Victorinox Soldier

How do you sharpen the chisel grind blade? Are the PE versions chisel ground also?

FYI: Knifeworks has both soldier versions. Alox is $22.95, New Soldier is $37.95
 
manowar669 said:
Blasphemy!! To call the new one "Soldier" is like calling Coors lite "beer". No class, no history. The Soldier (the REAL ones, the old wooden and fiber handled one, and the Alox Soldier) is the soul of Victorinox. The new soldier is a great (big) knife, they should just call it something else.
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The new one is called the soldier because it is the issue knife of Bundeswehr (German army). It is the same thing as the One-Handed Trekker except for the color and it has no toothpick/tweezers. I just think the Bundeswehr could probably use a tool with scissors on it to do something about that hair :confused:
 
manowar669 said:
How do you sharpen the chisel grind blade? Are the PE versions chisel ground also?

FYI: Knifeworks has both soldier versions. Alox is $22.95, New Soldier is $37.95
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The chisel ground portion of the blade is pretty small. I think with my OHT I am just going to wait for the serrations to get dull, then I am going to file them off and just profile the blade into a normal V-grind.

And no, the PE version is not chisel ground ( I don't own one of those versions, but that is what I have been told)
 
oguruma said:
The new one is called the soldier because it is the issue knife of Bundeswehr (German army). It is the same thing as the One-Handed Trekker except for the color and it has no toothpick/tweezers.
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The Victorinox German Army Knife:
vicgermanarmy54876.jpg

was also based on the Victorinox One-Hand Trekker.
Please note the German Army emblem on the handle.

However the Victorinox Soldier as reviewed is called the Soldier NOT because it is the German Army knife -

It is called the Soldier because it is the new Swiss Army Issue -
as clearly stated in this link:

Victorinox Swiss Army - Soldier Knife

Victorinox (new) Soldier:
vicsoldier53945.jpg


Hope that helps.

--
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AmericanSamurai said:
It is just sacriligious that they made the new Soldier other than the Silver Alox.
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I know that is the sentiment of many...but I disagree. I never liked the original soldier, but I fell for the new model at first sight and have loved it since I got it.
 
mistwalker said:
I know that is the sentiment of many...but I disagree. I never liked the original soldier, but I fell for the new model at first sight and have loved it since I got it.
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I felt pretty much the same. If only they had the phillips head open from the end and extend parallel with the handle rather than perpendicular it would be perfect, but that would be a major redesign.
 
UnknownVT said:
Why they produced a knife with a liner-lock retaining their standard backspring - I do not know.
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It makes sense if you consider it from a manufacturing standpoint. Same sliplock means same tooling, and considering the sheer volume of knives produced; new tooling's a major expense.

Also liner locks require tighter tolerances to keep the blade from wobbling forward and back. Hence more production cost. The backspring keeps the wobbling down and the liner keeps the blade from closing on your fingers.
 
Clang! said:
It makes sense if you consider it from a manufacturing standpoint. Same sliplock means same tooling, and considering the sheer volume of knives produced; new tooling's a major expense.

Also liner locks require tighter tolerances to keep the blade from wobbling forward and back. Hence more production cost. The backspring keeps the wobbling down and the liner keeps the blade from closing on your fingers.
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If this was the only style then perhaps that might have been a reasonable (post-)rationalization ....

However the larger 111mm Victorinox SAKs were around with locking blades long before the line-lock versions were introduced -
for example

Victorinox Rucksack (US# 53661)
VicRucksack53661s.jpg

which utilizes what Victorinox calls "Large locking blade (button-lock)" - a sliding lock/blocker similar in concept to the old Gerber "lever-lock".
TangStamp111mmCls.jpg


Then the liner-lock was introduced but with blades that only had a nail-nick - so were not one-handed -
eventually due to pressure Victorinox made some models with thumb-holes and called those knives one-handed - however the back-spring/slip-joint mechanism made opening one-handed pretty tough, as the OP observed -
why?
because the knife was originally designed as a slip-joint.

A slip joint stays open pretty well on its own without a lock (again as the OP observed) -
so the liner-lock is just an additional safety feature -
However Victorinox already had a locking mechanism that was more suitable for the knife - the "button lock".

Like I already said, a liner-lock on a slip-joint doesn't make much sense - when Victorinox already had a locking mechanism for that sized knife - PLUS it is a left-handed liner lock.

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I believe that the liner lock models are on the military chassis so maybe it was a requirement to make the liner lock (and also aren't the liners and scale liners steel not alox?). Also I think that the liner lock uses less parts and is less prone to jamming with dirt than the slide lock. I don't think that the spring providing resistance to the OHT blade is full strength either.
adam
 
SAKsRCool said:
I believe that the liner lock models are on the military chassis so maybe it was a requirement to make the liner lock (and also aren't the liners and scale liners steel not alox?). Also I think that the liner lock uses less parts and is less prone to jamming with dirt than the slide lock. I don't think that the spring providing resistance to the OHT blade is full strength either.
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The locking liner is indeed steel (obviously Victorinox could not use their normal aluminum liner for the lock) I'm pretty sure the backspring is the same as in other 111mm SAKs. The backspring may well feel less resistant - because the blade is longer so gives more leverage. I have always felt the 111mm were easier to open than the standard 91mm SAKs.

However on the one-handed versions the thumb-hole is much closer to the pivot - which kind of negates the leverage advantage - sort of worse of both worlds?

The liner locking models were available for quite a while before the one handed versions, and quite a while before the German Army version - which in turn was quite a while before the Swiss Army issue.... so I am not too sure the liner was specifically designed for military use - as far as I know both the German and Swiss Army issues are basically the one-handed Trekker without special parts other than the emblems on the scales.

Granted the liner lock may be "better" spec'd than the sliding button lock for the military - but the liner was not designed for the military and it really was more like an after-thought design as the knives are still basicaly slip-joints and the liner is on the wrong side for right-handed use.

--
Vincent

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Yeah, I hear you Vincent. I had to learn how to release the lock with my first finger while pushing down a little with the thumb to start the blade closed, then flipping it over and closing normally.
I do like the lighter weight of the sliding lock models especially if I'm going to carry in the pocket. Really wish Vic would put clips or at least make available a clipped scale for end user replacement.
adam
 
SAKsRCool said:
Really wish Vic would put clips or at least make available a clipped scale for end user replacement.
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Yep, lots of people also wished for a clip and the replaceable scale with clip is a great idea -
in the meantime there are modd'ers over at the other forum "SOSAK" who do this, and I believe our own SwissBianco has mods with pocket clips for the 111mm SAKs

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Its also issued to Spanish troops. For the cost it rivals Mora knives.

Thats a big call, Hay people. :D


UnknownVT said:
The Victorinox German Army Knife:
vicgermanarmy54876.jpg

was also based on the Victorinox One-Hand Trekker.
Please note the German Army emblem on the handle.

However the Victorinox Soldier as reviewed is called the Soldier NOT because it is the German Army knife -

It is called the Soldier because it is the new Swiss Army Issue -
as clearly stated in this link:

Victorinox Swiss Army - Soldier Knife

Victorinox (new) Soldier:
vicsoldier53945.jpg


Hope that helps.

--
Vincent

http://picasaweb.com/UnknownVincent?showall=true
http://UnknownVincent.Shutterfly.com
http://UnknownVT.Shutterfly.com
http://unknownvt.multiply.com/photos
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