Swiss Army Alox?

knarfeng said:
Alas and alack, I cannot give them up. I have looked at Alox covered knives dozens of times with my mouse hovering over the BUY button. But then I see the solid ends with no toothpick and no tweezers. And my mouse moves away. Tweezers are a nice-to-have. Toothpick is a gotta-have.
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Frank!!!


What do you need a flimsy plastic toothpick when you have the wonderful awl on the Alox?
 
I find the Pioneer or the Farmer to be excellent robust field knives
Very similar to the US Demo or the older Camper/Scout knives
And they are much stronger than the red handled knives, both the main blade and the bottle opener as a pry, and the awl is very sharp and makes an excellent scraper for fire sticks
 
Honestly, for the price and the relatively minimal thickness increase compared to the Pioneer.... I say go ahead and get the Farmer.

Now, if they were to stick scissors on a Cadet or Pioneer..... that would make the decision a little harder.
 
Tom,

I prefer the Alox versions the regular plastic versions over miles. They are much nicer looking and much sturdier than the plastic ones. The other thing is that the slightly broader blade is really great.

For EDC tasks, I would recommend the Cadet or the Pioneer. For outdoor-tours I´d recommend the Farmer, too.

As Woodrow mentioned above - scissors are a little a special term. As far as I know there are no serial production runs of patterns with scissors available.
 
Yes, I have been very impressed with the Alox handled knives. I have the Woodsman, Piobeer Solo & Bantam.

Foolishly let my red alox Farmer go a good while back, now they carry a more premium price. That said, the plain Alox versions doesn't suffer from colour wear.


neeman said:
Frank!!!


What do you need a flimsy plastic toothpick when you have the wonderful awl on the Alox?
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He probably enjoys his teeth enamel.

Surely you could just whittle a toothpick though?

I do use them on my standard models, but I find these tools have their limitations.

The toothpick always loosens. I just tuck a spare on one in my wallet, for the times I don't have my SAK with me.

The tweezers from the SAKs are a bit weak, and they don't even make a very food screwdriver for tightening my spectacles. I carry a pair of Uncle Sam's Sliver Grippers on my key ring instead.


Humppa said:
As Woodrow mentioned above - scissors are a little a special term. As far as I know there are no serial production runs of patterns with scissors available.
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Apart from the Classic, unfortunately not. But then I find I can get by with a blade. Adapt and overcome ;)
 
I just regard the Alox as the tougher option, no worries about dropping them or scratching. I find they grip better in the hand than the Red ones for that matter.An Alox Farmer lives full time in my work/day bag. Another resides in the kitchen drawer.

Scruff, I've thought about the coloured versions of Alox, Green and Gold particularly.....but I don't like the idea of the colour just scratching off leaving some mottled appearance. That's why I've never bothered, no such worries with the standard Alox. Colours do look good, new though.....
 
Humppa said:
Tom,

I prefer the Alox versions the regular plastic versions over miles. They are much nicer looking and much sturdier than the plastic ones. The other thing is that the slightly broader blade is really great.

For EDC tasks, I would recommend the Cadet or the Pioneer. For outdoor-tours I´d recommend the Farmer, too.

As Woodrow mentioned above - scissors are a little a special term. As far as I know there are no serial production runs of patterns with scissors available.
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We have someone on this board who adds them... he even does hard anodized coatings. Pretty sweet work that I haven't pulled the trigger on yet, but I'd like to: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...II-Alox-and-Ti-conversions-Pic-Heavy-examples
 
Woodrow F Call said:
We have someone on this board who adds them... he even does hard anodized coatings. Pretty sweet work that I haven't pulled the trigger on yet, but I'd like to: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...II-Alox-and-Ti-conversions-Pic-Heavy-examples
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Thanks Woodrow. I´ve already seen pics of his work and I know him as a member of this board, but I haven´t seen so much of his work in pics... thanks for the link :) His constructions and the anodizing jobs are really great looking.

But what I meant above was, that directly from the factory no alox versions with scissors are available (except the Classic).
 
Alox is slim, well-made and aesthetically appealing. But I still prefer the cellidor (original plastic) scales for the sake of utility, because you can add tweezers, toothpick, pen and pin. Plus, the array of tools is superior with plastic scales. But its good to have choices. I'm also a little bit of a fanatic about having a true 3D phillips with long shank, and you don't get that with Alox. But the thin profile and bulletproof construction of Alox make it the choice for many folks.



Translucent Ruby.



 
I like both, but I tend to carry an Alox Pioneer at work. The stiffer construction definitely comes in handy now and then, when I find the need to pry something. One nice thing about the cellidor models is the springs tend to be a little lighter, which can be handy when my hands are wet. I find the blades on the Alox models get a little harder to open after I've been carrying it for a couple of days.

Here's a couple pics of my Pioneer. This is what it looks like after nearly daily carry and use for 6 years.

DSCN3375.JPG


DSCN3374.JPG
 
I prefer the alox as well, for all the above mentioned reasons (red alox with old style white cross and brass liners is the best of the various different styles). I believe the line is being discontinued by Victorinox, I'm not sure though. Shame, many were hoping they would expand the line to include a model with scissors. Luckily there are some great modders around who can help realize some of these wishes.
 
I prefer the alox over the plastic. Just feel better to me. If the handle dye wearing off will bother you, don't get one. I have a well used blue alox Farmer, that has some hints of blue left in it.
 
I have mixed feeling about the Alox models. I find them more robust and really like the inline awl. I wish more models still came with a second blade in place of the can opener. Thought I'm not a fan of the appearance of the red plastic handles on the standard models I don't particularly care for the look of the Alox scales (contrary to most of the preferences expressed here). My solution? I had a local knifemaker/repairman replace the Alox with stainless slabs. This makes the knife a bit heavier but, in my opinion, better looking. The man did an excellent job with fine fit and finish. The cost was $60 each with me supplying the knife.
 
I like Alox far better than the plastic, but it is strictly personal preference.

Ed J
 
I own a SAK pioneer and a Standard Issue (wenger) and a cadet. I removed the key ring and grinned down the left over. It is a great feel, and size, the weight is not really larger than any other scout knife (2.5 oz). Alox is great, i just wish they found a way to put a corkscrew on one of them. A knife like the Spartan with metal scales would be perfect.
 
buckthorn said:
I have mixed feeling about the Alox models. I find them more robust and really like the inline awl. I wish more models still came with a second blade in place of the can opener. Thought I'm not a fan of the appearance of the red plastic handles on the standard models I don't particularly care for the look of the Alox scales (contrary to most of the preferences expressed here). My solution? I had a local knifemaker/repairman replace the Alox with stainless slabs. This makes the knife a bit heavier but, in my opinion, better looking. The man did an excellent job with fine fit and finish. The cost was $60 each with me supplying the knife.
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Could you post pictures?

I too prefer the Alox. I have a red cadet that's my EDC right now and I love the look of the scales.
 
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