Victorinox live to explore new collection

[tinker gnome]

Hi Anne,

first things first. So, welcome to  as some folks already said. You're indeed the first woman posting here in this thread, but we've got some female members here on MT.O, and we are happy to have them here. So it's good you expressed your viewpoint, and these are valid points for sure.

Fine that you like and use your "Sydney" companion. I for myself find the colours too funky, and the longevity of the handles as a user dubious. As a collector of Classics and SwissCards otoh I've got myself some ... 

And let's hope SAKs will be recognized as tools, not as threats...

[Anne]

Wow, thanks, everybody for the really nice welcome!!

Yes, I have carried it on the lanyard, as not all my clothes have pockets and I'm a big believer in having your SAK or multitool on your person at home etc. However, I worry a little bit because I tend to not put things on my neck that are probably stronger than my neck. I really can't think what it would get caught on but if it gets caught in something, I'd rather keep my neck and lose my knife.

I love the idea of the transparent colors because while I typically do not care for the transparent colors myself, I think it gives the knife a friendly look. I believe that we have lost so much ground in letting knives be referred to as weapons when they clearly are almost always tools that some serious consideration needs to go into regaining that ground.  I think that the Companion fits the bill for that nicely.

That's actually a part of what I like about the Companion. While I do enjoy using the package opener myself, I also think that it's a tool that doesn't force you to use a knife all the time if you don't want to, and yet you're still carrying a knife, so you can't really be against knives entirely.

A young man recently told me, "I don't like knives because they are pointy and sharp." At first I felt critical of him. But then I thought that he was actually probably just expressing a common belief among some groups of young people today who have been raised in an environment that's so safe they can neither accomplish the tasks that they need to do nor learn to manage levels of risk which are actually far below the risks they take when getting behind the wheel.  I hope that non-knife- focused multitools like the Companion will help break that barrier.

Thank you for being so welcoming! And here's to hoping that a MUCH less expensive version is on the way! (But there's no way IMO that it will go below the $58 USD barrier the Compact can't seem to break.)

[pfrsantos]

Hi there, welcome aboard!

 

Glad to know that you're a SAK enthusiast, too. Take a look around, there's plenty of SAK related threads/posts around here. just be warned: get ready to see your collection grow.

 

If you feel like it, show us some of yours. Everyone here loves to see pics of them. 

 

[Explorer]

my wife took my phone to read some of this thread and then she turned to me and said...

finally a SAK strong enough for a man but made for a woman.

 

[Huntsman]

Anne ..... Great thoughts on the Companion and the L2E collection

PS. I missed off  an equally, if not the most important point: Women and SAKs/multis !!
Thanks again

Great comment from Mrs Explorer too 

[nate j]

Welcome aboard, Anne!

…for reasons that I really can't fully explain, I started collecting Swiss Army knives and I've amassed a bit of a collection.

So many of us have said or could say this.  You’re clearly among kindred spirits here!

Yes, I have carried it on the lanyard, as not all my clothes have pockets and I'm a big believer in having your SAK or multitool on your person at home etc. However, I worry a little bit because I tend to not put things on my neck that are probably stronger than my neck. I really can't think what it would get caught on but if it gets caught in something, I'd rather keep my neck and lose my knife.

I’m not a big fan of neck carry for various reasons, but I feel the same about putting things around my neck that could end up strangling me (regardless of how remote that possibility may be).  I believe that quality stainless steel ball chain is a good solution.  Two popular sizes are #3 and #6, which have average tensile strength around 25 pounds and 45 pounds, respectively.  Plus, it is easy to clean and won’t absorb water, sweat, etc.  A small spool of ball chain, some hard wire cutters, and a little baggie of connectors, and you’ll probably have a lifetime supply.

[Rizio Il Ghiro]

Welcome to MTO, Anne! I quite agree with you that many do see to have lost the point that knives are tools and not weapons, and it was great to read your thoughts on the Companion - I bought one of the first ones out with wooden scales to try out the new box cutter tool (I think it works very well), but Vic do need to bring out more cellidor scale colours preferably with the plus tools - I could see myself gifting a few of those to friends and family….. Welcome again! 

[IMR4198]

       No pockets in your clothing?  That is a problem.  I can't imagine hanging a 91mm SAK around my neck on any sort of lanyard or chain.  That would annoy me beyond endurance. 
       I suppose it is either purse or hand clutch for a SAK that size?  Maybe a briefcase, if you need that sort of thing?  How do you carry it?
       I like the pastel colors.  If you feel like telling something about yourself, there is a New Member Forum here.  Check it out and see if you would feel comfortable with a getting to know you post there. 
Best wishes.  Gary

[Simon_Templar]

I like the direction this thread took. Indeed, the only part of a SAK that's not functional is the scales, so why not try and give them more design? It's an easy way to make a SAK more individual, more original and at the same time more attractive both to its owner and the general public. In fact, it's the way Vic seems to be headed at the moment anyway, but I think they are doing it wrong.

Instead of doing it in the form of limited editions or special product lines like "live to explore" or precious Alox, which are simply too expensive for the general public or won't be used on account of being collector's items, Vic should work on the longevity of printed celidor scales and offer a nice selection at a reasonable premium as options for their regular SAKs. Not camo stuff and the like, but friendly, fancy scales like the "live to explore", the Swiss Spirit or the old yearly Classic ones.

I for one would gladly pay a surcharge for that option, because it's just the reason I don't carry my nice Swiss Spirit Explorer and other cool SAKs in my possession: they were expensive, they couldn't be replaced and I fear the design on their scales wouldn't survive pocket carry very long.

@ Anne: welcome to the forum, it's good to have you.

Cheers,

Simon

[matzesu]

Whit the box opener and the nail cleaner the companion are quite interesting, but I wait for other models whit these new features..
Or should I take one, although I’m male?

[tinker gnome]

Never mind... If it fits, buy one. 

Oh, and occasionally I can be found with a pink Dragonfly or Delica, and I'm a male also. Don't let possible thoughts of other people hinder you... 

[Swisster]

A red Companion will probably be $50-ish on Amazon whenever it comes out and it will probably be late next year. The Yeoman is still the best 3 layer 91mm SAK. I'm ready for them to rerelease the Yeoman and create an Electrician X and a 93mm Alox Voyageur

[BPRoberts]

The very female forward marketing is something my wife and I talked about when it was first released. There's obviously nothing wrong with gendered marketing, or with people buying objects marketed outside their gender. But the whole thing reminded me of the Bic For Her fiasco. A non-gendered object marketed to women and upcharged. It doesn't seem to be drawing the backlash Bic did, so good for Vic, I guess.

[Outback in Idaho]

Wow, thanks, everybody for the really nice welcome!!

Yes, I have carried it on the lanyard, as not all my clothes have pockets and I'm a big believer in having your SAK or multitool on your person at home etc. However, I worry a little bit because I tend to not put things on my neck that are probably stronger than my neck. I really can't think what it would get caught on but if it gets caught in something, I'd rather keep my neck and lose my knife.

I love the idea of the transparent colors because while I typically do not care for the transparent colors myself, I think it gives the knife a friendly look. I believe that we have lost so much ground in letting knives be referred to as weapons when they clearly are almost always tools that some serious consideration needs to go into regaining that ground.  I think that the Companion fits the bill for that nicely.

That's actually a part of what I like about the Companion. While I do enjoy using the package opener myself, I also think that it's a tool that doesn't force you to use a knife all the time if you don't want to, and yet you're still carrying a knife, so you can't really be against knives entirely.

A young man recently told me, "I don't like knives because they are pointy and sharp." At first I felt critical of him. But then I thought that he was actually probably just expressing a common belief among some groups of young people today who have been raised in an environment that's so safe they can neither accomplish the tasks that they need to do nor learn to manage levels of risk which are actually far below the risks they take when getting behind the wheel.  I hope that non-knife- focused multitools like the Companion will help break that barrier.

Thank you for being so welcoming! And here's to hoping that a MUCH less expensive version is on the way! (But there's no way IMO that it will go below the $58 USD barrier the Compact can't seem to break.)

  Wonder if he has aichmophobia?


  And yes, welcome to MTO.  I pop in now and then to see what is up or to get opinions on multitools.

[matzesu]

I have allready a Swisschamp which is the Ultimative SAK, so I have to resist..
also the can opener got some use in the past when a kitchen can opener ditnt want to work..

[Myron]

I just ordered the New York Style for myself.  I don't get Vx's heavy marketing emphasis on gender with this knife, but also don't really care.    I just liked the color scheme of the New York scales.  I look forward to the box cutter implement saving my knife blade from the goo that accumulates from this chore, and for me a pen blade is useless so having a nail tool instead is ideal.   

Honestly, if they'd just sold this model with plain old red scales I woulda bought it anyway...

[Simon_Templar]

My better half gave me the Sidney Companion for Christmas

As expected, it looks very nice and, for lack of a better word, sympathetic. Hard to imagine pulling this one out of your pocket and people getting alarmed.

Also, it kind of invites you to individualise it a bit, in my case by adding green t&ts (shame on Vic for still not producing matching pens) and a neon green lanyard. I have to say the only SAK which puts an equally broad smile on my face is my goofy SC XLT with bright yellow scales and also green t&ts and neon green lanyard. I wonder why Vic did not throw in coloured t&ts in the first place, and a straight pin to boot? This line of SAKs positively cries out for them.

Regarding the scales, I am not sure whether they are actually painted - the gradient might just as well be a sticker. In any event, while you can feel the gradient as a relief on top of the scale, it is covered by a layer of varnish of sorts.

Which raises the question how durable it will be when pocket carried. Is anyone EDC'ing one of these beauties and can comment? Given that Victorinox did not conceive this line as a limited edition, I would assume they expect these SAKs to be carried and have given some thought to the issue of scale wear and tear.

Well, I suppose the only way to find out is actually putting one in your pocket. Which is precisely what I will do as of now. This is the great thing about gifted SAKs: since you didn't pay for them, you can just put them to use without a bad consciousness

Cheers and season's greeting to everyone,

Simon

[IMR4198]

    Good to hear from you, Simon.  I checked into the bylaws and codicils of MTo and feel I should mention that photos are required.  You probably just forgot.  Best wishes.  Gary
 

[Simon_Templar]

Hi Gary,

good to hear from you, too! My apologies, I didn't mean to be incompliant, of course. Picture coming right up!

Cheers,

Simon

[IMR4198]

   I am really happy that I complained about no pictures.  Those are both just yummy.  If I ever get a SwissChamp it would have to be good old red cellidor, I guess.  I would have to carry mine, and I just couldn't bear putting a scuff mark on anything as beautiful as yours.
   I enjoyed doing the MiniChamp challenge with you.  Some of us are coming back to do the Classic challenge.  I hope you are in better spirits.  Best wishes.  Gary
 

[nate j]

Which raises the question how durable it will be when pocket carried. Is anyone EDC'ing one of these beauties and can comment? Given that Victorinox did not conceive this line as a limited edition, I would assume they expect these SAKs to be carried and have given some thought to the issue of scale wear and tear.

I’m not carrying one, so can’t comment directly on these.

Historically, though, I don’t think these types of scales (even non-LE scales such as camo) have proven particularly durable.  The issue is that the color (however applied) is only surface deep, so damage or wear tends to expose the plastic underneath.  Contrast this with regular solid color cellidor scales, where the color is “through and through”.

Of course, external factors also influence how long the scales may last, e.g. can the SAK have a dedicated pocket, or is it being beaten up all the time by keys, coins, etc.

If you do carry this regularly, I will be interested to see how the scales hold up.

[Simon_Templar]

I’m not carrying one, so can’t comment directly on these.

Historically, though, I don’t think these types of scales (even non-LE scales such as camo) have proven particularly durable.  The issue is that the color (however applied) is only surface deep, so damage or wear tends to expose the plastic underneath.  Contrast this with regular solid color cellidor scales, where the color is “through and through”.

Of course, external factors also influence how long the scales may last, e.g. can the SAK have a dedicated pocket, or is it being beaten up all the time by keys, coins, etc.

If you do carry this regularly, I will be interested to see how the scales hold up.

Thanks, Nate. I will see how the Companion holds up and report back in a few months (unless I forget, of course ). In any event, compared to camo scales, the scale finish of the Companion seems different. I am pretty convinced by now that the colour gradient is a sticker and that this sticker is covered by a kind of varnish or a thin layer of transparent plastic. If so, this could prove to be pretty resistant, but let's see.

Cheers,

Simon

[Simon_Templar]

... If I ever get a SwissChamp...

You must be joking, Gary! The Spartan and the Swisschamp are what Victorinox is all about. You owe it to yourself to have (at least) one.

Cheers,

Simon

[Fireman]

About a year ago, for reasons that I really can't fully explain, I started collecting Swiss Army knives and I've amassed a bit of a collection.

You're going to fit right in here. 

[IMR4198]

   Simon, you are a past master in the dirty art of enabling.  I do at least have a Spartan.  I am seriously considering turning a red Spartan into a blue Spartan.  I just got a really spiffy set of blue scales.  Actually a blue SwissChamp would..... whoops, there I go again.
   I mentioned before that I could have bought a SwissChamp for $30 at a flea market.  I think I called it a Champion before.  It would have been a SwissChamp.  Probably for $20.  Why didn't I?  I knew good and well that the seller had stolen it from a store he worked in.  Either that or bought it from a co-worker who had stolen it.  I knew it.  Let's say I strongly suspected it. 
   I just wouldn't buy it thinking it was stolen.  So I never owned one.  I have to live with myself.  Best wishes.  Gary
 

[Simon_Templar]

   Simon, you are a past master in the dirty art of enabling.  I do at least have a Spartan.  I am seriously considering turning a red Spartan into a blue Spartan.  I just got a really spiffy set of blue scales.  Actually a blue SwissChamp would..... whoops, there I go again.
   I mentioned before that I could have bought a SwissChamp for $30 at a flea market.  I think I called it a Champion before.  It would have been a SwissChamp.  Probably for $20.  Why didn't I?  I knew good and well that the seller had stolen it from a store he worked in.  Either that or bought it from a co-worker who had stolen it.  I knew it.  Let's say I strongly suspected it. 
   I just wouldn't buy it thinking it was stolen.  So I never owned one.  I have to live with myself.  Best wishes.  Gary
 

Luckily, there is an easy fix for your problem: just get yourself one from a reputable seller  . The good thing about the Swisschamp is that it's readily available, so it's quite possible to find them at bargain prices. When I was living abroad as a student, the Swisschamp was the only tool I brought and I got along just fine. It really is that good.

Cheers,

Simon