I have to confess, in some cases, I have more than one specimen of a given model. The way I see it, they are pre-needed replacements, more or less.
Four to five Spartans, some Climbers, you know the drill.
If you hit two digits… thats another story. So, as my newest addition from Ibach was inspected, I counted its cousins and it turned out it was the eleventh of its kind. Bummer.
So, what´s so special about this model? And which is it?
In my case, it´s the Huntsman.
Yeah, well, wait a minute!
First, that´s just ten pieces in the picture and second, one of those is an old Wenger, does that even count?
Exactly, there are ten. Bear with me, a little suspense has never hurt anybody.
The Wenger has been with me for more than 25 years, hell yes, that count´s! :-)
By the way, that model is still in production today, it´s called Evolution S17.
Righty, what about number 11?
This one completes the soccer team:
As you can see, as with the Skipper Navy Camouflage, the Huntsman hat a maritime ring to it. Navy Camouflage, me likey!
Very nice, don´t you think?
Depending on lighting, the camouflage does work like a charme:
Wether camouflaging a knife is a good thing or not, that´s up to you, I really dig it.
Just like the Skipper, the model itself isn´t new per se, the scale pattern is. Navy Camouflage, as its called. Based on, you guessed it, the current Navy patterns. As far as I know, its a regular from now on. Iwouldn´t mind a Climber or a Handyman in this colour pattern...
Fitting for a formal dinner as well:
Let´s cut to the chase, the tools, what do we get with a Huntsman?
Main blade, that´s a nobrainer. Pen knife, that´s easy as well, what else? Can opener, bottle opener, each with its own included driver. Woodsaw and scissors! With those you´re set for day´s most common tasks. At the same time you´re equipped with the most widely used and best known tools Victorinox has ever fielded. All that in a more than handy little package. Fit for any pants pocket. Maybe a little on the heavy side for suit pants, but any other than that, you´re good to go, like jeans or our beloved tactical pants. Add the awl, corkscrew and the multipurpose hook to the mix and you got yourself a Huntsman.
The Huntsman is in production for a long time now, easily 30 years plus. Being a mainstay in Victorinox´s lineup for so long, there have been some upgrades over the years. Take a look at the backtools, in prior years there was no multi purpose hook. And the corkscrew was fluted. The bottleopener aka large flathead driver got a 90 degree stop, the awl got a facelift as well. Even the scales got modernized:
The shield, it can be printed, inlayed, lasered, faded, hardly readable, you name it. The scales, made from celidor, wood, nylon… Each charming in it´s own right.
Here we have an early version, without the „Mehrzweckhaken“, or multi purpose hook and the old school corkscrew:
Without any doubt, the Huntsman is one of the most iconic classics Victorinox has ever build. Even if, regrettably, most things today aren´t build to be repaired, scissors will always be needed. Same thing with a saw or a knife. In a world where tools aren´t needed anymore, I´m redundant as well. Anybody feeling the same?
So, the circle closes, a new Huntsman for Thehunt. That´s the way it is, that´s the way I´m used to it. And I like it that way.
Cut a tree, cut some gift wrapping, cut some gingerbread.
Merry christmas to each and everyone of you!
God bless you!
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