My first two knives were Swiss Army Knives (SAKs). One was given to me while heading home from a trip to Vermont, and the other was a Christmas present. The gifting was a response to my genetic disposition to tinker and my adoration for MacGyver.
In my teens, I sold SAKs at my local camping store, unwrapping Old Town canoes and kayaks, and servicing old Coleman lanterns and stoves. Now, I have them littering my house.
The only thing I was ever left wanting from any of those SAKs is a locking blade and pocket clip. Slip joints are great, but I’ve been spoiled by the safety of modern folding knife locks. And while a knife floating around in my pocket can be a little nostalgic, there’s nothing like clipping a knife to a pocket for easy access any time.
Well, it took more than 100 years, but Victorinox has finally done it. With the Alox Refined Collection, the brand released three classically designed SAK models with a locking blade and pocket clip. I received the versatile Synergy X Alox for testing and have been simply delighted.
In short: The Synergy X Alox ($96) represents the growth of Victorinox and nods to the development of its user. This isn’t the knife you start off with as a kid; it’s the knife you get when you grow up. Its premium build and functional improvements over the classics offer an experience you need to come to appreciate. It’s the final boss.
- OAL: 3.7"
- Blade length: 3"
- Blade steel: X55CrMo14
- Blade shape: Drop point
- Grind: Flat
- Hardness: 55-54
- Lock type: Liner lock
- Opening type: Nail nick
- Carry: Right hand, tip down
- Weight: 3.5 oz.
- Price: $96
- Tool assortment: Large locking blade; scissors; box opener; 3mm screwdriver; nail file; nail cleaner; bottle opener; 7mm screwdriver; wire stripper
Pros
- Blade lock and pocket clip are the biggest function upgrades in years
- Alox handles
- Premium feel and user experience
- That wire stripper, tho… WOW
Cons
- No toothpick or tweezers
Victorinox Synergy X Alox Review
Design & Features
The Victorinox Synergy X Alox looks a heck of a lot like your traditional Swiss Army Knife. It’s a pressed-together sandwich of viable tools meant to be carried everywhere and anywhere. It is purpose-built to serve your needs for random tasks that pop up throughout the day.
Unlike the standard plastic handles synonymous with SAKs, the Synergy X Alox uses Aluminum Oxide (Alox) handles. Victorinox started using these handle scales a few years back as a premium option due to their upgraded durability and resilience. For the Synergy X Alox, they are available in classic red, blue, and silver.
Regarding tool offerings, the Synergy X Alox could easily be confused as a Companion, sans the hook, awl, and corkscrew. That said, the assortment on this knife is just right.
Where the Synergy X Alox is the most feature-packed of the three knives in the Alox Refined Collection, I would love to see Victorinox expand the line to include tools on both sides, as well as tweezers and a toothpick.
Addressing the elephant in the room, the blade lock and pocket clip really add to the overall experience with this knife. Regarding the blade, you still get the benefit of that slipjoint locking-up feel with the upgraded benefit of a liner lock. The pocket clip is the chef’s kiss — more ways to carry the knife with easier access than its predecessors and cohorts.
First Impressions
Though nothing will ever match the excitement of my uncle handing me his knife to open up on Christmas day, getting my hands on a SAK with a locking blade was a watershed moment for me.
Having handled, tested, abused, and overly enjoyed a variety of these knives, it’s obvious that Victorinox didn’t hastily decide to add a lock to a knife or slap a pocket clip on. These additions are well thought out.
They add enough to make the knife unique, but not so much that it veers from the path the brand has been on for more than a century. The Synergy X Alox is an evolution of a classic.
That said, as utilitarian as SAKs are, this Refined line has a bit of opulence in it. The pocket clip even has a unique and wonderful design to it that pushes the form over the edge into something you’re happy to use, but won’t forget to coddle when not in use.
In the Field
Aside from being a great, all-around pocket tool, the locking blade on the Synergy X Alox takes the guesswork out of using the knife. Anxiety over the blade possibly folding in on me under pressure has been eliminated. In its place is an upgrade in functionality.
That overshadows everything else about this knife, along with the wire stripper and the pocket clip, both of which are incredibly effective. It’s worth noting that, like the knife itself, the individual implements are quite versatile — a wire stripper makes for an outstanding pencil sharpener and tinder shaver, by the way.
The pocket clip puts the SAK in the same place, every time, for easy access. Where I knew I would rave about the pocket clip, the wire stripper was a nice surprise.
Conclusion: Who’s It For?
When you look at Victorinox’s lineup, sometimes lines get blurred from model to model, leaving you to pick from two similar knives. To counter this, I tell people to focus on why they’re buying the knife — what they’ll use it for. Then, pick the model that has one more tool than they think they might need.
With the Synergy X Alox, the person who’s buying it is doing so for the handles, blade lock, and pocket clip. They want a premium SAK that improves on the models they grew up with. Those three features are a significant draw. That doesn’t mean the rest of the included tools are insignificant, not in the least. Victorinox picked its best tool assortment for its best knife.
Out of the three models in the Alox Refined line, the Synergy X Alox is the most versatile and therefore the best bang for your buck.
