Victorinox Alox Cadet Review
Jacques Derrida, (in)famous French thinker (who I met in person a long time ago), once said that the mark of great texts was their "returnability." He meant that over time you keep coming back to them and discovering new and insightful things. This sentiment seems to hold true over a wide range of human experiences--studying religion, woodworking, even life itself (through the experience of having kids). Things in life that are worthwhile work on a number of different levels. Your appreciation for these things cycles as well. When you are child or just starting out, there is a simplicity to the endeavor. As you grow up or increase your focus, things seem to branch out in myriad levels of complexity. Then as you pass into greater understanding the complexity falls away and simplicity remains--beautiful, elegant simplicity.
So it is with my trip through owning knives. I have arrived at the beginning again. When I was ten I had a Tinker and a Mag Solitaire as my EDC, well before I knew what that term meant. Now 24 years later after many tool and gear purchases, I decided to drop a few bucks (and I mean a few, like $23) on a Victorinox Alox Cadet, realizing that I have come full circle--through the layers of Spyderco knives and Leatherman tools, past the custom blades and Sebenzas, back around to the beginning--the Swiss Army Knife (SAK). This time I can appreciate the SAK in a way that I couldn't before. These knives have been around forever because they are truly great tools. The Alox Cadet is among the best of the best, one of the most well-designed and executed pieces of gear you will ever have the chance to purchase or own. There is no reason whatsoever NOT to own one. They are incredibly cheap, incredibly durable and well-designed, and they work and work and work.
So it is with my trip through owning knives. I have arrived at the beginning again. When I was ten I had a Tinker and a Mag Solitaire as my EDC, well before I knew what that term meant. Now 24 years later after many tool and gear purchases, I decided to drop a few bucks (and I mean a few, like $23) on a Victorinox Alox Cadet, realizing that I have come full circle--through the layers of Spyderco knives and Leatherman tools, past the custom blades and Sebenzas, back around to the beginning--the Swiss Army Knife (SAK). This time I can appreciate the SAK in a way that I couldn't before. These knives have been around forever because they are truly great tools. The Alox Cadet is among the best of the best, one of the most well-designed and executed pieces of gear you will ever have the chance to purchase or own. There is no reason whatsoever NOT to own one. They are incredibly cheap, incredibly durable and well-designed, and they work and work and work.
Here is the product page. There was a previous model that had a saw instead of a file. Here is the SAKWiki page on the Cadet. There are also many different color variations. See (picture by NutSAK on EDCF):
Here is an excellent video review by Nutnfancy. Here is a very good forum review. It seems as though Victorinox is not producing this knife anymore, so think of this as an "In Case You Missed It" and a review at the same time. Below is a link to Blade HQ, where you can find the Victorinox Alox Cadet, and proceeds from sales through this link benefit the site's giveaways:
Blade HQ
Finally, here is my Alox Cadet:
Design: 2
The SAK model of making a multitool around a knife has some inherent benefits--you know how everything works, nothing blocks anything else from being deployed, and the form factor can be smaller--but there are also drawbacks. Personally, I like the Leatherman pliers-based multitool better. Pliers and a blade are two of the most useful tools, but it is much easier to incorporate a knife into a pliers-based multitool than it is to incorporate pliers into a knife-based multitool. For this reason I have been wary of SAKs for a while. The Alox Cadet changed my mind. It gives you so much utility in a gracefully slim package.
How slim? This slim:
That is a Zippo lighter for size comparison. Its thinner than a friggin' Zippo. Crammed into that frame are a ton of tools. This is not just slim and light. This is slim and light and feature packed.
The Alox handles themselves have a minimalist appeal. They look nice, but they feel GREAT in the hand and they are as durable as tank armor. A week of carry in my pocket with keys and change did nothing to the Alox handles. The silver is quite the classic choice for a pocket knife. Overall the design is simply elegant. No one will leap back when you pull out the Alox Cadet to do some work. More likely, instead, they'll ask you where you got that fancy Swiss Army Knife. Then you can tell them that actually it is not even $30.
The ratios are strong with this one. If it were JUST a knife, the blade:handle would be a very competitive .79 (2.5265/3.25), bested only by the Al Mar Hawk. The blade:weight would be an even more impressive 3.67 (2.5625/.7), besting even the Hawk (which was a 2.69). As a knife this thing is a delight. But it is not just a knife. It is a knife-based multitool that kills the multitool ratios. There are eight total tools on four implements (1. a large blade, 2. a large flathead driver, 3. a small flathead driver, 4. a bottle opener, 5. a cap lifter, 6. a wirestripper, 7. a file, and 8. a Phillips driver). The tool:weight is again staggering at 11.43. The Charge TTi, by way of comparison, has a tool:weight of 2.32. It will be a while before any of these ratios are touched by another tool.
Fit and Finish: 2
All of the implements are high polished, both for looks and stain resistance. They are carefully packed into that incredibly thin handle, weaving together in a watch mechanism-like fashion. It goes without saying why (okay, maybe not--this baby is SWISS MADE). You get so used to the Victorinox perfection, even at basement prices, that it seems like a given, but next time you have chance sit down and closely examine a SAK and, say, a Benchmade. There is really not that much that separates the two and if there is, it goes in the SAK's favor, given its increased complexity. The handles are equally nicely finished and the grinds on the implements are perfect, even on the thin cutting bevel. It also helps to note that the blade has a great belly and a nice full flat grind--this thing is slicer city.
Theme: 2
If anything really captures your imagination about the Alox Cadet it is this--there is no better, got most of your bases covered, minimalist multitool anywhere in the world. Everything about this tool is minimal, from its size, to its simple aesthetic and in the process of honing that approach Victorinox crushed one out of the ballpark. If you want a full-sized blade in a stealth mutlitool, this is it.
Grip: 2
No funky experimental ergos here. This is a time tested shape and the checkering on the Alox handles gives you plenty of traction when using each and everyone of the tools. Nothing whatsoever to change or complain about.
Carry: 2
Slip into the pocket, coin or otherwise, and this thing is gone. You might even have it go through the wash forgetting that it is in there, but no biggie, this steel seems to be impervious to rust. More on that in a minute. I would imagine that the lanyard ring would work well too, but why bother? This thing can soak up damage and still disappear in the pocket.
Materials: 2
I am a fan of uber hard steels. They let you get a much more acute angle on the cutting bevel which improves slicing performance and they retain an edge much longer. But there are times, such as in a big chopping knife, that you want to ease of the hardness a bit. The SAK steel, rumored to be 1.4116 steel, is very soft, hardened to around 54-56 HRc. But the trade off is a blade that can be sharpened on just about anything, even the bottom of a ceramic coffee mug, and laughs at rust. No really, these things just about never rust. Some folks even wash them in their dishwasher. Victorinox doesn't recommend that, but I have a feeling if you really needed to you could send your Cadet through a cycle or two. The soft steel works well on the other tools, too. The Alox handles are, frankly, superb. They show very little wear, they are thin, sturdy and still grippy. I'd like to see better blade steel, but overall the materials are great. I'm giving this thing a 2. It seems unwise to disagree with a design that has been around this long.
Deployment/Accessibility: 1
What's the drawback to all of this tight fitting, slim tooling? Well, it is the fact that you need two hands to get to all of the tools. They open only by nail knicks. You can see them all clustered up at the top of the blade in this size comparison shot with a Zippo lighter:
I am not going to beat around the bush here--they aren't great. The problem is I can't think of another way to make something this size and still have all those tools on it without using a nail knick opening. It is a trade off.
I debated this score for a long time. I really like the knife and I was on the fence. Is this one of those times when you concede that a design compromise is worth it? I think it is, but the nail knick design is so bad and so unhandy, I am going to ding the knife a point. You know going in that opening this thing quickly is not possible and I am almost certain there is no way to do this better, but still.
Retention Method: 1
BushidoMosquito proved on my custom SAK Rambler you can do a pocket clip on a SAK and still keep its slim profile. A clip on the Cadet would make this thing perfect. Alas there is no clip, only a lanyard ring and it is a good one. I tried carrying this on my keychain for a while and I liked it quite a bit. Still I dream for this:
Tool Selection: 1
I like everything you get. For a knife-based multitool this pretty awesome. Still, if I could I would like a pair of scissors. Here's how I'd do it and keep the thickness down. First I would, of course, get rid of the can opener (you probably already know by burning hatred for can openers, even one this good). Then I would make the file smaller so that it could share a layer with the bottle opener and use the freed up room for some tiny scissors. The large blade and the flathead/bottle opener would remain the same.
Tool Performance: 2
I am really impressed with how each of these tools work. The blade is perfect. The drivers, even the Phillips driver, seen here:
works very well. I tested it out driving a few screws into some tough 2x4s in my shop and it worked fine, as did all of the other drivers. Even the nail file works well, smoothing out rough plastic and metal edges to my son's toys.
The hack use of the large flathead driver is my favorite though. Here is the driver:
It works quite well as an Atwood-style pry tool. I have really wrenched on it and nothing happened. It pops staples out of paper with surprising ease. I really, really like this tool.
Overall Score: 17 out of 20
This is not a perfect tool. It is, however, one of my favorite. There is probably nothing better in terms of size to utility. It looks very nice, shockingly nice, for the sub-$30 price point. Knife-based multitools are really limited--they have a hard time breaking from the mode of being a "knife plus other stuff." They also have a hard time incorporating tools like pliers. At some point they just become a clunky mess--thick, heavy, and awkward. But the Alox Cadet avoids all of the pitfalls of a knife-based multitool and instead really succeeds at being a knife plus more. There is no reason whatsoever not to own one, though as referenced before, I am not sure about the tool's future availability as a lot of places around the web are out of stock. Go buy one. You won't be sorry.
Here is an excellent video review by Nutnfancy. Here is a very good forum review. It seems as though Victorinox is not producing this knife anymore, so think of this as an "In Case You Missed It" and a review at the same time. Below is a link to Blade HQ, where you can find the Victorinox Alox Cadet, and proceeds from sales through this link benefit the site's giveaways:
Blade HQ
Finally, here is my Alox Cadet:
Design: 2
The SAK model of making a multitool around a knife has some inherent benefits--you know how everything works, nothing blocks anything else from being deployed, and the form factor can be smaller--but there are also drawbacks. Personally, I like the Leatherman pliers-based multitool better. Pliers and a blade are two of the most useful tools, but it is much easier to incorporate a knife into a pliers-based multitool than it is to incorporate pliers into a knife-based multitool. For this reason I have been wary of SAKs for a while. The Alox Cadet changed my mind. It gives you so much utility in a gracefully slim package.
How slim? This slim:
That is a Zippo lighter for size comparison. Its thinner than a friggin' Zippo. Crammed into that frame are a ton of tools. This is not just slim and light. This is slim and light and feature packed.
The Alox handles themselves have a minimalist appeal. They look nice, but they feel GREAT in the hand and they are as durable as tank armor. A week of carry in my pocket with keys and change did nothing to the Alox handles. The silver is quite the classic choice for a pocket knife. Overall the design is simply elegant. No one will leap back when you pull out the Alox Cadet to do some work. More likely, instead, they'll ask you where you got that fancy Swiss Army Knife. Then you can tell them that actually it is not even $30.
The ratios are strong with this one. If it were JUST a knife, the blade:handle would be a very competitive .79 (2.5265/3.25), bested only by the Al Mar Hawk. The blade:weight would be an even more impressive 3.67 (2.5625/.7), besting even the Hawk (which was a 2.69). As a knife this thing is a delight. But it is not just a knife. It is a knife-based multitool that kills the multitool ratios. There are eight total tools on four implements (1. a large blade, 2. a large flathead driver, 3. a small flathead driver, 4. a bottle opener, 5. a cap lifter, 6. a wirestripper, 7. a file, and 8. a Phillips driver). The tool:weight is again staggering at 11.43. The Charge TTi, by way of comparison, has a tool:weight of 2.32. It will be a while before any of these ratios are touched by another tool.
Fit and Finish: 2
All of the implements are high polished, both for looks and stain resistance. They are carefully packed into that incredibly thin handle, weaving together in a watch mechanism-like fashion. It goes without saying why (okay, maybe not--this baby is SWISS MADE). You get so used to the Victorinox perfection, even at basement prices, that it seems like a given, but next time you have chance sit down and closely examine a SAK and, say, a Benchmade. There is really not that much that separates the two and if there is, it goes in the SAK's favor, given its increased complexity. The handles are equally nicely finished and the grinds on the implements are perfect, even on the thin cutting bevel. It also helps to note that the blade has a great belly and a nice full flat grind--this thing is slicer city.
If anything really captures your imagination about the Alox Cadet it is this--there is no better, got most of your bases covered, minimalist multitool anywhere in the world. Everything about this tool is minimal, from its size, to its simple aesthetic and in the process of honing that approach Victorinox crushed one out of the ballpark. If you want a full-sized blade in a stealth mutlitool, this is it.
Grip: 2
No funky experimental ergos here. This is a time tested shape and the checkering on the Alox handles gives you plenty of traction when using each and everyone of the tools. Nothing whatsoever to change or complain about.
Carry: 2
Slip into the pocket, coin or otherwise, and this thing is gone. You might even have it go through the wash forgetting that it is in there, but no biggie, this steel seems to be impervious to rust. More on that in a minute. I would imagine that the lanyard ring would work well too, but why bother? This thing can soak up damage and still disappear in the pocket.
Materials: 2
I am a fan of uber hard steels. They let you get a much more acute angle on the cutting bevel which improves slicing performance and they retain an edge much longer. But there are times, such as in a big chopping knife, that you want to ease of the hardness a bit. The SAK steel, rumored to be 1.4116 steel, is very soft, hardened to around 54-56 HRc. But the trade off is a blade that can be sharpened on just about anything, even the bottom of a ceramic coffee mug, and laughs at rust. No really, these things just about never rust. Some folks even wash them in their dishwasher. Victorinox doesn't recommend that, but I have a feeling if you really needed to you could send your Cadet through a cycle or two. The soft steel works well on the other tools, too. The Alox handles are, frankly, superb. They show very little wear, they are thin, sturdy and still grippy. I'd like to see better blade steel, but overall the materials are great. I'm giving this thing a 2. It seems unwise to disagree with a design that has been around this long.
Deployment/Accessibility: 1
What's the drawback to all of this tight fitting, slim tooling? Well, it is the fact that you need two hands to get to all of the tools. They open only by nail knicks. You can see them all clustered up at the top of the blade in this size comparison shot with a Zippo lighter:
I am not going to beat around the bush here--they aren't great. The problem is I can't think of another way to make something this size and still have all those tools on it without using a nail knick opening. It is a trade off.
I debated this score for a long time. I really like the knife and I was on the fence. Is this one of those times when you concede that a design compromise is worth it? I think it is, but the nail knick design is so bad and so unhandy, I am going to ding the knife a point. You know going in that opening this thing quickly is not possible and I am almost certain there is no way to do this better, but still.
Retention Method: 1
BushidoMosquito proved on my custom SAK Rambler you can do a pocket clip on a SAK and still keep its slim profile. A clip on the Cadet would make this thing perfect. Alas there is no clip, only a lanyard ring and it is a good one. I tried carrying this on my keychain for a while and I liked it quite a bit. Still I dream for this:
Tool Selection: 1
I like everything you get. For a knife-based multitool this pretty awesome. Still, if I could I would like a pair of scissors. Here's how I'd do it and keep the thickness down. First I would, of course, get rid of the can opener (you probably already know by burning hatred for can openers, even one this good). Then I would make the file smaller so that it could share a layer with the bottle opener and use the freed up room for some tiny scissors. The large blade and the flathead/bottle opener would remain the same.
Tool Performance: 2
I am really impressed with how each of these tools work. The blade is perfect. The drivers, even the Phillips driver, seen here:
works very well. I tested it out driving a few screws into some tough 2x4s in my shop and it worked fine, as did all of the other drivers. Even the nail file works well, smoothing out rough plastic and metal edges to my son's toys.
The hack use of the large flathead driver is my favorite though. Here is the driver:
It works quite well as an Atwood-style pry tool. I have really wrenched on it and nothing happened. It pops staples out of paper with surprising ease. I really, really like this tool.
Overall Score: 17 out of 20
This is not a perfect tool. It is, however, one of my favorite. There is probably nothing better in terms of size to utility. It looks very nice, shockingly nice, for the sub-$30 price point. Knife-based multitools are really limited--they have a hard time breaking from the mode of being a "knife plus other stuff." They also have a hard time incorporating tools like pliers. At some point they just become a clunky mess--thick, heavy, and awkward. But the Alox Cadet avoids all of the pitfalls of a knife-based multitool and instead really succeeds at being a knife plus more. There is no reason whatsoever not to own one, though as referenced before, I am not sure about the tool's future availability as a lot of places around the web are out of stock. Go buy one. You won't be sorry.