VictorinoxCadet Alox Swiss Army Knife, 9 Functions, Swiss Made Pocket Knife with Large Blade, Screwdriver, Can Opener and Wire Stripper - Silver

I've always been a Swiss Army Knife (SAK) fan and have owned several, along with several other folders that I would classify as good Every-Day Carry (EDC) knives. To me, an EDC knife needs to be highly functional but lightweight and easy to carry in a pants pocket. It is not a weapon but a tool for everyday tasks that is always readily available, because it is always in your pocket. The Cadet may be the perfect embodiment of these characteristics. It is very slim and a little shorter (by 1/4 inch)than most Victorinox or Wenger alox (aluminum handled) knives (they are 3.5 inches, not talking about the little keyring SAKs). If you are familiar with the old Victorinox soldier or Wenger Standard Issue knives (the ones that they actually used to issue to the Swiss Army for over 50 years) the Cadet is approximately 1/4 inch shorter, about 1/8 inch thinner, and quite a bit lighter. This is due to thinner aluminum scales and thinner blade/tools (they are the same thickness as normal SAKs, the Soldier and Standard Issue have thicker than normal blades/tools). The light weight and slim profile, IMHO, makes it an excellent EDC knife. It is still very capable for everyday tasks. Let's face it, most of us are not using our EDC knives for hunting or self defense. We use them for opening boxes or letters or unsnaggleing a chipped or torn finger nail (the Cadet has a finger nail file , which is surprisingly useful). Also, some people just don't want to carry something that could be construed as a weapon. The Cadet's size, blade design, and overall appearance make it hard to be mistaken for a tactical (weapon-like) knife. And, the Cadet is unobtrusive in your pocket, which means you will actually carry it. I cut and ground smooth the part that holds the little key chain (which is not very useful, IMHO) with a dremel tool, which makes mine even more comfortable in my pocket. The Soldier or Standard Issue are great knives and more robust (designed for military use), but they are heavy. The more common red plastic clad SAK's are good too, but most of them are actually heavier and thicker because they have a steel liner (the alox SAKs do not have liners, the aluminum handle is rigid enough). Many other EDC knives only have a single blade. You would be surprised how often you use the can opener with the small screwdriver and the bottle opener with the large screwdriver.The only drawback, depending on the user, to this knife (and most other SAKs) is that the blade does not lock. It relies on a spring to hold it in the open position. When the knife is used correctly, this does not present a hazard. However, this knife may not be the best choice for someone who is not used to handling and using knives or a youngster who might be tempted to try to stab a piece of wood with it. Jabbing the tip of this kind of knife into anything will almost certainly overcome the spring and cause the blade to fold in. But, that is not what this knife was designed for. I personally think that this type of mechanism is fine for this type of knife's intended uses (as stated above) and it is tried and true for over a century.In all, the Cadet is a very capable little knife that does very well what it was designed to do and for a good price. Do not waste your time with those little key chain size SAKs. The blades are too small to be of any real use. The Cadet is a much more useful option.

I own a lot of knives as a knife collector (over 400 fixed and folding knives) and recently bought this Victorinox Cadet to add to my large Victorinox collection. I love this knife because its so elegant, light weight, has a great nail file and nail cleaner to keep my finger nails looking good when I snag or break them opening my other knives (or a bit of crud under my nails after doing yard work) and made a very discrete EDC, when knives would not looked upon favorably upon. I own the Pioneer and Farmer X with the scissors but they are both heavier and have thicker blades, and do not have a nail file/nail cleaner. The Cadet is also less thick but is a very smart looking accessory to any pocket or handbag. For an alternative to this knife, consider the Victorinox Sportsman, that has the same large blade, nail file, can opener with small screwdriver, bottle opener with large screwdriver & wire stripper, and adds a corkscrew, tweezers, toothpick, and awl.

Pros- very lightweight- I love the Alox scales victorinox uses.- excellent “gentleman’s folder” kind of knife.- can actually handle a fair amount of different sized screws.- knife is large enough to be useful in a variety of tasks.Cons- I wish the nail file was a small blade. I would use it more. I may file it sharp like others have done.- heavier than it needs to be thanks to the alox. I think it’s completely worth it but if you compare a knife with traditional plastic to the same size with Alox you’ll notice how much weight it adds.- you probably can’t hold it using your whole hand unless they’re quite small. Still very comfortable to use but keep it in mind if it’ll bother you.- light weight limits how much you can torq the drivers somewhat. Again considering what I believe this knife is for that’s fine.I bought one of these as a gift for my dad last year and recently bought the same model for myself. I love SAKs and this model is exceptionally attractive with those Alox scales. It has a nice rounded shape to it as opposed to the more traditional straight handles. See my pictures for a comparison to the Farmer Alox and several other comparable knives. The cadet is actually about the same length as a Kershaw shuffle. Also in the comparison is an Ontario Rat 2, and double and triple layer SAKs to see the difference there.These make excellent gift items and edc knives if like me you work in an office and don’t actually use a heavy duty tool often. Or it makes a great secondary knife if you’re the kind that needs that giant tactical folder to feel happy. I’d recommend these as a great addition to a folding knife. That way you can use this for delicate utility tasks or reserve it as a food knife even. Or a junk knife even since they’re so affordable. I hate having to clean tape gunk or something like that off of the same knife I might use to cut up my lunch later.