Victorinox Spartan SD vs Spartan Ony Black

[bismouth]

Hello to all,

I started a small comparison of two Spartans that I find (found?) magnificent!

On one side, the Spartan PS (which has been around for some time and is available with the scales in black or white.): réf: 1.3603.3P https://www.victorinox.com/fr/en/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/Medium-Pocket-Knives/Spartan-PS/p/1.3603.3P

And on the other side, The Spartan Onyx black which is part of a limited series of 3 knives: réf: 1.3603.31P https://www.victorinox.com/fr/en/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/Medium-Pocket-Knives/Spartan-Onyx-Black/p/1.3603.31P

1)Boxes:







We clearly have two styles: For the collector and for the rest of the people...


2) Open up








Small reassuring message for those who prepare their food with their knife

3) Round one, fight!





Not much difference, on the different websites you can see that toothpicks and tweezers are black, but is there a little something extra?





The polywtfisitspectral finishing of the tools is the same. So that's not it.



Nothing spectacular on the Spartan PS at the level of the logo...



"AH!" That's it. That's it. We have a white logo, that is just "painted" on the Spartan Onyx Black. Personally, that's where Victorinox lost me. It's a cheap move...



Last but not least, the small accessories are black...



A small zoom, as much to take advantage of it given the "job" that has been done

4) Conclusion

Well, I think it's not so great for a "special" series... Take back the PS, change the accessories and shoot the level of finish with a painted logo in place of a logo embedded in the mass , we see that of the 3 knives of the Onyx Black series, the Spartan is undoubtedly the one on which Victorinox has been able to save money.

I don't have the other knives of the limited series to realize the coherence between the models, but to choose, I might as well go for the "classic" PS.

I'm not convinced by the finishing of the aluminium layer separators either, the edge is already scratched when it comes out of the box, it's a very very light surface treatment.

Concerning the polyspectral surface treatment, I would like to see the wear and tear...


See you next time!

(The quality of the photos is not great, because I think I'm going to repack the Onyx Black so I didn't take too long!)

[MiniChamp]

Many thanks for the informative comparison.   

It looks like there are some typos in the title of the thread (SD should be SP; Ony should be Onyx). It may help future searchers if someone will correct them.

[bismouth]

Many thanks for the informative comparison.   

It looks like there are some typos in the title of the thread (SD should be SP; Ony should be Onyx). It may help future searchers if someone will correct them.

Yup I've seen that but I can't edit my own post (?)

admin: Spartan PS vs Spartan Onyx Black

[Simon_Templar]

Thanks for the comparison, bismouth. I was wondering about the Onyx; turns out there is not much to wonder, you pay a hefty premium for a nicer box, black scale tools (which admittedly are REALLY nice) and a cheaper front scale. What was Victorinox thinking? Imho they went a big step too far with the prices of the whole Onyx collection.

[kamakiri]

Thanks for pointing out the printed shield logo. That’s a bit disappointing. I spotted the rest of the changes previously. The only good news to me was that the price in USD didn’t go up.

I agree about the liner coating and it is not very durable. Aside from the expense, I do like the PS coating. Edge retention and durability are improved, but not enough to justify the price.

[EMZ]

Danke Bismouth!

I don't think the printed Swiss logo is cheaper in production, at the contrary.

How about replacements for the T&T? Does Victorinox keep them in stock? I doubt they do...

[Reinier]

Somehow I expected just the handle of the toothpick to be black.
I really hope those implements will be available separately, and also the white mini screwdrivers, red tweezers and orange tweezers (with ruler)

[pfrsantos]

Somehow I expected just the handle of the toothpick to be black.
I really hope those implements will be available separately, and also the white mini screwdrivers, red tweezers and orange tweezers (with ruler)

Nope. You'll have to buy another complete model. Great scam, huh?

 

I like how they say in the leaflet: some scratching and the reason you paid 3x the regular price for that model goes away...

 

[Max Stone]

...you can buy the colored TT and TWZ now individually (red, black, blue, green)...just upgraded my PS.

I do agree that it is preferable to have metal inlay, but I suspect Victorinox wanted to be consistent across the 58mm, 91mm and 130mm sizes in the Onyx series, and it was more cost-effective to use a printed logo across them. I think an inlay on the 130mm would have been a problem.