That said, I haven't actually owned a true Victorinox Swiss Army Knife until just recently.
I picked up a Pioneer Alox just this past Friday. It was 50% off and something I really couldn't pass up. In retrospect, I probably should have snagged a couple more styles; they'll well worth the money.
The Pioneer has a 2.5 inch blade, an awl, a can opener / small flat-head screwdriver, and a bottle opener / large flat-head screwdriver / wire stripper. It also has a lanyard ring, a feature in which I was intensely interested.
The alox scales are clean and well-textured. I imagine I prefer them compared to the traditional red scales of the iconic Swiss Army Knife but can't truly say given my inexperience. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, I'm a bit conflicted. The alox is beautiful and the red, well, the red is classic. Perhaps I'll have to pick up another.
I'll be throwing this in my pocket in addition to my Spyderco. I'm going to need to figure out a new evaluation template for multi-tools, considering the Pioneer isn't just a knife.
In any event, I really look forward to putting the Victorinox Pioneer through its paces.
