A New Classic

VICTORINOX’S 2019 HUNTER PRO ALOX COMBINES SOLID FUNCTION WITH EUROPEAN STYLE

- Tim Stetzer

While many of us think of a fixed blade knife when we think of hunting knives, there is certainly a camp of hunters who would disagree; just look at the millions of Buck 110 folding hunting knives sold since 1964. There’s something to be said about the compact size and convenience of a folder, as long as it’s tough enough to withstand regular field use. Victorinox is a company that knows something about building rugged knives designed for the field, since they’ve been making knives for various militaries, most notably the Swiss, but also the German and Dutch, amongst others, for well over 100 years.

While they had a strong history of military and outdoors knives in 2013, they jumped into the hunting market with the first Hunter Pro model, which featured a single one-hand opening blade, a back-lock design, and either orange or black polyamide scales. They followed it up in subsequent years with the silver Alox-handled Hunter Pro M Alox, and a wood-handled model without the one-hand opening feature.

Now, for 2019, the latest knife in the Hunter Proline is known simply as the Hunter Pro Alox, and it’s a return to the classic red color scheme that Victorinox is so well-known for.

The Design

As the name indicates, the newest Victorinox returns to the rugged and attractive Alox scales that were featured on their military knives beginning with the introduction of the Pioneer knife in 1957. Alox scales are punched out of aluminum with an embossed texture and are then treated a process called Eloxal. The process uses anodic oxidation to create a protective layer on the scales and also allows the addition of color; in the case of the 2019 Hunter Pro, Victorinox’s distinctive red. The red contrasts nicely with the silver pins that hold the knife together and also with the stylized Victorinox crest positioned boldly on the left scale of the knife.