Victorinox Hunter Pro 0.9410.3

[ragingspeed]

am very tempted to buy the Victorinox Hunter Pro 0.9410.3 .. to be my main single large blade pocket knife ... which, as you may assume, should be as much sturdy and strong as ever. What are your views/ideas about this beauty?

[Minics04]

I was thinking about getting one to every day carry, but not having a pocket clip was kinda a deal breaker for me. Also, a touch large. Really made for just hunting.

Still, cool knife to own!

[Etherealicer]

Syph did a pretty thorough tear-down... HERE
In short, its not Victorinox best work.

[firiki]

What Etherealicer said

I'll just add that I've held one a few times and it didn't appeal to me at all. I know taste is subjective and that I don't have a use for such a knife, so holding one in your hands if you have the opportunity  would be helpful.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I can't say whether you would like this knife or not, and I can't comment on how good it is or how reliable.  I can say that I held a prototype at SHOT a number of years ago and had to pretend to be positive to the Victorinox reps- at the time I'd hoped it was an early prototype and that some of my feedback would be taken into account.

A few weeks ago I went into a sporting goods store and held the actual production version of the knife in my hand.  I had cash on me, and an interest in buying a new knife.  I left the store with a completely different knife.  These was simply nothing about this one that made me want it.

What I noticed is that Victorinox seems like they are trying to enter the tactical knife market without having done their homework.  All of the parts are there, they just aren't assembled right.

For example, the handle is grippy and ergonomic which is good, but it is far too bulky for every day carry.  It is more of a sheath knife than a pocket knife and it doesn't seem like the padded handle will come out of a sheath nicely.  Also the padded handle feels like a bacterial playground and that is probably won't last all that long.

The blade has a nice lock and a good shape, but Victorinox hasn't seemed to realize that when a blade locks it doesn't need a backspring.  Because they put a backspring in, the blade seems reluctant to open and not very smooth.  In fact, it seems to want to resist opening, even worse than the One Handed Trekker, which at least has other functions.

In short, it seems that Victorinox decided to enter the market without wanting to let go of the traditions that have made them great.  Traditions are great and all, but this is not the place for them.  Horses are beautiful creatures, but they are not going to get people to Mars, and this is the same thing.  Honestly, I would strongly recommend the OHT or one of the revamped Wenger Ranger series over this one.

Def

[shibafu]

The blade has a nice lock and a good shape, but Victorinox hasn't seemed to realize that when a blade locks it doesn't need a backspring.  Because they put a backspring in, the blade seems reluctant to open and not very smooth.  In fact, it seems to want to resist opening, even worse than the One Handed Trekker, which at least has other functions.

Yes, it's the same with the 111mm and 130mm knives isn't it.  Who else makes a liner-lock with a backspring?  No-one I can think of.

[dks]

Case xx makes locking knives with backsprings 

The Hunter has always looked and felt like a Ganzo product as far as I am concerned. A decent Chinese made tactical folder.

Nothing wrong with that but, it has the wrong badge and the wrong price.

But, they seem to sell....

[Mextreme]

I can't say whether you would like this knife or not, and I can't comment on how good it is or how reliable.  I can say that I held a prototype at SHOT a number of years ago and had to pretend to be positive to the Victorinox reps- at the time I'd hoped it was an early prototype and that some of my feedback would be taken into account.

A few weeks ago I went into a sporting goods store and held the actual production version of the knife in my hand.  I had cash on me, and an interest in buying a new knife.  I left the store with a completely different knife.  These was simply nothing about this one that made me want it.

What I noticed is that Victorinox seems like they are trying to enter the tactical knife market without having done their homework.  All of the parts are there, they just aren't assembled right.

For example, the handle is grippy and ergonomic which is good, but it is far too bulky for every day carry.  It is more of a sheath knife than a pocket knife and it doesn't seem like the padded handle will come out of a sheath nicely.  Also the padded handle feels like a bacterial playground and that is probably won't last all that long.

The blade has a nice lock and a good shape, but Victorinox hasn't seemed to realize that when a blade locks it doesn't need a backspring.  Because they put a backspring in, the blade seems reluctant to open and not very smooth.  In fact, it seems to want to resist opening, even worse than the One Handed Trekker, which at least has other functions.

In short, it seems that Victorinox decided to enter the market without wanting to let go of the traditions that have made them great.  Traditions are great and all, but this is not the place for them.  Horses are beautiful creatures, but they are not going to get people to Mars, and this is the same thing.  Honestly, I would strongly recommend the OHT or one of the revamped Wenger Ranger series over this one.

Def

Nice sum up and conclusions. I belive you're spot on.

[Grant Lamontagne]

The blade has a nice lock and a good shape, but Victorinox hasn't seemed to realize that when a blade locks it doesn't need a backspring.  Because they put a backspring in, the blade seems reluctant to open and not very smooth.  In fact, it seems to want to resist opening, even worse than the One Handed Trekker, which at least has other functions.

Yes, it's the same with the 111mm and 130mm knives isn't it.  Who else makes a liner-lock with a backspring?  No-one I can think of.

They absolutely do, but they also have screwdrivers, saws, bottle openers etc that are more than a trade off and make them quite worthwhile.  I love my OHT's and have many variants.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Case xx makes locking knives with backsprings 

The Hunter has always looked and felt like a Ganzo product as far as I am concerned. A decent Chinese made tactical folder.

Nothing wrong with that but, it has the wrong badge and the wrong price.

But, they seem to sell....

Yes, and after detailing at length why I dislike them above I have come to the conclusion that I need one and will probably either overpay for one locally or see if I can find a good deal online.

It often really sucks to be me.....

Def

[Grathr]

Tim has two at a very good price compared to ebay:
http://www.edcsource.com/listing/victorinox-hunter-pro-swiss-army-folder-new-issue/119351

The cheapest I found on ebay was $59 +shopping vs tims $39 +shipping

Sent from a device made from star dust using tapatalk

[shibafu]

Case xx makes locking knives with backsprings 

The Hunter has always looked and felt like a Ganzo product as far as I am concerned. A decent Chinese made tactical folder.

Nothing wrong with that but, it has the wrong badge and the wrong price.

But, they seem to sell....

Yes good point about Case... I forgot about that, I actually have a Chinese imitation of a Case that has a linerlock and a strong backspring.

Based Syph's review, I think you're being harsh on Ganzo suggesting their products are comparable to this Hunter Pro

[dks]

Shibafu , 

Grathr, that is a good price. Around here they are about 50-60 Euro, if I remember correctly

[dks]

actually, over 77 euro... and people in the US complain about prices     

http://www.eshopcy.com.cy/soygias-victorinox-hunter-pro-with-case-094103-p-TLS.110504

[Grant Lamontagne]

Tim has two at a very good price compared to ebay:
http://www.edcsource.com/listing/victorinox-hunter-pro-swiss-army-folder-new-issue/119351

The cheapest I found on ebay was $59 +shopping vs tims $39 +shipping

Sent from a device made from star dust using tapatalk

I already ordered one from Tim.  Best guy in the works to deal with.

Def

[Grathr]

Tim has two at a very good price compared to ebay:
http://www.edcsource.com/listing/victorinox-hunter-pro-swiss-army-folder-new-issue/119351

The cheapest I found on ebay was $59 +shopping vs tims $39 +shipping

Sent from a device made from star dust using tapatalk

I already ordered one from Tim.  Best guy in the works to deal with.

Def

Very true!


Sent from a device made from star dust using tapatalk

[ragingspeed]

hi guys ... i just went through all your very valuable posts ... really much appreciated! got mixed feelings now and am more confused than ever since I do actually love Victorinox but at the same time I really want to follow your suggestions since of course you're all more experienced than me ... therefore for a folding single blade to which brands do you suggest me to look at. Yes I know for example benchmade are fabulous and good and nice and everything however I don't have that big money to spend on a folding single blade

[Syph007]

hi guys ... i just went through all your very valuable posts ... really much appreciated! got mixed feelings now and am more confused than ever since I do actually love Victorinox but at the same time I really want to follow your suggestions since of course you're all more experienced than me ... therefore for a folding single blade to which brands do you suggest me to look at. Yes I know for example benchmade are fabulous and good and nice and everything however I don't have that big money to spend on a folding single blade

Depends on what you want to spend.  You can find most makers offer a budget line which are comparable or better to this hunter pro.  The exmaple I use is I had a $20 kershaw that I found better overall than the Vic.   

I LOVE victorinox products, but this doesn't feel like one.  They said it was not outsourced, but I have a hard time imagining them making these blades the same way they make their other blades in Ibach.  The steel is so grainy. I tried to polish the blade on mine and the metal is just weird.  The surface was very pitted, but that gets covered up by the bead blasting, further adding to the cheap feel.  I guess I expected too much.  If it was a $20 price then I wouldnt have expected so much.

[shibafu]

For what it's worth, there is a walnut version "coming soon":
http://www.victorinox.com/global/en/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/Large-Pocket-Knives/Hunter-Pro/p/0.9410.63

[dks]

cold steel
SRM
Ganzo
Buck
Spyderco/Byrd

[shibafu]

cold steel
SRM
Ganzo
Buck
Spyderco/Byrd

If looking at Sanrenmu and Ganzo, also consider Enlan - another respectable Chinese brand.

[downunder]

These were on sale in Australia for $81 (approximately $59 US or 52 euros) delivered to my rural property (often knives in Australia are at least double the price of what they cost overseas). I couldn't resist trying one at this price and bought the orange handled version. It arrived sharp and with zero blade play. I loved the feel of it in the hand and I wear it horizontally on my belt in its case with no trouble. I was so impressed that I have just ordered a black handled one also while they are still on sale. I was initially concerned because of that very good 2013 report of blade play and a few other unimpressive characteristics, but didn't Victorinox go back to the drawing board and fix that problem? The one I have in hand seems a fine knife. It will be interesting to see how my knives stand up to long term use.

[Syph007]

These were on sale in Australia for $81 (approximately $59 US or 52 euros) delivered to my rural property (often knives in Australia are at least double the price of what they cost overseas). I couldn't resist trying one at this price and bought the orange handled version. It arrived sharp and with zero blade play. I loved the feel of it in the hand and I wear it horizontally on my belt in its case with no trouble. I was so impressed that I have just ordered a black handled one also while they are still on sale. I was initially concerned because of that very good 2013 report of blade play and a few other unimpressive characteristics, but didn't Victorinox go back to the drawing board and fix that problem? The one I have in hand seems a fine knife. It will be interesting to see how my knives stand up to long term use.

At the time there were others that bought them and had zero blade play too, so I think it's just luck of the draw.  I'm curious if they made any changes since release.  I would have thought they'd add washers on the main blade at least.

Im glad yours is working out well for you.  If I needed a lockblade I think I'd just go with a 111mm model as those have extra tools other than just the blade.  Hard to be a OHO plain edge trekker.

[Grant Lamontagne]

hi guys ... i just went through all your very valuable posts ... really much appreciated! got mixed feelings now and am more confused than ever since I do actually love Victorinox but at the same time I really want to follow your suggestions since of course you're all more experienced than me ... therefore for a folding single blade to which brands do you suggest me to look at. Yes I know for example benchmade are fabulous and good and nice and everything however I don't have that big money to spend on a folding single blade

If you are looking for a single bladed folder that has the usual functions like pocket clips, one handed opening and locking blade that isn't that expensive you might want to try a SOGzilla.  It's basically a copy of a Spyderco knife made by SOG and it's quite cheap.  I picked one up at a local retail store at full retail (along with full Canadian markup/overcharge) and it was still under $40.

I've just gotten it and started to play with it but so far I'm quite pleased with it.

Def

[ragingspeed]

hi ...once again thanks alot for your input ... have got through all your suggestions ... matching with what I can be able to find online in order to be shipped to my home country and what I could trace is Kershaw ... visited their site and they do have nice ones like the cqc-7k and cqc-8k ... what do you think about this brand ? about these models ? sorry in advance for asking much

referring to my budget ... i'm actually not going for ultra cheap ... i can spend a little bit more ... what I can't spend is Benchmade level prices

[Grant Lamontagne]

I get that feeling.  I'm often allowed to only spend what I can get away with....  :-P

Def

[ragingspeed]

hehehe ! therefore ? kershaw ? cqc-7k ? cqc-8k ? i'll be messing in a puddle with these likes ?

[Grant Lamontagne]

The CQC knives were all designed by Ernie Emerson, the man who is largely recognized as being the father of the modern tactical knife, and Kershaw is an excellent manufacturer with high standards, so while I can't actually speak to those specific models/versions, I can say that they are probably both fairly safe bets.

Def

[ironraven]

What I noticed is that Victorinox seems like they are trying to enter the tactical knife market without having done their homework. 

That is exactly the conclusion I came to when I was looking at one of these earlier today.

If Vic wants to get into this market, I'll make it really simple for them. Start with a OH Sentinel. Plain edged, and pointy- we've had this mod in the forum, putting a false edge on it wouldn't be hard. Solid nylon scales, no T&T- something that can be autoclaved and is inert to petrochems and alcohol would be even better. And fix the liner spring's direction so you can actually close the stupid thing with your right hand while wearing gloves. Thats it, that's all they need to do. Then they can tac-out the Nomad and Trekker and maybe even a new model that is just the knife blade and the saw.

[ragingspeed]

...................... ohh what a mistake I just did

i just saw the CRKT HI JINX online and I just can't get my eyes off this beauty !

help me !!!