Vic Soldier: The knife killer

mnblade

mnblade

Joined
Feb 7, 2000
Messages
6,676
There's been some cool threads lately about sodbusters and the venerable TL-29. I kind of like the looks of both. In fact I owned a soddie junior for awhile before selling it off last week to our buddy NirreBosse. And while I have caught myself scouring a popular online auction site more than once looking for a cheap TL-29, I've never been able to pull the trigger on one.

The reason for my discontent with both?

My alox Victorinox Soldier.

Rock solid? Check.
Single, flat ground blade? Check.
Perfect size for gripping during hard use? Check.
Basic assortment of tools? Check.
Affordable. Check.
Built to work for its supper? Check.
Retro, old-school style? Check.

To me, the Soldier is everything the soddie jr. and TL-29 is -- and more.

There. I said it. :grumpy: Let the stone-throwing begin. ;)
 
I'm not gonna be chucking any stones at ya!

For a while my edc was a Wenger SI, the 'other' real issue sak. It's a great knife, rugged, effective at a wide range of tasks, and a nice pocketable size. It's still around here, and if the doc's can get my hand working good again, it will still be carried now and then.

You won't find me ever critical of any Victorinox product. In fact, it's my humble opinion, they are the yardstick that I judge other pocket knives by. Very few Vics are not smooth and well fitted. I've been a sak fan since I picked up the first one in the service when I was in my early 20's. I found it a good replacement for the clumsy MLK issue knives that broke backspprings if you looked at them hard.

The soldier is a great knife.:thumbup:
 
The Soldier is an excellent choice for edc. I carry an Alox Farmer everyday. I work in landscaping and the saw blade comes in handy.
 
Ahhh, the venerable Soldier. I have a Wenger Si, and have had a Soldier. Great knife. Virtually flawless to be honest with you, and I'm a huge fan of the scout/camp pattern. The only reason I don't carry it is it's size. The big, wide blade gets too much unwanted attention when out and about. I use the smaller, but equally useful and rugged Cadet. No awl, and thinner blades, but still a tank. I wish the Cadet was as thick as the Soldier, but it handles it's business. This is the same reason I don't carry my soddie or my old TL-29 before I gave it away to an old army vet. I find the blades are just too large for me. I like the control a smaller blade give you.
 
I love my Pioneer -its the same knife only with a lanyard hole and a different cross.

I really like how the alox Vics have a thicker blade than the plastic versions.
 
I bought my Vic Soldier for $17.00 new. How do you beat that? It will open a Hoffman box a million times and still stay tight.
 
About 30 years ago, I carried this all the time.
IMG_4231-1.jpg


Now, I usually carry this at work or a Cadet.
IMG_4133-1.jpg
 
I don't have a Soldier but I do have both a black and red Pioneer which is similar. I also have a blue, red and silver Farmer though I gave the red one to my father-in-law. The blue farmer usually is in some fishing bag while the silver is in a tool bag in my wife's truck. The alox knives are really great knives.

I also have several cellidor scaled models and recently ordered a Vic Huntsman with the shadow grass camo scales also for use when on fishing trip. The scissors come in handy for cutting/trimming monofilament line.

This brings me to a question for JohnnyR. Is that a Farmer modded to replace the saw with scissors? Looks great whatever it is!

I love SAKs which is probably why I also love traditional slipjoints, too.
 
I've been carryin Soldier nearly 2 years as EDC or EDC back up. Excellent knife. Better than new soldier IMHO...
 
If it were to come down to one knife for me, it would probably be my Victorinox Pioneer in red. Pretty much a Soldier with a lanyard ring, it offers several useful tools without compromising the ability to use the knife blade. About the only other thing I could wish for is that it had a handle made from natural materials.
 
You will get no argument from me, friend. I've been carrying the same Vic soldier since 1983.

Damn good knife.

TR Graham
The Glocksmith
 
Soldier and Cadet are great knives, had both but these days it's a red Farmer that is most used and carried. They really are wonderful every day tools, the downside is of course that you don't get all the old-school feeling of carbon steel blades and nice handle jigging.
 
sodak said:
Nice! Which one is that?
Click to expand...

It's a Scibeer customized climber. I like having scissors sometimes. My Soldier has more snap though. As far as standard SAK's, for the price of the Soldier, Pioneer, Farmer, Cadet you can have one of each. Scissors are great in the office, but saws are great in the woods or the yard and garden.
 
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i'm not a fan of SAK's that dont have saws, but i do belive that it is the perfect light backup blade, though i prefer something beefyer for primary use. SAK's rule.
 
I like the Victorinox family of knives. I have a Cadet and Spartan. I travel with them because they are sheeple and Europe friendly.

I'd carry them at home, too, but I just can't warm up to the INOX. If only they made them in Carbon steel I'd consume them like peanuts!
 
I carried a Tinker daily for about 4 years. Still have a sweet spot for those. I like having the Phillips blade.
 
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