This knife is made to
This knife is made to last
Having had an excellent experience with the Blazer I decided to give a Leatherman fixed-blade knife a try as well. Initially I was considering Trac but as I have lots of Trac-like drop-point blades already, I chose Pioneer instead. I expected the knife to be blade-heavy, but it turned out that the balance point is right at the finger-guard, so the balance feels neutral (which I consider a good thing). I am happy that Leatherman did not sharpen the full spine of the knife for ferro-rod use (as it hurts thumb), but added a special notch for those who do not know how to use matches or lighter for a firemaking. The essence of Pioneer is its durabilty. It is designed to last. It has flat grind, which should be stronger than the hollow grind on Trac and the tanto-like shape should result a very strong tip as well. Also, the choice of steel and handle material contributes to the overall toughness of Pioneer. I am confident that this knife can serve me well, as well as my children and why not even my grandchildren as its design makes it practically indestructible with forces that human hand can apply.
From negative side - While Balzer was flawless, my Pioneer has a miniature scratch on the blade. Not a big deal as it does not affect the functionality in any way. Also, the price looks a bit high as manufaturing a fixed-blade knife should be less complex task than a folding knife.
Overall, I am still happy that I bought it and can recommend it to anybody, who looks for a reliable heavy-duty no-nonsense knife.
