SAK Farmer vs Pioneer/Harvester

michaelm466

michaelm466

Joined
Mar 5, 2009
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I have a Vic Swisschamp and Swisstool X, but have been looking to get a thinner, lighter Vic for EDC and camping, I narrowed it down to the OHT and the Farmer at first and decided the OHT was too big and I don't really care for chisel grind blades, but I just recently discovered the harvester and the extra curved blade seems like it might be more useful than the can opener/small screwdriver of the Farmer, for those of you that have both or the Farmer (I know it's very popular here as an EDC) How often do you actually use the can opener/sm screwdriver? Also would the small blade be worth the trade off for carving/making traps etc?
 
michaelm466 said:
I have a Vic Swisschamp and Swisstool X, but have been looking to get a thinner, lighter Vic for EDC and camping, I narrowed it down to the OHT and the Farmer at first and decided the OHT was too big and I don't really care for chisel grind blades, but I just recently discovered the harvester and the extra curved blade seems like it might be more useful than the can opener/small screwdriver of the Farmer, for those of you that have both or the Farmer (I know it's very popular here as an EDC) How often do you actually use the can opener/sm screwdriver? Also would the small blade be worth the trade off for carving/making traps etc?
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I have both and prefer the Alox Farmer. I actually open my soup cans at home with it. The opener/screwdriver tool options can become very handy when you need a improvised tool.
 
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I use the small screwdriver a bunch on my Farmer. I certainly could get away with not having the can opener though. The curved pruning blade looks very handy on the Harvester. Wish I could help more.. I guess you'll have to get both and report back. :thumbup:
 
As a bachelor I'd be lost without the SAK can-opener!
lol!
So i'd choose the Farmer or the Pioneer.
For me the bottle-opener almost never gets used.
I'd like the Harvester IF it ditched the bottle-opener and replaced it with the combo-tool like on the Vic Compact (does the job of bottle-opener and can-opener).
Actually as much as i love my Swisstool X i haven't touched it since i got my Vic Spirit.
The Spirit is the one constant in my EDC battery.
 
The farmer is great, I use that can opener plenty, it's the only one I have in my apartment now. :)

Also check out the alox cadet as an edc, excellent size:utility ratio.
 
Another vote for the farmer. I think the can opener is a very useful aspect. While the pruning blade does serve a specific pupose I think it would be redundent on a knife this size. Most of the time when I go camping I bring alot canned foods like beans, stew, or soup. So the can opener is a definate bonus for me. besides the small screw driver also works for some philips head screws.
 
I have no need for a can opener in the woods, so I carry the PH. There's also a model (Electrician Plus?) with a sheepsfoot instead of the hawkbill, which is better for carving if that's your thing.


I have to agree that I'd like the combo instead of the plain cap lifter on these knives, though.
 
I almost never bring canned food with me in the woods so for me a can opener isn't tremendously necessary. But I'm a bit of a sharpening obsessive type and sharpened the heck out of the can opener on my farmer and now it is useful as a carving tool :D I've also used the can opener a few times as a hook to lift a pot off of a fire by hooking it under the bale.
 
I am another for the Farmer, the Pioneer Harvester would be an ideal woods knife if they replaced the caplifter with the can opener.

I don't often bring cans into the woods but I have used the can opener to cut cans I have found to make improvised stoves, candle lanterns and other things in the woods. its a useful tool that can keep you from dulling or ruining a blade.
 
I love the farmer but really don't have much use for the can opener or bottle opener - at least not in the woods. So the harvester is nice for its extra blade but you've still got the bottle opener. I had Scibeer slim down a farmer for me, removing the can opener and bottle opener - it's awesome and is my EDC. I don't think he does SAK mods anymore which is too bad.

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akennedy73 said:
I love the farmer but really don't have much use for the can opener or bottle opener - at least not in the woods. So the harvester is nice for its extra blade but you've still got the bottle opener. I had Scibeer slim down a farmer for me, removing the can opener and bottle opener - it's awesome and is my EDC. I don't think he does SAK mods anymore which is too bad.

IMG_2168.jpg


IMG_2164.jpg
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This is actually known as a Woodsman, Scibeer built mine to replace my Orginial Vic Woodsman. To me it is about as prefect combo as you can get for a woods SAK. Saw, Main blade, and awl. Very thin.

I also have a Alox Lumberjack which is thinner and it is a 84mm which stays on my keys. Has the combo tool instead of the Awl.

The Harvester and the Farmer are both great SAKs, I use mine all the time.
 
MrCoffee said:
This is actually known as a Woodsman, Scibeer built mine to replace my Orginial Vic Woodsman. To me it is about as prefect combo as you can get for a woods SAK.
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very cool - I had no idea it was an old model. yeah, I agree it's the perfect SAK.
 
The orginial Woodsman had no Awl, just the blade and saw, in Alox. It was also known as a Pioneer Range according to smartknives.com, but I have always seen it refered to as a Woodsman.
 
Definitely think you are on the right track choosing one of the alox saks.

I personally have never needed the saw on my Farmer. I used to carry a Soldier model and in my experience it's an excellent pocket knife, woods and city carry. These days I edc a black alox Pioneer...same knife as the Soldier but with a lanyard ring. In the woods I carry the Farmer but only because I have two of them in different colors sitting in my drawer, not because of the saw! I do notice the difference in thickness between the two knives in my pocket. I'd rather carry the the thinner Pioneer.

In the woods if you pair it with a larger knife you won't need the saw. Anything that a saw that size can handle, a larger knife such as 7" Kabar will do with much less effort and greater speed.

Collecter
 
collecter said:
Anything that a saw that size can handle, a larger knife such as 7" Kabar will do with much less effort and greater speed.

Collecter
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I would have to disagree with this statement. While a 7" knife could effectively hack through tree branches of equal size, the saw provides you with more precise cutting and more control over the item you are cutting with less fatigue. Besides the saw on the farmer is takes up quite a bit less room than a 7" Kabar, making it much more pocketable, which makes it much more likely to be on your person when you need it.
 
cb4life_30 said:
I would have to disagree with this statement. While a 7" knife could effectively hack through tree branches of equal size, the saw provides you with more precise cutting and more control over the item you are cutting with less fatigue. Besides the saw on the farmer is takes up quite a bit less room than a 7" Kabar, making it much more pocketable, which makes it much more likely to be on your person when you need it.
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Ditto.
:thumbup:
 
I'll add my vote for a Farmer, mine gets lots of use for campcraft stuff. The main blade isn't so big that you'd miss the pen blade, and the awl also doubles as a small blade for those narrow spaces. As has already been said, the saw is good for precise cuts, and while I've only needed the can opener once while camping (cans o' cobbler fixins and a loaner Dutch oven were a contest prize one time), it gets plenty of use at home. There's lots of times I wish I'd had a Farmer while back in Scouts, that saw adds lots of value for just one more layer over the Soldier/Pioneer.

(And while I'm lusting after that Woodsman, I realize it's just a duplicate of my Farmer sans openers, which I still want on a SAK.)

Matt in Tx
 
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