Saks have changed this game for me.

[parkourdude]

Earlier this year I found Alox.... This changed everything knife related for me.


Ever since I got my first Alox, I have lost interest in pretty much all 'tactical' knives. I've also tried to 'challenge' my Farmer by pitting it against other knives that may take over the edc role. I tried all sorts of knives, only to find that another alox - the Pioneer is the only one to 'win' over my Farmer.


Now after a few months with the Pioneer, I've been trying to find something that would beat the Pioneer. I'm stuck. Absolutely nothing comes into mind.

I ordered a Spyderco Dragonfly G10, it arrived today and I am selling it today....


Has anyone been through something similar to this? Is this an effect of the AloxPox?
I feel almost as if my knife-nut journey is coming to an end. Maybe I'll go buy some more alox.... hmm...

 

[Alnamvet68]

Earlier this year I found Alox.... This changed everything knife related for me.


Ever since I got my first Alox, I have lost interest in pretty much all 'tactical' knives. I've also tried to 'challenge' my Farmer by pitting it against other knives that may take over the edc role. I tried all sorts of knives, only to find that another alox - the Pioneer is the only one to 'win' over my Farmer.


Now after a few months with the Pioneer, I've been trying to find something that would beat the Pioneer. I'm stuck. Absolutely nothing comes into mind.

I ordered a Spyderco Dragonfly G10, it arrived today and I am selling it today....


Has anyone been through something similar to this? Is this an effect of the AloxPox?
I feel almost as if my knife-nut journey is coming to an end. Maybe I'll go buy some more alox.... hmm...

As defined by the CDC, epidemiologist's, and the WHO, the Alox Pox comes in at #2 when it comes to the most historically significant and most debilitating of all chronic disease processes. While little is known of this virus, it is generally accepted that it had its origins in the Swiss Alps during the 1880's. Later, during the 1940's, US soldiers returned home with a peculiar malady which had no cure. While the early stages of the disease mimicked someone with a personality disorder, it never found its way into the DSM as a clinical diagnosis. It wasn't until 1961 when it was discovered that this relatively obscure, and apparently benign disease had morphed into a full blown epidemic, and it was then that this sickness, sometimes called the GI Blues, was given its official name, the AloxPox. While much is still unknown as to how one contracts this disease, which by the way, has absolutely no known cure, it is well documented that there are specific red flags that need to be present in order for it to be suggestive that one may be afflicted by the AloxPox... Some of those red flags are listed as follows:

* A sudden disinterest and apathy towards those knives not of Swiss origin.
* A hording of all things alox, and a documented history of multiple purchases of a unique alox knife of the same model and color.
* Numerous hours spent scouring the net for alox models that no one else has, but that you must have.
* Ridding one's collection of other traditional knives to fund and/or make room for more alox knives.

These are but just a few of the many symptoms that one will find in a victim with the AloxPox.

 

[Pandoras Pocket]

I was just recently diagnosed myself. My Farmer kicked out my native 5. I thought that was an impossible task. Now I have more alox on the way.

 

[gadgetgeek]

I got bit when I moved to australia and had to leave my griptillian and other such knives in Canada. I took my SAKs including a couple soldiers. Guess what. Not missing my grip that much, and the alox and cellidor family is growing. Oh well. a guy could have worse problems.

 

[pinnah]

Earlier this year I found Alox.... This changed everything knife related for me.


Ever since I got my first Alox, I have lost interest in pretty much all 'tactical' knives. I've also tried to 'challenge' my Farmer by pitting it against other knives that may take over the edc role. I tried all sorts of knives, only to find that another alox - the Pioneer is the only one to 'win' over my Farmer.


Now after a few months with the Pioneer, I've been trying to find something that would beat the Pioneer. I'm stuck. Absolutely nothing comes into mind.

I ordered a Spyderco Dragonfly G10, it arrived today and I am selling it today....


Has anyone been through something similar to this? Is this an effect of the AloxPox?
I feel almost as if my knife-nut journey is coming to an end. Maybe I'll go buy some more alox.... hmm...

I've taken your same approach of challenging different knives for my EDC role. But I've ended up with a different combo.

This is the combination that has won my EDC challenge for nearly 10 years now...
EDC Pair by Pinnah, on Flickr

I prefer the Opinel to any SAK or camper as a knife. I prefer it for hard cutting of wood, which I do often, as it fits my big hands better. And I prefer the long thin blade for food prep, which I also use my pocket knife for a lot. Both of these are YMMV things, obviously.

I prefer the tool selection afforded by the Micra. At this point, I could not give up the scissors, larger selection of screwdriver blades, nail file and pen blade. Again, which tools "earn their keep" on a day in, day out basis are a YMMV thing. But I find I use all of the tools on the Micra with great frequency and I can't say the same thing about any camper or SAK I've owned.

I prefer to carry two, easy to carry tools, one in each pocket, than a heavier bulkier camper style knife. I know that others prefer to carry a single tool/knife. I've tried it both ways and have had a knife similar to the Pioneer (4 blade camper, same tool combo) since I was 8. The Opinel/Micra combo has won out for me, even in terms of ease of carry.

I'm pretty hard on my knives and tools I think. I've got wrecked and wounded stuff all around. The Opinel and Micra has proven to be incredibly durable for me.

Please don't read this as an anti-SAK post. It's not. It's more an endorsement of the basic insight your experience has led you to, that a knife/tool combination is better than a knife alone. That's my experience too - even if my end pick is a bit different than yours.

 

[J Buck]

I hear ya'. I came down with SAKitis back in late March when I saw the Spartan I had given my wife for Christmas a few years ago on her nightstand. I picked it up and stuck it in my pocket. 3 days later I ordered myself one off the Net. I carried it all summer until August when I ordered a red Cadet and then a Pioneer. Oh yeah, the disease had mutated and spread! I carry either one in my pockets now..... my new "Precious". I am "NOT" a handyman, and I emphasize "NOT". But, having those few little handy blades available is just too dern cool. The Cadet has kicked all the watch pocket knives out, and with a little piece of red cord tied on I can jerk that thing out faster than Bill Hickock can draw his pistols. Oh Yeah, I got it. I understand though, that this disease is not fatal....as long as the wife is understanding.

 

[parkourdude]

Alnamvet68 - That does it! I have to pox and it's incurable... Only more alox will give me relief, for a little while anyways.


Pinnah - It's really cool how we both went on the same 'journey' and arrived at different destinations. I admire how you stuck with that set up for nearly 10 years. Has anything come close to knocking either of them out?



Glad to see I'm not the only one.

 

[pinnah]

Parkourdude,

Not really.

The big surprise for me has been the Opinel but let me start with the Micra.

Turning point for me on the Micra was about 10 years ago when a work colleague saw my Micra on a key chain and suggested that I try to pocket carry it. He showed his Wenger Classic (not sure of the model name) and talked about how much more he used it when he pocket carried it. Within the month, I was at a wedding party standing with a cold beer in my hand and no bottle opener to be found. I went inside, found my jacket where my keys were and move the Micra to my pocket.

I went through a phase where I tried to reconnect to my Ulster BSA style Camper (very much like the Pioneer) but ultimately got frustrated by it's size in my pocket, it's lack of size in my hand, the short blade and the fewer tools. I tried hard to deny that I was a 2 knife person as I thought people who carried 2 knives were freaks. Now, I guess, I'm a freak.

My search for the best pocket knife was much longer and took more experimenting. I don't like to admit this, but I was anti-Opinel because I was pretty anti-French bicycle from my days as a bike mechanic. Totally not reasonable but there you have it. I loved Buck lockbacks and tried very hard to find a Buck lockback that I could live with. But, the Opinel proved itself to be more durable, easier to carry (light) and more versatile owing to the blade shape. I do rotate a Buck 500 Duke occasionally. It's my favorite Buck for EDC. But nothing has been as easy to live with as the Opinel #9 for me. Made for my hand, I guess.

If Victorinox would make a Trekker style knife with the same tool selection as the Micra, I would find that interesting to consider. But I suspect I would just stick with the Opinel/Micra combo at this point.

 

[jackknife]

Earlier this year I found Alox.... This changed everything knife related for me.


Ever since I got my first Alox, I have lost interest in pretty much all 'tactical' knives. I've also tried to 'challenge' my Farmer by pitting it against other knives that may take over the edc role. I tried all sorts of knives, only to find that another alox - the Pioneer is the only one to 'win' over my Farmer.


Now after a few months with the Pioneer, I've been trying to find something that would beat the Pioneer. I'm stuck. Absolutely nothing comes into mind.

I ordered a Spyderco Dragonfly G10, it arrived today and I am selling it today....


Has anyone been through something similar to this? Is this an effect of the AloxPox?
I feel almost as if my knife-nut journey is coming to an end. Maybe I'll go buy some more alox.... hmm...

Yeah, in a perfect world I know what you mean. I love my old Wenger Si, and if I were a perfectly logical person, I'd never carry any other pocket knife. It has all I need in one package. Knife, scrw driver, openers, awl. And I have went for periods of time with just a SAK in my pocket with no other knife on me, and idd just fine. I still do it now and then as a SAK is my travel knife. Now the the better half is also retired, we've been spending our kids inheritance on some trips and will be in the future. When flying, I mail a SAK to myself where I'll be staying, so I'm not knife less when I get there. So far I've survived well in the wilds of Key West, the Rogue River in Oregon, The Cleveland Wilderness area in the mountains of California.

But I've always returned to the old traditional pocket knife of my youth. I don't know why, they are not near as efficient as a SAK. Won't do half what a SAK will. And in the case of alox, probably are not as rugged either. A Victorinox farmer is a great survival knife to have on you if you are not obsessed with the insane practice of battening logs. The saw blade on the farmer will go through 2 inch limbs with no problem, and if you know what you are doing, you can split wood with a saw by sawing halfway through and banging it on a tree or ground. Plenty of videos on youtube fro that.

For the wilds of American suburbia, a pioneer is a great edc pocket knife. I can't count how many times I've been aboe to fix things by just being able to remove some phillips screws and getting into it to fiddle around. And not all cans have pull tabs on them. The awl makes a great small drill for starter holes for wood screws or mollybolts. The screw driver/bottle opener tool makes a great small putty knife for prying open a can of plastic wood and filling a hole a deranged woodpecker made in the deck rail.

But it's not a perfect world for me. I like something the SAK's can't give, and I'm not really sure how to even describe it. It's like everything else, it all depends on what you're looking for. :Like motorcycles. Everyone knows the Japanese own the industry for both quality and performance. My most perfect motorcycle was a Honda CB750. It never broke down, never had a problem. Put gas in it, change the oil now and then and it ran till doomsday. But it wasn't the favorite motorcycle I ever owned. That was the old BMW R60 I brought back from when I was stationed in Germany. Far from the perfect machine the Germans would have us believe, it was a bit quirky, and had a few issues. But I loved it more than any other motorcycle I ever owned. It had a feel. Like the old Colt 1911A1 vs a Glock. The Glock is a very modern pistol, perfect example of reliability, ease of take down, 17 round magazine capacity. My better half even had one for a few years. But I never could bond with it, and my choice of auto pistol will always be the heavier somewhat clunky 1911 design. John Browning's genius at his finest hour.

Very often I find myself torn between my old Wenger Si and my Northwoods stockman. I love the sheer utility of the Wenger, but when I carry it, I miss the feel of the cocobolo wood scales and the looks of the soft try patina of the carbon steel blades of the Northwoods. So sometimes I do the ridiculous. I carry both. I need two knives in my pocket like Sofia Loren needed bigger boobs. But what the hey. I guess we're a bit of a split personality person.

 

[powernoodle]

I guess we're a bit of a split personality person.

Yes. For many of us, half of our brain seeks the utility of a SAK, knife or MT. The other half of the brain wants to feel good - with cocobolo, patina, etc. Some of us fall closer to one end of the scale or the other. If you are a pure utility guy, then titanium and bling are ridiculous. The "feel good" guys can't fathom carrying a plastic, boring SAK instead of an old stockman. Lord Nutnfancy addressed this duality with his "first kind of cool" (utility) and "second kind of cool" (enjoyment and feeling good). I think you are right that most of us exhibit a little of both attributes.

 

[pinnah]

Yes. For many of us, half of our brain seeks the utility of a SAK, knife or MT. The other half of the brain wants to feel good - with cocobolo, patina, etc. Some of us fall closer to one end of the scale or the other. If you are a pure utility guy, then titanium and bling are ridiculous. The "feel good" guys can't fathom carrying a plastic, boring SAK instead of an old stockman. Lord Nutnfancy addressed this duality with his "first kind of cool" (utility) and "second kind of cool" (enjoyment and feeling good). I think you are right that most of us exhibit a little of both attributes.

My Opinel/Micra combo handles this duality for me. Since Carl brought up a motorcycle analogy, my bike is a 70's vintage Trek hand-brazed steel frame (Ishawata 022) with a modern Shimano drive train. Brooks saddle and modern pedals. So yeah, I get the duality thing.

 

[Alnamvet68]

Alnamvet68 - That does it! I have to pox and it's incurable... Only more alox will give me relief, for a little while anyways.


Pinnah - It's really cool how we both went on the same 'journey' and arrived at different destinations. I admire how you stuck with that set up for nearly 10 years. Has anything come close to knocking either of them out?



Glad to see I'm not the only one.

That you do parkourdude, and don't let any of the naysayers tell you different.:thumbup:

 

[Pandoras Pocket]

I used to pocket carry a micra for years. GREAT little tool until I lost it. Then I tried a Squirt ps4. It wasn't bad and the little pliers are really nice to have on hand. I don't know if it's just because I'm new to vics right now but they just seem to have more character to me and the quality is fantastic. I'm also a fan of Case knives they are fun to collect but QC seems lackluster now a days. Never had an Opinel but I've heard nothing but great things and have been eyeing them for sometime.

 

[sir_mike]

I like the idea of the Opinel and Micra setup and I can see that is would work great! I had an Opinel for a very short time and gave it away in a forum PIF thread before I could even play with it! Some time I should try another one or possibly the Rat 1 folder as it seems similar in size to the Opinel.

My daily carry is a sak Manager and a Spyderco Salt 1, which seems to work for me. I dont like to carry alot of stuff on me.

 

[Capt. Spaulding]

I know how you feel. I caught the alox sickness years ago and while my collection has been going a different route at the moment I still have the same love for alox as I always have. It is quite amazing how many people get hooked on alox by simply buying a farmer, Pioneer, or Cadet. Once you actually handle one its a "game changer" as you said. Victorinox, in my opinion, is the perfect example of quality in fit and finish for a mass produced knife every other company should strive to match. As of late I have been less than impressed with the quality of other brands including Spyderco and Benchmade and actually have the thought of hoping I do not get a knife with quality control issues when ordering and recently have been. This is never even a thought when buying a Victorinox.

 

[collim1]

I have a Farmer and and a Bantam. The farmer has proven to be incredibly useful and capable. The Bantam not so much. It's a handsome little knife but I would never leave the house with it as my only knife.

The Farmer is my normal daily carry and most day the only knife I have on me.

 

[Capt. Spaulding]

I have a Farmer and and a Bantam. The farmer has proven to be incredibly useful and capable. The Bantam not so much. It's a handsome little knife but I would never leave the house with it as my only knife.

The Farmer is my normal daily carry and most day the only knife I have on me.

Is it because of the lack of tools or the thin size?

 

[mg357]

I have carried many different knives you name a knife model I have probably carried it at one point, but the minute I started carrying a Swiss Army Knife, that was it. I have retired all my other carry knives and carry only a Swiss Army Knife.

 

[parkourdude]

I have carried many different knives you name a knife model I have probably carried it at one point, but the minute I started carrying a Swiss Army Knife, that was it. I have retired all my other carry knives and carry only a Swiss Army Knife.

Which one do you carry most?

 

[jackknife]

Is it because of the lack of tools or the thin size?

I had an alox bantam, and I let it go down the road. It was a combination of both too thin, and not enough tools. I loved the combo tool for a while, but a fgew times it proved too thin as well, and bent a bit. For hardly any more money and a little thickness that makes for a better grip, the cellidor recruit or the alox cadet is a much more workable pocket knife. The pioneer even better still.