Can you think of any other knife company that has diversified into luggage and perfume? Victorinox is a branding based consumer product company.]
What's wrong about diversifying ? Many companies do that to secure or increase income. You sound as if Victorinox was a luggage / perfume company diversifying into pocket knives. It's the opposite : Victorinox tries to diversify into luxury products because in the first place (and for almost a century) they built up a huge reputation for high quality pocket knives at a very reasonable price. Consider their whole offering and don't get obsessed with this Hunter model. You saying it's only a branding operation is beyond ridiculous. You push aside a century of experience in pocket knife production and a consistent increase in quality over this period of time.
[pinnah : This Hunter Pro costs what? About $90 US and for that you get pinned construction and Victorinox's soft (56RC) steel?] Yes, I wouldn't buy it either but mostly because of the low scandi grind. This looks stupid to me (going with the bushcraft trend ? If I need such a strong blade I will use a fixed (and much thinner) blade. More versatile and better use, but that's just me. Now, pinned construction ? Really ? You realize very expensive (and much higher quality than Victorinox) traditionals are still pinned construction ? Now, soft steel... I don't believe 420HC can be run at much higher hardness, whatever the heat treat. A little bit maybe, but not worlds apart.
[pinnah : Heck, you can get a basic Buck Spitfire with similar steel but better heat treat for less than $40 and you can get one with S30V steel for less than $60. Honestly, I'm not seeing any "value" on this Victorinox knife. Just a price inflated by the brand name. Great example of premium pricing strategy, as it in must be good because it's expensive.]
S30V is not a better steel, it's a different steel with longer lasting cutting edge abilities. 420HC is soft but easy to get a fine razor edge on and its edge holding ability is plenty enough for a folder. I got lots of Case folders and a Buck and a Condor (fixed blades) in 420HC : I like these knives and their steel. You see no value in Victorinox ? The "value" here would be the fit & finish and maybe the lifelong warranty. Does Victorinox bank on its reputation ? Probably, as does any brand which has managed to build up a name. I lusted after their 100th anniversary Army Knife but couldn't believe the price. It was beyond ridiculous. Must be good because it's expensive ? Victorinox is no example for that : almost all their products are sold at a very low price considering their quality (and the diversity of the offer).
[pinnah : Good marketers and product managers will recognize "fit and finish" as a feature that helps with the product demo/evaluation phase of the sales cycle. Victorinox tools look awesome because they are shiny and super polished. In practice however, the over-polished tools have rounded edges and as a result, their screw-drivers are more likely to strip screws. IMO, they are the Buick of the knife world. Pretty, but still a Chevy.]
Again, no ! Fit & finish shows the care a brand puts into delivering a high-end product. Victorinox knives and tools maybe shiny and polished but they are tight, clean and with no play. And their pinned construction lasts for decades... So, while they look good, they perform even better. Screwdrivers ? You might have a point but I don't care much about them : in a car emergency I've always found a multitool (whatever brand) to be too bulky to fiddle around an engine. Much better to have a little toolbox in the trunk with the relevant tools. In some rare situations where I had to tighten or loosen a screw or nut, and had only the Super Champion at hand, it turned out to do the job. No slipping / stripping due to the high polish. But I may be biased : I always liked Facom and Snap-On tools... Talk about high polish ! You seem to reduce Fit & Finish to a marketing asset. That's pretty silly.
You don't like this Hunter ? Don't buy it. I won't either. But don't rationalize your point with a structured argument that eventually just boils down to a general dislike and hate of the whole brand. Try their perfumes, perhaps ? They might win you over !
