VictorinoxSwiss Army Pioneer Pocket Knife, 91mm

For a small, lightweight EDC option, consider the Victorinox Pioneer. It's 3.5" long, 3/8" wide, and 7/8" tall where the knife back protrudes.Knife: The main blade is 2.5" long and comes sharp out of box. After a few passes on my Spyderco Sharpmaker, it's hair-shaving sharp! The slipjoint lock is firm and holds the knife without any movement. Also, Victorinox is a familiar brand so when you whip this out in public, people are less intimidated than if you pull out a dedicated knife. For most people, a SAK screams tool whereas a knife screams "weapon". The 2.5" blade is perfect for my EDC needs (along with a larger tactical blade) and I find anything larger to be a little cumbersome.Can Opener: The can opener is good, but like any multitool can opener it's much slower than a traditional crank one. Compared to the opener on other brands, I think that Victorinox is one of the best. Also, the tip doubles as a small flathead screwdriver.Awl: This is mainly why I chose the Pioneer over the Cadet. The awl is great for punching holes in fabric, leather, or thin metal. It can also be used to drill small holes in wood. It comes, surprisingly, sharp enough to slice through paper with a little effort. I think it's a great tool.Flathead/Bottle Opener: The flathead/bottle opener is unique inits opening. It locks in place with the slipjoint lock at 180 degrees, but also at 90 degrees. This gives you an added capability in tightening screws. This piece feels very solid and I have used it successfully for medium-duty prying tasks. The bottle opener is decent when compared to dedicated bottle openers, but good in the realm of SAK style bottle openers.Alox Handles: The alox handles are thin and beautiful; much more streamlined and durable than the cheap plastic ones. there is a keyring on one end and on the back there's a little place to inscribe your name.Carryability: If you're thinking about throwing this on your keychain with your car keys, keep in mind that it's fairly large. I think that it would be a little cumbersome there and a SAK Cadet may better suit you. You can add a lanyard to it and carry it floating in your pocket if you like, but personally I don't like things floating around in my pocket. I have this on a mini survival keychain along with a Fenix E01, a firesteel, and a pill tube with iodine tabs. Since it sits in a pouch on my canteen, carryability is not an issue. Previously I had this riding in the little coin pocket on my jeans and my shorts, and it fit perfectly there without any movement.Bottom Line: Although I use this on a mini survival keychain, I'd recommend as an EDC option as well. It has a great variety of tools that provide with you with a lot of capabilities. For $25, this is a great deal; I'd buy one again without any second thoughts.

Basically, the Victorinox Pioneer is the civilian version of one of the world's most famed pocketknives, the Swiss Army Soldier's Knife. Differing only in the addition of a keychain mount ( IMHO worthwhile), this is the ultimate refinement of the original four blader issued to Swiss army recruits from 1891 to 2008. Its pattern has been copied almost exactly by many cutlery manufacturer to produce Scout knives, US Army "demo" knives, and numerous others, all clones of the original but none better or even equal in quality. It differs from the more familiar version SAKs with red plastic handles containing toothpick and tweezer ( (Suisse Officiers model) by its hardened aluminum (alox) handle without the extra implements. This makes the knife thinner, also tough as nails. Plastic can chip or break, alox does not.The Pioneer, like all Victorinox products, is extremely well crafted, easily one of the finest knives you can buy at any price, let alone one this affordable. The blade shape is just about perfect for a utility knife, flat ground of a steel that holds a decent edge and is easily re-sharpened. The can opener is effective and the small screw driver on its end doubles as a phillips head driver, not best at that, especially for countersunk screws, but mostly workable. The awl is one of the most useful implements on the Pioneer, good for drilling wood screw guide holes, adjusting leather belts, opening packages, reaming out corroded pipes and more. Uses are limited only by imagination. The Pioneer is a good choice as an only knife and indispensable in a collection, both a capable and iconic masterpiece.

I have had many Swiss army knives, but the one I always come back to for overall usefulness and reliability is the Pioneer. The knife is the almost the same as that issued by the Swiss Army to their soldiers (the Soldier knife) from 1960 until 2008, except for the ring at one end to allow attachment to a key chain. It has Alox handles with a ribbing to add to the ease of gripping it even when conditions are adverse. There are only four blades: major cutting blade, large flat screw driver/bottle cap opener, can opener/small screw driver (that could be used for Phillip screws), and a very useful awl. The main blade takes and hold a sharp edge. It is large enough to give you the sturdiness to enable a firm cut. The can opener design is one of the best I've ever seen on a pocket knife. It is quick, easy to use, and leaves a smooth edge. The large screw driver/bottle cap opener can open half way to give you extra torque when loosening or tightening a screw which at times helps with that stubborn screw.. The awl is very use full, it it is quick and being on the end of the knife and not protruding from the middle of the handle allows you to work in any space you can fit your hand. It is very user friendly. The size of the handle gives you plenty of "heft" when you need it and is not bulky because of any additional blades.I would recommend this knife over most of the other Swiss Army models for every day carry, it contains 99% of the tools you would use on any given day. It is sturdy and you can use it in almost any task you need to use a knife. The cutting blade is less than three inches and does not lock so it should be legal to carry where ever you can still carry a knife. It fits well into the pocket.I would also suggest you use Amazon to purchase you knife, the service and customer care of Amazon is second to done.