Victorinox Swiss Army’s latest release decorates a hunting knife in silver-colored Alox scales. The Hunter Pro Alox has the makings of an outdoorsy knife with an urban finish.
“The go-to tool for dressing game on your hunting expeditions.” Victorinox makes its intentions clear in its description for the Hunter Pro knife. The folding knife was designed for hunters with a large 4-inch blade.
Released last week in the U.S., Victorinox gives the Hunter Pro Knife a new wrap with its proprietary Alox scales. The Hunter Pro Alox is covered with aluminum scales that yield a grippy texture.
The Alox finish provides nice feel in the hand, although we wouldn’t love it when wet. But that’s OK — Victorinox Swiss Army clearly isn’t marketing the Alox as a hunting knife. Instead, as the brand notes, it’s “perfect for everyday adventures in the great outdoors or the city.”
That’s a bit of a conundrum. The knife has a 4-inch blade, making it illegal to carry in many cities (our home base of Denver included).
GearJunkie met with the brand in Hunter, N.Y., to hear the latest on this knife. Since then, we’ve used it on rudimentary outdoors excursions leading up to this first look review.
Review: Swiss Army Hunter Pro Alox
Victorinox describes the Hunter Pro Alox as an EDC knife with sophistication and slick looks. The knife includes multiple firsts for the brand as well.
For starters, before the Alox, Swiss Army had never produced a knife with a removable clip. And this knife is the first time it’s used Alox in a 130-mm knife. Additionally, this is the first time Alox is used with a curved, ergonomic grip. Usually, Alox is found in its ovular multitools.
The blade is the same found on the Hunter Pro without Alox. Victorinox calls it stainless steel, without giving away too many details about the steel itself. But we’ve used Swiss Army knives before and find the steel very tough and exceptionally corrosion resistant.
You can open the folding knife with one hand, and it comes with a paracord pendant. The blade locks in place and unlocks by pressing the indent on the handle of the knife.
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First Look: Hunter Pro Alox
I used the blade to whittle sticks, make kindling, and baton larger pieces of wood. I didn’t use the Hunter Pro Alox for dressing game.
The knife is sharp and stripped wood well. But it was a little too large for me to comfortably carry around the office. This beast weighs 6.6 ounces and measures 5.4 inches extended. As noted, this makes it illegal to carry in some cities.
My two main caveats with this knife are minor. When batoning, which is admittedly a stretch for this (or most) folding knives, the lock disengaged, causing the blade to fold.
This happened because the normal grip covers the release, so slamming down on the blade to drive it through the wood causes it to fold.
And while the Alox scales feel great in the hand and provide a svelte look, when it’s rainy or wet outside, the knife becomes slippery.
But again, Victorinox doesn’t describe the blade as a bushcraft knife. And the brand also doesn’t say it’s for hunting.
Yet its similarity to the brand’s hunting knife, the Hunter Pro, and its size make us question its urban aesthetic.
Hunter Pro Alox: Who It’s For
Those looking for a big blade in an all-silver finish should check out the Hunter Pro Alox. Just know what you’re getting yourself into before you purchase this $100 knife.
As a collector’s item and for those who enjoy Victorinox’s Alox scales, this one should fit in as a great conversation point. It cuts things well, and the handle feels good in the hand.
Plus, the new additions to the Hunter Pro Alox — the removable clip and use of Alox — exhibit Victorinox’s willingness to innovate in the knife category.
