Took the plunge and ordered one of each.
The Cadet II is great as a "gentleman's knife" - disappears in dress slacks even if horizontal in the pocket, very light.
Unless you physically touch both you don't appreciate how much bigger and heavier the Soldier is.
The Soldier is about 2mm thicker and about 1cm longer, and the blade is much sturdier than the Cadet's. Actually that's about the one disappointing thing in the Cadet - given the space, the blade could have been MUCH better. They actually put a washer between the scale and blade so they could use a thinner blade! Only visible up close, and a bit of a let-down.
The small blade in the Cadet is perfect for what it is, I'd rather have that than the nailfile. A real man can clean his nails with a blade anyway...
The awl in the Soldier is actually much different than the normal reamers and awls you'll find in all other SAKs. Sharp enough to be used as an aux blade with a chisel edge.
All the other implements are also sturdier than the Cadet's, and the large screwdriver stays put in 2 positions (90 and 180 degrees) - the Cadet's only in the 180 degree.
In a nutshell:
The Soldier is way sturdier but probably a bit too large for dress slacks. Perfect for almost any other EDC duty, though.
The Cadet is great for EDC no matter what the dress is. I'll probably dremel away the split ring area since it's too sharp for pockets and also digs into my palm.
D
The Cadet II is great as a "gentleman's knife" - disappears in dress slacks even if horizontal in the pocket, very light.
Unless you physically touch both you don't appreciate how much bigger and heavier the Soldier is.
The Soldier is about 2mm thicker and about 1cm longer, and the blade is much sturdier than the Cadet's. Actually that's about the one disappointing thing in the Cadet - given the space, the blade could have been MUCH better. They actually put a washer between the scale and blade so they could use a thinner blade! Only visible up close, and a bit of a let-down.
The small blade in the Cadet is perfect for what it is, I'd rather have that than the nailfile. A real man can clean his nails with a blade anyway...
The awl in the Soldier is actually much different than the normal reamers and awls you'll find in all other SAKs. Sharp enough to be used as an aux blade with a chisel edge.
All the other implements are also sturdier than the Cadet's, and the large screwdriver stays put in 2 positions (90 and 180 degrees) - the Cadet's only in the 180 degree.
In a nutshell:
The Soldier is way sturdier but probably a bit too large for dress slacks. Perfect for almost any other EDC duty, though.
The Cadet is great for EDC no matter what the dress is. I'll probably dremel away the split ring area since it's too sharp for pockets and also digs into my palm.
D
