2010-13 xx/50 LE's - The Alox Heydays! Were you there?

[stevorinox]

Hi. Having only been collecting a year or so I missed the Alox Heydays of 2010-13, when 20+ special numbered knives were available each year for $50-$80 or so 

I have spoken to a couple of guys who collected most of them (85ish) at the time, and some who have been picking them up since.

So - were you there? How many of them did/do you have? What's your favourite? Perhaps a chance to trade one or two to improve a collection, and who knows, I might even find some of the 84 of them that I am still missing 

[red_rider_1979]

Ignorance is truly bliss. I too had started collecting only for the past 2 years... With so many colour variations in 2015, I thought those were the heydays 

[SAK Guy]

That's also the time that mint Soldiers were 15-20 bucks and perfect Old Cross Alox was $25 -$35 but by 2013 they were taking off.

[AimlessWanderer]

I was certainly here then, but didn't buy any - not my thing at all

[nsa-x-file]

Those were great years for Alox collecting.
I managed to get them all as each were released.

[marduk]

Tim at FelineVet sold almost all of them except for 1 or 2 green ones. When I asked him why, he said the color doesn't sell! This forced me to go to Switzerland to pick them up w/the help of +B & Martin.
Speaking of whom, has anyone seen the DeSax family Pioneer for sale (the 1st bicolor SAK, I think)?
PS: Don't forget the only SAK in the "25 series," the Soldier knife of 2010 w/1291 & the Swiss cross on the scale. I know, it's not alox, and Tim had a job selling it. I believe it was on his website for several weeks.

[captain spaulding]

Tim at FelineVet sold almost all of them except for 1 or 2 green ones. When I asked him why, he said the color doesn't sell! This forced me to go to Switzerland to pick them up w/the help of +B & Martin.
Speaking of whom, has anyone seen the DeSax family Pioneer for sale (the 1st bicolor SAK, I think)?
PS: Don't forget the only SAK in the "25 series," the Soldier knife of 2010 w/1291 & the Swiss cross on the scale. I know, it's not alox, and Tim had a job selling it. I believe it was on his website for several weeks.

I remember the gold alox solos being in stock (with Tim) for at least a few weeks as well. It's funny because people would kill for anything from the XX/50 run now.

[SAK Guy]

The only +B item I have from that time is a Black Farmer (Oct/Nov 2010 -65 pieces)



Variation 8 
http://www.sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Victorinox+Farmer

[stevorinox]

Thanks, all.

It's amazing now to think that some of the limited knives stayed on the shelf for a while. Recently I saw an old post of someone who had bought a +B Splash Cadet for $55 but didn't like it. He posted it for sale, no-one was interested, and it took him a fortnight and a reduction to $45 to sell it 

It looks like Martin had a few xx/50 spares, which he offered through k-n-t a month or two ago. There are one or two left there, I believe.

[Chako]

I stayed away from them mostly because I viewed them as nothing more than a money grab.

[glenfiddich1983]

I stayed away from them mostly because I viewed them as nothing more than a money grab.

I agree. The fact that they have a number on them doesn't make them rare. Only that specific run in that specific color is limited, the knife itself is not. Only some of them, like the Electrician Duo, are really rare and collectible.

[SAK Guy]

I stayed away from them mostly because I viewed them as nothing more than a money grab.

I have 60.00 in that Farmer but it was bought as a NIB blk Farmer to avoid getting one from overseas. Only discovered what it was after I received it.

[shibafu]

The only one I got was the all-black Pioneer, and that was because it is SO black. Light just seems to fall into it.  The blackness of it is so extreme that it is almost impossible to tell how close you're standing to it.  Your eyes just slide off it.

I'm only slightly exaggerating

[magentus]

The only one I got was the all-black Pioneer, and that was because it is SO black. Light just seems to fall into it.  The blackness of it is so extreme that it is almost impossible to tell how close you're standing to it.  Your eyes just slide off it.

I'm only slightly exaggerating

There's something about this that's so black, it's like how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black. Nigel Tufnel

[nsa-x-file]

I stayed away from them mostly because I viewed them as nothing more than a money grab.

I agree. The fact that they have a number on them doesn't make them rare. Only that specific run in that specific color is limited, the knife itself is not. Only some of them, like the Electrician Duo, are really rare and collectible.

There were so many great models back then.
Some I doubt very much we will see again.

One of my all time favorites have to be the Alox with Black Oxide Tools.
Like my Cadet, Firstmate, Pioneer and Wilderness examples below.




 

[glenfiddich1983]

I stayed away from them mostly because I viewed them as nothing more than a money grab.

I agree. The fact that they have a number on them doesn't make them rare. Only that specific run in that specific color is limited, the knife itself is not. Only some of them, like the Electrician Duo, are really rare and collectible.

There were so many great models back then.
Some I doubt very much we will see again.

One of my all time favorites have to be the Alox with Black Oxide Tools.
Like my Cadet, Firstmate, Pioneer and Wilderness examples below.

(Image removed from quote.)

Very cool set of SAK's!

[nsa-x-file]

Tim at FelineVet sold almost all of them except for 1 or 2 green ones. When I asked him why, he said the color doesn't sell! This forced me to go to Switzerland to pick them up w/the help of +B & Martin.
Speaking of whom, has anyone seen the DeSax family Pioneer for sale (the 1st bicolor SAK, I think)?
PS: Don't forget the only SAK in the "25 series," the Soldier knife of 2010 w/1291 & the Swiss cross on the scale. I know, it's not alox, and Tim had a job selling it. I believe it was on his website for several weeks.

I could only find a photo of my Soldier.
It's a very rare knife these days and i've seen some sell very high.

I do have the de-sax Pioneer as well and i'm sure it was one of the first bi-color as well.
I'm sure Martin can let us know. Also very hard to find if you missed it.

[stevorinox]

Good to see the Black-Tool line-up, thanks.

Some of the LE knives had great combinations of colours, blade etchings, scale-prints, and of course numbers, that does make them stand out as pretty special and indeed unlikely to be seen again, although I noticed that one or two of the 'plainer' ones were inadvertently re-incarnated in un-numbered versions by a couple of retailers in 2015.

[Aloha]

I missed the heyday, tho I'm not a collector of colored SAKs.  I love looking at all the collections and the colors are gorgeous. 

[user24]

For me the heyday was when old cross was relatively common, and a heck of a lot cheaper.

Although, I did manage to snag one of the 36 ltd edition green farmers when it came out, and sold it for a very tidy profit a few years later to a member of this fine forum

Personally I've got to the point where I've settled on black/red pioneer for EDC, and blue farmer for camping. When the scissor alox comes out I'll obviously buy one of those too.

[microbe]

I stayed away from them mostly because I viewed them as nothing more than a money grab.

I agree. The fact that they have a number on them doesn't make them rare. Only that specific run in that specific color is limited, the knife itself is not. Only some of them, like the Electrician Duo, are really rare and collectible.

There were so many great models back then.
Some I doubt very much we will see again.

One of my all time favorites have to be the Alox with Black Oxide Tools.
Like my Cadet, Firstmate, Pioneer and Wilderness examples below.

If you ever plan to get rid of those 2 black / black / silver shield ones, call me first 

[sticktodrum]

Been poking around a bit here again...

I was there...really really there. Good times.

[captain spaulding]

Been poking around a bit here again...

I was there...really really there. Good times.

Glad to see you around again old friend. 

[Aloha]

Been poking around a bit here again...

I was there...really really there. Good times.

Glad to see you around again old friend. 

Glad to see you 

[Thunderpants]

Missed the alox heydays and I missed the 60s.
Talk about bad timing.

[ColoSwiss]

I have some of the early colored Alox, including some of the early SwissBianco's with the plain cross.

[clown]

I was in for a while.  Mostly with the Farmers.  After a while there were so many I couldn't keep up.  Ended up selling them as a lot back to Tim, LOL.  As far as alox is concerned I only kept a red Farmer, silver Bantam, and a silver +B Mini Farmer with black tools.

[MWDP]

I stayed away from them mostly because I viewed them as nothing more than a money grab.

I agree. The fact that they have a number on them doesn't make them rare. Only that specific run in that specific color is limited, the knife itself is not. Only some of them, like the Electrician Duo, are really rare and collectible.

There were so many great models back then.
Some I doubt very much we will see again.

One of my all time favorites have to be the Alox with Black Oxide Tools.
Like my Cadet, Firstmate, Pioneer and Wilderness examples below.

(Image removed from quote.)

Surely that's a silver Micro Farmer and not a Cadet?

[nsa-x-file]

I stayed away from them mostly because I viewed them as nothing more than a money grab.

I agree. The fact that they have a number on them doesn't make them rare. Only that specific run in that specific color is limited, the knife itself is not. Only some of them, like the Electrician Duo, are really rare and collectible.

There were so many great models back then.
Some I doubt very much we will see again.

One of my all time favorites have to be the Alox with Black Oxide Tools.
Like my Cadet, Firstmate, Pioneer and Wilderness examples below.

(Image removed from quote.)

Surely that's a silver Micro Farmer and not a Cadet?

I just have it listed as a Cadet II Plus in my collection. 

[edursr]

I was already collecting in those times, and with the help of some great guys, I have some of those in my collection...

those were good times... 

bought most of those from Tim, Jan de Boer and Martin

in the begining(2010) we could buy many knifes of the same model... we even had better prices to buy more than one... in the end(2013) if I did not confirm immediatly those offers, the special editions would sell out in a day... or even less...

My favorites are the Old cross "marine" collection