Would I Buy It Again?
This is the first post in Would I Buy It Again?, a series about things I’ve used for at least a year. I paid for everything myself, and there are no affiliate links.
A Swiss Army knife is one of the few things I’d recommend to anyone. It’s small enough to keep on you, it lasts for years, and it handles the little jobs that come up all the time, from opening a package to tightening a loose screw.
Which model is a more personal question. The right one depends on what you’ll actually use, and that isn’t always what the spec sheet suggests. I go through several models in my Swiss pocket knife roundup.
Take two of mine. On paper, it shouldn’t be close: the Victorinox Explorer has far more tools than the Pioneer X Alox and wins any spec-sheet comparison. Yet after 16 months with the Pioneer X, it’s the one I reach for.
What’s on it
Victorinox counts nine functions, spread over five tools and a key ring:
- Large blade
- Scissors
- Reamer and punch (the awl)
- Can opener with a 3 mm screwdriver
- Bottle opener with a 7 mm screwdriver and wire stripper
- Key ring
The scales are Alox, Victorinox’s textured aluminium.
What I actually use
I do most of what I do with it with the scissors.
The surprise is the awl. I didn’t expect to use it at all, but I do: to punch an extra hole in a belt, and sometimes to open packages and letters. It’s easier to get out than the main blade, and because its edge is sharpened, it handles tape and envelopes well.
The can opener, on the other hand, has never opened a can. As far as I remember, I’ve only used it as a screwdriver.
What I gave up
The Explorer’s extra tools are why it wins the comparison. In practice, I’ve rarely missed them. The one exception is the magnifying glass, on the odd day I’m out without my contact lenses and need to read something small. That happens maybe once a year, and even then I could just ask someone to read it for me.
Why I reach for it
The Pioneer X feels like it can handle rough use. The Explorer, by comparison, feels a bit delicate, and when either would do the job, I pick the Pioneer.
This might be purely psychological. But a tool you hesitate to use is a tool you use less, so the effect is real even if the cause is in my head. It doesn’t hurt that the Pioneer X has barely aged.
Would I buy it again?
Yes. And if I could keep only one of the two, I’d keep this one.
The Explorer is still the better pick if you’d actually use its extras, like the magnifying glass, the corkscrew or the Phillips screwdriver. But if you’re choosing from the spec sheet, ask which tools you’d really reach for. Mine turned out to be the scissors and, to my own surprise, the awl.
On paper, the Explorer wins. In daily use, it’s the Pioneer X.
Written with AI assistance.
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