If you doubt the worth of a Swiss Army Knife, consider its usefulness on Thanksgiving: The tweezers can remove turkey pin feathers. Its scissors can open the giblet bag. There’s a compass if you lose your way to the oven and a blade to carve the bird.
At feast’s end, there’s even an awl to punch an extra hole for your belt buckle.
We exaggerate, of course, but the Swiss Army Knife’s versatility is one reason millions have sold since its introduction in 1891.
It also inspired Denver author Michael Young to write “The Swiss Army Knife Owner’s Manual.” Equal parts field guide and love letter, the book is a witty and practical guide to the distinctive red knife that is a toolbox for the pocket.
Young, who lives in Cherry Creek North with his wife, Sue, is quick to cite the knife’s virtues. “They use quality steel, and naturally the many tools are an attraction,” he says. “People who have them really like them. They’re so useful, so reliable.”
An inveterate traveler, Young has used the knives to remount a hotel lock in Tunisia and slice pineapples atop a Land Rover in Kenya.
Young’s passion for the knives began in boyhood. His grandmother in Missouri owned one. Enamored of the gadget, he soon acquired his own, though he lost that first one years ago.
He made up for it, becoming a serious collector.
A former contractor who makes his living as a repairman and soccer referee, Young has lost count of how many Swiss Army knives he owns. Hundreds, he guesses, but merely sums it up as “too many.” It’s the classic answer of any collector with a spouse.
The knives are made by two Swiss companies: Victorinox and Wenger. Young’s collection ranges from an 1891 model with an oak handle and four tools to a modern 33-tool Victorinox Tool Chest Plus. He actually came up with a 34th tool for that model, discovering that the hollow arm of the swing-out compass could house a wooden match.
“So I’ve got a fire starter,” Young says. He notes that his efforts to use the built-in magnifier to start a fire failed, producing smoke but no flame.
“That was a disappointment,” he says.
Young stashes the knives everywhere: his pocket, glove compartment, daypack, tool bag and travel kit. In the post-9/11 world, he notes, a bladeless Swiss Army Knife is available for airplane carry-on.
He began the book four years ago. For a while, he was in talks with a major publisher — “It was encouraging that someone thought the subject was worthwhile” — but negotiations fell through.
So he went the self-publishing route. Launched in September, the $20 book is sold in bookstores. The website: .
Whether or not the book ever becomes as popular as its subject, Young remains a champion of the knives.
“People who have them really like them,” he says. “They’re so useful, so reliable. They’re easy to get to like.”
William Porter: 303-954-1877 or wporter@denverpost.com
