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Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
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Soldier/SI
- Thread starter embeth
- Start date
Having had the Wenger SI, the Vic Soldier and the Pioneer I can say I'd be happy to carry any of them.
Put a gun to my head and say 'pick one' then I'd have to say the Pioneer.
It's not as comfortable to hold as the Soldier but sometimes you really need to have a lanyard on your knife, and you can't do that with the Soldier. The Wenger SI, though it has a bail, is let down in that the bail can nick the blade if you're not careful and it's not set very deep in to the scales. I had one end of a SI bail come out after my lanyard got caught up once. It was still hanging on pretty tight to the scales so I doubt I'd have lost the knife but it did make me think.
Having quite a few of these knives I've noticed that some have the crink in the blade some don't, even within the same make/model. I prefer those without the crink in the blade. Some seem to me to have a better heat treat of the blade, of the one's I own the Vic's seem to be harder which I prefer. Walk, talk, fit and finish, is excellent on all the ones I own.
You can't go wrong buying any of these knives. They are among the best pocket knives ever made in my opinion. That's the bottom line.
Put a gun to my head and say 'pick one' then I'd have to say the Pioneer.
It's not as comfortable to hold as the Soldier but sometimes you really need to have a lanyard on your knife, and you can't do that with the Soldier. The Wenger SI, though it has a bail, is let down in that the bail can nick the blade if you're not careful and it's not set very deep in to the scales. I had one end of a SI bail come out after my lanyard got caught up once. It was still hanging on pretty tight to the scales so I doubt I'd have lost the knife but it did make me think.
Having quite a few of these knives I've noticed that some have the crink in the blade some don't, even within the same make/model. I prefer those without the crink in the blade. Some seem to me to have a better heat treat of the blade, of the one's I own the Vic's seem to be harder which I prefer. Walk, talk, fit and finish, is excellent on all the ones I own.
You can't go wrong buying any of these knives. They are among the best pocket knives ever made in my opinion. That's the bottom line.
Well said.
Yeah, it can't be said much better than that.:thumbup::thumbup:
For me, not having a way to attach a lanyard is a deal breaker. Growing up on or near the water, I still spend a great deal of time around boats from April to later October. I once lost a knife overboard because it had no lanyard and no way to attach one. I don't like making the same mistake twice. So for me, the soldier is not even in the running, hence my love of the Wenger SI.
The bail does not bother me. Having grown up with the standard scout knife as well as surplus TL-29's, a scout pattern without a bail looks to me like a motorcycle without saddle bags, or a pickup without a cap on the back. Something missing. The Wenger bail is a pretty strong spring in it;s holes, and won't come out easiely, but it it worries you, just take it off and put a nylon cord through it. I've used the inner cord from a piece of military 550 cord. Very strong and light.
Any of those knives will last you the rest of your life.:thumbup:
Carl.
The newer Wenger SI's without dates will have the same high quality fit and finish. The only reason the date has been removed is the contract with the military which requires a date code no longer exists with Wenger. Therefore its the same knife now built for the civilian market.
I have compared a 2005 SI with one of the newer undated models and I can see no difference at all in shape, finish, thickness, or materials.