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

I take this Knife on every hike. It's the perfect lightweight tool to carry in my backpack. I love the look and quality of this Swiss made Knife.

I own several Swiss Army Knives, and have had them for years. I got my first way back in the early '80's. However, this was my first "Alox" aluminum handled model.I really like the knife. It has a solid feel to it that the plastic handled models don't. But I have one or two minor, nit picking issues with it (and all Victorinox S.A.K.s).The can opener tool. It requires you to push the tool forward with each "bite" as you open a can, and rotate the can counter-clockwise. The Wenger brand of Swiss Army knives has a tool that cuts on it's inside edge instead, and to operate it you rotate the can clockwise. The Wenger tool is more efficient in my experience using both kinds.The only other thing I'd like it to have is a set of tweezers. I use the tweezers on my every day Swiss Army knife for pulling splinters more often than you'd think. It comes in really handy. I don't care for the toothpick much, but the tweezers are something I use a lot.But overall those two issues are just minor gripes. The knife is built solidly. The springs hold the blades and tools in position tightly. The awl on this model is one of the best I've seen yet. It makes up for the slightly less efficient can opener. the awl is sharpened along one side at a great, robust angle. It is sharp enough to make an effective reamer, and it is also great fro striking sparks from a survival fire steel. It comes to a good point that enables you to easily punch through heavy leather or fabric so it works great as an awl in that regard as well.The saw works surprisingly well on wood surprisingly thick. For something that can fit in the palm of your hand it is a very useful little saw. Perfect for making small notches in things. I've used mine several times. it works just as well on various plastic materials like PVC pipe as it does on wood.Having a flat head screwdriver comes in handy as well. Most recently, I used the screwdriver on my knife to adjust the scope turrets on a hunting rifle since I didn't have a coin to use for the purpose.And the bottle opener has been very useful for opening a good beer from time to time.This is fast becoming one of my favorite Swiss Army knives for it's selection of tools. It doesn't have a lot of wasted weight and bulk from highly specialized tools most of us will hardly ever use. I expect the aluminum will be more scratch resistant than the plastic so the handles will retain their finish longer in a pocket full of abrasive keys and coins.Great knife!

I have a lot of Victorinox Swiss Army knives, probably around 20 or so. What I like about the Alox Farmer model is the sturdy aluminum scales. They don't scratch or crack like the red cellidor ones. The Farmer is just the right size for an every day carry. It has a full size blade, saw, very sharp awl/reamer, can opener/phillips, and large screwdriver/bottle opener. I cut and installed a wall mounted electrical box using this tool alone. Used the awl to punch four holes around the perimeter of the box (through a layer of paneling and sheetrock) and then used the saw to cut out the box opening. Then used the screwdriver/can opener to expand the wings and secure the box to the wall and to install the new outlet into the box. Like having a toolbox in your pocket. Very worthwhile for the money.

If you want a multi-fumctional little tool that will make you feel prepared for a variety of unlikely scenarios and will just sit in the console of your car, this is it! Plus it's shiny.

I had planned on buying a Swiss Army Pioneer (the perfect pocket knife IMO), but I noticed the Farmer had this nifty saw and was only $2 more. The Farmer and Pioneer are identical, other than the saw blade. If you are looking to buy a nice sturdy pocket knife but don't really need a saw, the Pioneer is for you. Buy one and thank me later.Does the Farmer disappear in the pocket like the slimmer Pioneer does??? YES it does! When holding the Farmer it does feel heavier and bulkier than the Pioneer, but when you slip it into your pocket it just disappears all the same. The size and weight difference between the two is not enough to make the Farmer 'too big' to carry. IMO it's 'just right', and I'm very happy with it!The thicker blade used in the 91mm Alox SAK is my preferred blade for carving and widdling on wood. The Pioneer as is has the knife, reamer, and splitter which are great tools for carving. With the addition of the saw blade, the Farmer is a widdling champ! I probably won't use the saw to cut branches, but rather to make clean straight notches to speed up the carving process. As you can see in the included pics, my first test of this knife/saw when I got it was to widdle on a 1.5in thick piece of Birch. I used the saw to make grooves within the sketched design, then used the flat-head to pry out the middle pieces of wood. Then used the knife to finish it up and round it out. Easy and fun!Bahco Laplander vs SAK saw? The Laplander saws through any given branch roughly 10x faster than the SAK saw. If it takes 30 seconds to cut through a branch using the Farmer's saw, the Laplander will cut through the same branch in 3 seconds, no exaggeration. Of course the Laplander blade is much larger so it's not a fair comparison, this is just an example. The SAK saw is small, but it's sturdy and it cuts very well for it's size.