How Does Anodizing Hold Up On Vic Alox Knives?

Guyon

Guyon

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I have a red Farmer I've been carrying a while. Though it doesn't seem any worse for wear, I have been pretty careful not to carry it alongside keys or anything that'll scratch it up.

Just curious how your Alox finishes have held up over time. Also, is the silver Alox an anodized finish, or is it just "natural"? I've thought about picking up one in that color.
 
I have carried my red Alox, maybe a Farmer (don't recall what the name was) quite often, with little wear and tear, but like you say- I don't carry it with my keys.
 
Guyon,

I have a 24 year old red Pioneer that I recently had refurbished by SAK guru Scibeer. I had him replace the blade, liners, and backspring. He does beautiful work and is highly recommended.

This knife has been carried almost every day of that 24 years, in pockets with other objects, alone in a pocket, and sometimes in a pouch.

I used the knife reasonably and made no supreme efforts to preserve the finish either in carry or in use.

Much of the red is gone as you can see but the "valleys" of the pattern still retain some of the red color. The top knife is a NIB Pioneer I purchased about the same time as a backup knife. Thankfully, I've never had to use it.

Pioneers-RestoredandNew.jpg


It's a tool, USE, but don't abuse it.


Cheers,
dan :)
 
I have a gunmetal alox Cadet, and while I love the knife, I would have gotten it in silver if I had a do-over (or whenever I get another one). I'm pretty disappointed in how the coating has been holding up, and I didn't even have it with my keys. I had a fob with another ring on it connected to the knife, and now the edges on the lanyard side are noticeably scuffed up after only having done this for maybe a week or two.

Now I always stick it in its own pocket. Slightly annoying, especially since the colors look so darn good.
 
My Soldier (red) took a beating on the finish, carried with pocket change and such. But the knife itself is solid as heck after 10 years of edc.
 
I'm pretty sure the gray alox ones are also a coating, but I have to look pretty close at mine to tell what's chipped and what isn't. I think it'll just look a little shinier when the coating is worn off. I keep my gray Alox Classic on my key-chain and don't worry about it.
 
I have both a red Farmer and a silver Soldier, both about a year old. Both I EDC, with the Soldier getting more duty (I don't need a saw in every day life, and find it takes less pocket space and slightly weighs less). Both are great knives.

They don't usually get carried directly exposed to keys and coins, but it happens.

The Farmer, being red, has some visible dings in it; the Soldier looks spotless--but it isn't. You have to look hard to see them but they're there. I think due to the fact it has a silver finish the dings are camouflaged.
 
I have a blue Farmer, and the color has worn pretty quickly, but I have carried it in a pocket with keys, a knife, coins, etc. so I would expect it to wear.

I like the look of a worn knife, gun, etc. so I'm fine with it.
 
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