Soldier vs. Pioneer

scars

scars

Joined
Jan 26, 2008
Messages
82
Can anybody tell me the difference between the Victorinox Soldier and the Pioneer?
 
The saw, serrated blade and phillips on the back. And the alox scales. The configuration of the tools are different and on different sections of the knife. Or do you mean the older soldier?
 
The alox Soldier doesn't have a keyring, the Pioneer does. Also Soldier blades have a year stamped on them, the Pioneers usually don't have. Sometimes they do, due to overproduction of those blades.
 
Yeah, what Harayasu said, plus the shield on the scales is different - Pioneers have standard Victorinox shield, while Soldiers and Wenger SIs have a standard Swiss military shield. So, the only functional difference is the key ring.
 
The key ring tab is uncomfortable at times when gripping the knife. If you have a choice between a Soldier and Pioneer, go for the Soldier.
 
On the other hand, the keyring allows to attach a lanyard to your knife. Personally, I prefer knives with that option. Especially the knives that I use during outdoor activities have a lanyard attached to them, so that the chance that I loose them is a bit smaller.
 
Even with the keyring being a pain in the hand once in a while, I take the pioneer over the soldier any day. I spend too much time on boats in warm weather, and the lack of a lanyard attachemnt is a deal breaker for me.

But...since I love the soldier, and need a non-pain in the hand lanyard attachment, I carry a Wenger SI as my soldier type of knife. Bail is like the one on our boy scout knives when we grew up, and is our of the way of the heel of the hand. Just have to watch how you close it, but we scouts were aware of that so it wasn't a problem.
 
Personally , I don't find the Lanyard ring to be a pain , Ergo , If I only had one - it would be the Pioneer .

Chris
 
I'd also pick the Pioneer because of the lanyard ring. And the same goes for the Farmer which only adds one thin layer to the Pioneer. Giving you the very useful and capable saw blade.
 
When in doubt, get the Pioneer or Farmer or one of the Electricians (I love the Farmer!). If you want or need to use a lanyard you're all set. If the ring bothers you, AND you can do without the lanyard, remove it for pocket carry; you can put it back on in seconds for lanyard use.
If you never need the ring and you've removed it and the tab bothers you, it grinds off pretty easily, but that is irreversible.
 
jackknife said:
But...since I love the soldier, and need a non-pain in the hand lanyard attachment, I carry a Wenger SI as my soldier type of knife. Bail is like the one on our boy scout knives when we grew up, and is our of the way of the heel of the hand. Just have to watch how you close it, but we scouts were aware of that so it wasn't a problem.
Click to expand...

That wenger is a real pain to find in Sweden even though they has representation in the country. I have wanted and serced it for years.

Bosse
 
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