zone Super Tinker
Early Retirement Recruit Economy
Thin Ice None used
The Odd Triple None used
The Negotiator None used
The Spoilers Recruit Economy
Mask of the Wolf Recruit Economy
Rock the Cradle None used
The Endangered Recruit Economy
Murderer’s Sky Recruit Economy
The Secret of Parker House Standard
Blood Brothers Tinker
The Outsiders None used
On a Wing and a Prayer Standard
Collision Course Unidentified
The Survivors Super Tinker or Tinker / Unidentified
Deadly Dreams Spartan / Unidentified
Ma Dalton Standard
Cleo Rocks Standard
Fraternity of Thieves None Used
The Battle of Tommy Giordano Standard / unidentified 2 layer (with tweezers)
The Challenge None Used
Runners Picnicker
Gold Rush 111mm
The Invisible Killer Picnicker
Brainwashed None used
Easy Target Picnicker
Renegade Recruit Economy
Unfinished Business None used
The Legend of the Holy Rose (1) unidentified
The Legend of the Holy Rose (2) None used
The Black Corsage Tinker or Tinker small
Cease Fire Tinker
Second Chance None used
Halloween Knights Unidentified
Children of Light 111mm
Black Rhino Unidentified
The Ten Percent Solution 111mm
Two Times Trouble None Used
The Madonna Unidentified
Serenity Spartan Hardwood
Live and Learn None
Log Jam Unidentified
The Treasure of Manco Unidentified
Jenny’s Chance None used
Deep Cover Unidentified
The Lost Amadeus Unidentified
Hearts of Steel Unidentified
Rush to Judgment Standard
Passages None used
Tough Boys Tinker small
HumanitySpartan  /  Tinker  /  Standard
The Gun Standard
Twenty Questions None used
The Wall None used
Lesson in Evil Standard
Harry’s Will Adventurer
MacGyver’s Women None used
Bitter Harvest Standard
The Visitor Unidentified
Squeeze Play None used
Jerico Games None used
The Wasteland Unidentified
Eye of Osiris Standard
High Control Spartan
There But For the Grace Unidentified
Blind Faith None used
Faith, Hope & Charity None used
Strictly Business Climber (with reverse shield)
Trail of Tears None used
Hind-Sight None used
Honest Abe None used
The ‘Hood None used
Obsessed Spartan / Tourist
The Prometheus Syndrome Unidentified
The Coltons None used
The Walking Dead Climber or Camper
Good Knight MacGyver (1) Compact
Good Knight MacGyver (2) Compact
Deadly Silents Spartan
Split Decision None used
Gunz ‘N Boyz Spartan
Off the Wall Spartan
The Stringer Imitation SAK made by Barlow
The Mountain of YouthNone Used
Trail to Doomsday None Used
Lost Treasure of AtlantisHiker / Super Tinker


Thanks to the forum members who compiled and continue to work on this list.
You can see and join the discussion about this list in our forum here


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Comments

  • By Daniel_sk 2020-09-055:545 reply

    Check out the Victorinox Signature Lite - it’s a very small keychain knife with a blade, scissors, pen (!), led light, nail file and screwdriver. It’s not longer than a regular door key and very light. You won’t even notice you are carrying it. I have had it with my keys for 10 years. https://www.victorinox.com/global/en/Products/Swiss-Army-Kni...

    • By neilv 2020-09-056:272 reply

      I agree, the Victorinox Signature Lite is probably my allover favorite for light everyday carrying, and is my current one. Descending priorities: scissors, nail file, pen, knife blade, screwdriver, and flashlight. To add a Philips screwdriver, there's the Victorinox Midnite Manager.

      I've carried many models of Victorinox, in a few different colors, and two models of keychain Leathermans.

      I also carried a few of the Victorinox ones with USB flash drives, and made a multitool Linux distro for them: https://www.neilvandyke.org/lildeb/

      If you want a keychain multitool with pliers, the Leatherman Squirt PS4 is great. The corners of the Leatherman Micra destroyed my pockets, but the way the handles fold in that model means it's relatively better for keeping the blade from closing on your fingers if you're abusing it. These things are pretty tough, and I once used a Squirt in my fist to urgently hammer in the hinge pin of an old metal door

      I occasionally pine for one of the Victorinox RescueTools, which can be used to rescue someone from a car, or to escape from one yourself. They're a bit big to carry around all day, and I don't have a practical need where I live. They're also expensive to lose, if you get forget to leave it at home before a flight.

      • By Daniel_sk 2020-09-057:46

        Thanks - I just ordered the Midnight Manager based on this . I sometimes miss the philips screwdriver and bottle opener. I will give the Signature Lite to my wife :-).

      • By isolli 2020-09-056:581 reply

        If I may ask, did you mean that scissors and a nail file are the most important tools for you, or the other way round? Because, going by descending priorities, I would have listed these items almost in the reverse order :)

        • By neilv 2020-09-057:01

          It's the closest I'll get to Crocodile Dundee rugged person shaving with a knife. :)

    • By comboy 2020-09-059:34

      Why is nail file so popular in those? Does anyone actually use or is it just cheap to produce? It doesn't look practical.

    • By FredrikSE 2020-09-056:21

      I also prefer the small ones. I have several(some new if I lose one) of the small Midnight Manger. Thats the perfect one for me as it has a philips screwdriver and bottle opener as well.

    • By aksss 2020-09-057:251 reply

      10 years?? Is the pen refillable or just never used? Having a pressurized pen seems cool, but somewhat short shelf life, no?

      • By Daniel_sk 2020-09-057:491 reply

        You can replace it - just pull it out. I use it very rarely if I need to sign something or fill out a short form (it’s not very comfortable) and I don’t have a regular pen nearby. So I am on the original pen and it still works (just tried).

        • By modernerd 2020-09-059:021 reply

          Do you extend the nail file when using the pen to rest against your hand? I found that makes it much more comfortable (assuming you take it off the keychain too!).

          • By Daniel_sk 2020-09-059:45

            I never thought about doing that - thanks for the tip.

    • By Gys 2020-09-059:381 reply

      It never gave any problems at airports?

      • By _AzMoo 2020-09-0510:14

        I stopped carrying a pocket knife specifically because of how many times I lost them in airports. I think if you fly often it's worth finding a different solution.

  • By wenc 2020-09-055:512 reply

    I was a big fan of Victorinox growing up but I find Leathermans more useful to have around because they have pliers and Philips screwdrivers built in. I’ve done various home repair and auto stuff with it, which I doubt a Victorinox would be capable of.

    I picked up a Leatherman Wingman for $25 in Canada over a decade ago. It’s less portable than a Swiss Army knife (about twice as big) but If I had to pick a one tool, it would be the Leatherman.

    https://www.leatherman.com/wingman-11.html

    • By Lio 2020-09-056:302 reply

      Not to contradict your opinion or the usefulness of Leathermans but I’ll just point out that the Victorinox Swiss Champ has both pliers and a Philips screw driver.

      Victorinox also make Leatherman style multitools. That must mean Leatherman are on to something though.

      Personally I prefer a SAK because it’s small and doesn’t have a locking blade.

      In many parts of the world simply having a locking blade in your pocket “without good reason”[2] will get you in trouble, whereas a SAK like a Swiss Champ is ok.

      1. https://www.swissarmy.com/us/en/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/M...

      2. https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives

      • By fatboy 2020-09-0510:351 reply

        Regarding [2], I asked a copper in Liverpool about this. The passport office threatened to call the police when I turned up with a french folding-knife on my keychain. I was annoyed enough to go ask someone.

        He said my reason of "I need it to cut the tomatoes for my sandwich" was good enough.

        There's also the comment David Cameron made about that aspect of the law:

        "Police must exercise common sense. This is about kitchen knives being stuffed down the front of tracksuits" [1]

        But it does feel a bit like one of those laws that can be applied selectively to get people if the police really want to.

        https://police.community/topic/272735-jail-knife-carriers-sa...

        • By Lio 2020-09-0511:24

          Yeah you're taking a gamble on the good will of the police officer that searches you.

          The way it was explained to me was, you take lock knife to and from a fishing trip but you can't divert to the local super market on the way. Interestingly your car counts as a public place so you can't just leave a Leatherman in the glovebox (either locker or unlocked) for emergencies.

          A Swiss Army knife with a sub 3" friction folding blade won't break that rule. I think the only places you can't really take one are the airport or a football match.

          You still can't wave one about like a nob but that's a different set of laws.

      • By wenc 2020-09-0515:22

        Ah yes, the pliers on the Swiss Champ are mini-ones though. Leatherman pliers are more or less full size. Victorinox does make multitools as you say (the SwissTools line) -- they look very nice.

    • By nmlnn 2020-09-056:041 reply

      I actually switched from a Leatherman to a Victorinox because the pliers were more comfortable to use.

      https://www.swissarmy.com/us/en/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/S...

      • By wenc 2020-09-0515:18

        That does look more comfortable than the Leatherman -- I wasn't aware Victorinox made multitools. I was a fan of Victorinox in the 80s and 90s so this must have been a more recent addition their lineup.

        Also it seems like higher-end Leathermans (similar to the price point of your SwissTool) have more comfortable grips.

        https://www.leatherman.com/surge-3.html?dwvar_3_color=10&cgi...

  • By Roritharr 2020-09-057:582 reply

    SAKs are the best example for an exercise in restraint. Buy one with too many features and you won't carry it everywhere with you, buy one with too little and you'll cover too few situations where it could be useful.

    Buying a new one is for me a very calming experience as I get to contemplate how I spent the last few years and how my life over the coming years is going to change.

    • By samatman 2020-09-058:181 reply

      For my personal carry, the overarching question is: pliers, or no pliers.

      For years and years, it was pliers. Last decade, no pliers.

      When I had the pliers, I used them all. the. time.

      But without them, I very seldom miss them. I don't have a good explanation for this, that's just how it is.

    • By gonzo41 2020-09-0510:19

      When i go hiking, I carry a SAK Bantam, One blade, and a can opener / flat head screwdriver. Very useful for dinner and tightening screws on my hiking poles. Though I haven't needed the wire strippers yet.

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