Swiss Army Pioneer Pocket Knife, 91mm

This is my first Victorinox with alox scales, and wow, is it ever awesome! It's 93mm, so it's just a hair longer than a standard Victorinox. All of the tools are a bit bigger and beefier. I'm most impressed with the awl, as it's way more effective and easier to use than the other side-mounted Victorinox awls. I don't miss the scale tools, such as the tweezers or toothpick, or the tools on the back of other models, like the corkscrew or screwdriver, because I usually pair the Pioneer with a Victorinox Minichamp on my keychain and also with a Victorinox Camper or Spartan in one of my other pockets. A bit redundant, yes, but I love Victorinox! :-) The Pioneer looks built to last and is quite elegant. More and more I want a knife that doesn't look tactical, mostly because I don't want to attract unwanted attention or scare people, but also because I simply have no use for tactical knives living a normal existence in a big city. The Pioneer is perfect for EDC in the city and also for outdoor adventuring, such as camping, backpacking, or hiking. The back springs are quite strong, which is a good thing! It's not so good for my thumbnails, however. I've torn them to bits opening and closing the various tools on the Pioneer since I received it. The Pioneer is a great value for such a high quality multi tool. It will last forever, take a beating, look great, and not put a huge dent in your wallet! Very highly recommended!

I've carried Victorinox knives since my teenage years, and that was twenty-five years ago. Started with the monstrous "Champ" 70+ function knife, which rode in a belt pouch and was WAY more than anyone needs for daily carry and use, but it did let me try out most of the functions and find which were my bare necessities. I've gone through two or three since then, all of a similar size to the Pioneer, and my only issue I've ever had has been the eventual loosening of the trademark red scales. I probably should have investigated warranty replacement, but each time the handle scales came loose I decided to try a slightly different model. With the Alox scales, this one looks to be a lifetime purchase. The Alox Pioneer does away with the tweezers and toothpick of the red plastic handle versions. I won't miss either of these. The tweezers might have worked to remove the occasional splinter, but for most other fine work they were not, in my opinion, worth the effort of inclusion. The toothpick, after riding in a pocket and collecting whatever gunk the knife was near, could not be a sanitary option for its purpose! The only reason I wouldn't trash these two items out of hand was the unsightly holes left without them. The blade is typical Victorinox - SHARP out of the box! I mean arm-hair-shaving sharp! I will likely get more use out of the reamer blade than the small blade my other knives offered. And the cap lifter and can opener are old friends - with large and small flathead screwdrivers (and the small can do a good job on most normal-sized Phillips-head screws!) I could, honestly, take or leave the key ring, but it's there. Lockup on all blades is solid, I no longer have any of my old SAK's for comparison, but the mechanism on this one seems stronger. I can agree with other reviewers who observe the main blade seems thicker on the Alox knife than on the red plastic ones, and this one is definitely slimmer. Good grip with the textured handles.

Basically, the Victorinox Pioneer is the civilian version of one of the world's most famed pocketknives, the Swiss Army Soldier's Knife. Differing only in the addition of a keychain mount ( IMHO worthwhile), this is the ultimate refinement of the original four blader issued to Swiss army recruits from 1891 to 2008. Its pattern has been copied almost exactly by many cutlery manufacturer to produce Scout knives, US Army "demo" knives, and numerous others, all clones of the original but none better or even equal in quality. It differs from the more familiar version SAKs with red plastic handles containing toothpick and tweezer ( (Suisse Officiers model) by its hardened aluminum (alox) handle without the extra implements. This makes the knife thinner, also tough as nails. Plastic can chip or break, alox does not. The Pioneer, like all Victorinox products, is extremely well crafted, easily one of the finest knives you can buy at any price, let alone one this affordable. The blade shape is just about perfect for a utility knife, flat ground of a steel that holds a decent edge and is easily re-sharpened. The can opener is effective and the small screw driver on its end doubles as a phillips head driver, not best at that, especially for countersunk screws, but mostly workable. The awl is one of the most useful implements on the Pioneer, good for drilling wood screw guide holes, adjusting leather belts, opening packages, reaming out corroded pipes and more. Uses are limited only by imagination. The Pioneer is a good choice as an only knife and indispensable in a collection, both a capable and iconic masterpiece.

This is a great knife. It's not too big nor too small (about 3.5" long closed, and a shade over 6" long with the main blade opened). It arrived with the blade honed to a fine edge and ready for action. I've owned a couple other Victorinox SA knives in the past, and found them a bit bulky to carry because of all the tools that were crammed inside (does anyone ever actually use the corkscrew that is standard equipment on some models?), but this guy is nice and slim and drops easily into a jeans pocket. The various blades/tools are easily opened, and although they don't actually "lock" into place when opened, there is a definite snap or click upon opening and it requires firm pressure to start the closing process, so you know the blade isn't going to fold up on you while you're using it. It shows the typically great Swiss Army craftsmanship all over. I do sort of wish it had a pocket clip, but I'm not going to downgrade my review on that account because I knew what the features were when I bought it. Bottom line: This is a great pocket knife, and I'll probably buy more of them to give as gifts.

I've never been impressed with SAK's. The blades are thin and the plastic scales make it feel like a toy. The tools were certainly never robust enough for any serious tasks. I've carried Buck, Leatherman and Kershaw products for the last 40+ years. I recently purchased this SAK with ALOX scales and have been very pleased with its overall performance and quality. The tools, although limited to a basic selection, are of heavier construction than non-ALOX knives, and are suitable for moderate tasks. It's not too big/heavy and is slim enough to ride in your pocket comfortably all day. I especially appreciate that it comes with a key-chain attachment. I have chosen to suspend it on a carabineer from my belt loop, instead of just dropping it into my pants pocket. In this way, it can't fall out of my pocket, and the weight of the knife is supported by the belt loop as opposed to sitting at the bottom of my pocket sideways like a lump. Two and a half year update.... I LOVE IT!! (I use the bottle opener more than anything else) 😀

Victorinox in my opinion should get the Nobel prize for engendering for the way they build their knives. Every single one i have ever held has been perfect as far as FF. This one is no different. I meant it as a replacement for my spartan and find that it is in a totally difurent category. as far as EDC i prefer the spartan because i get a slightly lighter, if slightly thicker knife with a few more tools. But this summer when i go back to my yard care/ landscaping business, this may replace my sodbuster. Huge springs on the back insure a very strong and secure tool, very large knife for the package and stronger and easier to care for scales, along with a larger than normal bottle opener/screw driver/ pry bar, though the can opener/ philips driver is of standard size. some people have complained about a rough opening on the tools, i do not see that in my knife, though it is tougher to get out as a virtue of the springs. I probably will get a cadet for edc but that's me (I carry a case peanut as my primary edc blade for my size preference). I would recommend this knife for, well, just about everything. If the size and weight don't bother you (which they relay don't for me)edc it, or take it as a camp knife, this would be a great first boy scout knife. This is a simple and elegant design that i think has a lot of merit. And at the price you could buy a few difurent models and try them out and not break the bank. (note, the blade when open is slightly askew, this is a side-effect of the design, not a flaw in the knife)

My new Swiss Army Pioneer came in the mail Monday. The box it was packaged in was beat up, but the knife was perfect. Very impressed with the workmanship. Four blades/tools in a narrow pocket knife and none of them rub when opening or closing. Easy to open and every thing opens and closes with a solid snap. Blade was pretty sharp, but after carying it for three days and letting a little new wear off I went ahead and put a good keen edge on it with a lanskey and a ceramic sharpener. It seemed to be very easy to sharpen and took an edge almost as sharp as a barber's straight razor, I could have got it even sharper, but that was good enough. I don't expect it will hold an edge as well as more modern stainless steels will, but I think it will be fine for its purpose. Haven't tried out the awl or can opener, but the bottle opener works fine. I've been carying a large stockman pattern pocket knife and this one is much smaller and lighter in my pocket. Very good value for the price. Mine's silver and it looks good.

This is the knife that Victorinox has been producing for (well) over a Hundred Years. And it shows. The tools snick in and out just a little bit better. The springs are just a little bit stiffer. The whole of it is just a little bit sturdier. There are no scale tools, or scissors, or cork screws. Sometimes the tool layout on some Swiss Army knives can be a little awkward, or may have some problems running in and out: not so here. This particular design dates back to 1961. It’s been updated and improved, or not - depending on what you like or dislike about it, over the years, but it goes right back to the beginning as far as its essentials are concerned. The only thing I don’t like about it is the implementation of the key ring/lanyard attachment. I find it sticks my hand in an uncomfortable way. Some people hate that it has a key ring at all, and, indeed, there are examples around without one. Personally, I feel that a lanyard attachment point is a good thing, but I would rather they just did the old hollow rivet, as is seen on some examples. And I suppose you could quibble that it is not the lightest knife out there, but those are minor points, which SAK enthusiasts can debate, for hours and hours, but really have no bearing on the overall qualities of the knife. It’s gone by a number of names, through the years, Sturdy Boy, etc., but make no mistake, even though it has been replaced as the actual Swiss army knife: this is the quintessential Swiss Army knife. You won’t find a better pocket knife, for the money, or possibly, at any price, than this, in my considered opinion.