I have a Victorinox Swiss Card and I have to say that it is the best £14.99 that I have spent for a long time. I use it every day and it never fails to come in handy.
So what is a Swiss Card?
Well it’s the size of a credit card but you wont be able to extract any money with it!
It’s a fabulous invention as it has all the functionality of a Swiss Army Knife but it is in the shape of a credit card that can fit conveniently into your wallet!
I always feel like a bit of a cub scout when I am on the tube, doing my embroidery and I get out the scissors from my Swiss Card to cut the thread. Everyone looks at me and are probably thinking either: “That is very nifty, I wish I had one”, or “She is a very square train spotter!”
So let me tell you about it in a little more detail. The Swiss Card is 7.5cm long by 5cm wide and is exactly the same size as a credit card. It is obviously thicker (4mm) than a credit card in order to be able to hold all of its functions.
The card is plastic and comes in matt grey or three ‘just jelly’ colours – transparent red, green and blue which are very funky indeed. The one I have is blue.
There are 11 functions in a Swiss Card and it really is an all singing all dancing piece of work. Whoever came up with the idea is a very clever person.
Now I’ll give you a little talk through the functions of this invention.
••••The Ruler•••• One of the long sides of the card is sloped and marked out as a ruler with one side showing inches and the other showing centimetres. I have to say that I have found this function the least useful as it is so short but I guess some people will find it handy.
••••The Letter Opener•••• This is officially known as the letter opener but I would be more inclined to call it a knife. It slides out of the side of the card (as all of the items do) and the blade is very sharp and 4cms long - very handy indeed. I’ve even used it to peel an apple.
••••The Scissors•••• The most useful function of this card. In order to get them out you swivel a little section of the outer plastic and out they come. The scissors are similar to the ones you get on a swiss army knife in that they only have one handle but are very easy to use. It might be problematic if you have very big fingers, but I would ask the shop assistant for a trial of the card before you buy.
••••The Nail file with Screwdriver•••• I always use a paper/cardboard nail file as I find metal ones to be bad for your nails, but the end of this nail file is squared off to be used as a screwdriver. Obviously it can’t be used for those big jobs (like putting together Ikea furtniture, but if you have a small screw loose (no pun intended!), for example on your glasses, this will come in very handy. You can also use it for cleaning your nails.
••••The Ballpoint Pen•••• Imagine the inside of a parker pen, the refill bit, well that’s exactly what you get with the Swiss Card. It’s as long as the card and it comes in very handy for those times you meet someone and want to take down their number.
••••The Tweezers•••• These are brilliant – I will admit that one of their downfalls is that they are not as strong as regular tweezers but I once had quite an annoying splinter in my hand and they worked a treat. Also good for those stray eyebrow hairs – girls!
••••The Toothpick•••• I have not used this at all as I find it quite unhygienic but others might find it to be a good addition.
••••The Stainless Steel Pin•••• Now are all pins stainless steel? I am not sure, but this is a great item if you need something small to reset your watch or to prick something or even to hold your blouse together if you lose a button at work – can be very embarrassing, let me tell you.
Last but not least, even though I have never used it and doubt I ever will…
••••The Protractor•••• I am not sure if this is part of the design or they just realised afterwards but remember how I told you about the little bit of plastic that swivels round to remove the scissors, well that is the protractor and it has the angles printed on the back of it. I have not used a protractor since I left school and will very much doubt that I will now – but if you are in a pub and someone shouts out “Has anyone got a protractor” you will be able to come to the rescue!
All in all I think that this is well worth the money, I use it every single day and it really has paid for itself.
The few things I will say, is don’t take it on a plane or you will get it confiscated - I am speaking from experience when I forgot it was in my bag. And it is unlikely to fit in your wallet, where your credit cards go as it is rather thick - unless you have a very big wallet! You can get a special leather pouch for it that costs about £6 and you could put your credit cards in that as well.
The Swiss Card can be purchased in most travel and adventure shops and other hardware stores such as Robert Dyas. It cost me £14.99 but I have seen it in other places for about £12. I have also seen other people selling it on ebay.
Hope you found this useful – and as always, thanks for reading.
Kate xxx
PS I don’t know what the picture is that Ciao has chosen. I provided them with an excellent pic of a Swiss Card! If you do a search on Google, you will see one.
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