A Pair of Victorinox Pioneers

My Victorinox Pioneer that I bought in the early 80s has been my favorite EDC pocketknife of late. It's a good size for pocket carry, has a very useful assortment of tools, is nearly indestructible with its alox scales, and is sheeple friendly. I've been on a bit of a knife kick lately, so when I found out that Amazon was carrying the Vic Pioneer Farmer model in red, I had to get one. (Most of the Victorinox SAKs with alox scales are now silver colored. IMHO, SAKs should be red.) The Farmer adds one implement to the Pioneer, a wood saw. I think this could come in very useful.

Here's a side view of the Farmer next to my old Pioneer, showing the saw:



Note the Swiss shield on the Farmer, compared with the plain cross on the older knife. On the other side of the Farmer there's a rectangular area suitable for engraving. The older knife doesn't have this.

Below is a top view, showing how the Farmer is just a little thicker than the Pioneer. It's still very pocketable, the difference isn't noticeable.



The Farmer's knife blade came with a good sharp edge. The polish on the blades is up to Victorinox's usual high standard, and better than on the older knife, even taking into account the wear and tear it has.

You're probably wondering what the silver cylinders attached to each of the knives are. They're "Peanut Lighters" I bought from Countycomm.com. They are refillable, using standard fluid and flints. With the O-rings, they don't leak or let the fluid evaporate. They aren't windproof like Zippos but aside from that work great. For $5 a pop you can't go wrong with them.

I think I'm going to give my old Pioneer a break as my EDC, and start putting the Farmer in my pocket when I get dressed.