Does Victorinox have a Swiss knife with ski binding tools?

[KingGrump]

What’s the brand of the ratchet, or if nameless, from where?

Didn't we go through this with @Tony S a while back?

That bit ratchet is an Ares available on Amazon.

My favorite bit ratchet is a Wera. I keep one in my everyday tool bag. Gem like, but it doesn't have the socket at the butt end of the handle to accept a 1/4" hex drive bit.

 

[raytseng]

Actually the hardest thing for me was finding a PZ3 in a long enough bit to work on bindings. Because the short bit in a longer holder may not fit in the recessed holes in the toe of many bindings. I put up a photo of my PZ3 bits and binding tools in a different thread. I will try and find the photo.

Exactly, it's one of those things that is less than 25cents ea. if you buy in bulk, but is relatively obscure that you have to pay $5 to obtain one bit.

An idea is this site should get a group/bulk order of them, and give them away as rewards for the next donation drive.

 

[Uncle-A]

Exactly, it's one of those things that is less than 25cents ea. if you buy in bulk, but is relatively obscure that you have to pay $5 to obtain one bit.

An idea is this site should get a group/bulk order of them, and give them away as rewards for the next donation drive.

That would be good for a business but an individual would not need that volume of bits. Sometimes even a two inch bit is not long enough, that is why I went with the 6 inch bit. You just have to be careful with the 6 inch bit when using a screwgun/drill because if you drop the drill the bit will bend easy and that is the end of it.

 

[Jim L]

View attachment 170861
Maybe this is the ski tool of the future.

Hmm… that has a knife, we’re airport security and we’ll confiscate that.

 

[Uncle-A]

Hmm… that has a knife, we’re airport security and we’ll confiscate that.

That is a possibility, but if you put it inside a case they would not see it.

 

[James]

My favorite bit ratchet is a Wera. I keep one in my everyday tool bag. Gem like, but it doesn't have the socket at the butt end of the handle to accept a 1/4" hex drive bit.

Yes that Zylops is very nice. I have a little Wiha box. Slightly disappointed in the ratchet play and smoothness.

A guy on amazon trashed the very expensive Stahlwille.

Here’s another one from Wiha. Must be their cheap line for $30
Has Pozi 1,2,3
You’d still need a 75mm Pozi 3
Handle still lacks the bit holder in the end

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Wiha-Wiha-32-Piece-Terminator-Blue-Impact-Bit-Set-with-1-4-in-Ratchet/5000289431?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-tol-_-ggl-_-LIA_TOL_218_Mechanic-Automotive-Tools-_-5000289431-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gbraid=0AAAAAD2B2W_eGlvOJuB5QEcKWH4SkZ5go&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr_Os27mf-AIVha7ICh23ugKdEAQYDCABEgKgNPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Pozi bits aren’t that hard to find except in American stores. Ironic since they invented it. You pretty much have to order them.


Annoying that snowboard bindings didn’t standardize on Pozi but went Phillips.
I’ve been in a pretty decent hardware store where the manager, not young, had never heard of pozi. And that near a ski town.

The lightest/smallest would probably be the made in US, (CT), Chapman Mfg ratchet. But, if not using their special bits with ball detent, they’ll fall out. Again, you can get JIS “phillips” standard, even Frearson/Reed&Prince, but no Pozi.
They haven’t really updated their tools in decades.

#CM-13 Famous Mini 1/4" Drive Ratchet | Chapman MFG

Our famous CM-13 stainless steel mini ratchet provides about 200 in lbs of torque with a 20 tooth gear and an 18 degree working arc. Customers tell us that this "is the ratchet used to feed lube through a Lyman lube and sizer" Made, hand assembled & inspected in Durham, CT from USA materials.

chapmanmfg.com

 

[jt10000]

I’ve been in a pretty decent hardware store where the manager, not young, had never heard of pozi. And that near a ski town.

I have zero surprise about this at most hardware stores. Near a ski town surprises me a little.

 

[KingGrump]

I have zero surprise about this at most hardware stores.

What are "hardware stores"?

Never mind. Found it on google. A long extinct retailer species.

 

[Uncle-A]

What are "hardware stores"?

Never mind. Found it on google. A long extinct retailer species.

About 20 years ago I was in one of my favorite tool supply stores and I asked about a PZ3 screwdriver, not a bit but a real screwdriver, they did have one and only one. It was just a basic screwdriver, nothing fancy not even a nice grip, they wanted $16.00 for the tool. I thought it was high priced so I passed on the purchase. Just in contrast at the same store a number 3 Phillips screwdriver was about $5.00 and it had a nice rubber grip. BTW that store went out of business about a year later.

 

[Tricia]

Three pages of tool talk

What are "hardware stores"?

Never mind. Found it on google. A long extinct retailer species.

We recently had a new hardware store open up close to our neighborhood. Its nice, convenient and the guys there are super helpful.

There was a hardware store in my home town growing up that was like Mary Poppins' carpet bag.

 

[KingGrump]

Three pages of tool talk

We recently had a new hardware store open up close to our neighborhood. Its nice, convenient and the guys there are super helpful.

There was a hardware store in my home town growing up that was like Mary Poppins' carpet bag.

Love hardware store with character. Both old and new.
Unfortunately, The big box store have driven them to extinction.

 

[Uncle-A]

Love hardware store with character. Both old and new.
Unfortunately, The big box store have driven them to extinction.

Not completely, there still is one in my hometown. It recently changed ownership because the family that owned it the father retired and the son and the daughter both went off to college. Nice people and they knew the regular customers by their first names. It was great to see the kids work there on weekends they knew more than many of the customers.

 

[Uncle-A]

Love hardware store with character. Both old and new.
Unfortunately, The big box store have driven them to extinction.

Part of the problem with the family type businesses, the parents work hard to give their kids a better life, send them to college and when they come back home after school they have their own careers. They also watched their parents work hard all their life in the family business and the kids don't want any part of it.

 

[KingGrump]

Part of the problem with the family type businesses, the parents work hard to give their kids a better life, send them to college and when they come back home after school they have their own careers. They also watched their parents work hard all their life in the family business and the kids don't want any part of it.

That's one of the societal changes after WWII.

 

[Swiss Toni]

No, I don’t rely on it. My first time I discovered they don’t even cover the Valais, and that’s where I was.

How about their “repatriation” service for Swiss citizens, is that real?

I’m still unclear once off piste what the insurance on the ticket covers. I kind of assume nothing.

Rega doesn’t carry out rescues in Valais, helicopter search and rescue in Valais are carried out by Air Glaciers in the French speaking part of the canton and Air Zermatt in the German speaking part. They both offer a rescue card that is similar to the one that Rega offers.

The Rega repatriation service is real, Rega has 3 Bombardier Challenger CL 650 jets that are effectively flying ICUs.

If you ever need rescuing in Valais you call 144, alternatively you could use the EchoSOS phone app which will also send the rescue organisation your GPS location https://echosos.com/en/emergency-app/#feature-0

The insurance you can buy with a lift pass generally doesn’t cover you for skiing outside the marked runs.

 

[pipestem]

I can walk my local Ace hardware which is a chain but acts like a local. Good for most things that can fit in your car, or on your bike.

About the tool - I have TWICE had the need to use a plain swiss army knife on mountain to adjust some older Marker bindings with a flat blade screwhead, once on the first few days that AB Montezuma was opened and i was deep in the woods on the far left side and I was very gratefull for the little bugger. The tool was left bent but not broken.