Victorinox blade steels?

Conner Michaux said:
I kinda want to try out a Swiss army knife, I have heard lots of great things for years about them, But what do they make there blades out of? I have looked on there web and Bladehq but nothing talks about the steel...

Thanks
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I have a proposal for you. You want to know about carrying a SAK and what the steel is like. We can tell you all about it, but there is nothing quite like experiencing it for yourself. How about this. What if I send you one of mine. Carry it and use the bejeebers out of it for one month, then send it back to me.

A no cost and no risk month-long test drive.
 
cbrstar said:
Is it my imagination or is the older Swiss Army Knives better steel?
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No, it's exactly the opposite. Someyears ago, maybe around 2000 or so, Vicotrinox upped the RC of the steel from the 54-55 range to the 56-57 range. The new SAK's actually cut a bit better than the old ones. Around the same period, they also made the blades a bit thinner, making them even better fie slicers.

I've carried Victorinox SAK's since 1969 and have no complaint. They do what needs to be done, have low radar image in public, can be replaced at low cost at most big box stores, and give you a few basic tools that let you actually fix something out in the field. I won't be without one. Next week is my 78th birthday, and so far a SAK has never failed me.

There's a reason that they are a standard in most of the world for over a century.
 
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19-3ben said:
I have a proposal for you. You want to know about carrying a SAK and what the steel is like. We can tell you all about it, but there is nothing quite like experiencing it for yourself. How about this. What if I send you one of mine. Carry it and use the bejeebers out of it for one month, then send it back to me.

A no cost and no risk month-long test drive.
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There ya go, and offer that you can't turn down.

Class act move, ben!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
i once found my grandfathers old swiss army knife, not sure the model, but it was definitely gummed up with something, looked like old vaseline for the most part, so i cleaned it out, removed the old drying bits of vaseline, sharpened the knife and oiled it, presto! looked almost as if it was bought brand new a week ago, there's a reason the victorinox swiss army knife is an american icon for your basic outdoors needs, they just don't break, ( if used within their lane of means that is)
 
JokersFaceLifter said:
there's a reason the victorinox swiss army knife is an american icon for your basic outdoors needs, they just don't break, ( if used within their lane of means that is)
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Even if they're used outside the lane.

Let me tell ya about the SAK warrantee. I was out on my motorcycle in about 1986. It was a 1984 BMW R65. I got a flat out by Harpers Ferry West Virginia and my rear tire went down. The BMW R65 had tube tires so I put the bike up on the center stand and pulled the back wheel. For some reason one of the two tire irons were missing from the tool kit, so I had to use the screw driver tool of my old SAK pioneer. It was outright abuse and far outside what the knife was designed for. But it worked and I go ton the road again. The SAK was non functional of course from the rivet being sprung by the huge sideways torque of the tire bead going back on.

I sent the knife back to the Shelton Connecticut Victorinox location with a letter explaining how this was not a request for warrantee service but that I wanted a estimate for the cost of repair so the that I could forward the amount of funds for the repair. I made it very clear that the knife was used as a tire iron, and I accepted that the cost of the fix was on me.

A week later a new Victorinox pioneer arrived in the mail. I was blown away. Totally unexpected. Outright abuse admitted and they still sent me a new knife.

Ten years later I had a well used old Tinker with a baldly worn blade from years of use and resharpening. Victorinox replaced the badly worn blade and gave the knife a spa treatment for 5 dollars.
 
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Get one of the Vic Zermatt belt pouches that come with a small steel to carry your SAK in. Makes it easy to do a quick touch-up of the edge. Need more? Vic makes a small ceramic stick sharpener with a pocket clip that is about the size of a fountain pen. Handy if you're traveling and need a quick re-sharpening.
 
Get one to your liking. Think about the size you feel you'd be comfortable carrying and the kinds of tasks you are likely to use it for (tool choice). Just remember they are not a replacement for a tool box of tools and full sized multi-tools are generally better for tool use in more rigorous uses.

I choose the 111mm size to carry, but starting to lean toward 93mm which I believe is Tinker sized. My choice is in flux right now as I get older and realize I really don't need a knife with a 3.5" > 4" blade for much of anything. I may not even need a 3" blade.....

Vic steel works really well within their general design parameters. Cuts well, sharpens easily, doesn't chip easily unless you try to cut nails or screws, don't rust, and they are very durable. Get one!
 
19-3ben said:
I have a proposal for you. You want to know about carrying a SAK and what the steel is like. We can tell you all about it, but there is nothing quite like experiencing it for yourself. How about this. What if I send you one of mine. Carry it and use the bejeebers out of it for one month, then send it back to me.

A no cost and no risk month-long test drive.
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. Hey thanks for the offer, really thanks. At this point Im completely sure i'm going to get one. And Im really good at loosing things, So to minimize risk of me ruining/losing one of your knives Im going to have to refuse, thanks so much for the offer though :DD



This is the one i want https://www.dlttrading.com/victorinox-swiss-army-farmer-blue-green

i like the blue scales and it has all the tools I use often.
 
Conner Michaux said:
. Hey thanks for the offer, really thanks. At this point Im completely sure i'm going to get one. And Im really good at loosing things, So to minimize risk of me ruining/losing one of your knives Im going to have to refuse, thanks so much for the offer though :DD



This is the one i want https://www.dlttrading.com/victorinox-swiss-army-farmer-blue-green

i like the blue scales and it has all the tools I use often.
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That's just one of the beauties of a SAK; it has the lanyard ring so you can drop it in your pocket then stick the knotted end of the lanyard under your belt. That way, even if it falls out of the pocket, it will be dangling by the lanyard stuck under the belt.

It's really hard to loose a SAK.
 
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Conner Michaux said:
. Hey thanks for the offer, really thanks. At this point Im completely sure i'm going to get one. And Im really good at loosing things, So to minimize risk of me ruining/losing one of your knives Im going to have to refuse, thanks so much for the offer though :DD



This is the one i want https://www.dlttrading.com/victorinox-swiss-army-farmer-blue-green

i like the blue scales and it has all the tools I use often.
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No worries at all. I totally get it.

You done good. The Alox models are particularly nice. I carry a blue scaled Pioneer every day and the Alox scales definitely give it the feel of a nicer and classier knife. I love the texture and feel of them, and they wear beautifully.
 
Conner Michaux said:
. Hey thanks for the offer, really thanks. At this point Im completely sure i'm going to get one. And Im really good at loosing things, So to minimize risk of me ruining/losing one of your knives Im going to have to refuse, thanks so much for the offer though :DD



This is the one i want https://www.dlttrading.com/victorinox-swiss-army-farmer-blue-green

i like the blue scales and it has all the tools I use often.
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Do yourself a favor and save another fifteen or so bucks and get a SAK Classic to go with the Farmer. The little scissors and toothpick are almost daily uses for me. Your "primary" knife may change over time but odds are you'll always have that Classic with you.

:)
 
I've been carrying SAK's for years and iy you buy one I can guarantee you'll buy more. They are good solid knives and the steel seems to hold up just as well as Case or Buck, in my opinion anyway.
 
Conner Michaux said:
. Hey thanks for the offer, really thanks. At this point Im completely sure i'm going to get one. And Im really good at loosing things, So to minimize risk of me ruining/losing one of your knives Im going to have to refuse, thanks so much for the offer though :DD



This is the one i want https://www.dlttrading.com/victorinox-swiss-army-farmer-blue-green

i like the blue scales and it has all the tools I use often.
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I forgot to mention, it's a solid move ordering through DLTtrading. @Jordan@DLT and the crew are fantastic to work with. That's where I got my blue Pioneer a year ago and while I can't say it's been in my pocket every single day, it probably spent a minimum of 300 days in my pocket in 2018. It kicked out several knives from the rotation, a few of which were orders of magnitude more expensive.

Here's what she looks like after a year of hard work.
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I have one just like that.... limited edition from a couple years ago as I recall. Came in a nicer than normal box.
 
Get a flashlight and tie them together and you won't lose either one. My SAK has the Phillips screw driver which for me is more handy than a corkscrew. Bottom line, I always have the SAK with me and it cuts everything I ask it to.

SAK%2BFenix%2BE12.jpg
 
I have a Victorinox Farmer on my belt every day, day in day out, week in week out, year in year out. If I could only have one folder it would be a Victorinox Farmer. Victorinox makes great knives, has the best QC, and will manufacture more knives in any year than the next several manufacturers combined. They are just that popular because they have that good of a well earned reputation.
 
Frotier76 said:
Pushing aside all the "candy coated" wording on Victorinox's blade material Conner...it's cheap steel.Nothing wrong with the cheap stainless steels...they take a great edge,highly rust resistant,and they perform.But I can't talk up Victorinox's steel


Define "decent"...

I don't think Victorinox's steel is unreliable.Soft and sharpens easily to a razor edge.Very rust resistant and it's durable.Edge retention wise? see the results and comparative quality...





All of these steels work well enough for the traditional user.But people do like to glamour Victorinox's steel as something good but then turn around and call a cheap China knife steel that performs similar to be total crap.
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Very good references. I'm a huge SAK fan, but I keep straying back to these folders with better blade steels. I found that after doing any kind of cutting on anything abrasive, the edge is mostly useless. But 36 cuts? Yikes, that's bad. On par with the Chinese 5Cr.

I'd say it's a little more forgivable on a SAK than a Gerber one-hander, because on a SAK, the blade may only be used 10% of the time or less. You haven't necessarily ruined the main intent of the tool if the (one) blade is dull. On the Gerber, it's useless pretty quickly.

This post reinforces my thought that if there's much chance of doing any serious cutting, use the SAK as the back-up. Otherwise, consider it for light or occasional cutting....

Or accept how easily it dulls and make use of the "back-up blade" they often have.

I guess they're more for urban users.
 
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