SAK -- Victorinox Soldier

I've seen hit and miss mentions of this SAK scattered throughout the forum, but not a specific topic related to the Soldier. Does anyone has experience with this multi-tool? How do you like it? Everything I've read has been positive, but I'd rather hear from those who have a working experience with the product.

this_is_nascar said:

I've seen hit and miss mentions of this SAK scattered throughout the forum, but not a specific topic related to the Soldier. Does anyone has experience with this multi-tool? How do you like it? Everything I've read has been positive, but I'd rather hear from those who have a working experience with the product.

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You only hear good things because that is all there is to be said about these knives. The soldier is the best "swiss army knife" available in that its tools are sturdy enough to actually use, provides much better grip than the red plastic, and the blade is thicker than other sak's (all of my soldiers required a little work on the edge to cut effectively). Not exciting enough for some people, but I've been using them for 25+years while camping and have no plans to change. And for $20, can't be beat.

Or were you just looking for negative comments......

mspeterson said:

The soldier is the best "swiss army knife" available in that its tools are sturdy enough to actually use

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Best, unless one like to add a saw, in which case its the Farmer. :wave:

What constitutes "best" is highly subjective.

Either way, TIN, the Vic Alox models are sturdy, pocketable, aethestically pleasing, and very functional.

Just today I bought 3 more Farmers from REI.com.

See www.smartknives.com for nice pics and descriptions of the various flavors.

mspeterson said:

You only hear good things because that is all there is to be said about these knives. The soldier is the best "swiss army knife" available in that its tools are sturdy enough to actually use, provides much better grip than the red plastic, and the blade is thicker than other sak's (all of my soldiers required a little work on the edge to cut effectively). Not exciting enough for some people, but I've been using them for 25+years while camping and have no plans to change. And for $20, can't be beat.

Or were you just looking for negative comments......

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Thanks. I'm looking for any and all comments, good or bad, however one would be hard-pressed to find anything bad. Trust me. I've tried.

powernoodle said:

Best, unless one like to add a saw, in which case its the Farmer. :wave:

What constitutes "best" is highly subjective.

Either way, TIN, the Vic Alox models are sturdy, pocketable, aethestically pleasing, and very functional.

Just today I bought 3 more Farmers from REI.com.

See www.smartknives.com for nice pics and descriptions of the various flavors.

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Thanks. I'm assuming the saw on the Farmer is just an "add" and doesn't replace anything else. I'd imagine it makes the knife a bit thicker. That for the link to that site. That's an awesome site that I've never visted before. I like how they allow you to select different, but related lights.

powernoodle said:

Best, unless one like to add a saw, in which case its the Farmer. :wave:

.

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Farmer is nice as well, my point is that the ALOX models are heads and tails above the standard SAK's if actual use is a factor. IMHO , of those models, I prefer the simplicity and functionality of the original SAK. :nana:

Here is a well done comparison of these two, even if it is off topic...
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=314512

TIN:

See also www.sosakonline.com. (Secret Order of Swiss Army Knifes) Maybe you are familiar with it.

On the left side of the main page is "SAK selector". You can search for various criteria. You might want to highlight just "alox" and then hit the "select" button. It will give you a list, with specs and pics, of all of the alox models. Or whatever search criteria you choose.

cheers

Yes--the Farmer is basically a Soldier with an ADDED saw, and not as a replacement for some other tool. It is, of course, a tiny bit thicker. It is still VERY easy to carry in a pocket. It is also more comfortable in the hand because of it. I just got scissors added to my Farmer. It's a perfect thickness for comfort, and has everything I need, and nothing I don't.

I have a Soldier, two Pioneer's, and a Farmer. They are all the same basic design. The alox sides make it MUCH sturdier, but slightly thinner than an equivalent cellidor model. The main blade has a thicker spine, which gives it much more strength. The Farmer is just the Pioneer with one extra layer, and the Pioneer is the same as the Soldier with the addition of the lanyard hole.

You may also want to look at the Electrician, which is the Soldier with the swap out for the sheepsfoot style electrician blade in place of the can opener. The Electrician Plus has the saw added.

I EDC either one of my Pioneer's or the Soldier, depending on which I feel like or where I am going, or what I am wearing. Yes, I try to match the color with my dress and activity. My black Pioneer is downright sexy, my old red Pioneer is a beater, and my Soldier is middle of the rode. Farmer goes outdoors.

The reamer or punch on the alox knives are great.Sharp enough to use as a scraper or knife blade when you dont want to screw up your main blade.The Vic alox knives are well worth the money.

The Pioneer Harvester is like the Farmer, but replaces the can opener with a hooked blade.

If you want bigger and even sturdier, and are willing to forgo the alox scales for nylon ones,
you might consider the 111mm line, such as the Trekker, the Fireman, or the Rescue Tool.
These models are available with one-hand opening.
Bigger still, the Wenger New Rangers, such as the New Ranger 58 or the Alinghi.

The Soldier has been my EDC for a couple of years.

Amazing knife. It is strong (the blade is thicker than the usual SAK blade, and the Alox scales seem to create a VERY stiff/sturdy platform), pretty (yes, it really is!), useful (it doesn't have anything that I don't need--even the reamer has saved me a couple of times as an impromptu drill), well-built (smooth walk and talk, etc) and inexpensive ($21.50 shipped to your front door).

When you handle it, it just screams quality. I have gifted a few to friends, and they are always impressed.

The blade is very sharp, and though it dulls more quickly than a super steel, it is easy to sharpen, and the geometry allows it to continue cutting reasonably well when dull.
It is extremely rust-resistant.

I believe it is probably the best bang-for-the-buck purchase I have ever made. I am still baffled that Victorinox can produce such amazing knives at truly affordable prices. Heck, I have even started buying their kitchen knives.

Another thought on the Soldier, is that it lacks a keyring. The Wenger version called the Standard Issue is the same as the Soldier but has a bail on one end. It works quite well, but the only drawback is sometimes when closing the blade it can impact the bail and cause nicks in the blade, so you have to be careful when closing the blade. If that is an issue and you still want the keyring, get the Pioneer model. Both the Soldier and Standard Issue are the same otherwise. On SOSAK there is a review comparing the two and there are very subtle differences, but most people would not notice as they are mainly cosmetic differences.

One other thought, the ALOX series are a little bit heavier in weight than the cellidor models. For me, 3 layer and 4 layer SAKs are the most comfortable size to grip in the hand.

Thanks again for all the feedback. I have a Soldier on its way to me. I should have it in a few days.

I've been looking at the Solider too and this thread convinced me to pull the trigger as well.

The Soldier should make for a nice compromise between a regular folder and a multi-tool for situations when I can only carry one "knife" and weight/size is at a premium.

scott said:

Yes--the Farmer is basically a Soldier with an ADDED saw, and not as a replacement for some other tool. It is, of course, a tiny bit thicker. It is still VERY easy to carry in a pocket. It is also more comfortable in the hand because of it. I just got scissors added to my Farmer. It's a perfect thickness for comfort, and has everything I need, and nothing I don't.

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What do you mean "got scissors added to my Farmer"?

at sosak there is a shop called feline vet. they sell customized SAK's. i believe the farmer w/ the add'l scissors is ~ $70.

Bill

That's sounds pretty interesting. Do you know if the scissors are true add-ons or do they replace an existing tool?

Note that although the Pioneer is a Soldier with a lanyard ring and a Farmer is a Pioneer with a saw added (an extra layer, although thinner than the blade one), lots of users dremel out the lanyard ring on their Farmers, to get a "rounder" feel.

I always carry either a Soldier or a Farmer, along with another dedicated one-hand locking folder. The SAK is a great multitool, a beater knife, sheeple-friendly, very high quality and very affordable.

Just to get an idea, last week I used a Soldier's awl to drill a hole in concrete before using the power driller... that's how good they are!

The Soldier is the only knife I've got two of.

I'm a knife guy. I've got a handful of spydercos from which I carry one every day. I've got an atwood and an arc AAA on my keychain, which comes with me everywhere. I've even got a novatac that follows along when I think I might need something more.

Now, understand that every use of the word "every day" or "everywhere" in the above paragraph really means "almost all of the time" or "on all occaisions except when I'm wearing a fancy suit" or "always, except that one time I just went for a quick jog."

Now, in the sentence below, "everywhere" means "everywhere".

My Vic Solider, however, comes with me absolutely everywhere.