Victorinox has obviously gone for their tried and trusted approach with knife steel - 14C 28N, which is a good all-round knife steel, featuring a good balance of capabilities without excelling in all of them, really. As you pointed out it is aimed at cutting, and bushcrafting, and in that dept it will perform well. I can say this because Felix Immler says so, and he should know, as he led the design team, and he is an acknowledged authority on using knives outdoors! In presenting this knife Victorinox has included some interesting innovations, not all of which are universally liked, but this is normal! Going with the full flat grind is an example. Felix explained that, after exhaustive trials, they found that the knife in Scandi grind offered only marginally better performance, and managing this flat grind in the field gives the advantage of simplicity in sharpening and maintenance, and quite superior in cutting/slicing and food prep. The sheath in particular raised many criticisms and it may well be that there will be improvements in that area, or improvements in quality of production quality and design. Watch this space. If I was in the market for a bushcrafting knife, this Venture (in Pro format) would enjoy my close attention.
I appreciate your review, The Flying Gearman. Your viewpoint of knife designers being afraid to design an actual knife and not a prybar is valid. "Survival" knives are very popular and that knife design is creeping into other segments. In the future, please do without the cheesy sound clips at 0.08 and 0:43.
Hi. I'd say when you consider spine thickness, type of steel and dimensions it is probably the Garberg which is coming closest. However as far as I know Mora only offers Scandi grinds so I think none is very similar in terms of functionality. Hope that helps.
