By Dylan Clay
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I’ve known of the brand Victorinox almost my entire life.
I’m a big fan of pocket knives and Victorinox is the same brand that makes the Original “Swiss Army knife.”
Here’s my yellow Swiss Army Knife:
My Dad has also been using them longer than I’ve been alive and when it came time to learn how to cut different cuts of meat, Victornix was the brand he taught me with.
I’ve used Victorinox knives for almost 15 years at this point.
Jump to Parts of this Review:
In the knife world, something you’ll quickly discover is that knives can get rather expensive in a hurry.
Some of the more popular knife brands you’ll find are:
While I’ve used a number of these brands and they all make solid knives, they also come at a cost.
To compare, we’ll look at the price of a basic 8″ Chef Knife.
Note: The prices in this table come from Cutlery and More and are as of 5/24/2024.
| Knife Brand | Price of 8″ Chef Knife* |
|---|---|
| Victorinox Fibrox | $60.99 |
| Wusthof | $100 |
| Shun | $99.95 |
| Miyabi | $129.95 |
| Enso | $99.95 |
| Zwilling J.A. Henckels | $79.95 (on sale) |
So no matter how you slice it, Victorinox is more affordable than most of the respected Knife brands you’ll find when you’re researching.
Some of the brands I listed weren’t on Cutlery and More but when researching them, you’ll find the same story – they’re typically more expensive.
As a pro-tip too: You can go to eBay and find New Victornix knives for like half the cost at retail.
Lots of these knives are bought in bulk for meat packers or restaurants because they’re NSF certified.
Bulk sales of items like this are common on eBay; Be sure to stick to reputable sellers if you opt to go that route.
Since these knives hold their edge really well too, even a “used” knife is still usable – so long as the person didn’t completely ruin the edge.
In most cases, out of the box, all knives will come from the Factory with an edge and are considered sharp.
After heavy use though, knives will dull and in some cases won’t re-sharpen in the same way.
Of all the knives I’ve used, Victorinox knives just seem to hold their edge better.
To be frank too, not many people understand how to re-sharpen or hone their knives either, they just want something that works when they go to grab it.
If that’s you – Victorinox is an excellent choice.
In terms of sharpening, putting an edge back on them is as simple as a few passes on a honing rod.
Don’t have a honing rod? Flip a ceramic coffee cup upside down instead:
That’s also what my Dad taught me and I still do so to this day.
Both my Father and I have large hands and often an issue we both have is that knives can feel awkward to grip.
We also both use handle grips as apposed to blade grips and the way the handles (specifically the Fibrox) are designed make the grip feel extremely natural – almost like the knife is an extension of your forearm.
The knives are also what I’d deem lightweight.
Here’s the weight of my Fibrox Chef knife:
So we essentially have a lightweight blade that’s comfortable to grip, they’re sharp, and hold an edge.
All of those factors create a knife that’s far less fatiguing to use than most other knives.
Just some quick facts about their knives:
Cleaning the knives is as simple as wiping with soap and a sponge – including the handle.
While I don’t like putting my knives through the dishwasher, Victorinox does note that their Fibrox series is dishwasher safer. Granted, they also don’t recommend it.
Depending on your use, you also may not need to hone the knife for months at a time – potentially even a year or more.
Again, if you don’t have honing steel – use the bottom of a ceramic cup. Or invest in a leather strop.
Honestly, no.
In 15+ years I’ve yet to find a brand that’s more affordable, as long lasting, or easy to care for.
I’d say if you haven’t already, I’d strongly encourage you to go to say eBay and buy a Victornix knife for like ~$20-$30 and test it out for yourself.
The only other knife brand I ever recommend besides Victorinox is Kiwi and KOM KOM.
These knives are extremely cheap but they’re similarly also some of my favorite and I recommend all beginners buy them.
They’re just not as long lasting and the blade is rather thin.
