I appreciate your videos but must express a pet peave. Victorinox re-designed the sheathe. There must be some way to update these videos otherwise they mislead people as the details are not current. Thanks again for the good review.
Hello Mark. Thank you very much for your great feedback! You presented the knife very well. Our idea was that the market segment with super strong bushcraft knives with a 5mm + spine is super well occupied from 1000 Brands with 1000 Models. But why are this knifes as strong? This is because the cutting edge become quick thick... and a steep cutting edge is not a good carver. That's physiks. We thought, let's find out, if on the other side of the segment are customers too. For this peoples a knife should primarly cut like hell. Splitting or lever taks is not what they use it daily for. Your can do it... but not brainless. Yes, Victorinox took a lot of risks, but I think many people appreciate this knife for what a knife is intended for. I'm also annoyed that the knife sheath came out so poorly. Victorinox is overworking the sheath at the moment. I hope they replace the sheath to customers who are not happy with the old one. As soon i know more, i will let you know...
Hi Felix. Thank you for commenting on my video. I agree with the philosophy for this knife. My personal preference is for a knife with a full flat grind that slices very well. I have observed that many knife owners in North America try to make there bushcraft knives into survival knives. Often, a heavier knife is advantages in the Canadian wilderness but I prefer a large knife or axe for those heavy tasks and use my smaller knife for carving and food preparation. Thanks again
Hi Felix, love your clever videos. Victorinox did well switching from their regular pot metal to Swedish pot metal. This steel is still cheap and nasty but it is tougher so it won't bend as easy. Hopefully Victorinox will develop some self-respect and start using some good steels in the future. Maybe you talk to them about that. Cheers.
Felix you did a good job in helping victoinox design this. I watched your videos and how you showed all the features. The one I liked is you could blow air into the sheath to help the fire burner better I thought that was really awesome. But I have seen at least one video where a person broke the knife but they were beating on it way to hard.
@@julianpetkov8320i am considering myself a beginning knifeseel nerd but i strongly disagree. I feel like the price to performance ration of 14c28n is quite good. I love my s35vn 3V and my magnacut blades but i think it doesn’t always needs to be a cpm supersteel. 14c28n is known for its fine structure kind of similar to RWL-34 what helps the steel to hold this super finde edge. I think the steel is totally fine. There are a lot good non cp steels that are good value when heattreated correctly like 80crv2 or 5160
Thank you for your honest and fair assessment of the Venture. I’ve grown tired of the use of intense negativity used by reviewers for views. I truly appreciate your balanced and intelligent approach.
Got my Venture today and I love it. It is a great bushcraft knife and serves its purpose well. Excellent design for carving and chopping…super sharp right out of the box. Knocked out a bow drill spindle with ease and drilled a hole using the hex like butter. There will never be a bushcraft blade that does it all but this tool is a great addition to any kit and I will rotate it in to my EDC starting tomorrow.
Good review, as usual Mark. Knives are always a fascinating thing for outdoorsman, aren't they? The trick is to develop the skills that make certain features matter. I've followed many in the historical reenactment community, and learned to baton and carve fairly well with a $5. Old Hickory butcher knife. It can be used as is, or the blade is easy to reprofile to your tastes, and has a high carbon blade that's easy to sharpen and I holds that edge pretty well. It let's you learn those knife skills on an inexpensive tool, to where a more expensive knifes features can be appreciated ! A selling point for the cheaper Moras, as well....
I think they would save them selves a lot of trouble by just calling it The Camp knife instead of Bushcraft knife. People for some reason expect indestructuble whenever something has bushcraft in the name.
I think the market is flooded with "survival" and "bushcraft" knives which is a marketing hype. The majority of people venturing in the bush, they only need a general purpose camp knife or hunting knife. The Venture is a general purpose camp knife and this is the type (always flat grind) of knife I use when I hike and camp, which I use for food prep, maybe tent stakes, carving a stick for meat skewer etc. I have a folding saw and small hatchet for fire prep. I never use my knife for splitting wood.When I hunt, I have a hunting knife with a bit of belly for skinning. This is a great design and will be buying the red version soon.
I want one but I will get some saddle leather and make a vertical carry sheath and add a pony tail holder so I won't loose it ! I have a lot of victronox knives SAK love them all just got a Work Champ it is great I drove truck untill I retired and the Rescue Knife is great and it saves life's! Great video you saved me lots of money the Venture Pro is 105. Dollars US in the states I am a dual citizen USA /Canada !!!
Excellent video and good demonstration of the Venture. My boys and I enjoyed watching it. Just wish it was a little more durable like some other 0.13” thick FFG knives I owned.
Hi Aaron. Glad you and the boys enjoyed watching the video. After hearing some complaints from viewers about edge issues, I watched you video. I have not had the edge warping you experienced but I can see how it could occur with the thin blade. Thanks for commenting
Mark..well done sir..well done! That video should be "required viewing" for anyone thinking about buying a venture..I almost bought one when they were introduced..glad I held off..I have 2 garbergs,1 in stainless, one carbon,like them but just don't feel right in MY hands.I want a bushcraft knife that "could" be used for survival if need be..the venture "ain't it" but it was never meant to be..again..your channel is for me one of the best! Thanks again!
Thanks for another honest review, Mark! Appreciate both the pros and cons as always. Seems to me that the Kansbol and the Venture are pretty close in their primary uses and abilities. The two big differences to me are that the Kansbol sheath, while inexpensive, doesn't have any problems with retention like the Venture's seems to, and the slight difference in the steels - not sure how much you'll notice the steel difference in use, but it might be a factor. But the big difference is the price - here in the US, you can literally buy 2 Kansbols for the price of a Venture, and that's a huge downer for the Venture for me. I can buy a Kansbol, get it with the multi-mount, with little seeming difference in ability, and still have money left over - almost enough to buy another Kansbol? That is enough of a difference for me.
Its a shame because if the venture was a stick construction like the Kansbol, and closer in price, then no one would complain about it being to weak for batoning.
My favorite knives. For heavy bushcraft work the mora garberg is a really solid performer. For all other camp chores i will always turn to my opinel # 8 and # 12
I used a Venture on a recent elk hunt and deer hunt . It worked great for field dressing and skinning both game. I understand that you are a bushcrafter first and an outdoorsman hunter second , but the Venture knife is worth every cent . All the best.
Yeah, that blade shape looks superior to the Mora blade for field dressing for sure. And getting away from the Scandi grind would make it much easyer to maintain the edge in the field.
I believe the Venture incorporates the idea of a Swiss Army Knife into a multi-purpose fixed blade. The design idea came from a Swiss Army Knife enthusiast, intended to add multiple uses to a basic fixed blade. It has done that, with some compromises made from the traditional idea of a bushcraft knife. Everything you pointed out shows what occurs with anything designed as a multi-functioning tool.🤔
You summed it up perfectly at the end. This knife is more of an all rounder than strictly a Bushcraft knife. Sometimes you need that, sometimes you intend to whail on your knife and you go for something heavier. Don't know about copyright law but maybe Victorinox had to make sure the sheath was different enough from the Hultafors and Moras that look similar to not step on any toes as it were. Personally, my Mora 2000 and flat ground Enzo Trapper cover the all rounder category, the Enzo was about the same price and is a much nicer knife while the 2000 is a lot less money.
Thanks for the review I just ordered one! I`ll mainly use it for hunting and light bushcrafting I have a Mora Garberg, Tops BOB and a PKS scorpion so for the price I`ll have a Venture in the rotation. So far the Mora Garberg has been my favorite performance wise for heavy camp work and field dressing deer.
Great video, and excellent review. I see that Victorinox as a really light, non-threatening kind of outdoor knife. And i agree with your assessment of it, it's not a big hard use bushcraft knife like a Condor Bushlore, or my Condor Hudson Bay. I see it more like a Kephart, with the thinner flat grind.
Great review, you really hit the nail on the head when you said it was good in the kitchen. Because that's a great way to bond with a knife. I love the blade design. It's my favourite because you can use a knife as a sort of spoon or spatula when cooking. I also appreciate the stronger tip over a bow we design. The only sticking point for me is the price mora knives are so cheap in comparison.
Victorinox Venture looks like a great knife but I bought a Bacho 2444 knife made in Sweden for under $10 and it may not be as good as a Victorinox Venture but I am very happy with it, I have processed animals with it and work within its limitations it never let me down.
You raise some good points about the different philosophies of use for the Venture vs. other “bushcraft” knives. I wonder if perhaps Victorinox’s marketing department got caught up the bushcraft bandwagon blitz that has lost sight of the Kochanski approach of combining skill with a small, light (and in his case, generally stick tang) knife with other appropriate cutting tools for larger tasks. The Venture is clearly a craftsman’s tool, an appropriate tool for Felix’s ingenuity. I hope Victorinox listens to Felix’s own critiques; I suspect the sheath issues will be addressed in the future. A point about the bellows function: I doubt the Kansbol/Garberg sheath would be as functional as the Venture’s in this capacity: it is the latter’s shorter length and more pronounced taper that compresses and accelerates the air stream, rendering it effective as a bellows.
Wonderful review Mark! When I first saw Felix with this knife, I was going to jump and buy it but didn't. Love Victorinox, have two of their multi-tools but just wasn't totally sold on the Venture. I was really pumped on the spoon carving aspect when I watched Felix's video about using it for this purpose but was concerned on how the heck it (the spoon carving end) would be sharpened in the field if needed. He didn't really have an answer for that. Even at home it would be hard if a grinding wheel was required, especially since I don't own a lot of tools. I really like a full flat grind for camp kitchen work. I have a Grohmann Fish & Trout that I use now, does a fine job. The handle on the Grohmann though is small and for gripping to make curls for a feather stick would be difficult I think. To be honest, I have never tried it. I think this knife would make a great fire starting/camp chore knife. I am not saying I won't buy this knife down the road but am waiting to see if they take the advice of some of the folks that review it and perhaps will do some upgrades. Thanks for sharing your in depth and complete review. :) :)
Hi Jackie. Great to hear from you. If you bought this for the knife and not all the tricks and hacks, you would likely be happy with it. I do hope Victorinox makes a next generation version. Thanks for commenting
Something to try in the meantime, is a few of the BPS models of knifes. Carbon steel, so beware of rust, but they do have some flat grind models that I'm itching to try. My favourite knife of theirs, the adventure, is a scandy grind, but would be the perfect shape for a flat grind camp kitchen knife, if someone decided to get brave with a belt sander. Or you could just get the flat grind versions and save yourself the trouble
I recently purchased this knife, basic same as yours except with a red grip. My decision was influenced by Immler, as you may have guessed. Haven't had a chance to put it through the paces yet. My initial impression of the sheath agrees with your assessment. If they had made like the common plastic sheath of the Mora, it would have been much better. I agree that the knife itself is a well made piece albeit not seriously robust. Refined is a better word. Almost dainty but able to hold it's own in the woods. Just ordered a Garberg. Have always wanted one but after your comparison, decided to pull the trigger. I have always liked your impartial, objective reviews of gear. This review was no exception........well done. Be well.
Thank you for your in depth review of this knife I've been thinking about buying 1 but what you said about the kitchen seems to be the point that goes really well for me cause a lot of my bushcraft knives I do use them in the kitchen 1st I wanna see how well they hold an edge fails in the kitchen well it's gonna fail in the woods much faster Anyway thanks again mark Really really really like the video✨☀🌟🌠🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Great review. Especially the drawbacks with respect to the sheath. This knife essentially being comprised of 2 components, the criticism here being entirely relevant.
Knice review, thanks for sharing! I also bought the Venture just to see what it's all about, got it on sale for around 50 Euros. I love the Kansbol, one of my all-time favourite blades for the outdoors, but I just can't seem to get attached to the Venture - no matter how much I like Felix and Victorinox. It's well thought out and a great performer, but I just can't find myself enjoying it as much. I do find the two to be quite similar in terms of weight, sliciness and main area of use, i.e. light bushcraft and camping tasks. The Kansbol is around 30 % cheaper here in Germany, and in my opinion the better option. The Venture is still a great knife though, and the versatility of the additional kit is a lot of Victorinox-typical fun to play around with.
Well, I think mora, or any other more of a traditional northern knife will do nice for the outdors. If to consider important wood carving abilities - a less wide blade (15- 22mm) with a scandy or one-side grind will do it perfect. Same with battoning and drilling. It looks like to me, that this Venture knife will manage better than any mora-pukko-mansi knife only in salad chopping, and other types of food preparation. The other features of this knife are strictly additional like in any other victorinox knife. For example - yes you can use scissors attached to the knife, but you will prefer to use separate scissors for your tasks if you have them. Personally, I consider scandy flat grind perfect for the outdoor use. The only advantage of the way this venture knife is sharpened, is that you can resharpen it quite easier than the scandy.
Having had mine for a little while now, and really enjoying it, I do feel this is a very fair assessment. I would not feel comfortable splitting big logs. It might, but I wouldn’t want to risk it. It’s great for carving, food prep, and starting fires. For a full tang knife I am surprised how light it is, which means I will always be comfortable taking it hiking and camping. I was disappointed to find my sheath rattling and had higher expectations for Victorinox, but I fixed it with the hot water trick and I do believe newer models don’t have that issue. A lot of people have been quite upset about how wimpy the basic sheath is and it does dangle oddly when you don’t use the elastic band, but I love having the option to streamline the whole thing when I just want the knife and absolutely nothing else. Usually it’s loaded into the pro sheath which I find a bit overkill for hip carry, but works great stuck to my pack. Definitely not a survival knife, but a really excellent option for bushcrafters and campers
Thanks for this video. I was debating this or the Esee 5 3D and I decided on the latter before watching this video. I think I got the better bush knife after seeing this, although it costs about $100 more. Thanks again!
Very helpful review Mark. I also follow Felix's YT channel, and enjoy his ingenuity. I haven't been in the market for a bushcraft knife, as not much time these days. The last I bought was a Becker BK62 Kephart. I'm curious about what type of Tilley hat you have there. Thanks
@MarkYoungBushcraft Mark, I just watched that video. I have 4 Tilleys and use them all. I like the idea of the waxed cotton on the Outback. The BK62 is a nice knife, and is supposed to be as exact a copy of Kephart's knife as could be had. They have doubled in cost since I bought mine, so I'm more careful with it. For hard use, I'll likely just get another Mora.
Out of all the bushcraft knives out there similar to this, I would take the Hultafors OK1 or OK4. I paid 18 bucks for mine and it took some decent abuse.
Very good video and valuable information. The knife seems to be good, but maybe it needs a little further development. I like the idea that the sheath of the knife can be used when blowing air into the campfire. But the sheath of the knife should also be compatible with the molle, and the knife should be able to be carried in many different positions and attached to equipment in many different ways. A hole in the handle of the knife for the drill bit is also a good idea. I myself thought that the handle of the knife might be too small.
With all due respect to Felix and his RUclips work I must say that I have a 8.5” inch Flissa knife for $20 that outperforms this Nox in every aspect except the handles (Fliss has more flat g10 handles) weight since it is thicker.
@@MarkYoungBushcraft Thanks for the reply. And nice! Did you get the 9” Scandi or 8.5” one (black stone washed blade)? I reprofiled mine to 17 degree per side. It's a slicer now.
@@JunkyardFox - Your Victorinox Rangerwood 55 seems to lack nothing compared to this knife. If you consider the Rangergrip 79 with one handed opening you are not losing any convenience. Your own design deserves the belt space over this.
Yes, the Kansbol is a reasonable comparison. The Victorinox will be a better carver due to the finer tip. I have a video on the Kansbol if interested. Thanks for commenting
❤🎉 hello from British Columbia Canada I have been following Felix for a long time...I have enjoyed watching all the crafty projects he comes up with😎🌳🚐🌲🇨🇦🍂🍁
Oh man do I ever like the look of that knife. I only recently saw one for the first time and boy it looks awesome. I agree that for 95$ you shouldn't have to modify it but realistically, as a bushcrafter, if I spent 95$ on a piece of kit or 9$ chances are I am going to modify it to some degree. Understanding that in my case these mods are optional usually and in yours they actually appear to be to improve the basic function of the knife. Still, this knife stands out to my eye. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience with it Mark, I appreciate it.
Hi Steve. I understand that desire to modify. I often do that with my kit. Kind of where I started with DIY stuff. This is a good knife and I do like it. It just needs a few changes to be even better. Thanks for commenting
I'm very fond of your videos, of your approach to bushcraft and knives. What I don't like though is your stressing your personal preferences - ok, your hands are XL and that makes the handle a bit uncomfortable, but other people have S, M, L-sized hands and may just be fine with the Venture. Best thing was you said "Get your hands on one before you purchase it and see, how it fits YOUR hand". The second thing to mention is, you are still one of those guys, who define "batoning" as beating a knife THROUGH a big piece of wood. My preferred bushcraft icon, Mors Kochanski once said "Why the hell should one put his most valuable tool at risk, if he could do better?" When processing wood in a bushcraft or survival situation you have to go through a LOT of stuff o different sizes - so why not change order and FIRST cut some wedges from smaller sticks and then beating the knife blade just IN, remove it and continue with the wedges. Using the knife just to start a split, but doing the actual split with wooden wedges is a much smarter approach without any risk of breaking your knife. You can even do splits on wood chunks of several feet in diameter with a folding knife, just need more wedges, which later on can be used as firewood
Great informative video. I don't like the 2 greens that were used in the knife. Not complementary colors. Also, the Mora knives can be used as bellows, BUT Felix was the FIRST I ever heard mention that trick!
Yes, I expect most any knife sheath with a hole in the bottom could be used as a bellows. Of course, it would mean taking it off my belt and laying the knife down. Thanks for commenting
@MarkYoungBushcraft my Mora Kansbol, I usually put a carabiner or even an Ulticlip on it so I can use it without a belt, and easily remove it, so for me it works great for a bellows. Just don't usually wear a belt ever
Thanks for your balanced review, 2 things you did not mention which I noticed with mine. First the blade can sometimes twist when putting it back into the sheat and actually feel like it clicked in but it actually does not. Second and this is an absolute no go for me too, the blade can already roll (and I not mean the blade edge alone) but the blade can create wave which you can not correct with sharpening again already when carving hard woods (even more so when batoning) for me this is a design flaw because the blade gets to thin and something the blade geometry seems to be flawed. There are some videos already other there about the blade waving of the Vendure. And mine did too :( (besise that the rattle drove me crazy but I could fix it, because I am an animal observer too and you just do not want to make any noise whatsoever ...). My personal verdict is, its a flawed design, a kitchen knife pressed into bsuhcrafting and unfortunately does not live up to the hype being made about it at all. anyhow thanks for your balanced and unbiased honest review. cheers from Germany
That is so hard to answer. The fun of testing out knives is finding things about each I like. The best "bushcraft" knife is a custom I own. The Triple X Sitka. Unfortunately no longer made. The best budget "bushcraft" knife I own is either the Mora Bushcraft Black or Mora Robust HQ. There a great number of other knives that I also like. Thanks for commenting
I feel my Mora's and my pocket knives are all I need for bushcraft/ wood carving, not batoning. I have my Opinel's and other knifes for food processing. I can do a lot with my Mora 546 and my Victorinox Adventurer 111-MM. I’m not saying this isn’t a good knife, but there really isn’t anything about it that would justify buying it for me.🤘🇺🇸🇨🇦
I have a Mora 546 and Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Hiker model for bushcrafting and an Opinel №6 for food prep. I have a Japanese Nata for chopping/batoning
great review, thanks! about batoning with this knive like that......I wonderl, see Felix using a wegde, which is the intelligent way to do it you eightly stated it is not a wood splitting / chopping brute force knife the shetah will be improved sonn, I presume
I agree it is not a good choice for batoning but if it is to be a general use bushcraft knife then it should be able. If not, it is just a crafting knife. Felix also directly batons wood with it. Felix advised that he is pushing Victorinox to improve the sheath. Thanks for commenting
Your review seems like a fair one. That maple wood is beautiful! We don't have anything with as straight a grain as that in south Texas. It's sems like a shame to use it for firewood even though I know you have loads of the stuff. I also like the looks of that knife and I like the steel they used. I get that you are almost required to baton in virtually every knife review in order to meet the expectations of some viewers. And you seemingly only grudgingly did it in this case. Rightfully so in my opinion. Batoning is a sore point for me personally. I'm not sure who first thought that batoning wood with a bushcraft knife was a good idea. In a pinch, yes. Then I can see using what ever you have, but ideally you'd use a more durable survival knife. If one is Bushcrafting, that kind of implies that in most cases you were planning on going to the woods with the intent to make stuff or do crafty things. If you are using your bushcraft knife to baton substantial sections of wood, then you had an initial planning failure, because you should be using a hatchet or a more sturdy knife to split large hunks of wood. Odds are that you didn't suddenly find your self marooned in the woods, and that's clearly not the knife to take if you are cast in Alone. If that happens, hopefully you have a survival knife, and/or hatchet, as you referenced, not a bushcraft knife. And if I'm actually in survival mode, I'm going to be babying my gear as much as possible so that I don't damage it. IMO, if one is going to baton large tough chunks of wood with their buscraft knife, they also might as well throw their bushcraft knife into a tree a few dozen times, dig a six foot pit in the ground, or run over it with a 4x4 vehicle, and call all of that a "Bushcraft Test". The knives aren't made for any of that. As pretty as that knife is, $95 US seems high for what you get. I think you can get a decent knife AND hatchet for close to that from that Ukrainian company that makes both. Or even a different Mora knife and a hatchet of your choice from many companies. Tramontina 12 or 14 inch machetes weigh about 1/2 lb, and they will baton stuff all day long for $12 to $16. I've even used them on dried oak wood. If that knife cost half of what they're asking, I'd probably get one and grind the pommel down some. At $95, I'll pass. Which is a shame since it's so pretty.
I was a Victorinox fanboy for decades. But theor pricing on this knife and their reiteration of the original SAK has changed my mind. Also did I get a second Alox Electrician a while ago with an unevenly ground edge + (light)burrs and a bad finish on the scale edges. All this and still no upgrade on blade steel (except for this 1(!) model). Especially regading fixed blade knives, there are so many better european made choices.
With realistic expectations this seems to be a good knife, I don’t own one but had thought about purchasing one. Hopefully Felix will become aware of this video and a Mark 2 will have any niggles ironed out. A couple of minor mods (easy if one has any trade or tool skills) can improve things but a better sheath seems to be must or should at least be an option. Marks knife didn’t have the metal indent in the handle for bow drill use which I think is a good idea and does make it more survival, definitely survival for me as I wouldn’t be bow drilling unless my life depended on it. The 6.5 mm hex cutout which is shown for holding drill bits can also be use to hold a bit holder for screws which I think is a handy feature, a small selection of screw drivers bits or socket bits could be very handy in some situations, tripod repair for example.
I agree. I bought the most basic knife to test how it performs. Felix did comment and made reference to the sheath issue as well. Thanks for commenting
The Venture would make an excellent fishing knife. The corrosion resistance of the 14c28n is close to LC200n, and a little bit tougher than Lc200n. Compared to a Spyderco Waterway, the Venture would make an excellent low price alternative.
Tho i like the full flat the best and most versatile grind, i can't get warm with the Venture. I can do everything what this knive can do with my victorinox pocket knife, a ranger grip. My ranger grip has a hex hole as well, but it has ane awl, a saw and so many more things i find useful in a knife. It doesn't baton, but to be honest, i rarely need this. And if, i have a bigger fixed blade as well with me. Resently, i bought the cold steel master hunter, a full flat as well, it slices almost as good , but with 5 millimeters on the back, i have no problem batoning with it. I also like the knives from varustaleka very well as sturdy, almost indestrucable backups, though these are saber grind and not as good with food prep. But as i said, i never leave home without a victorinox pocket knife, and this is where they exell. I love the channel of Felix Immler, i have learned so much from him. But as my only knife, it wouldn't be the Venture, it's just a little to frail for me. Just being honest here, i don't want to bash the knife at all.
I appreciate your views on this knife. It is definitely a "do all survival knife" Other than than being improperly defined, I mostly like the knife. Thanks for commenting
I paused the video out of curiosity to go look at the master mic-l and several sites had it listed for 249.00. That is a beautiful knife and at that price with a Kydex sheath and Ferro Rod included has my interest piqued. Thank you for a very informative review. I can never have enough knives.
The words that qualified this video right up front for me were " i bought this myself with my own money...."......once ive heard those words i can take whatever you say in your review seriously
By the by. I am looking at mine while watching your review. My sheath clips in and does not come out unless I pull it out. Maybe I got a good one or they made an improvement.
G'day Mark, I reckon its fair to say Victoronox, and Leatherman for that matter, spruik what MAY be done, i.e. is POSSIBLE, with their products, (and yes Felix is a master !!!!!), ......... however, I will always argue, its never the best, or often not in the top few, ways to achieve the same end result. I am glad they at least put 14C on this one, rather than SAK steel, or some such, and I do like the thumb divots as well as contoured aspect to the sheath body, but other than that .............................. Also, it is beyond me why a scraping pommel is of benefit, when a sharp spine is so much better for the job; though as a pounder/crusher, sure a well worth while extra feature if designed accordingly. Anyway, in fairness I do carry a Ranger 78; mainly for the back up saw and an awl. The blade is good enough for a food knife, fine whittler, cordage cutter and the back up tweezers are appreciated, but seriously, out in the sticks, I wouldn't want to totally rely on any of their products to be honest. Cheers Duke. P.S. "sheath" bellows, ...... that's a new one on me, I s'pose one could use any with a drainage hole. Now you mention it; anything from food packaging with a small hole, a pen/pencil body and I'm sure there's other alternatives too, that all do the same trick, an extremely underrated capability IMO, great stuff !!!!!
As Felix Imler demonstrated the round pommel is for carving spoons and bowls 😊 My biggest concern is with the heat treatment of this knife. I've seen videos where the blade rolled on some hard woods, that never happened with any of my Mora's.
@@bogdan_d82 G'day Mate, thanks for the reply. Ok fair enough, I can see where that could be handy, good on ya for pointing it out. Just looking through my modest inventory, there are actually a couple there with the same approach, (I now wonder if they're designed specifically for the application, or one of Felix's ideas ?) I do like to carve utensils from time to time, usually just for the fun of it; when in the mood I'll carry Moras 105 carving and 164 hook; light weight and capable enough. And I always carry a 6 in. half round file and some sandpaper regardless. So personally I'd rather have a striking pommel, but ALWAYS good to learn something new, thanks again and hava a good one.
Based on another viewers comment, I tried the knife in the BPS Adventurer sheath and it fits perfectly. They are available on Amazon for a very reasonable price. Thanks for commenting
Yes, as long as it is used within reason and its intended mission, it is a good knife. A few improvements would make it even better. Thanks for commenting
Fine review Mark. Clearly a knife is a tool, just like any other tool. There are many types of chisels, with different shapes and grinds, for different tasks. Exact same thing with knives. This is made for Felix type videos, not heading into the Canadian bush and to try and be an axe. That sheath though? 🤮. We grew up with those leather sheaths that only cover the blade, and have a little snap to hold it in. This reminds me of that. I’ve become a whole sale fan of the deep retention leather ones now….oh and yes, all plastic sheaths are supposed to have drain/ventilation holes. Unless you want it to double as a cup.😀
Sounds like its one to avoid or as a second knife to the main one. Good review. There are better out there than this. The swis army knife had for years, very versatile good bit of kit. But this i am not so sure.
Hi there, I'll comment as I go through the video with you. 5:00 Sheath: retention "... was really, really bad, mainly because it would "fall out if upside down" and shaken. Who would do that? it's meant to be on a belt hanging at your side, from where it will NOT fall out. "Also rattles a lot ..." (Under which circumstances ?) When you hold it like a baby's rattle and shake it? Duh! When hanging at one's side on the belt not a single person has complained about any rattle. [Anyway, Felix has a very simple little hack that fixes that in 10 minutes, as you said.] So problem solved. Quite frankly, I think the whole rattling thing has been blown up out of all proportion! It doesn't rattle on your belt so it's not a problem. Belt loop. So they went with a semi-dangler format. Some like it some don't - maybe you don't. 6:53 So, is the little strap any less fiddly than a press-stud? Possibly not. 9:20 Nice dangler hack! Sheath: last word - yes, they could have done it better, granted. Is it a disaster? Only if you want it to be. Knife: 13:43 So far all positive! 14:08 As this handle length is smack on the mark of most "factory made" bushcraft knives, I assume all yours are custom made for your big mits. So, for most people not a problem. 14:30 "Hard on the hand when drilling." Put it in the sheath tube. Simple. No problem for most practical people. Reverse cut, digging in. Well, back to big mits I'm afraid. Normal size hand people won't have this problem. 16:30 "Excels at carving"! Well, as I understand it, this was one of the main design objectives. Glad to hear it does that so well! 16:43 "This works as a great knife in the kitchen!" Another big plus. 17:40 Felix has always said exactly that - this is not a survival knife! [Unfortunately, an over-zealous Marketing dept went and over-sold it outrageously, and so many other people have also jumped on the bandwagon to condemn them for not delivering. That is not the fault of the knife. 18:26 Agreed! This knife isn't really intended to do heavy batoning of logs. Some light batoning at times is OK and it will handle it, but its no Becker BK9, nor intended to be! [My rule of thumb: log not to exceed a diameter of about half the blade length, so in this case up to say 2 - 2 1/2 inches. Bigger than that, use a more appropriate tool. This log was closer to 3 inches.] 20:11 Comparison: Mora Garberg. Well, of course it won't baton as well! The Mora has that steep grind that reaches the "shoulder" in 1/3 of the length whereas the Venture only at the spine. So, of course it will split better. Slices like sh#t though. 24:15 Feathersticking: This where the Venture exels in your demonstration, and it is notable how quickly you gloss over the comparative performances, which I interpret as a MAJOR compliment to the Venture, as the Scandi grind knife is designed specifically for that purpose! Well done Venture! 35:30 Fuzz! Wasn't that a surprise? That spine is truly awesome! I notice no comparison with the Mora. Conclusion: I find it difficult to understand why you find it so difficult to praise this knife. You did try very hard to wring every minutest detail to criticise (mostly the sheath) but your main positive comment was that it's a great kitchen knife. Even after it demolished the Mora in feathersticking, and making great Fuzz for a fire! But, thanks for the detailed analysis and demonstration. Hopefully, my blow by blow comments will be helpful to viewers who might want to consider buying this knife. Cheers mate!
I have the Venture Pro and the knife itself I quite like. However I can confirm the sheath does in fact suck. Is the sheath a disaster? Maybe not, but in 2023 and at the price point I would say it is noticibly sub par. The rattle issue I don't mind so much but the extremely weak retention and the fact that you need to have the blade carefully centered to "lock" it in is just unecessarily frustrating. The rubber o-ring used for additional security is pretty cheap and is more fiddly than a regular button snap since the sharpened spoon scraper will put wear on the o-ring when pulling it over the handle if you are not careful. I have carried blades this size horizontally on a belt or upside down on a backpack strap/life jacket and those options are pretty much gone given how weak the retention is. I feel like they focused too hard on making the blade fit in ambidextrously and in doing so, made it a poor experience for both lefties and righties.
@@JustSomeJay Thanks. Your comment basically echoes that of many new owners, and Felix Immler himself wasn't exactly overjoyed at the sheath. He has, however, come up with simple and easy to use fixes for the sheath problems. It now remains to be seen whether Victorinox will come up with updated designs to rectify this. It is interesting to see how little criticism of the knife has been evident, with most saying they like the knife (as you do). I recently bought a Cold Steel Trail Master (San Mai III version) and it's sheath IS a disaster, and the supplier actually replaced it. I just had a decent leather sheath made for it (by Rob Evans, Wales) and it's brilliant! So, it does happen. It would be nice to hear a bit more detail about the knife though. I must admit to being quite impressed by some of the design innovations, but would like to hear some comments from someone who has actually used it. Thanks again, and cheers mate.
@@dennisleighton2812 I have done all the suggested "fixes" to the sheath but saying it is a fix is rather generous. The fixes just make it slightly less bad. Like before modification the sheath would be like a 3/10, after the mods I would at best put it a 4.5/10. My cheapest fixed blade is a cold steel SRK and the SRK sheath, while not great, I would put at a 6.5/10. The SRK is about half the price of the standard venture and probably cheaper than a decent kydex sheath would cost by itself so I can give that a pass. As for the venture knife itself I would give it a 7.5/10 when using it for appropriate tasks. I would maybe rank it a bit higher but the price is on the higher so some points are lost due to value. The problem I think is that it is marketed as an amazing/ultimate bushcraft knife and when you start using terminology like that, a certain level of robustness is expected that the knife geometry cannot back up.
@@JustSomeJay I agree the sheath is not great. Comparing the Venture to the SRK is a little strange as they are not in the same category. SRK is a much bigger knife (ie belt/camp knife) whereas the Venture is much smaller and is intended for much lighter type of work (bushcrafting, cutting, slicing, etc). One thing I do agree about is the really poor marketing spiel! They completely oversold the whole concept and product, without (seemingly) doing much field testing of the product, and especially the sheath set-up! Some very unrealistic expectations were created and which were not met in some cases, mostly centred around the sheath. I do believe that the knife is very good and there are several videos out showing this, especially the one comparing it to the Mora Garberg, where the Venture stacks up rather well indeed. Also, we all know that Victorinox products have always been on the expensive side, and this is unlikely to change any time soon. Nice chatting! Cheers mate.
Instead of this one I would buy the Mora Kansbol, similar knife for similar tasks, slightly different but very well thought through and way cheaper and the sheath works better 😅 the Garberg is in another league imo so not the best comparison, the blade style and thickness is also not the same but overall yes, Mora over Victorinox all day at least for me and my needs!
Mark, great video. My brother I have to tell you that what you just batoned is the heaviest piece of wood I will baton on with ANYTHING except my old school CS Carbon V Trailmaster, let alone a Victorinox knife of any description😆😆. I find a preexisting crack in the wood and avoid knots as well, lining the blade up exactly as you did here. Knife looks great IF you use it as a small belt knife , outdoor cooking or medium duty fire making tool. I would still dull the area on the extended pommel and either make a sheath or modify mine without question. A Simple heavyweight snap could be applied in about 5 minutes, DONE. Thank you sir. And thanks to SAK and Felix Immler as well
My Monster Manitoba Mitts make this knife a no go.The sheath looks disappointing considering I luv the Mora Companion HD sheath multi capabilities. The Victorinox Rangergrip 79 looks like a better value with more versatility.
If you are looking for a thin fixed blade like this that fits large Canadian working hands, take a look at the BPS Adventure. Gave on to my father in law with big Alberta mitts, and it's the only fixed blade he seems to think has a long enough handle. My Kansbol and Peltonen M95 were both a little small in hand for him, but the Adventure he loves. Didn't realize this knife had such a small handle before this... might be a no go for me too now
If it wasn't for the utility of the hex lanyard hole I'd be tempted to use tool dip on the handle to increase its girth and mask the edges of the exposed tang. It just isn't ideal for larger hands IMHO.
I have used the silicone wrap/tape very successfully on other knives. I have an example in my review of the Hultafors Heavy Duty. Thanks for commenting
I appreciate your videos but must express a pet peave. Victorinox re-designed the sheathe. There must be some way to update these videos otherwise they mislead people as the details are not current. Thanks again for the good review.
Yes, I can pin your comment to the top so others can see it
Hello Mark. Thank you very much for your great feedback! You presented the knife very well. Our idea was that the market segment with super strong bushcraft knives with a 5mm + spine is super well occupied from 1000 Brands with 1000 Models. But why are this knifes as strong? This is because the cutting edge become quick thick... and a steep cutting edge is not a good carver. That's physiks. We thought, let's find out, if on the other side of the segment are customers too. For this peoples a knife should primarly cut like hell. Splitting or lever taks is not what they use it daily for. Your can do it... but not brainless. Yes, Victorinox took a lot of risks, but I think many people appreciate this knife for what a knife is intended for. I'm also annoyed that the knife sheath came out so poorly. Victorinox is overworking the sheath at the moment. I hope they replace the sheath to customers who are not happy with the old one. As soon i know more, i will let you know...
Hi Felix. Thank you for commenting on my video. I agree with the philosophy for this knife. My personal preference is for a knife with a full flat grind that slices very well. I have observed that many knife owners in North America try to make there bushcraft knives into survival knives. Often, a heavier knife is advantages in the Canadian wilderness but I prefer a large knife or axe for those heavy tasks and use my smaller knife for carving and food preparation. Thanks again
Hi Felix, love your clever videos. Victorinox did well switching from their regular pot metal to Swedish pot metal. This steel is still cheap and nasty but it is tougher so it won't bend as easy. Hopefully Victorinox will develop some self-respect and start using some good steels in the future. Maybe you talk to them about that. Cheers.
Felix you did a good job in helping victoinox design this. I watched your videos and how you showed all the features. The one I liked is you could blow air into the sheath to help the fire burner better I thought that was really awesome. But I have seen at least one video where a person broke the knife but they were beating on it way to hard.
So glad the sheathes are now spot on. I'm very happy with mine.
The flat grind makes it very versatile for food alongside the usual bushcraft things.
@@julianpetkov8320i am considering myself a beginning knifeseel nerd but i strongly disagree. I feel like the price to performance ration of 14c28n is quite good. I love my s35vn 3V and my magnacut blades but i think it doesn’t always needs to be a cpm supersteel. 14c28n is known for its fine structure kind of similar to RWL-34 what helps the steel to hold this super finde edge. I think the steel is totally fine. There are a lot good non cp steels that are good value when heattreated correctly like 80crv2 or 5160
Thank you for your honest and fair assessment of the Venture. I’ve grown tired of the use of intense negativity used by reviewers for views. I truly appreciate your balanced and intelligent approach.
Thank you for your kind words
Got my Venture today and I love it. It is a great bushcraft knife and serves its purpose well. Excellent design for carving and chopping…super sharp right out of the box. Knocked out a bow drill spindle with ease and drilled a hole using the hex like butter. There will never be a bushcraft blade that does it all but this tool is a great addition to any kit and I will rotate it in to my EDC starting tomorrow.
Glad you like it. Thanks for commenting
As always Mark, a fair and balanced review! One of the best bushcraft channels on utube!
Thank you for your kind words
One of the most thorough and sensible reviews I've seen. Very well done.
Glad you liked it. Thanks for commenting
Good review, as usual Mark. Knives are always a fascinating thing for outdoorsman, aren't they? The trick is to develop the skills that make certain features matter. I've followed many in the historical reenactment community, and learned to baton and carve fairly well with a $5. Old Hickory butcher knife. It can be used as is, or the blade is easy to reprofile to your tastes, and has a high carbon blade that's easy to sharpen and I holds that edge pretty well. It let's you learn those knife skills on an inexpensive tool, to where a more expensive knifes features can be appreciated ! A selling point for the cheaper Moras, as well....
Yes, good point. Thanks for commenting
Outstanding review. You are absolutely right to state that it is a very specialized tool for people who have a good understanding of bushcraft
Glad you liked the video. Thanks for commenting Alex
I think they would save them selves a lot of trouble by just calling it The Camp knife instead of Bushcraft knife. People for some reason expect indestructuble whenever something has bushcraft in the name.
Good point. Thanks for commenting
Definitely. This knife looks like it would be outstanding in the camp kitchen!
Except they have Felix Immeler using this knife to baton, carve etc in his videos, and he helped design the thing.
No you expect indestructible,why I dunno,but I dare say that’s a fools thought,Nothing is indestructible.There’s nothing wrong with the name.
Very glad that the new sheathes are fixed.
Is I bought one. Very happy about it!
Right on. Great improvement. Thanks for commenting
I think the market is flooded with "survival" and "bushcraft" knives which is a marketing hype. The majority of people venturing in the bush, they only need a general purpose camp knife or hunting knife. The Venture is a general purpose camp knife and this is the type (always flat grind) of knife I use when I hike and camp, which I use for food prep, maybe tent stakes, carving a stick for meat skewer etc. I have a folding saw and small hatchet for fire prep. I never use my knife for splitting wood.When I hunt, I have a hunting knife with a bit of belly for skinning.
This is a great design and will be buying the red version soon.
Thanks for commenting
I want one but I will get some saddle leather and make a vertical carry sheath and add a pony tail holder so I won't loose it ! I have a lot of victronox knives SAK love them all just got a Work Champ it is great I drove truck untill I retired and the Rescue Knife is great and it saves life's! Great video you saved me lots of money the Venture Pro is 105. Dollars US in the states I am a dual citizen USA /Canada !!!
BPs knives have a good leather sheath for $30.00CAD on Amazon that fits. Thanks for commenting
Thank you for the video. I received a Venture knife for a Christmas Present. Your suggestions and insights are very appreciated.
Most welcome. I am sure you will enjoy using it. Thanks for commenting
Excellent video and good demonstration of the Venture. My boys and I enjoyed watching it. Just wish it was a little more durable like some other 0.13” thick FFG knives I owned.
Hi Aaron. Glad you and the boys enjoyed watching the video. After hearing some complaints from viewers about edge issues, I watched you video. I have not had the edge warping you experienced but I can see how it could occur with the thin blade. Thanks for commenting
Mark..well done sir..well done! That video should be "required viewing" for anyone thinking about buying a venture..I almost bought one when they were introduced..glad I held off..I have 2 garbergs,1 in stainless, one carbon,like them but just don't feel right in MY hands.I want a bushcraft knife that "could" be used for survival if need be..the venture "ain't it" but it was never meant to be..again..your channel is for me one of the best! Thanks again!
Thank you for your kind words. Glad it was helpful
Thanks Mark for the honest review. Victorinox needs to take a step back and fix the issues that are present.
It has a lot to offer. Just needs a bit of fine tuning. Thanks for commenting
Thanks for another honest review, Mark! Appreciate both the pros and cons as always.
Seems to me that the Kansbol and the Venture are pretty close in their primary uses and abilities. The two big differences to me are that the Kansbol sheath, while inexpensive, doesn't have any problems with retention like the Venture's seems to, and the slight difference in the steels - not sure how much you'll notice the steel difference in use, but it might be a factor. But the big difference is the price - here in the US, you can literally buy 2 Kansbols for the price of a Venture, and that's a huge downer for the Venture for me. I can buy a Kansbol, get it with the multi-mount, with little seeming difference in ability, and still have money left over - almost enough to buy another Kansbol? That is enough of a difference for me.
I agree. The Kansbol is a better value knife. Paired with a larger cutting tool like a small axe and you would be all set. Thanks for commenting
Its a shame because if the venture was a stick construction like the Kansbol, and closer in price, then no one would complain about it being to weak for batoning.
Kansbol is a versatile and trustworthy knife. You can't go wrong with a Morakniv...
My favorite knives. For heavy bushcraft work the mora garberg is a really solid performer. For all other camp chores i will always turn to my opinel # 8 and # 12
Great choices. Thanks for commenting
I'm going to gat a mora knife next time methinks. They seem bombproof and are nice and cheap.
I used a Venture on a recent elk hunt and deer hunt . It worked great for field dressing and skinning both game. I understand that you are a bushcrafter first and an outdoorsman hunter second , but the Venture knife is worth every cent . All the best.
I do like the Venture. I just feel it needs a few upgrades. Thanks for commenting
Yeah, that blade shape looks superior to the Mora blade for field dressing for sure. And getting away from the Scandi grind would make it much easyer to maintain the edge in the field.
I believe the Venture incorporates the idea of a Swiss Army Knife into a multi-purpose fixed blade. The design idea came from a Swiss Army Knife enthusiast, intended to add multiple uses to a basic fixed blade. It has done that, with some compromises made from the traditional idea of a bushcraft knife. Everything you pointed out shows what occurs with anything designed as a multi-functioning tool.🤔
I agree, it tries a bit too hard to be a "do all" knife and suffers in some of the basic stuff. Thanks for commenting
You summed it up perfectly at the end. This knife is more of an all rounder than strictly a Bushcraft knife. Sometimes you need that, sometimes you intend to whail on your knife and you go for something heavier. Don't know about copyright law but maybe Victorinox had to make sure the sheath was different enough from the Hultafors and Moras that look similar to not step on any toes as it were. Personally, my Mora 2000 and flat ground Enzo Trapper cover the all rounder category, the Enzo was about the same price and is a much nicer knife while the 2000 is a lot less money.
I like this knife but it would not replace my Mora knives. I really need to get an Enzo. Thanks for commenting
Great Vid Mark!!.........Love your work and honesty and thoroughness!!!
Glad you liked the video. Thanks for commenting
Thanks for the review I just ordered one! I`ll mainly use it for hunting and light bushcrafting I have a Mora Garberg, Tops BOB and a PKS scorpion so for the price I`ll have a Venture in the rotation. So far the Mora Garberg has been my favorite performance wise for heavy camp work and field dressing deer.
I think your intended use for the knife is spot on. Thanks for commenting
Great video, and excellent review. I see that Victorinox as a really light, non-threatening kind of outdoor knife. And i agree with your assessment of it, it's not a big hard use bushcraft knife like a Condor Bushlore, or my Condor Hudson Bay. I see it more like a Kephart, with the thinner flat grind.
Good comparison. Thanks for commenting
Great review, you really hit the nail on the head when you said it was good in the kitchen. Because that's a great way to bond with a knife. I love the blade design. It's my favourite because you can use a knife as a sort of spoon or spatula when cooking. I also appreciate the stronger tip over a bow we design. The only sticking point for me is the price mora knives are so cheap in comparison.
I agree. I test out most of my knives in the kitchen, except the really big ones and sometimes even them. Thanks for commenting
FWIW - I own 2 of the pro models from 7/2023. My hand is
Great assessment. I do like the knife despite my misgivings. Good on Victorinox for stepping up and making things right. Thanks for commenting
Victorinox Venture looks like a great knife but I bought a Bacho 2444 knife made in Sweden for under $10 and it may not be as good as a Victorinox Venture but I am very happy with it, I have processed animals with it and work within its limitations it never let me down.
I don't have a Bacho, yet, but I do have Moras and Hultafors and they are great knives. Thanks for commenting
Good to hear your opinion on the Venture, Mark. Thank you!
Most welcome. Thanks for commenting
You raise some good points about the different philosophies of use for the Venture vs. other “bushcraft” knives. I wonder if perhaps Victorinox’s marketing department got caught up the bushcraft bandwagon blitz that has lost sight of the Kochanski approach of combining skill with a small, light (and in his case, generally stick tang) knife with other appropriate cutting tools for larger tasks. The Venture is clearly a craftsman’s tool, an appropriate tool for Felix’s ingenuity. I hope Victorinox listens to Felix’s own critiques; I suspect the sheath issues will be addressed in the future. A point about the bellows function: I doubt the Kansbol/Garberg sheath would be as functional as the Venture’s in this capacity: it is the latter’s shorter length and more pronounced taper that compresses and accelerates the air stream, rendering it effective as a bellows.
Now that the fire ban is off I can test the two sheaths to see how well they work. Thanks for commenting
@@MarkYoungBushcraft You’re welcome. Look forward to learning the results.
❤ AS U have said its a well designed knife, but its not perfect. There r indeed better ones out there!
Wonderful review Mark! When I first saw Felix with this knife, I was going to jump and buy it but didn't. Love Victorinox, have two of their multi-tools but just wasn't totally sold on the Venture. I was really pumped on the spoon carving aspect when I watched Felix's video about using it for this purpose but was concerned on how the heck it (the spoon carving end) would be sharpened in the field if needed. He didn't really have an answer for that. Even at home it would be hard if a grinding wheel was required, especially since I don't own a lot of tools. I really like a full flat grind for camp kitchen work. I have a Grohmann Fish & Trout that I use now, does a fine job. The handle on the Grohmann though is small and for gripping to make curls for a feather stick would be difficult I think. To be honest, I have never tried it. I think this knife would make a great fire starting/camp chore knife. I am not saying I won't buy this knife down the road but am waiting to see if they take the advice of some of the folks that review it and perhaps will do some upgrades. Thanks for sharing your in depth and complete review. :) :)
Hi Jackie. Great to hear from you. If you bought this for the knife and not all the tricks and hacks, you would likely be happy with it. I do hope Victorinox makes a next generation version. Thanks for commenting
Something to try in the meantime, is a few of the BPS models of knifes. Carbon steel, so beware of rust, but they do have some flat grind models that I'm itching to try. My favourite knife of theirs, the adventure, is a scandy grind, but would be the perfect shape for a flat grind camp kitchen knife, if someone decided to get brave with a belt sander. Or you could just get the flat grind versions and save yourself the trouble
I recently purchased this knife, basic same as yours except with a red grip. My decision was influenced by Immler, as you may have guessed. Haven't had a chance to put it through the paces yet. My initial impression of the sheath agrees with your assessment. If they had made like the common plastic sheath of the Mora, it would have been much better. I agree that the knife itself is a well made piece albeit not seriously robust. Refined is a better word. Almost dainty but able to hold it's own in the woods. Just ordered a Garberg. Have always wanted one but after your comparison, decided to pull the trigger.
I have always liked your impartial, objective reviews of gear. This review was no exception........well done. Be well.
I do like the Venture design. I agree it is a refined knife. It would do well paired with the Garberg. Thanks for commenting
Thank you for your in depth review of this knife I've been thinking about buying 1 but what you said about the kitchen seems to be the point that goes really well for me cause a lot of my bushcraft knives I do use them in the kitchen 1st I wanna see how well they hold an edge fails in the kitchen well it's gonna fail in the woods much faster Anyway thanks again mark Really really really like the video✨☀🌟🌠🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Glad you found the video helpful. Thanks for commenting
Great review. Especially the drawbacks with respect to the sheath. This knife essentially being comprised of 2 components, the criticism here being entirely relevant.
Glad you see it that way. Thanks for commenting
Knice review, thanks for sharing! I also bought the Venture just to see what it's all about, got it on sale for around 50 Euros. I love the Kansbol, one of my all-time favourite blades for the outdoors, but I just can't seem to get attached to the Venture - no matter how much I like Felix and Victorinox. It's well thought out and a great performer, but I just can't find myself enjoying it as much. I do find the two to be quite similar in terms of weight, sliciness and main area of use, i.e. light bushcraft and camping tasks. The Kansbol is around 30 % cheaper here in Germany, and in my opinion the better option. The Venture is still a great knife though, and the versatility of the additional kit is a lot of Victorinox-typical fun to play around with.
Great comparison. Thanks for commenting
Well, I think mora, or any other more of a traditional northern knife will do nice for the outdors. If to consider important wood carving abilities - a less wide blade (15- 22mm) with a scandy or one-side grind will do it perfect. Same with battoning and drilling. It looks like to me, that this Venture knife will manage better than any mora-pukko-mansi knife only in salad chopping, and other types of food preparation. The other features of this knife are strictly additional like in any other victorinox knife. For example - yes you can use scissors attached to the knife, but you will prefer to use separate scissors for your tasks if you have them.
Personally, I consider scandy flat grind perfect for the outdoor use. The only advantage of the way this venture knife is sharpened, is that you can resharpen it quite easier than the scandy.
Interesting thoughts. Thanks for commenting
A modern Kephart style knife with a touch of Dadley knife jimping.Kephart would be proud
Yes, given that Kephart used his more for food and crafts than wood processing. Thanks for commenting
Excellent objective review. Wish that would happen more these days. And indeed, Felix is awesome:)
Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for commenting
Having had mine for a little while now, and really enjoying it, I do feel this is a very fair assessment. I would not feel comfortable splitting big logs. It might, but I wouldn’t want to risk it. It’s great for carving, food prep, and starting fires. For a full tang knife I am surprised how light it is, which means I will always be comfortable taking it hiking and camping. I was disappointed to find my sheath rattling and had higher expectations for Victorinox, but I fixed it with the hot water trick and I do believe newer models don’t have that issue. A lot of people have been quite upset about how wimpy the basic sheath is and it does dangle oddly when you don’t use the elastic band, but I love having the option to streamline the whole thing when I just want the knife and absolutely nothing else. Usually it’s loaded into the pro sheath which I find a bit overkill for hip carry, but works great stuck to my pack. Definitely not a survival knife, but a really excellent option for bushcrafters and campers
I agree. It is a great knife as long as used within reason. Yes, I also hear the sheath has been upgraded. Thanks for commenting
Thanks for this video. I was debating this or the Esee 5 3D and I decided on the latter before watching this video. I think I got the better bush knife after seeing this, although it costs about $100 more. Thanks again!
The ESEE is a much more robust knife for sure. Thanks for commenting
Very helpful review Mark. I also follow Felix's YT channel, and enjoy his ingenuity. I haven't been in the market for a bushcraft knife, as not much time these days. The last I bought was a Becker BK62 Kephart. I'm curious about what type of Tilley hat you have there. Thanks
I should look at getting the BK62. I am wearing the Tilley Outback. I have a full video on my Tilleys if interested. Thanks for commenting
@MarkYoungBushcraft Mark, I just watched that video. I have 4 Tilleys and use them all. I like the idea of the waxed cotton on the Outback. The BK62 is a nice knife, and is supposed to be as exact a copy of Kephart's knife as could be had. They have doubled in cost since I bought mine, so I'm more careful with it. For hard use, I'll likely just get another Mora.
Quite nice but at the end of the day its just another Mora. For $15 you can get a clipper and essentially have the same knife.
Thanks for commenting
Out of all the bushcraft knives out there similar to this, I would take the Hultafors OK1 or OK4. I paid 18 bucks for mine and it took some decent abuse.
Hard to beat the Hultafor knives. Thanks for commenting
Very good video and valuable information. The knife seems to be good, but maybe it needs a little further development. I like the idea that the sheath of the knife can be used when blowing air into the campfire. But the sheath of the knife should also be compatible with the molle, and the knife should be able to be carried in many different positions and attached to equipment in many different ways. A hole in the handle of the knife for the drill bit is also a good idea. I myself thought that the handle of the knife might be too small.
It is a good knife but could be better with a bit of tweaking. Thanks for commenting
I love the serrated Victorinox paring knives they cut rope like butter
Good to know. Thanks for commenting
With all due respect to Felix and his RUclips work I must say that I have a 8.5” inch Flissa knife for $20 that outperforms this Nox in every aspect except the handles (Fliss has more flat g10 handles) weight since it is thicker.
I bought the Flissa knife and will have a review out soon. Thanks for commenting
@@MarkYoungBushcraft Thanks for the reply. And nice! Did you get the 9” Scandi or 8.5” one (black stone washed blade)? I reprofiled mine to 17 degree per side. It's a slicer now.
Great video mate, my pick is the Kansbol
Good choice! Thanks for commenting
Great review. I still gotta say, I’m still intrigued by the knife, though realistically, I can see it better off as a fishing knife or general edc.
Hi James. Funny thing while I testing this knife I was thinking it was something you would like. Any chance you might make a review of it?
@@MarkYoungBushcraft yeah i think I’m gonna order one soon, though I do agree that sheath looks so lazy, I’ll likely get a leather sheath for it.
@@JunkyardFox - Your Victorinox Rangerwood 55 seems to lack nothing compared to this knife. If you consider the Rangergrip 79 with one handed opening you are not losing any convenience. Your own design deserves the belt space over this.
Mora kansbol is a comparison? I love the kansbol but I like the look of this knife.
Yes, the Kansbol is a reasonable comparison. The Victorinox will be a better carver due to the finer tip. I have a video on the Kansbol if interested. Thanks for commenting
Love your reviews!
I appreciate that. Thanks for commenting
❤🎉 hello from British Columbia Canada
I have been following Felix for a long time...I have enjoyed watching all the crafty projects he comes up with😎🌳🚐🌲🇨🇦🍂🍁
Genius in the woods. Thanks for commenting
Oh man do I ever like the look of that knife. I only recently saw one for the first time and boy it looks awesome. I agree that for 95$ you shouldn't have to modify it but realistically, as a bushcrafter, if I spent 95$ on a piece of kit or 9$ chances are I am going to modify it to some degree. Understanding that in my case these mods are optional usually and in yours they actually appear to be to improve the basic function of the knife. Still, this knife stands out to my eye. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience with it Mark, I appreciate it.
Hi Steve. I understand that desire to modify. I often do that with my kit. Kind of where I started with DIY stuff. This is a good knife and I do like it. It just needs a few changes to be even better. Thanks for commenting
Excellent review of the Venture, I like how you compared it against the Garberg and Kansbol. 👍Take care and Cheers!
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting my friend
Great review.
As I have smaller hands I think I’ll go for the Venture 😊
I am sure you will love it. Thanks for commenting
Retention loop on mine broke after a couple of months of use. Apart from that no issues with this knife
I like the knife but for a few small things. The sheath has been improved since this video was made. Thanks for commenting
Wonderful, honest review. Thank you. Subscribed 😊
Glad you liked it. Thanks for commenting
I'm very fond of your videos, of your approach to bushcraft and knives.
What I don't like though is your stressing your personal preferences - ok, your hands are XL and that makes the handle a bit uncomfortable, but other people have S, M, L-sized hands and may just be fine with the Venture. Best thing was you said "Get your hands on one before you purchase it and see, how it fits YOUR hand".
The second thing to mention is, you are still one of those guys, who define "batoning" as beating a knife THROUGH a big piece of wood. My preferred bushcraft icon, Mors Kochanski once said "Why the hell should one put his most valuable tool at risk, if he could do better?" When processing wood in a bushcraft or survival situation you have to go through a LOT of stuff o different sizes - so why not change order and FIRST cut some wedges from smaller sticks and then beating the knife blade just IN, remove it and continue with the wedges. Using the knife just to start a split, but doing the actual split with wooden wedges is a much smarter approach without any risk of breaking your knife. You can even do splits on wood chunks of several feet in diameter with a folding knife, just need more wedges, which later on can be used as firewood
Thanks for commenting
Great informative video. I don't like the 2 greens that were used in the knife. Not complementary colors. Also, the Mora knives can be used as bellows, BUT Felix was the FIRST I ever heard mention that trick!
Yes, I expect most any knife sheath with a hole in the bottom could be used as a bellows. Of course, it would mean taking it off my belt and laying the knife down. Thanks for commenting
@MarkYoungBushcraft my Mora Kansbol, I usually put a carabiner or even an Ulticlip on it so I can use it without a belt, and easily remove it, so for me it works great for a bellows. Just don't usually wear a belt ever
Thanks for your balanced review, 2 things you did not mention which I noticed with mine. First the blade can sometimes twist when putting it back into the sheat and actually feel like it clicked in but it actually does not. Second and this is an absolute no go for me too, the blade can already roll (and I not mean the blade edge alone) but the blade can create wave which you can not correct with sharpening again already when carving hard woods (even more so when batoning) for me this is a design flaw because the blade gets to thin and something the blade geometry seems to be flawed. There are some videos already other there about the blade waving of the Vendure. And mine did too :( (besise that the rattle drove me crazy but I could fix it, because I am an animal observer too and you just do not want to make any noise whatsoever ...). My personal verdict is, its a flawed design, a kitchen knife pressed into bsuhcrafting and unfortunately does not live up to the hype being made about it at all. anyhow thanks for your balanced and unbiased honest review. cheers from Germany
I had heard of blade problems although I have not experienced any myself. Thanks for commenting
Switzerland 😂😢
Sticking to Morakniv for this style of knife. I have a whole bunch of well loved Victorinox knives, but I am dubious of this one.
I think if it is used within reason it is a good knife but I do feel it could be made a bit better. Thanks for commenting
Great job on the video,may I ask you what’s the best bushcraft knife what knife do you use mostly thanks.
That is so hard to answer. The fun of testing out knives is finding things about each I like. The best "bushcraft" knife is a custom I own. The Triple X Sitka. Unfortunately no longer made. The best budget "bushcraft" knife I own is either the Mora Bushcraft Black or Mora Robust HQ. There a great number of other knives that I also like. Thanks for commenting
The sheath has been improved recently.
Yes, I watched Felix's video. Thanks for commenting
I feel my Mora's and my pocket knives are all I need for bushcraft/ wood carving, not batoning. I have my Opinel's and other knifes for food processing. I can do a lot with my Mora 546 and my Victorinox Adventurer 111-MM. I’m not saying this isn’t a good knife, but there really isn’t anything about it that would justify buying it for me.🤘🇺🇸🇨🇦
You have a great line up already. Thanks for commenting
I have a Mora 546 and Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Hiker model for bushcrafting and an Opinel №6 for food prep. I have a Japanese Nata for chopping/batoning
@@johannesalexandrius5749 Yeah, if you've got the Hiker and a Mora you are pretty much set.
great review, thanks! about batoning with this knive like that......I wonderl, see Felix using a wegde, which is the intelligent way to do it
you eightly stated it is not a wood splitting / chopping brute force knife
the shetah will be improved sonn, I presume
I agree it is not a good choice for batoning but if it is to be a general use bushcraft knife then it should be able. If not, it is just a crafting knife. Felix also directly batons wood with it. Felix advised that he is pushing Victorinox to improve the sheath. Thanks for commenting
Your review seems like a fair one. That maple wood is beautiful! We don't have anything with as straight a grain as that in south Texas. It's sems like a shame to use it for firewood even though I know you have loads of the stuff. I also like the looks of that knife and I like the steel they used.
I get that you are almost required to baton in virtually every knife review in order to meet the expectations of some viewers. And you seemingly only grudgingly did it in this case. Rightfully so in my opinion. Batoning is a sore point for me personally. I'm not sure who first thought that batoning wood with a bushcraft knife was a good idea. In a pinch, yes. Then I can see using what ever you have, but ideally you'd use a more durable survival knife. If one is Bushcrafting, that kind of implies that in most cases you were planning on going to the woods with the intent to make stuff or do crafty things. If you are using your bushcraft knife to baton substantial sections of wood, then you had an initial planning failure, because you should be using a hatchet or a more sturdy knife to split large hunks of wood. Odds are that you didn't suddenly find your self marooned in the woods, and that's clearly not the knife to take if you are cast in Alone. If that happens, hopefully you have a survival knife, and/or hatchet, as you referenced, not a bushcraft knife. And if I'm actually in survival mode, I'm going to be babying my gear as much as possible so that I don't damage it.
IMO, if one is going to baton large tough chunks of wood with their buscraft knife, they also might as well throw their bushcraft knife into a tree a few dozen times, dig a six foot pit in the ground, or run over it with a 4x4 vehicle, and call all of that a "Bushcraft Test". The knives aren't made for any of that.
As pretty as that knife is, $95 US seems high for what you get. I think you can get a decent knife AND hatchet for close to that from that Ukrainian company that makes both. Or even a different Mora knife and a hatchet of your choice from many companies. Tramontina 12 or 14 inch machetes weigh about 1/2 lb, and they will baton stuff all day long for $12 to $16. I've even used them on dried oak wood.
If that knife cost half of what they're asking, I'd probably get one and grind the pommel down some. At $95, I'll pass. Which is a shame since it's so pretty.
I agree with all you points. If you have a knife that you can craft with already, then you don't need to buy this one. Thanks for commenting
I was a Victorinox fanboy for decades. But theor pricing on this knife and their reiteration of the original SAK has changed my mind. Also did I get a second Alox Electrician a while ago with an unevenly ground edge + (light)burrs and a bad finish on the scale edges. All this and still no upgrade on blade steel (except for this 1(!) model).
Especially regading fixed blade knives, there are so many better european made choices.
Unfortunate to hear. Thanks for commenting
Many Thanks For Your Honest Review & Demo On These Mark ! ATB T God Bless
Thanks for commenting Terry
With realistic expectations this seems to be a good knife, I don’t own one but had thought about purchasing one.
Hopefully Felix will become aware of this video and a Mark 2 will have any niggles ironed out. A couple of minor mods (easy if one has any trade or tool skills) can improve things but a better sheath seems to be must or should at least be an option. Marks knife didn’t have the metal indent in the handle for bow drill use which I think is a good idea and does make it more survival, definitely survival for me as I wouldn’t be bow drilling unless my life depended on it. The 6.5 mm hex cutout which is shown for holding drill bits can also be use to hold a bit holder for screws which I think is a handy feature, a small selection of screw drivers bits or socket bits could be very handy in some situations, tripod repair for example.
I agree. I bought the most basic knife to test how it performs. Felix did comment and made reference to the sheath issue as well. Thanks for commenting
@@MarkYoungBushcraft It’s very popular it’s sold out everywhere for purchase in the UK.
The Venture would make an excellent fishing knife. The corrosion resistance of the 14c28n is close to LC200n, and a little bit tougher than Lc200n. Compared to a Spyderco Waterway, the Venture would make an excellent low price alternative.
Right on. Thanks for commenting
Tho i like the full flat the best and most versatile grind, i can't get warm with the Venture. I can do everything what this knive can do with my victorinox pocket knife, a ranger grip. My ranger grip has a hex hole as well, but it has ane awl, a saw and so many more things i find useful in a knife. It doesn't baton, but to be honest, i rarely need this. And if, i have a bigger fixed blade as well with me. Resently, i bought the cold steel master hunter, a full flat as well, it slices almost as good , but with 5 millimeters on the back, i have no problem batoning with it. I also like the knives from varustaleka very well as sturdy, almost indestrucable backups, though these are saber grind and not as good with food prep. But as i said, i never leave home without a victorinox pocket knife, and this is where they exell. I love the channel of Felix Immler, i have learned so much from him. But as my only knife, it wouldn't be the Venture, it's just a little to frail for me. Just being honest here, i don't want to bash the knife at all.
I appreciate your views on this knife. It is definitely a "do all survival knife" Other than than being improperly defined, I mostly like the knife. Thanks for commenting
I paused the video out of curiosity to go look at the master mic-l and several sites had it listed for 249.00. That is a beautiful knife and at that price with a Kydex sheath and Ferro Rod included has my interest piqued. Thank you for a very informative review. I can never have enough knives.
I try and tell myself "no more knives" but I know I won't listen to myself. Thanks for commenting
@@MarkYoungBushcraft 🤣
The words that qualified this video right up front for me were " i bought this myself with my own money...."......once ive heard those words i can take whatever you say in your review seriously
Thanks for commenting
By the by. I am looking at mine while watching your review. My sheath clips in and does not come out unless I pull it out. Maybe I got a good one or they made an improvement.
Your knife clips in the sheath nicely? Good to hear. Felix did say he was advocating with Victorinox to improve the sheath. Thanks for commenting
Good review, sir.
Glad you liked it! Thanks for commenting
G'day Mark, I reckon its fair to say Victoronox, and Leatherman for that matter, spruik what MAY be done, i.e. is POSSIBLE, with their products, (and yes Felix is a master !!!!!), ......... however, I will always argue, its never the best, or often not in the top few, ways to achieve the same end result.
I am glad they at least put 14C on this one, rather than SAK steel, or some such, and I do like the thumb divots as well as contoured aspect to the sheath body, but other than that ..............................
Also, it is beyond me why a scraping pommel is of benefit, when a sharp spine is so much better for the job; though as a pounder/crusher, sure a well worth while extra feature if designed accordingly.
Anyway, in fairness I do carry a Ranger 78; mainly for the back up saw and an awl. The blade is good enough for a food knife, fine whittler, cordage cutter and the back up tweezers are appreciated, but seriously, out in the sticks, I wouldn't want to totally rely on any of their products to be honest.
Cheers Duke.
P.S. "sheath" bellows, ...... that's a new one on me, I s'pose one could use any with a drainage hole. Now you mention it; anything from food packaging with a small hole, a pen/pencil body and I'm sure there's other alternatives too, that all do the same trick, an extremely underrated capability IMO, great stuff !!!!!
As Felix Imler demonstrated the round pommel is for carving spoons and bowls 😊 My biggest concern is with the heat treatment of this knife. I've seen videos where the blade rolled on some hard woods, that never happened with any of my Mora's.
Thanks for your observations Duke
Did not experience any issues with the edge but then again, I only used it on wood
@@bogdan_d82 G'day Mate, thanks for the reply. Ok fair enough, I can see where that could be handy, good on ya for pointing it out. Just looking through my modest inventory, there are actually a couple there with the same approach, (I now wonder if they're designed specifically for the application, or one of Felix's ideas ?)
I do like to carve utensils from time to time, usually just for the fun of it; when in the mood I'll carry Moras 105 carving and 164 hook; light weight and capable enough. And I always carry a 6 in. half round file and some sandpaper regardless. So personally I'd rather have a striking pommel, but ALWAYS good to learn something new, thanks again and hava a good one.
Thanks for the review.
Most welcome. Thanks for commenting
I am thinking about taking the knife to a leatherworker and make a leather sheath around it.
Based on another viewers comment, I tried the knife in the BPS Adventurer sheath and it fits perfectly. They are available on Amazon for a very reasonable price. Thanks for commenting
Good review Mark, thanks for sharing, God bless !
Thanks, you too!
I saw a Milwaukee duct knife 20 bucks smooth edge on one side seated the other edge !!! Great knife for the price ! Home Depot Lowes
Interesting knife. I will take a look at it. Thanks for commenting
I like the knife. I think you are right it be a good knife for its intention.
Yes, as long as it is used within reason and its intended mission, it is a good knife. A few improvements would make it even better. Thanks for commenting
전술적 용도 즉 찌르기에도 적합한가요? 또 날이 잘 무뎌지나요? 샤프닝이 쉽나요?
No, it is not a tactical knife. The steel stays sharp for a reasonable amount of time and is easy to re-sharpen. Thanks for commenting
감사합니다!
@@MarkYoungBushcraft
Fine review Mark. Clearly a knife is a tool, just like any other tool. There are many types of chisels, with different shapes and grinds, for different tasks. Exact same thing with knives. This is made for Felix type videos, not heading into the Canadian bush and to try and be an axe.
That sheath though? 🤮. We grew up with those leather sheaths that only cover the blade, and have a little snap to hold it in. This reminds me of that. I’ve become a whole sale fan of the deep retention leather ones now….oh and yes, all plastic sheaths are supposed to have drain/ventilation holes. Unless you want it to double as a cup.😀
Great observations Jim. Thanks for commenting
Sounds like its one to avoid or as a second knife to the main one. Good review.
There are better out there than this.
The swis army knife had for years, very versatile good bit of kit. But this i am not so sure.
I do like this knife but would be sure to pair it with a larger cutting tool like a big knife or small axe. Thanks for commenting
If your hand is too big wrap it with parachord worth a try !!!
I have used silicone tape on other knives with great success. Thanks for commenting
Thanks for the review!
Most welcome. Thanks for commenting
Solid review !👍
Thanks for commenting
How is this knife for hunting and fishing?
Yes, it would. Especially fishing. Thanks for commenting
100% decent review again 😎👍
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting
I really really enjoy my mora ❤
Great knife. Thanks for commenting
One can pick apart any knife. However, is one needs a knife, the one he has at hand is the best at that given time.
but one needs information when one is deciding which one to buy,
Hi there,
I'll comment as I go through the video with you.
5:00 Sheath: retention "... was really, really bad, mainly because it would "fall out if upside down" and shaken. Who would do that? it's meant to be on a belt hanging at your side, from where it will NOT fall out. "Also rattles a lot ..." (Under which circumstances ?) When you hold it like a baby's rattle and shake it? Duh! When hanging at one's side on the belt not a single person has complained about any rattle. [Anyway, Felix has a very simple little hack that fixes that in 10 minutes, as you said.] So problem solved. Quite frankly, I think the whole rattling thing has been blown up out of all proportion! It doesn't rattle on your belt so it's not a problem.
Belt loop. So they went with a semi-dangler format. Some like it some don't - maybe you don't.
6:53 So, is the little strap any less fiddly than a press-stud? Possibly not.
9:20 Nice dangler hack!
Sheath: last word - yes, they could have done it better, granted. Is it a disaster? Only if you want it to be.
Knife:
13:43 So far all positive!
14:08 As this handle length is smack on the mark of most "factory made" bushcraft knives, I assume all yours are custom made for your big mits. So, for most people not a problem.
14:30 "Hard on the hand when drilling." Put it in the sheath tube. Simple. No problem for most practical people. Reverse cut, digging in. Well, back to big mits I'm afraid. Normal size hand people won't have this problem.
16:30 "Excels at carving"! Well, as I understand it, this was one of the main design objectives. Glad to hear it does that so well!
16:43 "This works as a great knife in the kitchen!" Another big plus.
17:40 Felix has always said exactly that - this is not a survival knife! [Unfortunately, an over-zealous Marketing dept went and over-sold it outrageously, and so many other people have also jumped on the bandwagon to condemn them for not delivering. That is not the fault of the knife.
18:26 Agreed! This knife isn't really intended to do heavy batoning of logs. Some light batoning at times is OK and it will handle it, but its no Becker BK9, nor intended to be!
[My rule of thumb: log not to exceed a diameter of about half the blade length, so in this case up to say 2 - 2 1/2 inches. Bigger than that, use a more appropriate tool. This log was closer to 3 inches.]
20:11 Comparison: Mora Garberg. Well, of course it won't baton as well! The Mora has that steep grind that reaches the "shoulder" in 1/3 of the length whereas the Venture only at the spine. So, of course it will split better. Slices like sh#t though.
24:15 Feathersticking: This where the Venture exels in your demonstration, and it is notable how quickly you gloss over the comparative performances, which I interpret as a MAJOR compliment to the Venture, as the Scandi grind knife is designed specifically for that purpose! Well done Venture!
35:30 Fuzz! Wasn't that a surprise? That spine is truly awesome! I notice no comparison with the Mora.
Conclusion: I find it difficult to understand why you find it so difficult to praise this knife. You did try very hard to wring every minutest detail to criticise (mostly the sheath) but your main positive comment was that it's a great kitchen knife. Even after it demolished the Mora in feathersticking, and making great Fuzz for a fire!
But, thanks for the detailed analysis and demonstration. Hopefully, my blow by blow comments will be helpful to viewers who might want to consider buying this knife.
Cheers mate!
Thanks for yor extensive list of observations
I have the Venture Pro and the knife itself I quite like. However I can confirm the sheath does in fact suck. Is the sheath a disaster? Maybe not, but in 2023 and at the price point I would say it is noticibly sub par. The rattle issue I don't mind so much but the extremely weak retention and the fact that you need to have the blade carefully centered to "lock" it in is just unecessarily frustrating. The rubber o-ring used for additional security is pretty cheap and is more fiddly than a regular button snap since the sharpened spoon scraper will put wear on the o-ring when pulling it over the handle if you are not careful. I have carried blades this size horizontally on a belt or upside down on a backpack strap/life jacket and those options are pretty much gone given how weak the retention is. I feel like they focused too hard on making the blade fit in ambidextrously and in doing so, made it a poor experience for both lefties and righties.
@@JustSomeJay Thanks. Your comment basically echoes that of many new owners, and Felix Immler himself wasn't exactly overjoyed at the sheath. He has, however, come up with simple and easy to use fixes for the sheath problems. It now remains to be seen whether Victorinox will come up with updated designs to rectify this.
It is interesting to see how little criticism of the knife has been evident, with most saying they like the knife (as you do).
I recently bought a Cold Steel Trail Master (San Mai III version) and it's sheath IS a disaster, and the supplier actually replaced it. I just had a decent leather sheath made for it (by Rob Evans, Wales) and it's brilliant! So, it does happen.
It would be nice to hear a bit more detail about the knife though. I must admit to being quite impressed by some of the design innovations, but would like to hear some comments from someone who has actually used it.
Thanks again, and cheers mate.
@@dennisleighton2812 I have done all the suggested "fixes" to the sheath but saying it is a fix is rather generous. The fixes just make it slightly less bad. Like before modification the sheath would be like a 3/10, after the mods I would at best put it a 4.5/10. My cheapest fixed blade is a cold steel SRK and the SRK sheath, while not great, I would put at a 6.5/10. The SRK is about half the price of the standard venture and probably cheaper than a decent kydex sheath would cost by itself so I can give that a pass. As for the venture knife itself I would give it a 7.5/10 when using it for appropriate tasks. I would maybe rank it a bit higher but the price is on the higher so some points are lost due to value. The problem I think is that it is marketed as an amazing/ultimate bushcraft knife and when you start using terminology like that, a certain level of robustness is expected that the knife geometry cannot back up.
@@JustSomeJay I agree the sheath is not great. Comparing the Venture to the SRK is a little strange as they are not in the same category. SRK is a much bigger knife (ie belt/camp knife) whereas the Venture is much smaller and is intended for much lighter type of work (bushcrafting, cutting, slicing, etc). One thing I do agree about is the really poor marketing spiel! They completely oversold the whole concept and product, without (seemingly) doing much field testing of the product, and especially the sheath set-up! Some very unrealistic expectations were created and which were not met in some cases, mostly centred around the sheath. I do believe that the knife is very good and there are several videos out showing this, especially the one comparing it to the Mora Garberg, where the Venture stacks up rather well indeed.
Also, we all know that Victorinox products have always been on the expensive side, and this is unlikely to change any time soon.
Nice chatting! Cheers mate.
Instead of this one I would buy the Mora Kansbol, similar knife for similar tasks, slightly different but very well thought through and way cheaper and the sheath works better 😅 the Garberg is in another league imo so not the best comparison, the blade style and thickness is also not the same but overall yes, Mora over Victorinox all day at least for me and my needs!
Mora has it covered. Thanks for commenting
How do you think this knife would do inside one of those BPS leather sheaths that they sell for cheap? Maybe wet the sheath and wet mould it a bit??
Just tried it in my BPS Adventurer sheath. Fits perfectly. Thanks for commenting
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting
You handled that well.
Glad it came out well. Thanks for commenting
Seems like the handle should be bigger to cover all hand sizes. Small hards can use a larger handle but large hands can't use smaller handles..
I agree and it would not have to be much bigger. Thanks for commenting
Mark, great video. My brother I have to tell you that what you just batoned is the heaviest piece of wood I will baton on with ANYTHING except my old school CS Carbon V Trailmaster, let alone a Victorinox knife of any description😆😆. I find a preexisting crack in the wood and avoid knots as well, lining the blade up exactly as you did here. Knife looks great IF you use it as a small belt knife , outdoor cooking or medium duty fire making tool. I would still dull the area on the extended pommel and either make a sheath or modify mine without question. A Simple heavyweight snap could be applied in about 5 minutes, DONE. Thank you sir. And thanks to SAK and Felix Immler as well
Apparently, the sheath has been upgraded by Victorinox. Thanks for commenting
My Monster Manitoba Mitts make this knife a no go.The sheath looks disappointing considering I luv the Mora Companion HD sheath multi capabilities. The Victorinox Rangergrip 79 looks like a better value with more versatility.
I was given the Rangerwood (wood grip) as a gift. Love it and it fits my hand well. Thanks for commenting
If you are looking for a thin fixed blade like this that fits large Canadian working hands, take a look at the BPS Adventure. Gave on to my father in law with big Alberta mitts, and it's the only fixed blade he seems to think has a long enough handle. My Kansbol and Peltonen M95 were both a little small in hand for him, but the Adventure he loves.
Didn't realize this knife had such a small handle before this... might be a no go for me too now
If it wasn't for the utility of the hex lanyard hole I'd be tempted to use tool dip on the handle to increase its girth and mask the edges of the exposed tang. It just isn't ideal for larger hands IMHO.
I have used the silicone wrap/tape very successfully on other knives. I have an example in my review of the Hultafors Heavy Duty. Thanks for commenting
Any chance you could stuff paper or a sacrificial hex bit in it, and extend the handle while still keeping the hex hole on the inside?
I was told that Victorinox didn’t even make the Master Mic, I have the smaller one. It’s my understanding is it was farmed out and made in Spain
Had not hear that but I can see the resemblance to Joker knives. High quality, high value knives. Less than the Master Mic. Thanks for commenting
Its 75 for the venture her in the us. Thats what I see them go for.
Good to know