Nearly every Swiss Army Knife has at least one knife blade (although surprisingly, there are a few that don't!!). The types of blades available are almost as varied as the knives themselves. Some blades have a serrated or partially serrated edge, and may be straight or curved. The main way to determine if a knife is an original is to check the 'Tang Stamp' on the main blade. Shown here is an example of the current official Victorinox stamp introduced in 2005. Earlier models have different stamps, so the stamp can also be useful in determining the period during which the knife was manufactured. Most Wenger and Victorinox large blades in the 84, 85, 91, 93mm ranges have an asymmetric longitudinal grind profile because, when closed, they have to make room for a small blade, or other tool, in the same layer at the other end of the knife and sharing the same spring. There are however some large blades with a symmetrical profile in knives that don't have an additional tool in the same layer. The different blades are described below, grouped by manufacturer and size.

VICTORINOX

Victorinox Blade Comparison #1
Victorinox Blade Comparison #2

Victorinox reports: "After hardening at 1,040 degrees and tempering at 160 degrees, the blades have a hardness of RC 56 (RC = Rockwell C, unit of hardness)."
To resharpen the blades, Victorinox recommends using a honing stone, as the alloy from which the blades are manufactured is too hard for a honing steel.

58mm

Pen Blade

This is the knife blade found on nearly every 58mm knife. The back and the edge of the blade slope at the same degree to the point (also known as a 'Drop Point' blade). The Pen Blade is very well suited to smaller tasks. It is only produced in a straight edge, non serrated, version.

Emergency Blade

This blade is only found on only a few 58mm knives. It has a Wharncliffe shape that produces flatter edge than the standard pen blade. This blade is well suited to small precision straight cuts, and from the factory is considerably sharper than the pen blade. This blade is also well suited to whittling. The Wharncliffe blade was invented around 1832 by Lord Wharncliffe.

58mm Wharncliffe Blade

Cut & Picker Blade with Scraper

Only found on 58mm knives, according to information from the factory its sole purpose is to cut the plastic tie used to seal a pill bottle cap, and then to pick the cotton filler out of the bottle. See: Cut and Picker Tool Page

Cut and Picker Blade

74mm

Some 74mm Swiss Army Knives (such as the Executive) have a large blade and small blade combination like their 84 & 91mm siblings, others (such as the Ambassador) have a single blade like their 58mm siblings.
The 74mm Executive and Director also contain this unusual Orange Peeler with Screwdriver Tip blade, which is a very unique tool, found only on these two models.
See also: Orange Peeler Tool Page

84mm

Large Blade

Most 84mm knifes have a large blade. The large blade is almost as long as the knife itself, with a cutting edge of 52mm that uses a standard v-grind, with a drop point tip.

Small Blade

The small blade is found on several of the 84mm knifes. Its shape is very similar to the large blade, with a cutting edge of 35.5mm.

Small Clip Point Blade (Angle Blade)

All 84mm SAKs prior to 1973 had a clip-point style small blade.
However this design was dropped in 1973 in favor of using the drop-point design - in line with the main blade.
Some Victorinox manuals and catalogs refer to this as an Angle Blade.

Pen Blade

A small 'pen' blade is present on some 84mm knives like the Pocket Pal. This blade is thinner than the small blade and has the shorter profile of a pen blade.

Electrician's Blade

A small sheepsfoot blade with a special insulation cutting/wire scrapper edge near the tang. This blade is quite rare on 84mm knives.
Usage Guide.

91mm

Large Blade

Most 91mm knives have both a large blade and a small blade. The large blade is almost as long as the knife itself. It has a standard v-ground edge, 58mm in length, and a drop point tip. The large blade comes in a straight-edge, serrated-edge, and in a very few knives a combo or partially-serrated edge, where approximately half of the blade starting at the tip is straight and the remaining edge to the tang is serrated.

The Victorinox Baker's Knife, also known as the Bäckermesser (90.25mm) has curved serrated blade, it's unique to this knife.

Small Blade

The small blade is found on most 91mm knifes. It shape is very similar to the large blade, and has a cutting edge of roughly 36mm.

Small Clip Point Blade (Angle Blade)

All 91mm SAKs prior to 1973 had a clip-point style small blade.
However this design was dropped in 1973 in favor of using the drop-point design - in line with the main blade.
Some Victorinox manuals and catalogs refer to this as an Angle Blade.

Small Pruner

Fairly uncommon today, a small pruning or hook blade was available on some 91mm knives.
See picture below of the 93mm version of this blade

Electrician's Blade

A small sheepsfoot blade with a special insulation cutting/wire scrapper edge near the tang. This blade is very rare on 91mm knives.
See picture below of the 93mm version of this blade
Usage Guide.

93mm

Large Blade

The 93mm (Pioneer) range of Swiss Army Knives all contain a large main blade which is thicker and longer than its 91mm counterpart. This blade is good for tough work and of course is the blade found in the Soldier 1961.
Victorinox have also referred to this range of SAKs with their tougher, thicker tools as their 'sturdy' range

Small Pruner

A small pruning blade available on a number of 93mm alox knives.

Electrician's Blade

A small 'sheepsfoot' blade with a special insulation cutting/wire scrapper edge near the tang. This blade is most often found on the 93mm Electrician's models, but does appear on a few special 91mm and 84mm models. Usage Guide.

100mm

Sheepsfoot

The sheepsfoot or utility blade uses a chisel, or flat grind, that is uncommon on Swiss Army Knives. The straight sharpened edge is 55mm in length. This blade is well suited to precise cuts and is the main blade on the Gardener and Grafter

.

Grafter

There are actually a few different grafting blades that are available. The most common one is a special purpose blade designed to aid in the grafting of plant stems. The blade has two sharpened edges, the traditional one on the bottom of the blade, and a special grafting edge sharpened on the top (base/spine) of the blade. The grafting edge is available on two similar knife blades, and has a close cousin in a separate small brass blade. The different blades are useful for different plants and trees, and different grafting techniques.

Pruner

Available on the Pruner with a "chisel" ground edge. Its shape is useful in pruning of flowers and small shrubs or trees. A similar shaped blade is available on the Bakers Knife with a serrated edge (non serrated Bakers Knife being quite rare) although it does not have a "Chisel" ground edge.

Wharncliffe

The 100mm Wharncliffe blade is no longer in production, and is fairly rare ............... ............... ............... ............... ............... ...............

Wharncliffe (bottom) and Sheepsfoot

108mm

Large Blade

This is the main blade found on all 108mm Safari type knives. They all have a plain edge and a drop point tip as shown.

Gutting Blade

The gutting blade was first introduced on 108mm knives. It was produced in both plain and serrated edge versions. The serrated version of the blade has a rounded unsharpened safety tip making it into a emergency/rescue belt cutter blade. The emergency-blade was carried over to the 111mm line for the Fireman, Parachutist, and others (See: 111mm Belt Cutter / Rescue Blade).

Clip Point Blade

The large clip-point style blade is only available on the Mauser and Walther models. This style was the norm for the small blade on 91mm sized knives prior to 1973, but is uncommon on larger sized SAKs. See Clip Point Blade - 111mm for one example.

111mm

Large Blade

Victorinox have two types of 111mm pocket knives with different blades and locking mechanisms: The older side/slidelock versions such as the Rucksack or Workchamp, and the newer Liner Lock versions such as the Soldier and the Rescue Tool. Both versions are still current (2016). The photo on the right shows the liner lock (top) and partially serrated side lock (bottom) knife blades. Note the different shaped tang for the liner-lock. The liner lock blades come with plain or partially serrated edge, and also one handed, or nail nick opening. This photo shows the plain edge and serrated edge versions of the 111mm liner lock blades, and the bottom photo also shows the one handed opening (OHO) version of the blade. These blades became available with the new models that were introduced in 2003(?). The OHO blade is the same length as the traditional opening blade. The large oval shaped loop on the spine of the blade near the tang is used as a thumb or finger catch so the blade can be opened with the same hand that is holding the knife. The shape of the hole has changed slightly over the years and is currently more round. This blade is available with either a plain edge or partially serrated edge. The OHO partially serrated blade is the blade on the Soldier 2008

Belt Cutter / Rescue Blade

This is a serrated blade that appears on several knives. This special blade is non-locking on most models, but Version 3 was introduced in 2010 as a locking blade. Version 1 – of this blade was first included on the WorkChamp XL, and was identical to the 108mm serrated gutting blade. The 111mm Clip-Point blade was also similarly adapted from the 108mm platform. Version 1a – On some later models of the Fireman and others the blade was given a more curved spine starting at the tang with a large dip, but the cutting edge remained essentially unchanged. Version 2 – This is the first true 111mm design Rescue Blade, and was first introduced on the Rescue Tool knife. This blade has a lower profile and the cutting edge has more curvature and significantly increases in length from 59mm to 70mm (not including the extra length as a result of the curvature). The nail-nick is replaced with a large catch on the tip of the blade (similar to the woodsaw), and is large enough to catch on the clothing or many materials to allow the blade to be opened one-handed providing you can catch the safety-tip of the blade on something. Version 3 – One-handed opening and liner-locking, this blade was introduced in 2010 on the DAK-2010 and the Dual Pro. This new 111mm design is the first secondary blade to feature one-handed opening and locking. It's cutting edge is a linear 64mm, and ~68mm true.

Small Gutting Blade

This is a smaller curved serrated blade for use in dressing out an animal. It is used to cut open the stomach cavity of any animal brought down by a hunter in the field. You will find this blade on the Hunter model.

Clip Point Blade

The large clip-point style blade only appears to be available on the WorkChamp XL. This blade is identical to the 108mm version, and Victorinox likely just adapted the extra 108mm parts to build the WorkChamp XL for collectors. The large Serrated Belt Cutter blade on the WorkChamp XL was similarly adapted from the 108mm platform.

Cheese Blade

The Cheese Blade was first introduced in 2010 as a main feature of the Kasemesser - Cheese Knife. Its ~90mm in length with a sharpened edge of 70mm. The blade's edge slopes upward from the tang to the tip as the blade narrows. This provides more clearance between the handle of the knife and the cutting surface when the edge is parallel to the surface which makes slicing on a cutting surface easier.

130mm

Large Blade

The 130mm line of Victorinox Delémonts models inherited the large blade from the 130mm line of Wenger New Ranger knives. The large main blade is liner locking and uses a push button on the handle scale to push on the liner and release the lock.

It comes in nail-nick or one handed opening versions and also plain or partially serrated.

Foil Cutter Serrated Blade

The Foil Cutter Serrated Blade was first introduced in 2017 as a feature of the Victorinox Wine Master.

Locking Systems

A Locking System is a mechanism to lock a knife blade, or other blade tool, in the open or fully extended position. Once locked open, to fold the blade closed requires the activation of some lock release. Knives that contain a Locking System are often refered to as Lock Blades, and are often treated differently in government knife regulations. Locking Systems used on Swiss Army Knives are described in Knife Blade and Tool Locking Systems.

WENGER

65mm

The 65mm blade comes in a plain (normal) but also in a serrated version ............... ............... ............... ............... ............... ............... ...............

Comparison Between Older (pre 1986) and more recent Wenger 65mm Blades Wenger 65mm Serrated Blade

85mm

The Wenger 85mm main-blade has had at least 2 variations.
The current blade has more of a belly than previously.
In the picture the top image is the current design (yyyy and later), with the bottom image being an older design.

Wenger Tactile - Soft-Touch Series 85mm models have a clip-point main blade.

120mm

Large Blade

The 120mm line use a clip-point blade design (with the exception of models Ranger 38-36 and 38-38; they use blades from 130mm Alinghi series models), apparently this is because this style was favored in the United States at the time.

Wenger 120mm Large Blade types, from top to bottom: plain, serrated, Alinghi serrated (Ranger 38-36 model)

130mm

Large Blade

The large main blade on the 130mm models is liner locking and uses a push button on the handle scale to push on the liner and release the lock. It comes in nail-nick vs one handed opening versions and also plain or partially serrated.

Wenger 130mm Large Blade One Handed Opening Plain vs. Serrated Edge Comparison