Grade B Swiss Army Knives

Our B grade used Swiss Army knives are good knives that will give you many years of service, but they have cosmetic flaws that knock them out of the higher A grades.

Blade and Tool Condition:

Here are some examples of typical blade scratching in B knives:

B knives may have a small amount of bending in one or two blades, and they may have some small nicks or gouges. We'll also accept broken tips, but only if there is a maximum of 1/4" / 6mm missing.

The blade shown above has about the worst possible wear that we'll accept in a B knife. Because we base the final grade on overall condition, we'd automatically drop this knife to a B grade if the other blades were in less than excellent condition.

Many B grade knives have some twisting on the tip of the screwdrivers (especially the smaller one). However the tip will be unbroken and will still work OK.

Blade Snap and Movement:

Grade B blades move freely, and most of the blades still have acceptable "snap". All tools are easy to open with fingernails. In some B knives, a few of the blades or tools may be sluggish, and may not snap when opened or closed. The can and bottle opener are usually the first to lose their snappiness. If snap is poor, then we will expect better condition in the rest of the knife, to rate a B.

Scales and Body:

B grade knives will always have "pocket wear" on the plastic shells-- usually in the form of many small scratches in the nylon case. Most of the B knives have shells that are completely intact, but a small percentage of B knives may have small cracks or gaps in the shells. Occasionally the case may be stained, gouged, roughened or slightly rippled from heat or solvent.

If initials or a name are carved into the knife, it will rate a B or lower.

NOTE: Usually we sell named knives on eBay, so there is a sliver of hope that people can retrieve their favorite named knife that was nabbed by TSA. However, we see only a small fraction of all confiscated knives, and are simply not able to search for specific knives. The best we can suggest is to contact your local airport and/or state surplus agency, or keep an eye out on eBay.

B grade knives may show a little corrosion or damage on the liners, but it is not enough to affect the knife's performance, and they will be in generally good condition.