Firstly thanks to the regulars who were patient and answered my questions on my previous postings.
A few months back I went into a Victorinox store to have a look. Ended up with a backpack and some cologne on sale, there was some kind of promo where I ended up with a couple of coupons (12usd discount for every 40usd purchase) for having spent a certain amount. I didn't really have anything else that I needed, I already had a Spartan from when I was 12 or 13 and and a Work Champ from a few years after that so I wasn't really thinking about knives. Not wanting the coupons to go to waste, I had another look at the knives and decided I would spend them on the special "newer" models, new to me as I never really spent much time looking at their knives and was only mostly familiar with the 91mm models. I've had a few 58mm ones that I bought from markets but other than that I never felt the need for buying anymore knives.
I ended up with an Evowood 14 and an Alox Minichamp. The wood was great but didn't feel as robust to me as the plastic and I was worried about ruining the finish. I didn't want to use it but I also didn't want to replace it. Also I felt the minichamp was a bit heavy for a keychain knife and there were tools I didn't need on it so I replaced it with an Alox Classic. I ended up also buying an Evo S18 because for some reason I wanted something compact with a locking blade and the yellow scales really appealed to me. I also got a Manager. The last couple of years I'd had a signature and a rambler, one I gave away and the other got confiscated at an airport so the Manager made sense. I had also intended on getting a larger Alox model, a Pioneer or maybe a Farmer but they seemed quite large. I ended up also getting a smaller Cadet.
Initially I quite happy but noticed what I though were QC control issue and the variances I got from. For instance with the wood models, the scales on some did not match I had to sort through different ones before I found one I was satisfied with. The manager came with dirty, scratched scales, the one I ended up with at first had a very rough grinding sensation when opening one of the tools. Thankfully the replacement had clean scales, scratch free and less of a grinding sensation when opening. The Evo S18 main knife had varying amounts of play in the locked position when compared to others. It also had a very strong grinding sensation when opening and closing it so I waited for a different one before buying. Some of the rubber grip had markings or indentations, a purely cosmetic thing that bothered me, not something I expected from a new knife from the factory. Also, the rear screwdriver had a bit of left/right movement in the closed position, something I noticed varied from one knife to anther. Rough edges on the thing holding the keychain on the Cadet. A few other minor things that did not really line up with my expectations of the QC I've known from this brand and also from my limited experience with having two of their knives previously. None of them were dealbreakers or affected the knives purpose and performance but did cause me to question their QC which is why I ended up with so many posts.
It's been a few weeks now and I've over my initial worries about the QC. I'm very happy with them despite not having much use for them other than the Alox classic which is now my main keychain knife. The S18 sits in my desk drawer, I really don't have much use for it. The nail file is what gets used more than any other tool. Also, something I known about from watching the reviews, the locking mechanism does get in the way of the scissors so I find I reach for my Work Champ more often when scissors are needed at my desk.
Still I find myself thinking about getting more knives, maybe the Evo 14 or S14, Pioneer Alox, Hunter, Swisstool etc... despite not having any use for them. I live in the city, I'm not an outdoorsy guy, no firewood to saw into smaller pieces or any need for setting up shelter in the wild or prepping raw fish or rabbits or any of that, but I probably will end up with more just to keep around and handy if I happen to run out of gift ideas for people. At least that's what I tell myself to justify more intended purchases.
Anyway here are some pics.
New knives
Next to my old ones
The Evo has the thinnest blades also quite bendy compared to the others.
The shapes are different between the Cadet and the Evogrip but the length is the same.
Gap on the insides. Also the scales on this model stick out a bit beyond the metal end layers. I find it annoying because the edges are quite sharp and it catches on the skin of your palm or fingers when handling the knife. The Evowood scales don't extend as far beyond as on this particular model.
Aloxxx
A few months back I went into a Victorinox store to have a look. Ended up with a backpack and some cologne on sale, there was some kind of promo where I ended up with a couple of coupons (12usd discount for every 40usd purchase) for having spent a certain amount. I didn't really have anything else that I needed, I already had a Spartan from when I was 12 or 13 and and a Work Champ from a few years after that so I wasn't really thinking about knives. Not wanting the coupons to go to waste, I had another look at the knives and decided I would spend them on the special "newer" models, new to me as I never really spent much time looking at their knives and was only mostly familiar with the 91mm models. I've had a few 58mm ones that I bought from markets but other than that I never felt the need for buying anymore knives.
I ended up with an Evowood 14 and an Alox Minichamp. The wood was great but didn't feel as robust to me as the plastic and I was worried about ruining the finish. I didn't want to use it but I also didn't want to replace it. Also I felt the minichamp was a bit heavy for a keychain knife and there were tools I didn't need on it so I replaced it with an Alox Classic. I ended up also buying an Evo S18 because for some reason I wanted something compact with a locking blade and the yellow scales really appealed to me. I also got a Manager. The last couple of years I'd had a signature and a rambler, one I gave away and the other got confiscated at an airport so the Manager made sense. I had also intended on getting a larger Alox model, a Pioneer or maybe a Farmer but they seemed quite large. I ended up also getting a smaller Cadet.
Initially I quite happy but noticed what I though were QC control issue and the variances I got from. For instance with the wood models, the scales on some did not match I had to sort through different ones before I found one I was satisfied with. The manager came with dirty, scratched scales, the one I ended up with at first had a very rough grinding sensation when opening one of the tools. Thankfully the replacement had clean scales, scratch free and less of a grinding sensation when opening. The Evo S18 main knife had varying amounts of play in the locked position when compared to others. It also had a very strong grinding sensation when opening and closing it so I waited for a different one before buying. Some of the rubber grip had markings or indentations, a purely cosmetic thing that bothered me, not something I expected from a new knife from the factory. Also, the rear screwdriver had a bit of left/right movement in the closed position, something I noticed varied from one knife to anther. Rough edges on the thing holding the keychain on the Cadet. A few other minor things that did not really line up with my expectations of the QC I've known from this brand and also from my limited experience with having two of their knives previously. None of them were dealbreakers or affected the knives purpose and performance but did cause me to question their QC which is why I ended up with so many posts.
It's been a few weeks now and I've over my initial worries about the QC. I'm very happy with them despite not having much use for them other than the Alox classic which is now my main keychain knife. The S18 sits in my desk drawer, I really don't have much use for it. The nail file is what gets used more than any other tool. Also, something I known about from watching the reviews, the locking mechanism does get in the way of the scissors so I find I reach for my Work Champ more often when scissors are needed at my desk.
Still I find myself thinking about getting more knives, maybe the Evo 14 or S14, Pioneer Alox, Hunter, Swisstool etc... despite not having any use for them. I live in the city, I'm not an outdoorsy guy, no firewood to saw into smaller pieces or any need for setting up shelter in the wild or prepping raw fish or rabbits or any of that, but I probably will end up with more just to keep around and handy if I happen to run out of gift ideas for people. At least that's what I tell myself to justify more intended purchases.
Anyway here are some pics.
New knives
Next to my old ones
The Evo has the thinnest blades also quite bendy compared to the others.
The shapes are different between the Cadet and the Evogrip but the length is the same.
Gap on the insides. Also the scales on this model stick out a bit beyond the metal end layers. I find it annoying because the edges are quite sharp and it catches on the skin of your palm or fingers when handling the knife. The Evowood scales don't extend as far beyond as on this particular model.
Aloxxx
