Victorinox Awl

The modern Victorinox awl includes a sharp edge and a groove, which turns it into a reasonably efficient drill for working in leather, wood or soft metal. This tool is sometimes called a reamer.
There is also a sewing eye, so you can pull a thread through a punched hole, when sewing up leather or other coarse materials. It's handy for emergency repairs of backpacks or other camping gear (use dental floss if you don't have thread!)

In 1985, the modern awl replaced an earlier awl with no sewing eye.

The awl will stay sharp for a long time if you only use it on wood, leather, aluminum or copper (or other soft metals). You can use it for emergency "drilling" in sheet iron, but that will rapidly dull the awl's sharp edge.

Swiss Army Knife Awl
Uses: To use the awl tool to drill a hole, follow these steps:

  1. Poke a hole with the sharp point.
  2. Rotate the awl, and gradually enlarge the hole.

In leather or other soft materials, you can often push the awl directly through the material, and then rotate it to get a rounded hole.

Found On:
Similar Tools:
  • A few Victorinox Swiss Army knives include a reamer with similar functions, but a slightly different shape.
  • There is also a plain awl on the SwissTool, with a more abrupt taper and a sharper edge.
  • The Wenger awl/reamer is a similar tool that does not have the groove and sharp edge. It's a gentler tool that you can use to push a hole into soft materials, or to remove burrs from a drilled hole in metal or wood.
  • The Leatherman awl/reamer has a similar groove, with a more abrupt taper.