Victorinox Hunter Review

Key Info

• 111mm length
• 105g weight
• Locking main blade

Introduction

Victorinox knives are excellent pocket/rucksack knives made of great quality materials. The Hunter is one of their large locking blade varieties and as such, not a UK legal carry everyday knife. It has a great tool selection, similar to a larger version of the Harvester, and as such, makes a brilliant knife for outdoor activities. 

Usage

The Hunter is a great backpackers/campers knife and has a great combination of tools for a camping trip. The blade takes a good edge and the extra length makes it great for slicing. It also has the lock, which is actuated automatically when the blade is opened and released by a knurled button inset into the handle. To close the blade, you simply pull the button down and the lock is released, allowing the blade to close. It is worth noting, though, that while the lock used is good for everyday cutting, paring etc, it is one of the weaker types blade locks, and I wouldn't be too rough with it. The saw is sharp and easily cuts through branches of 1 to 2 inches for, say, making a fire. The bottle opener works well for those beers around the camp fire and the corkscrew equally efficient if wine is your preferred beverage. The corkscrew also has more practical camping applications for wheedling things out of holes, undoing knots etc. The awl is a very handy, and often overlooked, blade on swiss army knives as it is located on the back. I have found it very useful for boring into wood to make lanyard holes, making pilot holes, holes in leather etc. It can also be useful as a useful as sewing eye, and has a hole for this purpose. Keep your fingers clear though as this blade doesn't lock!! Perhaps the most useful of blades I have found on the Hunter, however, is the so called gutting blade - an extremely sharp, curved, serrated blade. It has many applications and I've used it for cutting rope, pipe lagging, pruning........the list goes on! It's small and easily manageable and can be used for the utilitarian tasks, keeping your main blade sharp for finer slicing/cutting applications. Last but not least, the tweezers and toothpick need no explanation and are extremely handy extras. 

Technical Info

The knives are assembled using brass rivets and bushings with aluminium alloy spacers holding the tools apart, giving a smooth opening and closing action. If, over time, this action becomes stiffer and crunchy due to dust and dirt accumulation, they can be opened and closed a few times in water to flush and re oiled without fear of the mechanism seizing due to rust. 

The blade steel used is of a good quality and hardness with the cutting blades rated at 56HRC, the wood saw, scissors and nail files rated at 53HRC, tin opener and awl 52HRC, corkscrew and springs at 49HRC. 

Conclusion

The Victorinox Hunter is a great knife for the outdoors. It has a great selection of tools and its larger size means that the handle is comfortable for extended cutting tasks. The blade lock is also a great safety feature and the quality is second to none, so if you're after a tool for your next backpacking trip, this may be the one for you. 

You can read more reviews or buy the Hunter from Amazon.com