Today's review is for the Victorinox Gardener, model number 53567. This is a single-bladed slipjoint, with no keyring, toothpick, or tweezers. It costs about $10 in stores, and has the quality you've come to expect from Victorinox. Here we go with the details...
Handle Specifications and Impressions: The Gardener's handle is 4" long, and .4" thick. The liners and backspring are stainless steel, while the handle scales are red nylon. There are three brass pins holding the scales on. The left scale has the traditional Victorinox logo in gold, while the right scale is blank. The handle doesn't have a lanyard hole, but it's still easy to locate in the pocket. The handle is large enough for a four-finger grip while you work. There is no lock; this is a slipjoint. The blade opens and stays open very safely, however. It won't disengage unless you're trying. The nylon doesn't irritate your hand, and doesn't feel hard enough to make cutting painful. This is one of those "I could work for a few hours with this knife" type.
Blade Specifications and Impressions: This is a relatively small blade; 2.6" long with a 2.2" cutting edge. It's one-sixteenth of an inch thick. Steel is Victorinox' standard stainless steel. The blade shape is a sheepsfoot, and is sharpened on one side only. I haven't seen this in a Victorinox before, but it works quite well. The left side of the blade has a nail nick and VICTORINOX above SWITZERLAND above STAINLESS above ROSTFREI on the tang, while the right side of the blade is completely blank. The blade came out of the box extremely sharp, and required no stropping. After maybe half a day of cutting flowers, my wife reported that a quick touch-up on the ceramic was necessary. This is a very well-designed knife, considering what it was made for. It also makes a good whittling knife, but it will dull a bit quicker on wood. Still, resharpening is quick and painless.
For $10, this is a really nice knife. Even if this were more expensive, maybe $20, it would still be a really good buy. Use it for whittling or for cutting flowers, or stick it in your pocket for a nice everyday slipjoint that won't scare the sheeple.
Handle Specifications and Impressions: The Gardener's handle is 4" long, and .4" thick. The liners and backspring are stainless steel, while the handle scales are red nylon. There are three brass pins holding the scales on. The left scale has the traditional Victorinox logo in gold, while the right scale is blank. The handle doesn't have a lanyard hole, but it's still easy to locate in the pocket. The handle is large enough for a four-finger grip while you work. There is no lock; this is a slipjoint. The blade opens and stays open very safely, however. It won't disengage unless you're trying. The nylon doesn't irritate your hand, and doesn't feel hard enough to make cutting painful. This is one of those "I could work for a few hours with this knife" type.
Blade Specifications and Impressions: This is a relatively small blade; 2.6" long with a 2.2" cutting edge. It's one-sixteenth of an inch thick. Steel is Victorinox' standard stainless steel. The blade shape is a sheepsfoot, and is sharpened on one side only. I haven't seen this in a Victorinox before, but it works quite well. The left side of the blade has a nail nick and VICTORINOX above SWITZERLAND above STAINLESS above ROSTFREI on the tang, while the right side of the blade is completely blank. The blade came out of the box extremely sharp, and required no stropping. After maybe half a day of cutting flowers, my wife reported that a quick touch-up on the ceramic was necessary. This is a very well-designed knife, considering what it was made for. It also makes a good whittling knife, but it will dull a bit quicker on wood. Still, resharpening is quick and painless.
For $10, this is a really nice knife. Even if this were more expensive, maybe $20, it would still be a really good buy. Use it for whittling or for cutting flowers, or stick it in your pocket for a nice everyday slipjoint that won't scare the sheeple.
