Another VS thread: Farmer vs Trekker(Trailmaster)

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Oct 3, 2011
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Supposing you could choose between the Victorinox Farmer and the Victorinox Trekker (Trailmaster), which knife would you take to the woods with you. And why?

For a more equivalent comparison, let's assume for the Trekker is the non-OH variety.

Discuss. :D
 
That's a tough one. I prefer the Farmer, but I think the Trekker brings more to the table. I guess my take is, I have a Farmer that I carry daily. If I go walking in the woods, it's a fine just-in-case tool. However, if I am camping, I like the bigger locking blade and longer saw. Also, I have found the tweezers to be too handy for splinters to do without.

I would feel just fine with either though.
 
Tool for tool they are pretty comparable, but the longer trekker saw is an advantage so I'd have to go with that.
 
Locking blade, better grip, one handed opening, more tools, and a longer saw.

I really like the form factor of the Farmer, but the Trekker is just a better choice for woods tool imo.
 
For me there's no choice at all. One is alox and the other one isn't. For me, that's no choice at all.

When in doubt, go alox.

Carl.
 
For me there's no choice at all. One is alox and the other one isn't. For me, that's no choice at all.

When in doubt, go alox.

Carl.

Why? In all honesty, although I have handled several alox SAKs, I have no experience using one for actual work. However, my celidor-scaled SAKs have over decades been equal to any outdoor use put to them, and I believe the nylon clad ones are even tougher. Apparently, the military of several countries agree, having adopted versions of the Trekker. Please give us some of your reasons.
 
Why? In all honesty, although I have handled several alox SAKs, I have no experience using one for actual work. However, my celidor-scaled SAKs have over decades been equal to any outdoor use put to them, and I believe the nylon clad ones are even tougher. Apparently, the military of several countries agree, having adopted versions of the Trekker. Please give us some of your reasons.

Ruggedness and class rolled up in one time proven package.

As for what the militaries of the world choose to do in their poor economic and political based decisions, I don't care. They make stupid choices like replacing the 1911 with some 9mm Italian gun, then a couple decades lager they decide they made a mistake. I'm going to pay attention to that kind of insane BS? The alox soldier served for decades with no problems. Why change what works?

I'll stick to alox SAK's when I have a choice, and trusted guns like the 1911. Way too time proven to discard.

Carl.
 
As for what the militaries of the world choose to do in their poor economic and political based decisions, I don't care.
I'll stick to alox SAK's when I have a choice, and trusted guns like the 1911.
amazing contradiction.
 
Ruggedness and class rolled up in one time proven package.

As for what the militaries of the world choose to do in their poor economic and political based decisions, I don't care. They make stupid choices like replacing the 1911 with some 9mm Italian gun, then a couple decades lager they decide they made a mistake. I'm going to pay attention to that kind of insane BS? The alox soldier served for decades with no problems. Why change what works?

I'll stick to alox SAK's when I have a choice, and trusted guns like the 1911. Way too time proven to discard.

Carl.

First, I agree with you about the 1911, and so did a whole lot of the US military, as you probably know. Personally, it is my weapon of choice and I shoot very well with it. The reason for the switch, however, was that by the 1980s, most of the .45 inventory was pretty well shot out and needed replacement, so the brass took the opportunity to transition to a standard NATO caliber ammunition, which is 9mm in almost all other armed forces. It is not really a bad round for military purposes, and the Beretta a good, reliable pistol. Recoil is milder, which leads to faster training for qualification, a plus because pistols are a not a major military weapon, anyway. Most troops shoot better with it, and all considered, shot placement is more important than caliber. Even so, many elite units prefer the 1911, although gussied up versions compared to the basic model, but they spend much more time training with everything than the average grunt. I think that anymore, .45 is a better civilian arm than military because shooters can spend more time with it.

As for why change what works: I trained with an M1 rifle (gives you an idea of how old I am :eek: ), was thoroughly impressed and completely confident in it. My dad, who was in the cavalry during the '30s, last of the horse soldiers, swore by his '06 Springfield. Likewise the Brits with their Enfields, Germans their Mausers, Russians their Moisin-Nagants etc., all claiming their shoot'n irons were tops. But time doesn't stand still. Today, combat Tupperware rules, and I can't say that's a bad thing.

Back to pocket knives; I'm sure alox SAKs are everything you say they are, but some of the newer stuff is pretty good, too. May I suggest giving it a chance?
 
Back to pocket knives; I'm sure alox SAKs are everything you say they are, but some of the newer stuff is pretty good, too. May I suggest giving it a chance?

No. I don't give chances to things that are brought out just because the are cheaper to produce. Victorinox has been on a trend these past few years f cheapening their product. First it was thinner blades and they had to addf a dimple on the liner to compensate, now it's the discontinuing of alox models. These were the bombproof models of the Victorinox line, but I guess it's more profitable to make stick on plastic handles these days instead of all metal riveted on scales. It's one thing for a little keychain knife like a classic to be built on the light side, it's only a keychain knife. But if I'm taking this knife out in the boonies, or off to a war, which I've been to one, I don't want cheap. I want something that's put together to stay that way, 'till death do us part.

Victorinox scales have been known to fall off the knife, and on one SAK forum they even recomend that Goop is the recommended stuff for sticking them back on. I'm sorry, but if I'm a soldier, I DON'T want a knife that has a rep for handles falling off. Plus I detest the cheap cellidor handles that start to melt if they come in contact with certain gun cleaning solvents or bug repellent. The nylon scales are a step up, but then anything wojld be a step up from cellidor. I've got an old Wenger SI that has stood up to some dirty use for over 25 years. I have an old pioneer that is a close rival. Both are as ready to go today as when I bought them. But I've sent some plastic handled SAK's back to the Shelton facility for replacement of cracked scales. I will never trust the plastic handles like I do the alox SAK's. There is just no way they are as rugged.

I have a long lifetime of experience of the new stuff that is lauded as the latest and greatest being the end all, only to have it not live up to the claims. I was trained on the M-14, and loved that gun. Rugged and reliable and accurate. Then they gave us the new M-16. I didn't like that plastic and aluminum piece of junk then, and still don't. It was not nearly as realiable as the old M-14. Then, just as now, there was numerous complaints from the combat zone of the guns having problems. Now we hear from vets of Iraq and Afganistan of problems with both the rifle and 9mm pistol. If the 9mm is getting it done, why are the Marines spending millions of they're budget dollars buying brand new Colt 1911 .45's? The gun is superior to the Italian thing as the .45 round is superior to the 9mm. Unfortunatly, combat tuperware doesn't rule as you think. The people on the line demand something better. When I did my own tour of the southeast Asia fiasco, there were GI's picking up AK-47's and using them because of the problems with the M-16. Yet the military was not going to admit they made a mistake. JUst like now, decisions on what to buy are all too often based on political or fiscal basis, not what is actually good for the soldier.

Bottom line is, we all can make out own decisions. And mine is to stick with all metal SAK's when I can. They have proven themselves to me too often, while the plastic ones had me searching for that bottle of Goop. I don't give chances to things that have let me down in the past. If I'm out in the woods, failure of something is not acceptable. There's no knife store at that third oak tree on the left.

Carl.
 
Trekker doesn't have celluloid scales iirc. Are you against FRN handels as a rule? Polymer science has come a long way.
 
Trekker doesn't have celluloid scales iirc. Are you against FRN handels as a rule? Polymer science has come a long way.

Yes, I don't like any of the polymer as you call it, which is to me another name for plastic. When I can have alox, I will never choose a polymer handled SAK. It just feels cheap to me. To my hand, the alox SAK's have a feel that is a hundred times better than the plastic stuff. The solid feel and snap of the blade closing makes me smile.

FRN, or any of that stuff just feels like junk to me. My better half bought a Glock some years ago just out of curiosity. She sold it a year later. No problems with the gun, reliable and shot nice. But she's of my generation, and the gun just felt like a Mattel junk toy to her and me both. Couldn't bond with that gun.

Carl.
 
In my case, SAKs are back up knives 99% of the time. If I'm in the city I'll have a folding knife and if I'm outdoors I'll have a fixed blade knife to handle most cutting chores. So the larger blade on the Trekker (OH or not) is not worth the extra bulk compared to a Farmer. I tend to use regular size SAKs (either 91mm Victorinox or 85mm Wengers) a lot more than larger ones.

I pretty much only reach for my OH-Trekker or OH-Forester when I'm traveling somewhere by plane and decide to pack really light. In those cases I just throw a OHT and a Classic (or Wenger Pocket Tool Chest) in my pack, both tools are easy to replace if stolen by airport security (it's happened a few times). If for whatever reason I can only have one knife/tool on my person, I'll usually go with a OHT or something similar (Wenger Ranger, etc.).
 
No. I don't give chances to things that are brought out just because the are cheaper to produce. Victorinox has been on a trend these past few years f cheapening their product. First it was thinner blades and they had to addf a dimple on the liner to compensate, now it's the discontinuing of alox models. These were the bombproof models of the Victorinox line, but I guess it's more profitable to make stick on plastic handles these days instead of all metal riveted on scales. It's one thing for a little keychain knife like a classic to be built on the light side, it's only a keychain knife. But if I'm taking this knife out in the boonies, or off to a war, which I've been to one, I don't want cheap. I want something that's put together to stay that way, 'till death do us part.

Victorinox scales have been known to fall off the knife, and on one SAK forum they even recomend that Goop is the recommended stuff for sticking them back on. I'm sorry, but if I'm a soldier, I DON'T want a knife that has a rep for handles falling off. Plus I detest the cheap cellidor handles that start to melt if they come in contact with certain gun cleaning solvents or bug repellent. The nylon scales are a step up, but then anything wojld be a step up from cellidor. I've got an old Wenger SI that has stood up to some dirty use for over 25 years. I have an old pioneer that is a close rival. Both are as ready to go today as when I bought them. But I've sent some plastic handled SAK's back to the Shelton facility for replacement of cracked scales. I will never trust the plastic handles like I do the alox SAK's. There is just no way they are as rugged.

I have a long lifetime of experience of the new stuff that is lauded as the latest and greatest being the end all, only to have it not live up to the claims. I was trained on the M-14, and loved that gun. Rugged and reliable and accurate. Then they gave us the new M-16. I didn't like that plastic and aluminum piece of junk then, and still don't. It was not nearly as realiable as the old M-14. Then, just as now, there was numerous complaints from the combat zone of the guns having problems. Now we hear from vets of Iraq and Afganistan of problems with both the rifle and 9mm pistol. If the 9mm is getting it done, why are the Marines spending millions of they're budget dollars buying brand new Colt 1911 .45's? The gun is superior to the Italian thing as the .45 round is superior to the 9mm. Unfortunatly, combat tuperware doesn't rule as you think. The people on the line demand something better. When I did my own tour of the southeast Asia fiasco, there were GI's picking up AK-47's and using them because of the problems with the M-16. Yet the military was not going to admit they made a mistake. JUst like now, decisions on what to buy are all too often based on political or fiscal basis, not what is actually good for the soldier.

Bottom line is, we all can make out own decisions. And mine is to stick with all metal SAK's when I can. They have proven themselves to me too often, while the plastic ones had me searching for that bottle of Goop. I don't give chances to things that have let me down in the past. If I'm out in the woods, failure of something is not acceptable. There's no knife store at that third oak tree on the left.

Carl.

Victorinox is phasing out the alox handled knives? Say it isn't so!

I guess I'd better buy a few more Farmers while I can.
 
The Alox knives are classier but if I had to choose between the Farmer and the Trekker; the Trekker would be an easy choice: it has extra tools and longer main blade and saw. If I needed a phillips screwdriver and only had the farmer, Alox wouldn't really matter too much. (no matter how pretty it looked)
 
You mention taking to the woods rather than EDC so I would assume I don't have to carry it every day ;) In that case I'd go with the Trekker for the locking blade, larger handle and longer saw. I have no hatred of polymers and find beauty in form following function.

If it had to be an EDC I'd pick the Farmer (actually would prefer the alox Soldier as I have no use for a saw) because of the size in the pocket.
 
The Alox knives are classier but if I had to choose between the Farmer and the Trekker; the Trekker would be an easy choice: it has extra tools and longer main blade and saw. If I needed a phillips screwdriver and only had the farmer, Alox wouldn't really matter too much. (no matter how pretty it looked)

Are you under the impression that if you don't have a dedicate phillips driver that you can't deal with them?

For about 40 years now I've been using the little flat screw driver on the can opener for a flat phillips driver. It works just fine. Don't tell my old SI that it can't deal with phillips, it will be very disappointed. The Vic pioneer, farmer, Wenger SI, and even the alox classic, can deal with phillips screws with no problem. A lot of the tools on a SAK are very multi use.

Carl.
 
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