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Huntsman

Victorinox Huntsman with blue scales The Victorinox Huntsman is one of the most popular Victorinox Swiss Army Knives, after the Spartan. The wood saw and scissors combined with the two standard knife blades and openers, equips the Huntsman with the most popular tools and the ability to handle most cutting chores.

This tool configuration has been manufactured in different forms and sizes for well over a hundred years. At one stage a similar tool configuration to the Huntsman used the Woodsman name - See History below.

The Rainier model/variation was a Huntsman with a partially serrated blade (See Variations below) - This model is no longer available.

Layer Tools

Rainier Model/Variation with a 60% Serrated Blade
Rainier Model/Variation with a 60% Serrated Blade

Back Layer Tools

Scale Tools

Scales

Red and black Cellidor scales are fairly standard. Ruby, sapphire, and later SilverTech are also available. Camouflage scales are also available in either Shadow Grass or New Breakup patterns. Available sometimes in the US with Stayglow scales that have been added as a modification, or the knife was imported. As with most models other colours may be available from time to time, or in specific markets.

History

The Huntsman toolset was one of the earliest models produced by Victorinox - see the 1902, 1942 and 1946 catalogues. It had a historical core model code of 236, and was available in various formats/options; for example with/without the toothpick and tweezers, bail, long nail-file; with different scale types; it was also available in a smaller version.

Later, descriptive names were introduced. The Huntsman model at that time had the toothpick, tweezers and also the long nail-file. The Woodsman was a similar model with the same basic toolset, but omitting the toothpick, tweezers and the long nail-file. The Woodsman model, and the long nail-file on the back of the Huntsman, were withdrawn - possibly in the 60s/70s? - and the Huntsman, as we know it today, remained.
Note: The Woodsman name has been used for other Victorinox models - see the 93mm Woodsman and another more recent 91mm model.

Being in production for a number of decades, the Huntsman has undergone quite a few changes over the years. The early models with the same basic tool configuration can be found with the exposed rivets construction, the original awl, and later, the long nail-file on the back. Over the years several changes have been made to the saw, corkscrew and scissors. Prior to 1991 the Huntsman, like other models, did not include the multipurpose hook.

Variations

  1. The Archer was an authentic staghorn scaled version that did not include the toothpick or tweezers in the scales. This name might be regional, it first appeared in a Canadian distributors catalog in 1980.
  2. The Rainier model/variation (see image above) replaced the main blade with a partially (60%) serrated blade, with the serrations starting at the tang. It was one of a series of three models, primarily for the US market, named after famous mountains. See also: McKinley, Matterhorn. All were serrated versions of regular models. This series is discontinued.
  3. The BSA Huntsman has a Boy Scouts of America (BSA) logo on the handles and replaces the corkscrew with a Phillips screwdriver. It is really a Fieldmaster based on the included tools, but Victorinox chose to call it a Huntsman. Possibly it could have been a naming mistake that did not get noticed at the time!
  4. BSA Huntsman - Wood Badge: Sold in the USA by the distributor Swiss Army Brands Inc. This model had black scales and a Boy Scout's gold Woods Badge emblem centered on the top scale. The corkscrew is replaced with a Phillips screwdriver, so technically it should also be called a Fieldmaster!
  5. The Huntsman Plus adds Plus Scales with a removable pen and a straight pin, and also includes the mini-screwdriver.
  6. The Traveller Set is a Huntsman Plus packaged with a pouch; a Maglight flashlight; and a small multipurpose outdoors tool containing: a compass; thermometer; ruler; magnifying glass; and spirit level. The naming of this set is rather confusing and it should not be confused with the Traveller which is a completely different model!
  7. A special collector's black scaled Eidgenossenschaft 700 Year Commemorative Huntsman was manufactured in 1991. This special model was marketed in the domestic market and features a wooden presentation box. Eidgenossenschaft is the German word for the Swiss Confederacy, made with the Oath of 1291, which united the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden, and is now seen as the charter or birth of the confederacy that evolved into the current Switzerland.
  8. A red scaled Confoederatio Helvetica 700 Year Commemorative Huntsman was also produced in 1991 to commemorate the Oath in the Field of 1291. This model appears more common than the black scaled Eidgenossenschaft model, and was also marketed outside of the domestic market. Other models were also produced to commemorate the 700 year anniversary.
  9. In 2010 the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Collectors Society club knife was a Huntsman. It featured translucent SilverTech scales with a club badge printed on top in a red rectangle, the main blade was etched Jahr 2010.
  10. In 2011 a Hardwood Scaled Huntsman was released. This is a light colored hardwood, the same scales that had been available on the SwissChamp model for a some time. This may have been a limited offering, and appears to only be available in North America.
  11. In 2011 Victorinox produced the Huntsman Bubinga limited edition for the French market. These models feature wooden scales made of Bubinga from Gabon, include a leather pouch, a certificate of authenticity, and are packaged in a presentation box. This special offering is limited to 1000 and each knife is numbered with an etching on the main blade nnnn/1000. The wooden scales are darker than the Bubinga hardwood used on some other models.
  12. The Horseshoe Nail Knife (see image below) was a limited edition from the 2011 AW11 - Capsule Collection created for Victorinox. For this special collection UK Designer Christopher Ræburn recycled existing materials into fashion and accessory items. The Huntsman was one of the items in the collection, it featured unique scales made from vintage horseshoe nails melted down and hammered, giving a subtle uniqueness to each knife. The packaging of the knife also uses recycled material. It was presented in the reclaimed original paper box for the nails, with inserts made of wool from military blankets. Limited to just 100 pieces, each knife has a serial number stamped on the liner behind the corkscrew and the collection slogan 'Remade in Switzerland / Christopher Ræburn for Victorinox' etched on the blade in two lines. These scales do not include the toothpick or tweezers. This variation is significantly heavier than the regular Huntsman and weighs 166g.
  13. Walnut and Beli wood scaled versions were introduced in Italy in 2012.
  14. A special version with added chisel can sometimes be seen welded on a stainless steel post as a display piece in European knife stores. These knives have unsharpened blades and all tools have an extra stop for fanning out the tools in a certain way.
  15. Since 2014 Victorinox has produced Huntsman models as an annual limited editions release featuring animals from the Chinese Zodiac. These models come in luxurious display boxes that normally feature a design that is continuous with the pattern on the knife. Since at least 2017 all knives have a serial number under the corkscrew (in the format XXXX/NNNN).
  16. In 2015 the Huntsman was one of the models featured in the Ukraine Series.
  17. In 2018 Victornnox issued a special limited and numbered (n/8000) commemorative edition Huntsman in memory of Karl Elsener. The Huntsman had white scales with the signature and a picture of Karl Elsener . The model was presented in a gift box which also contained a 20SF coin. The coin was produced by the Swiss Mint and contained an image of a Victorinox Huntsman Swiss Army Knife.

Physical Specifications

Horseshoe Nail Knife
Horseshoe Nail Knife

2018 Karl Elsener Huntsman
2018 Karl Elsener Huntsman

Edelweiss Scales
Edelweiss Scales
  • Length: 91mm
  • Width: 19.6mm  (Stag version: 22mm)
  • Weight: 97g  (Stag version: 109g)

Identifiers

  • 1.3713: Red Cellidor scales (53201)
  • 1.3713.3: Black Cellidor scales (53203)
  • 1.3713.61: Buffalo horn scales
  • 1.3713.94: Camouflage scales
  • 1.3713.941: Desert camouflage scales
  • 1.3713.942: Navy camouflage scales
  • 1.3713.BU: Bubinga wood scales
  • 1.3713.T: Ruby scales (53205)
  • 1.3713.T2: Sapphire scales (53206)
  • 1.3713.T7: SilverTech scales (54755)
  • 1.3713.TELL: Ruby scales with William Tell on the front (introduced May 2004)
  • 1.3711.66: Archer - Authentic stag-horn scales, no toothpick or tweezers
  • 1.3711.L11: Horseshoe Nail Knife 2011 LE, no toothpick or tweezers (2196_ONE)
  • 3.3711: Ecoline/Economy line red Cellidor scales; no toothpick or tweezers
  • 3.3713: Ecoline red Nylon scales
  • 3.3713.808: Switzerland Market - Stayglow scales
  • 3.3713.MIKE: Red Edelweiss scales - Produced for a department store in Switzerland
  • 1.1918.J18: 2018 Karl Elsener Limited Edition
  • 1.3715: Huntsman Plus - red Cellidor (53261)
  • 1.8726: Traveller-Set - A Huntsman with pouch and accessories - See Variations

  • 236: Historical model number; with or without the toothpick & tweezers (a suffix); shackle (Bgl or u suffix)
  • 246: With the long-file on the back; available with or without the toothpick, tweezers, shackle

US Model Numbers: (also in brackets above)

  • 53217: Digital Camo scales
  • 53497: Camo Shadow Grass Cellidor scales
  • 53498: Camo New Breakup Cellidor scales
  • 53713: Hardwood scales, 2011 release
  • 55201: BSA Huntsman (Fieldmaster!)
  • 1130: BSA Huntsman (Fieldmaster) Woods Badge (SABI number)
  • 53221: Rainier version with a serrated blade

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Created by LordKafer. Last Modification: Monday 19 of August, 2024 03:29:38 CEST by Huntsman.

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