It has a good Alox grip. The “Alox” in the name of this knife refers to textured aluminum grip. It’s been part of the Pioneer series since 1957, and I consider it to be far superior to the thermoplastic scales of a typical SAK. It stays in my hand better in slippery conditions, and I also just think it looks better. It’s rust-resistant. All the tools on the Victorinox Alox Pioneer X, including the blade, are made of stainless steel. There are various pros and cons of stainless steel compared to carbon steel, but one of its great advantages is that it’s low-maintenance, and is resistant to rust and corrosion. The Swiss Army Knife even orbits the earth as part of the official equipment of NASA's space shuttle crews. A discussion of the “ergonomics” of the Cadet is almost laughable, as I have never used the knife for tasks harder than breaking down a cardboard box, but the handle is big enough to get 4 fingers around and is plenty comfortable for my needs. The handle texture is pleasing to touch and visually interesting. It provides some traction without being obnoxious. The red Victorinox shield provides a splash of color and that extra touch of class.

Fortunately, the note is in English – turn it over if you want German. I assume other language versions of this note are included in other markets. The only comparison I can make, is to Victorinox’s “3D Touch and Feel” range – now discontinued, and I do not (yet) have any in the collection to compare to, sadly. These have a raised pattern printed on them, but nowhere near as intricate as the design on this Cadet. With hundreds of models to choose from, it can be hard to figure out which Swiss Army Knife to buy. Our handy guide helps you choose.Along with the Swiss Soldiers Knife produced since 1890, these two tools laid the foundation for the current Victorinox range. Victorinox includes a small certificate – more of a note really – in the box. Strangely, this mentions only four of the six “legendary spots” featured on the scales. It’s a real shame there is not more information here – perhaps even a little booklet with information about each landmark, why it was chosen for this model, and maybe even some details about how the model was designed and produced. Today the iconic Officer's knife is now exhibited in museums all over the world, including New York's Museum of Modern Art and the International Design Museum in Munich, Germany. EDC is all about having the right tool for the job. Multi-tools take that a step further by putting the right tool for a number of different tasks into one compact body. When it comes to keeping your bases covered, one of the most trusted brands of multi-tools is Victorinox, thanks in no small part to their Swiss Army Knife becoming an essential tool to carry since it was invented for the field in 1897. And in the past century Victorinox has only gotten better at what they do, now offering plenty of different variations of the tried and true tool.

For many the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife has become an indispensable and useful companion as well as a symbol of Swiss quality. It has the perfect blade size. The 3-inch blade of the Victorinox Alox Pioneer X is right in the not-too-big, not-too-small sweet spot for EDC. A 3-inch blade is plenty big enough to actually be useful, and small enough that you won’t run afoul of knife laws in most states.SAKwiki lists the “Officer’s Knife 84mm – Rose Edition” (SKU 0.2602.T5) which was apparently known as the “Cadet Rose Edition” in North America – but this is the only other cellidor-scaled Cadet I can find mentioned anywhere.] It’s sharp. I bought a brand-new Alox Pioneer X for the purpose of this review (I know, I’ll take any excuse I can get) and it passed “the paper test” right out of the box. I love a blade you don’t have to sharpen as soon as you buy it.

Swiss Army Knives come in seven sizes: mini (58mm, 74mm), medium (84mm, 91mm, 93mm), and large (111mm, 130mm), plus a credit-card size version. The measurements relate to the length of the handle when all the tools are folded away. It has scissors. It seems like fewer SAKs are being made with scissors these days, and fewer still have good quality scissors that are actually useful. The scissors on the Pioneer X are great for cutting tape, bandages, fishing line, or anything else that requires a precise cut. They’re perfect for removing tags from shirts, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve trimmed my nails with them on more than one occasion.Finally there's the Victorinox SwissCard, the credit-card size knife and toolkit, that won a Red Dot Design Award for its clever design. It's a fantastically practical gift for people who wouldn’t usually carry a Swiss Army Knife.