All good things come with an X:
X-Men
X-Factor
X-Ray
X-Files....
PionierX
Prior to the introduction of the Victorinox Pionier X, let me say, that there´s probably no other SAK in the Victorinox lineup, which has been modded more often than the Pioneer-series.
Hands much more capable than mine have build versions with philipps-screwdrivers, lupes, files, brass lines....and scissors.
A little history lesson is in order I assume:
From 1962 till 2007 the Pioneer has been the official issued army knife in the swiss armed forces, quite a heritage, right? There are currently a lot of variants out there, all have one thing in common:
Alox-scales, durability, long lasting performance, no nonsense tools, practiacality and aesthetics.
I´ll give you the SAK´s youngest offspring :
The heir of a 54 year old tradition of excellence, the Pionier X.
That´s right, no typo here, its spelled this way, at least here in Germany:
In my eyes the Pioneers are the quintessential SAK-Knives. Functionallity, pure and simple.
As written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, it seems that perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to remove. Amen to that.
In case of the Pioneers, thats certainly true, but who wouldn´t like something new from time to time?
The new thing, you´ve already guessed it, are the scissors in the otherwise stock Pionier X.
Scissors in a SAK are hardly a new invention, far from it:
Notice something, dear reader?
Right, the nailnick is on the other side, facing the shield:
At first try, my muscle memory failed me, as I grabbed on the side I was used to. Why is that? A quick conversation with the customer service cleared things up. The Pionier X scissors have a 3 mm pivot hole, due to the more robust construction used in the Pioneer-line up.
To avoid any mix-ups during assemly the nailnick got moved to the other side. As simple as that:
So, what tools do you get with a Pionier X? Lets have a look:
An awl, which has truely earned the name, sharp as hell with a nice point, suitable for piercing a wide range of materials.
A rugged flathead screwdriver, equipped with a halfstop and wirebender.
Next up are, surprise, surprise, scissors, which are identical to the ones used in the 91mm versions, excluding the already mentioned nailnick:
The popular can opener, topped with the small flathead screwdriver. (Author´s note: You won´t find any conventional can opener in my house, thats how good this thing is )
Last but not least, the main blade. Sharp as hell, sturdy, nicelx finishes. Have you expected anything less from Victorinox?
Looks familiar?
Pocket dump, check!
Generations:
Cadet, Farmer, Pionier X, Solo und Pioneer.
My first SAK was the long retired Popular, basically my enty into the knife world:
The Pionier X is a classy, elegantly and well made pocket knife, in the truest sense of the word. A companion for life, if I may borrow the marketing claim.
Will the Pionier X be my last SAK?
Surely not, the addiction is to strong, you may know the feeling?
Is it a long awaited addition to the current line up?
You bet it is!
Way to go Victorinox!!!
As usual, some impressions along the way:
Thanks for taking the time, if you have any questions, shoot!
Cheers for now.
X-Men
X-Factor
X-Ray
X-Files....
PionierX
Prior to the introduction of the Victorinox Pionier X, let me say, that there´s probably no other SAK in the Victorinox lineup, which has been modded more often than the Pioneer-series.
Hands much more capable than mine have build versions with philipps-screwdrivers, lupes, files, brass lines....and scissors.
A little history lesson is in order I assume:
From 1962 till 2007 the Pioneer has been the official issued army knife in the swiss armed forces, quite a heritage, right? There are currently a lot of variants out there, all have one thing in common:
Alox-scales, durability, long lasting performance, no nonsense tools, practiacality and aesthetics.
I´ll give you the SAK´s youngest offspring :
The heir of a 54 year old tradition of excellence, the Pionier X.
That´s right, no typo here, its spelled this way, at least here in Germany:
In my eyes the Pioneers are the quintessential SAK-Knives. Functionallity, pure and simple.
As written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, it seems that perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to remove. Amen to that.
In case of the Pioneers, thats certainly true, but who wouldn´t like something new from time to time?
The new thing, you´ve already guessed it, are the scissors in the otherwise stock Pionier X.
Scissors in a SAK are hardly a new invention, far from it:
Notice something, dear reader?
Right, the nailnick is on the other side, facing the shield:
At first try, my muscle memory failed me, as I grabbed on the side I was used to. Why is that? A quick conversation with the customer service cleared things up. The Pionier X scissors have a 3 mm pivot hole, due to the more robust construction used in the Pioneer-line up.
To avoid any mix-ups during assemly the nailnick got moved to the other side. As simple as that:
So, what tools do you get with a Pionier X? Lets have a look:
An awl, which has truely earned the name, sharp as hell with a nice point, suitable for piercing a wide range of materials.
A rugged flathead screwdriver, equipped with a halfstop and wirebender.
Next up are, surprise, surprise, scissors, which are identical to the ones used in the 91mm versions, excluding the already mentioned nailnick:
The popular can opener, topped with the small flathead screwdriver. (Author´s note: You won´t find any conventional can opener in my house, thats how good this thing is
)Last but not least, the main blade. Sharp as hell, sturdy, nicelx finishes. Have you expected anything less from Victorinox?
Looks familiar?
Pocket dump, check!
Generations:
Cadet, Farmer, Pionier X, Solo und Pioneer.
My first SAK was the long retired Popular, basically my enty into the knife world:
The Pionier X is a classy, elegantly and well made pocket knife, in the truest sense of the word. A companion for life, if I may borrow the marketing claim.
Will the Pionier X be my last SAK?
Surely not, the addiction is to strong, you may know the feeling?
Is it a long awaited addition to the current line up?
You bet it is!
Way to go Victorinox!!!
As usual, some impressions along the way:
Thanks for taking the time, if you have any questions, shoot!
Cheers for now.
