What knife are you carrying today?

[Glock 'em down]

My red Vic Cadet has been and always will be my constant companion.

 

[mtngunr]

I formerly knew just about everything on Alox SAKs but after doing all that studying/reading, buying/selling, and keeping the few which truly interested me, promptly forgot most of it.

But, closest to the SAK is the Cadet substituting nail file for awl (or scissors for awl also?), the Farmer which adds a layer to add a functional saw, but loses lovely flatness and adds significant weight, and the Pioneer which pretty much dupes the SAK except for the protruding ear for split lanyard ring shared by all three...which feature drove me nuts in handling and pretty much impossible to remove and it not show.

I had, but ditched a Pioneer, but really need to get another one just to have a true beater thrown in pocket with whatever to have all beauty and color/finish ground away....it's just that they are so nicely made that I feel as a vandal for doing so, and with an Alox knife it is impossible to not scratch it up very visibly, no matter what care taken....a clip knife can at least be partially isolated from pocket contents.

But, I think it my next knife purchase.

PS- did some looking and if they ever offered a Cadet with scissors instead of nail file, they no longer do, now. They added scissors to both Pioneer and Farmer to call them X-models, scissors of no interest, the Cadet and Pioneer the only ones as flat and multifunction as original SAK. Wenger and Victorinox both made issue SAKs, both companies developed originals over 100yrs ago near simultaneously, claiming it their invention, it so muddled that both were given military contracts and market turf, Victorinox finally out advertised Wenger enough to collapse sales, bought them out and shut them down circa 10yrs ago.

 

[montesa]

They've discontinued that orange one so I've heard the one that replaced it is white handles and that Walmart in Shawnee has a bunch of them for $5

I've been looking for an orange one locally for a month. Never in stock. Couldn't find the white version on Walmarts site. Is it called something different?

 

[surjimmy]

I've been looking for an orange one locally for a month. Never in stock. Couldn't find the white version on Walmarts site. Is it called something different?

The Shawnee Walmart has a whole bunch of them as of yesterday I do not know their name

 

[enuf]

I picked up a few oddballs as I came across them. The military originals date back into late 1800s, had wood scales, then later fiber scales, and circa 1961 came out with red anodized aluminum, very pretty until someone used it and looked like crap soon after, and in 1964 went to silver since they all went silver with use.
The military issue had DOM stamped on blades, the red Swiss canton cross added circa 1980. After that knife was replaced as an issue knife, the cross on scale was changed, same with checkering pattern (hard to see but compare top row of checkering on silver knife with those below it), plus blank spot for short-lived inspector stamp was deleted, and a large blank spot for personalized engraving was added. The change in rivet also pretty obvious.
Folk go nuts anytime one in original style red anodize becomes available, which the red one shown is of that later rarer thing...
The black one is cool, looks perfect in that color, also rare, and this one a transitional model, the blank side is the old pattern scale, but there were no more scales of old style available for opposite side and so has a new style scale and cross on that side.
The single blade last one speaks for itself, and fun to show the knife, talk about color blind and how it looks purple to me, folk firmly say it is green as I close and reopen my hand and ask them are they sure, where they then doubt their own vision or sanity.
To keep it on topic, will be carrying the issue knife tomorrow since it shows small signs of use on main blade.

lots of good information there, I will need to go through that again to digest it. I still don't see the difference in the checker pattern on the silver one you speak about

 

[Glock 'em down]

 

[mtngunr]

View attachment 528307
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As for the checkering, the silver knife (and black one on old scale side, but hard to see) has vertically elongated checkering on top row, while the newer style continues with small same size checkering across top row. There is a difference of texture which cannot show, but old scales feel smoother more rounded around edges of scales.
VERY nice carry sheath package. On my scrawny butt, folk would ask me if that were a loaf of bread or was I happy to see them, so same as guns, I generally need ditch leather for carry.

 

[mtngunr]

So, today a few out of retirement, the Wenger '87 military issue SAK and my daily, and I mean daily carry knife from 1973-1993 Game Warden.