Victorinox Alox Pioneer and Electrician Review

Victorinox Alox Pioneer and Electrician Review

I am combing Victorinox Alox Pioneer Review and Victorinox Electrician Review, because it is so much common between the two, I consider them as almost twins in so many aspects.

The Swiss Army Knife from Switzerland is being produced by two companies Victorinox & Wegner. But in 2005, Wegner was being purchased and taken over by Victorinox. The two brands were united under one label as Victorinox Knives. Since then, the brand has gained huge recognition in the field of knife manufacturers. The recognition of its red handle and silver cross handle Swiss Army Knife aka (SAK) models is to an extent where some people synonymous the word “pocketknife” with their Swiss Army Knife models.

The Ribbed Scales Pioneer is a civilian version of the Swiss Army Knife; a medium-sized Pocket Knife. You can say that it is the rebirth of Victorinox Alex Soldier’s design from 1961. Moreover, this Swiss Army Knife gives us similar features, same tools, and construction.

Some of the must mention differences from the Soldier: are that this Pioneer always includes a Keyring, the Swiss logo is replaced with Victorinox stamp on one scale and it has a small flat area available for engraving on the opposite side of the scale.

If you are thinking to start a new journey with a new pocket knife with the right tools then this Victorinox Pioneer inspired from the classic Soldier’s knife with the sleek functional multi-tool pack belongs in your pocket.

This Swiss Army Knife model feels good in your hand and it’s handy enough to get all types of jobs done with its multiple sleek tools between two durable Alox scales.

Victorinox Alox Pioneer & Electrician First Impression

You will find the reason here, why Victorinox Pioneer Review and Victorinox Electrician are combined.

Firstly, Victorinox Pioneer & Victorinox Electrician have four identical tools

Similarly, in terms of physical look and feel both have the same

All the tools are fit neatly inside the aluminum frame without rubbing against each other or the scales, and open and close with a crisp snap sound. These tools are made with special standard Victorinox stainless steel which is impressively corrosion-resistant, usage even in seawater will not cause any damage to stainless steel.

As mentioned earlier Victorinox Pioneer was originally designed for civilian markets, so due to the certain charm these multi-tools possess, declassify them as weapons in the mind of the general public. Though much like any other Swiss Army multi-tool pocket knife, it hasn’t been updated much in quite some time and that’s quite an impressive fact about the Victorinox multi-tools knife, considering the number of tools they managed to fit onto these.

The only main difference between the two variants is that the Pioneer has a can opener whereas the Electrician has a 1.6” long sheepsfoot blade.

Victorinox Alox Pioneer Review and Victorinox Electrician Review

I think most people like me only use the main blade or the bottle opener for doing regular tasks. But these added occasionally required tools are designed well enough to save your day when you need them. The materials here are fine, even in comparison to a modern pocket knife. While the edge of these Swiss Army knives can be maintained easily anywhere and does need regular maintenance.

Generally, I’ve thought about that and realized that having a tool like a can opener, or an awl in your pocket knife has become more important as Society is becoming used to not needing these handy small tools. As a result, the can opener might not be in their kitchen drawer when someone needs it. So, carrying out your multi-tool knife pioneer will not only save someone a trip to the nearest store but also going to leaves an impactful style statement of your personality on them.

Grip and Carry of the Handle

The handle with ribbed aluminum scales is the biggest reason that separates the Alox variants from the other normal models. They not only give you a comfortable and better grip but also make the handle slimmer and durable. The anodization looks very attractive and good in red and other colors. But this anodization layer is hardly visible on the silver model, the variant I have focused on during this article.

The drawback with other colors is that sometimes you might feel the fading of texture within hours of exposure to your keys in some areas. But this will not indeed affect the grip of this Pioneer and the Electrician alox variants. The gentle texturing handle in both gives you a stellar and comfortable grip. The Pioneer includes a keyring instead of a pocket clip, which seems good as sometimes the pocket clip gets pokey on these models.

The knives of 93mm size are considered great companions for pockets. But somehow due to the tall size of both the Pioneer and the Electrician might get occasionally awkward for carrying the front and watch pockets of most jeans and this awkward carrying may cause an accidental opening of the handle which I just tell is great in terms of grip and aesthetics.

Victorinox Pioneer vs Victorinox Alox Electrician

Victorinox Alox Electrician; I think the name electrician given to this model is genuinely fulfilling to its meaning. The famous multi-tools knife brand Victorinox always gives us smooth working reliable products just as this Alox Electrician comes with all the tools that facilitate smooth and reliable electrical installations.

Victorinox Electrician is equally beneficial and ideal for both, whether you come in the Do-it-Yourself category or if you are a professional technician because of its multi-tool design offering different blades for different tasks.

You can take Electrician as a cousin brother of the pioneer model, the can opener with a wire stripper tool placed between the intersection of the handle and the blade is replaced with the sheepsfoot blade in this Electrician Knife. And for the people who think the knife will feel better and will smoothly if there will be no key ring, this model is good news for them as Victorinox has not placed a keyring option with this electrician.

Now, this model features a standard main blade, bottle opener, an awl, and a robust sheepsfoot blade with a spear point that makes it a great appeal in fulfilling the expectations of an electrician and home-hobbyist. This reason also sets this multi-tool design apart from the rest.

Size Comparison of Pioneer and the Cadet Alox

The Victorinox Cadet is a small and light knife which makes it’s almost unnoticeable in the pocket compared to Pioneer because the extra layer in it makes the pioneer a pretty hefty knife. The large size will also make it carrying around in the pocket a bit tough but still doable.

I will prefer the blade on the Pioneer as it is more substantial like that fact a lot.  Both the can and the bottle opener are also a bit thicker. They’re both great knives, you can buy both of them as there are not that much expensive and switch back and forth depending on what you are going to do that day.

For everyday purposes or EDC; I will prefer the Cadet but I wish if it had the scissors like the Victorinox Pioneer X variant, then it will be next level and you should probably go for the Cadet.

My Final Thoughts/Conclusion

So according to me the selling points of Alox Electrician is its sheepsfoot blade and the reamer. It can become a great partner for any electrician as it has great weight, better quality, and the best usable set of multi-functional pocket tools. As much as I love the classy handle of these knives for once I thought that either of these could serve as a dress knife and this is where I found the con for it and that is they are a little too thick to carry in dress pants.

Personally, it’s hard to find something new to say about a pair of tools that are fairly well-known among gear enthusiasts. They offer longer blades, a more outdoor-oriented set of tools, and a better grip. They’re a bit too large to play the role of a backup knife but make for a fine primary too.

If I had to pick one of them, I’d probably go for the Victorinox Electrician. As I am not fond of keyring on the knife much, and the funky secondary blade on the Electrician is great for opening packages without worrying about damaging the contents. Still, both are great and handy tools.  I’d surely recommend both tools to anyone.

But WAIT; what about a Pioneer Electrician with scissors instead of the large blade???? Because I think the short blade is plenty good enough to do all the regular tasks.