Victorinox SA Knives - Stay Really Sharp? Maybe Forever?
Hatheway, Darwin
I have a Victorinix Swiss Army "Huntsman" (pretty sure that's the model:
it's 3" or so long, has a large blade, pen blade, scissor, corkscrew!, can
opener, bottle opener, saw, awl. tweezer and toothpick). It's about 15
years old -maybe older. I've been using it routinely all that time and it's
still quite sharp although I have started to think it could finally use a
little bit of sharpening. I also have a Gerber lock-back ultralight I
obtained about the same time that didn't retain its edge anywhere near as
long. With comparable amounts of use, it needed serious sharpening in just
two or three years.
I mentioned this to a friend a few years ago and he said he'd noticed the
same thing; his Victorinox SA knife was about 10 years old and still quite
sharp, in spite of relatively frequent use. He also thought the Wenger
brand SA knives didn't seem to stay as sharp as long.
Anybody else notice this? Can anyone else compare experiences with a Wenger
and a Victorinox? Or a Victorinox and other brands of pocketknives? Or an
older Victorinox and a newer one?
Q.
"Hatheway, Darwin" <dhat...@nospamming.isd.net> wrote in message
news:bq40bc$i2s$1...@tuvok3.mmm.com...
boy scout one, and refuse to use anything but a lockblade since), but in
general how long an edge stays sharp depends on many factors. Pitch of the
edge is one, I often put a "working" edge on the pocket knife I use while at
work, and a "sharper" angle on my other knives (enough to shave your leg
hairs off). Blade material is another ... harder metals stay sharper
longer, but also take longer to sharpen (didn't mean for that to sound like
a jingle). Also, harder metals tend to be more brittle, so the edge chips,
and the blade breaks easier if you try to use it as a screwdriver for
example (shouldn't be a temptation with a swiss army knife). Softer metal
can take more abuse and be easier to resharpen depending on application.
I have noticed Victorinix seems to have very hard metal blades, and very
steeply angled edge (looking at my old blood encrusted boy scout and
Marlboro adventure team ones right now) which would make it keep it's
sharpness longer ... a working edge if you will. This would be practical
for a swiss army knife as you're only likely to use it for it's intended
purpose and for light duty ... I use a Gerber International pocket knife for
work, and routinely use it for everything from making holes in walls, to
cutting coax cable, to field dressing deer. A harder blade would be chipped
or broken in no time. It does get dull, but only takes about 5 minutes to
keen the edge every week or two.
C.Q.C.
Eugene Miya
On PBS, there is a Burt Wolf Travels and Traditions episode which visits
the Victorinox factory in Ibach, Schwyz, Switzerland. This was filmed
just a couple of years ago and was part of a BMW promotion (drive and send
back to the US). They don't show too much of the factory, but they show
the show room (SAKs are not their mainstay, dinner cutlery is).
This will give readers a sense of the firm.
Wenger does not have a show room or second store in Delemont.
All knives require some maintenance with use or not.
The moderator
"Hatheway, Darwin" <dhat...@nospamming.isd.net> wrote in message
news:bq40bc$i2s$1...@tuvok3.mmm.com...
I don't have a Wenger, but I have other knives that hold an edge much
longer than a Victorinox. My only SA knife I owned had a stainless steel
blade. Stainless steel does not hold an edge as well as carbon steel.
Steve
originally. Some knives are honed at a very low angle, to make them
extremely sharp out of the box, but such a low angle doesn't give a durable
edge. I find my SA knives hold a reasonable edge - about as well as any
other stainless knife I own, although perhaps a bit better. The blades are
flat ground, which helps.
Sharpening isn't very hard to do with a little practice, and SA knives
aren't a hard knife to sharpen. Get a small (say about 4" by 1") diamond
stone of about 400 to 600 grit and follow the directions that come with it.
Beware, however, that sharpening has become a compulsion for more than one
person, and it's easy to get carried away - especially with buying the
gadgets that abound to make it easier.
"The moderator" <spa...@nospam.engineer.com> wrote in message
news:vsmsnvb...@corp.supernews.com...
Rick Courtright
> Anybody else notice this? Can anyone else compare experiences with a Wenger
> and a Victorinox? Or a Victorinox and other brands of pocketknives? Or an
> older Victorinox and a newer one?
Hi,
Comparing Victorinox to Wenger, IME: Wenger seems a little harder, holds
edge a little longer, V-nox seems a little easier to sharpen. I own
several of each--as for age, the V-noxes I currently have range from a
couple of years old to around 20, current Wengers are all less than
five. I don't notice much difference with age.
Comparing any SAK to other brands of stainless pocketknives in my drawer
(currently Buck, Camillus, Schrade--both Old Timer and Uncle Henry,
Western): most other SS blades hold an edge better than either of the
SAKs. None are as easy to sharpen.
Comparing stainless to carbon steel: carbon steel (Old Timer, Case, old
BSK, most of my kitchen knives) is harder to sharpen, holds an edge
better, but, of course, discolors and rusts easily.
But these are just my experiences. As others have said, sharpening
technique and usage will determine a lot!
Rick