- Joined
- Oct 5, 2006
- Messages
- 3,124
Victorinox Alox Cadet Review
Introduction
Victorinox Swiss Army knives come in eight different sizes:
Main Blade
The Cadet features a plain-edged, mirror-polished, non-locking, stainless steel, spear-point, main blade. Thin and relatively flexible with slight side-to-side blade play, the blade opens smoothly via a nail nick with moderate backspring resistance and slices like a paring knife. As contrasted with a number of traditional folders, there are no half-stops along the way when opening or closing the blade. In an era where our favorite manufacturers stamp the type of steel used on the blade, steel Victorinox uses in its blades is still somewhat of a mystery. According to Wikipedia, citing several online sources:
Secondary Tools
In addition to the main blade, the Cadet has:
Handle
The Cadet has aluminum “Alox” scales with a checkered pattern and is easier to grip than the traditional Victorinox red Cellidor (plastic.) While the aluminum doesn’t show scratches as easily as the plastic, it does seem more prone to gouging. My Alox is sliver, which is currently the only color in production, but a number of other colors have been offered in the past, including red, green, and orange. All the Alox scales have a smooth plate area on one side for engraving.
Conclusions
In an effort to carry something small and non-threatening, I’ve tried various keychain knives including the SOG Micron, Spyderco Ladybug and Jester, and the Victorinox Classic. Unfortunately, they weren’t all that useful: small toy blades, handles too small to get any leverage, and keys flopping around in the way. The Cadet is both small (fits in a blue jeans watch pocket) and non-threatening. As compared to the other knives I have listed, however, it is quite useful. I can get an extra finger on the handle and the extra width and length of the blade comes in handy, as do the other tools. I replaced a light switch this weekend only using the tools in the cadet -- something I couldn't do with a modern tactical folder.
Introduction
Victorinox Swiss Army knives come in eight different sizes:
- 58mm (Classic, Rambler...)
- 74mm (Ambassador, Executive...)
- 84mm (Bantam, Cadet...)
- 91mm (Most Models, including the Camper, Spartan, and SwissChamp)
- 93mm (Most Alox models, such as the Farmer and Pioneer)
- 100mm (Gardener, Pruner...)
- 108mm (German Army Knife, Safari...)
- 111mm (Rescue Tool, Trekker...)
Main Blade
The Cadet features a plain-edged, mirror-polished, non-locking, stainless steel, spear-point, main blade. Thin and relatively flexible with slight side-to-side blade play, the blade opens smoothly via a nail nick with moderate backspring resistance and slices like a paring knife. As contrasted with a number of traditional folders, there are no half-stops along the way when opening or closing the blade. In an era where our favorite manufacturers stamp the type of steel used on the blade, steel Victorinox uses in its blades is still somewhat of a mystery. According to Wikipedia, citing several online sources:
“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 1.4110 according to Victorinox. ...the blades achieve an average blade steel hardness of 55-56 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.”
Secondary Tools
In addition to the main blade, the Cadet has:
- a combination flathead screwdriver/cap lifter/wire stripper;
- can opener/small screwdriver;
- nail file;
- and key ring.
Handle
The Cadet has aluminum “Alox” scales with a checkered pattern and is easier to grip than the traditional Victorinox red Cellidor (plastic.) While the aluminum doesn’t show scratches as easily as the plastic, it does seem more prone to gouging. My Alox is sliver, which is currently the only color in production, but a number of other colors have been offered in the past, including red, green, and orange. All the Alox scales have a smooth plate area on one side for engraving.
Conclusions
In an effort to carry something small and non-threatening, I’ve tried various keychain knives including the SOG Micron, Spyderco Ladybug and Jester, and the Victorinox Classic. Unfortunately, they weren’t all that useful: small toy blades, handles too small to get any leverage, and keys flopping around in the way. The Cadet is both small (fits in a blue jeans watch pocket) and non-threatening. As compared to the other knives I have listed, however, it is quite useful. I can get an extra finger on the handle and the extra width and length of the blade comes in handy, as do the other tools. I replaced a light switch this weekend only using the tools in the cadet -- something I couldn't do with a modern tactical folder.
Last edited:
I love it when people contribute to the threads based on their own experience. That way, we get multiple points of view. I know some people remove the key ring and Dremel off the nub.
