The ever popular cadet, I finally pulled the trigger

Hickory n steel

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They're appealing with the attractive and durable alox handles , so I figured it was finally time to see just what I was missing out on with this ever popular model.



So what do I think about it, well honestly I don't get why they're raved about so much.
It's a nice knife and I like it, but there's something about my recruit that this knife just isn't.
I really do like it a lot, it's just that in comparison to my recruit I'd buy a it over this cadet every time.
This knife is no better in my opinion and I could get two recruits for the $33 this costed me, online I'm sure it's less but I was at the local hardware anyways and like to support them.

I'd say it's every bit as good as my recruit and does have the potential for a bit of added utility.
The one thing the recruit can't do is turn small Philips screws, the Cadet almost can but needs a slight modification to be more effective.


The nail cleaning tip I didn't need , but to be able to turn small Philips screws should be handy.
I don't much need the nail file either, but it will occasionally see use I suppose.

Im findimg that It's really easy to compare two very similar knives not taking into account all the knives I'm just happy with that are so vastly different, if I can get out of my head and realize it's okay that this similar knife doesn't compared directly to my recruit then I'll be perfectly happy with it.
 
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The nail file may be more handy than you think. I like having two blades and toothpick/tweezers which is why I have the Small Tinker. If they made a Cadet in plastic, I would own one. I'm not that crazy about alox SAKs; they look nice and all that. I have the Soldier, Pioneer, and Electrician in alox.
 
The nail file may be more handy than you think. I like having two blades and toothpick/tweezers which is why I have the Small Tinker. If they made a Cadet in plastic, I would own one. I'm not that crazy about alox SAKs; they look nice and all that. I have the Soldier, Pioneer, and Electrician in alox.

I like the pen blade too, but often carry a little knife in addition to the main choice for the week and don't use the pen blade that often anyways so I give it a pass there.

It's a matter of principal for me that I won't to pay more for a Victorinox knife and loose two functions , but I decided to cave this one time.
 
The pen blade is there for "emergency" use when for whatever reason you allowed the main blade to get dull. I actually purchased the Small Tinker the day I intended to get a Cadet. But looking at them in person, I opted for the Small Tinker. I seldom use the toothpick anymore either, but the tweezers is there for picking a splinter out that bugging the hell out of me for whatever reason.

Have to say that I really enjoy visiting the big knife store in Sevierville TN and always cruise through the SAK selection. They carry just about every model.

I don't always carry two knives. The SAK stays.
 
I had a cadet for awhile. It made a great key chain knife. I modified the nail file to act as an awl. I liked it. I let my wife barrow it at a show we were setting up for and it was pouring down rain. In all the hustle and bustle it got lost. I never got around to replacing it. Like you said the recruit is a great little knife for the price and dose just as much or more than the cadet.
 
The pen blade is there for "emergency" use when for whatever reason you allowed the main blade to get dull. I actually purchased the Small Tinker the day I intended to get a Cadet. But looking at them in person, I opted for the Small Tinker. I seldom use the toothpick anymore either, but the tweezers is there for picking a splinter out that bugging the hell out of me for whatever reason.

Have to say that I really enjoy visiting the big knife store in Sevierville TN and always cruise through the SAK selection. They carry just about every model.
I carry a permapic reusable plastic toothpick in my pocket, and the Leatherman squirt works well for splinters, but I still like having them on my Victorinox knives because that's how it should be.
 
I ended up getting an Electrician and have found the smaller sheepsfoot blade and awl are much more useful than the nail file and can opener on the Cadet.

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The advantage with the Cadet is that it offers a good tool set for suits or dress pockets in a very slim package. That is where it shines.

I suppose it could, but I'm a blue collar guy who doesn't even own a suit.
For some reason I feel like in a suit and tie environment I'd want to have a smaller secondary blade.
 
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The cost may not be justified, I just looked and I paid $37 for my electrician on-line a couple of years ago so it is a few more $$ than I remembered and probably over $40 now...
 
What is this thing called suit and tie.:D I can see the cadet would be a good knife for the office. I personally like the recruit. It is simple, modest, and here in NW Oklahoma i can get it for $13. The recruit i have has been put through the ringer and still performs great and doesn't take up that much room in the pocket.
 
The cost may not be justified, I just looked and I paid $37 for my electrician on-line a couple of years ago so it is a few more $$ than I remembered and probably over $40 now...

That is a bit high.

It seems with most Alox models there's a Cellidor model with most of the same tools plus more for similar or less money.
The lack of a T&T I can understand i suppose, but I don't get why there's no back tools.

I guess if someone has had cellidor scales break then Alox may be a big deal, but I say once those scales break it's a good opportunity to replace them with a different color of your choosing :D
 
That is a bit high.

It seems with most Alox models there's a Cellidor model with most of the same tools plus more for similar or less money.
The lack of a T&T I can understand i suppose, but I don't get why there's no back tools.
I believe I paid about that at the big knife store in Sevierville TN. But they aren't know for their bargains. I would say they are better known for their broad selection of knives and the various SAK models. I wish there was a plastic model outfitted the same as the Cadet. It would give me an excuse to get another one. However, I will be getting a spare Small Tinker on my next store visit. With SAKs that I routinely carry, I like a spare just in case. They don't go out of style. They are just about the only knife I buy a spare for.
 
I really don't understand the appeal of the Recruit. To me, the Small Tinker makes a lot more sense as it is identical to the Recruit plus adding two very useful back-side tools, i.e., a dedicated phillips screwdriver and an awl and only costs a whopping $4 more. Seems like a no-brainer to me unless you just can't afford the additional $4. :confused:
 
I really don't understand the appeal of the Recruit. To me, the Small Tinker makes a lot more sense as it is identical to the Recruit plus adding two very useful back-side tools, i.e., a dedicated phillips screwdriver and an awl and only costs a whopping $4 more. Seems like a no-brainer to me unless you just can't afford the additional $4. :confused:
Well with the T handle configuration of the Philips driver I usually just use the can opener on my Tinker anyways , and don't use the awl very often.
Because of this the the recruit has not left me wanting in any way.
If they had the 84mm on the rack next to the recruit when I bought it I'd probably have went for the mini tinker, but I'd not give my recruit up for anything these days.

I will say that the extra few dollars the 84mm tinker costs seems perfectly justified since you get two extra functions, unlike the Alox models which in my opinion don't really offer anything substantial at all for the additional cost.

There's nothing wrong with having a preferred Victorinox model, I'd say you can't go wrong with any model that suit your needs.
 
I think the appeal of the Alox models is that they feel more rugged imo. I like them. The normal SAKs feel kinda cheap with the plastic scales. While I don’t own a cadet, I do have a pioneer. Compared to a standard 91mm SAK, the blade is noticeably wider an a bit thicker, as is the bottle opener. Sure you lose the toothpick and tweezers, but they just feel more solid in the hand. I’ve probably owned over a dozen different models, but the pioneer is my go to.

But this is all just preference. If you enjoy using the recruit, then right on my friend! It’s a good knife
 
I really don't understand the appeal of the Recruit. To me, the Small Tinker makes a lot more sense as it is identical to the Recruit plus adding two very useful back-side tools, i.e., a dedicated phillips screwdriver and an awl and only costs a whopping $4 more. Seems like a no-brainer to me unless you just can't afford the additional $4. :confused:

One problem is the back side middle rivet supporting the Phillips driver is not that strong. I twisted and damaged my old tinker undoing a couple rusty license plate screws and the liner by the middle rivet deformed a good deal. This resulted in some real noticeable slop and wobble in the two backside tools. I would have been better off getting a real screw driver or just using the inner corner of the large flat screw driver/bottle opener to twist those rusty screws.

Since then, I have done some internet searching, and have found out that the middle rivet mounted driver on the tinker back side is a large Achilles heel of the SAK. It just won't take a lot of force to deform the liners in the middle when used like a T handle driver. So now I Just use the can opener or a real screw driver.
 
One problem is the back side middle rivet supporting the Phillips driver is not that strong. I twisted and damaged my old tinker undoing a couple rusty license plate screws and the liner by the middle rivet deformed a good deal. This resulted in some real noticeable slop and wobble in the two backside tools. I would have been better off getting a real screw driver or just using the inner corner of the large flat screw driver/bottle opener to twist those rusty screws.

Since then, I have done some internet searching, and have found out that the middle rivet mounted driver on the tinker back side is a large Achilles heel of the SAK. It just won't take a lot of force to deform the liners in the middle when used like a T handle driver. So now I Just use the can opener or a real screw driver.
I can see that as a problem. You can exert a lot of torque with that T-handle.
 
One problem is the back side middle rivet supporting the Phillips driver is not that strong. I twisted and damaged my old tinker undoing a couple rusty license plate screws and the liner by the middle rivet deformed a good deal. This resulted in some real noticeable slop and wobble in the two backside tools. I would have been better off getting a real screw driver or just using the inner corner of the large flat screw driver/bottle opener to twist those rusty screws.

Since then, I have done some internet searching, and have found out that the middle rivet mounted driver on the tinker back side is a large Achilles heel of the SAK. It just won't take a lot of force to deform the liners in the middle when used like a T handle driver. So now I Just use the can opener or a real screw driver.
I actually put a slight twist in my Pioneer X flathead trying to get rusty license plate screws loose, my recruit a couple years earlier. You think I'd learn by now.
 
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