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Swiss Safe 120-Piece Review

A pretty good kit for home, auto, and some backcountry use, and it has a number of useful supplies.
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Price:  $28 List | $27.88 at Amazon
Pros:  Lots of extra supplies, heavy-duty case, reasonable value
Cons:  Cluttered organization, minimal tape, a bit heavy for camping use
Manufacturer:   Swiss Safe
By Ryan Huetter ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Aug 13, 2019
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64
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#6 of 10
  • Quality - 20% 5
  • Usefulness - 20% 7
  • Durability - 20% 6
  • Versatility - 20% 8
  • Weight - 20% 6

Our Verdict

The Swiss Safe 120-Piece first aid kit is a mid-range collection of medical supplies that is of reasonable quality, has a good quantity for a bigger group, and is versatile enough to be used in a range of applications. While it is heavier than many kits we reviewed, it has many removable items that allow it to be lightened up. We like this kit most for car camping and keeping in our home and car for emergencies. For hiking trips, we tended to favor more specialized kits.


Compare to Similar Products

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This Product
Swiss Safe 120-Piece
Awards  Editors' Choice Award Best Buy Award Top Pick Award  
Price $27.88 at Amazon$36.95 at Amazon$24.95 at Amazon
Compare at 2 sellers		$28.95 at REI$23.50 at REI
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Pros Lots of extra supplies, heavy-duty case, reasonable valueVery durable, quality tools, removable CPR kitCompact, lightweight, quality materials, handy wilderness first aid guidebookLightweight, minimal packaging, waterproof, quality components, compactLight, compact, useful first aid book
Cons Cluttered organization, minimal tape, a bit heavy for camping useNo medications, no first aid manualLimited medications, no CPR maskLimited group size, minimal quantitiesNo gloves, no CPR mask
Bottom Line A pretty good kit for home, auto, and some backcountry use, and it has a number of useful supplies.A great choice for those in rugged environments where durability is a concern.This kit is a great choice for short weekend trips, containing the essentials to guard against many trailside emergencies.The best choice for trips where weight matters, without compromising on quality.This compact and well-organized kit is great for a weekend getaway, with quality implements at an affordable price.
Rating Categories Swiss Safe 120-Piece Surviveware Small Mountain Series Hiker Ultralight/Watertight .7 HART Health Weekend
Quality (20%)
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7
Usefulness (20%)
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6
Durability (20%)
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7
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6
Weight (20%)
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8
Specs Swiss Safe 120-Piece Surviveware Small Mountain Series... ... HART Health Weekend
Total Weight (oz) 16 oz 14 oz 10 oz 8 oz 10 oz
Dimensions (inches) 9" x 3" x 6" 3.1" x 6.2" x 6.7" 6.5" x 5.5" x 3" 7.5" x 10" x 2" 6.5" x 5.5" x 2"
First Aid book Yes No Yes No Yes
CPR Mask/ Face Shield Yes Yes No No No
Type of Gloves 2 PVC gloves Nitrile gloves 1 nitrile gloves Nitrile gloves None
Medications No No Yes - acetaminophen, ibuprofen, asprin, antihistamine Yes - antihistamine, aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen Yes - acetaminophen, ibuprofen, asprin, antihistamine
Splint No No No No No

Our Analysis and Test Results

Performance Comparison


For about the same price the Swiss Safe offers way more quantities than smaller kits which could make it more valuable to you. It's a poorer choice though when heading out into the backcountry due to its size and weight.
For about the same price, the Swiss Safe offers way more quantities than smaller kits, which could make it more valuable to you. It's a poorer choice, though, when heading out into the backcountry due to its size and weight.

Quality


The Swiss Safe is a medium quality, general-purpose first aid kit. It comes in a heavy nylon carrying case and opens fully to reveal its contents. The supplies are mostly of reasonable quality, though we were unimpressed with the flimsy fabric triangular bandage. The included extra items, such as the glow stick, cold compress, compass, and emergency blanket were all of lesser quality than we would hope for, and we found removing these items was a good choice unless you are just going to leave the kit in the back of your car.

The organization of the Swiss Safe 120-Piece kit is a bit lacking we found it harder to find items in this kit than in others.
The organization of the Swiss Safe 120-Piece kit is a bit lacking, we found it harder to find items in this kit than in others.

Usefulness


The Swiss Safe kit is useful as it has a number of items and comes with good quantities, making it a good option for a home first aid kit or one you keep in the car for roadside emergencies. There are a lot of bandages, so this kit anticipates a lot of minor wounds and actually has two CPR masks (one is included in the mini pocket-sized kit), adding extra protection to the rescuer when performing rescue breathing during CPR on a victim. Some of the novelty items would be unnecessary if camping, and we would recommend taking them out, but for the general home or car kit leaving them in presents no major problem, and having a compass or a sewing kit handy might prove useful at some point.

Some of the extraneous items that could be useful for the car or home first aid kit but are generally unnecessary for overnight camping.
Some of the extraneous items that could be useful for the car or home first aid kit, but are generally unnecessary for overnight camping.

Durability


Supplies in the Swiss Safe kit are packaged fairly tightly, which should keep them from getting accidentally torn open or damaged, but in rifling through to find what you are looking for it is easy to keep things organized. Some items showed defects right off the bat, a problem systemic to these kinds of first aid kits, but overall it is a decent kit that should last as long as you keep it well-stocked and inventoried.

The Swiss Safe kit comes with a very small roll of first aid tape which is much less than what is required for ankle wraps. We would prefer supplementing with a larger roll of cloth athletic tape.
The Swiss Safe kit comes with a very small roll of first aid tape, which is much less than what is required for ankle wraps. We would prefer supplementing with a larger roll of cloth athletic tape.

Versatility


While many of the kits we reviewed tend to be better off for short trips into the mountains over a weekend, and are generally carried in a backpack, this kit is better off staying put. It is rather heavy and has way more equipment than a group might need, and so serves better as a car camping, home or car kit. You could bring this on a backpacking trip, but with so many unnecessary items you would want to go through it first and see where you could eliminate some weight and bulk.

The included pocket-size first aid kit is not really a stand-alone kit but contains a few extra wound closures and a CPR mask for short trips close to home.
The included pocket-size first aid kit is not really a stand-alone kit but contains a few extra wound closures and a CPR mask for short trips close to home.

Weight


The Swiss Safe kit weighs 16 ounces, making it one of the heavier medium sized kits. This is totally fine, seeing that we are recommending it as a base kit, not intended for multi-day backpacking outings. Its weight means that it is well-stocked and should last through several minor injuries before needing to be fully restocked (except the tape).

The Swiss Safe kit is on the larger side and so is not as packable for camping trips.
The Swiss Safe kit is on the larger side, and so is not as packable for camping trips.

Best Applications


The Swiss Safe first aid kit (which is 152 pieces when you add in the mini pocket-sized kit) is a good option for those who do not need a light and compact kit that will tuck nicely into their backpack. This works best as a kit that comes along on car camping trips or stays put under the bathroom sink. It has enough supplies to serve a family.

Value


The Swiss Safe is a reasonable value. You get a prebuilt first aid kit with a lot of supplies, and while some of the items are not what we would consider vital to a first aid kit, do make it more useful in certain applications.

Conclusion


This first aid kit is a good choice for a small family or a group who is looking for a well-stocked resource for basic supplies to treat minor injuries. There are no medications, so you will need to stock those separately on your own if you'd like to carry over the counter meds in your kit.


— Ryan Huetter