EDITOR’S NOTE: The first essay-style review was well received, so I thought this would be an ideal item to review in that format.

PERFECT.

Since I started the blog almost 14 years ago, I have long considered just posting a one line review of an item: perfect. I don’t really want to do that, but there have a been a few things where my words didn’t really make a difference after “perfect.” Of all the stuff I have reviewed, the Bantam came the closest. It is a perfect EDC item, with great materials (for its intended use), great fit and finish, great design AND stunning value. If there was one EDC item I would give to everyone on the planet to help them make it through their daily livings a bit easier, it would be the Bantam. For a long time, the EDC community has really been infatuated with the Cadet, which is unquestionably great, but, alas, the Bantam is better.

The Bantam is part of a class of less readily available SAK models. They aren’t rare or limited releases, they just aren’t pushed by Victorinox to the same degree as their best sellers. In most retail outlets, the smallest SAK is either the Solo, which is just the SAK blade with no other tools, or the Cadet, which is the blade and two implements. The Bantam isn’t in that rotating display case. After all, there is only so much room for tools and Victorinox’s line up is huge. There are a few models like the less common Bantam and, for the most part, I actually like them better than the best sellers. I’d take a Compact over either the Tinker or Deluxe Tinker any day. The key reason I prefer the Bantam over the Cadet and the Compact over the Tinker is the same—zero redundant tools.

The Bantam’s only other implement other than the lovely Victorinox blade, more on that later, is the 84/91 Combo tool. If you don’t speak SAK, let me explain. The 84/91 Combo tool is a tool found on 84 and 91 mm sized SAKs. It can be used to drive both Phillips and flat head fasteners, as well as a pry tool, a cap lifter, and a wire stripper. I found it works well as a tape cutter as well for opening cardboard boxes with stuff you can’t puncture or slice inside (such as my recently acquired puffy coat—why haven’t I had a puffy coat before?). But this little gem of a design gives you 90% of the functionality of the Cadet’s in one tool. By reducing the number of tools by half, the Bantam can drop an entire layer. This results in the smallest possible form factor—a single layer tool—with double the number of implements as the Solo. The Bantam is small enough to be carried in your wallet—that’s how thin it is.

“But wait, Tony, how can this knife be perfect? The blade steel is garbage.”

Yes, like all SAKs the Bantam sports 1.4116 stainless steel. And yes, there are harder steels out there. But for general use, I actually really like this steel, especially on a multitool. If this were a knife where the ONLY thing you do with it is cutting, then yeah, I’d want harder steel, but here, where I use the 84/91 Combo tool at least half the time, the “soft” steel stays sharper longer because I don’t use it every time I reach for the tool. That’s sorta a bit of logical yoga, but here is the reality—this blade proves that geometry trumps physics and chemistry. Yep, the blade is super duper thin with a full flat grind and that is enough to make it really, really good.

This leads me to yet another key idea I learned in carrying multitools for review. Having the skill of sharpening is better than relying solely on your knife’s blade chemistry to keep it sharp. You should be able to do both, but sharpening skill, unlike chemistry, guarantees your knife is sharp. And so, my thoughts have evolved over the years as my skills at sharpening have improved. This steel, on this tool, is great—its easy to guarantee a sharp edge. You can also thank my run ins with Spyderco’s exclusive steel, Spy27, which emphasizes ease of sharpening. The fact that handtool woodworkers use their edged tools in almost every operation and prefer sharpenable steels over ultra hard steels should serve as another data point that sharpenable steels are a perfectly good option when cost is an issue.

One last thing—I am on Team Alox all day long. Like the debate in the Pen World over Team AL Star v. Team Safari, this a deep rooted division with one clear answer. Alox is more durable, classier, and thinner than the alternative. Alox 4 Eva.

The Bantam is a perfect tool. It is amazing. Go buy one—here.

Overall Score: 20 out of 20; PERFECT