Victorinox Farmer Alox Swiss Army Knife, Multi Tool, 9 Functions, Wood Saw, Silver, Medium/60 mm

Based on the old Soldier knife before 2008 (that have been used by the Swiss Armed Forces), but includes a very functional 7.2cm saw and a lanyard ring too.This is a very durable construction made from aluminum ribbed scales and alu liners, 3 strong brass rivets and Victorinox's high quality stainless steel and razor sharp out of box.The martensitic stainless steel alloy used for the cutting blades is optimized for high toughness and corrosion resistance and has a composition of 15% chromium, 0.60% silicon, 0.52% carbon, 0.50% molybdenum, and 0.45% manganese and is designated X55CrMo14 or DIN 1.4110 according to Victorinox.After a hardening process at 1040 °C and annealing at 160 °C the blades achieve an average blade steel hardness of 56 HRC. This steel hardness is suitable for practical use and easy resharpening, but less than achieved in stainless steel alloys used for blades optimized for high wear resistance. According to Victorinox the martensitic stainless steel alloy used for the parts is X39Cr13 or DIN 1.4031 and for the springs X20Cr13 or DIN 1.4021.The steel used for the wood saws, scissors and nail files has a steel hardness of HRC 53, the screwdrivers, tin openers and awls have a hardness of HRC 52, and the corkscrew and springs have a hardness of HRC 49.(this information is from wikipedia)This knife is great for any use: any outdoors like camping or hiking, EDC (every day carry), car, caravan, food prep, hunting and trap making, backup survival knife for utility purpose like trap and shelter building, for gear repair and maintenance and many tools on it have a good angle to strike a spark from a firesteel.Speaking of maintenance, this knife doesn't need much, just wash it, dry it, clean the corners wit a Q-tip and oil with a multitool oil from Victorinox (coz its food friendly and nontoxic).This knife can really take a lot of beating, this is the best pocket knife i ever had and its one from the "best of" Victorinox.At the time i bough it, it was nearly 20quid, so a real bargain, i would pay even 50 for this.Its harder to open and close the tools than on standard non-alox knives coz the springs are a lot stronger so its a much less chance this could close on your fingers, 0 chance if used responsibly.The weight is OK for what you get from this tool, but if you consider buying a belt pouch i suggest the nylon Victorinox pouch 4.0543.3 Victorinox Pouch 2/4 Layer Black FabricIf real soldiers used this design for 47 years, it really has to be top quality.Check my uploaded pictures for more detail

Victorinox Swiss Army Knives (SAK) come in three categories of size, small (58, 65, 74 mm), medium (84, 85, 91, 93 mm), and large (111, 130 mm).The Farmer is medium but at 93 mm the largest of the medium knives, even so it is "UK legal" because the blade does not lock and is under 3 inches in length. Locking and/or longer-bladed knives such as the large SAK rage are legal to carry with a 'good reason' such as camping and bushcraft; but I feel safer carrying a medium SAK. Less risky.I already own a Victorinox Waiter for camping, it's the lightest SAK to have the range of camp cook tools. By comparison the SAK Farmer is larger, thicker, stronger, and well over twice as heavy. Swiss Army Knives typically have that iconic "red plastic" and my Waiter has held up fine, but the alox (aluminium) is a step up. Much stronger. It's tough, it looks tough it feels tough and it really is tough. What the Farmer does to stake its claim is process wood. The blade is thick enough to batten-down to split wood, shave a feather stick for lighting a fire, and of course sawing off branches and making small logs of them. It has the can and bottle opener, and reamer designed for stabbing holes in leather; not useful for me but it does work great as a firesteel scraper.For day-to-day urban carry it might be a bit excessive (size/weight) depending on your needs. The Alox range have a Classic (knife, file, nail scissor) and the same knife with an attached Moneyclip. If you want slightly more features the limited-edition Cadet is worth a look.But as a camping knife with the potential to have a crack a some wood, this really is the best there is.Measured Weight: 86 grams

*EDIT* 6 years in ownership and still used every single day on the farm! The end of the awe broke off due to me using it to leaver a broken stud out a cylinder head but other than it’s still perfectly intact and I use it for just about everything. I sharpen the blade a couple times a month with the Victorinox knife sharpener which is also still going strong when I remember. Probably my most humble purchase I’ve ever made and it’ll be buried with me. Massive thanks to Victorinox & Amazon. I’ll check back in another 6 years time!I've had this Victorinox penknife for over 2 years and I have to admit, I'm still smitten with it. I'm a farmer myself in the UK and also have a smallholding of my own and deal in all sorts of different trades. There isn't a day I don't use this knife for something or another as it comes everywhere with me. I have a Leatherman Surge too which I love for the pliers and locking blade but it's too weighty and big for my pocket so usually stays in my truck and I never really use it but I always carry this Victorinox everywhere. I genuinely don't think you can beat the stuff they make and I'm a fan of Swiss made stuff purely because of their eye in quality. Only grumble I'd really have about these is the fact you need to be careful of the fact the blade doesn't lock but it is what it is. I sharpen mine roughly every 2 weeks (I cut a lot of plastic etc) and use the Victorinox sharpener thing. They'll last a lifetime and mine will be buried with me for sure. Big thanks to Victorinox on another great product.