Gifr Recommendation: Victorinox vs. Wenger?

[twopenguins]

Hey everyone, first time poster here and hoping to get some expert advice!

So I want to get my bf a gift and I thought a SAK would be pretty neat, but I wasn't quite sure which one to go for. After doing some research online, it seems that both Vic and Wenger are very similar overall; however, there are some questions still puzzling me:
1. Why is Vic much cheaper to buy relative to Wenger? When I go onto Amazon, a lot of the Vics get hugely discounted e.g. a $100 list price could be marked down to $30 whereas Wengers are less discounted e.g. $60 list price marked down to only $40. Does that suggest there are quality differences? The prices are making me double-think my original decision to get a Vic.
2. If there are no quality differences, then which of the following Vic SAKs would you guys recommend?
a. champion plus ($35)
b. swisschamp ($58)
c. workchamp ($67)
all prices from Amazon

Really just hoping to get something of good quality, useful but not too much/bulky. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for your help!

 

[Teazia]

For an all around gadget, the Champion Plus is pretty awesome, especially at $23 less than the swisschamp. The only difference is the pliers (which in effect cost $23). Weird pricing.

If he is to use it more as an outdoor knife, I recommend the Wenger Ranger 78 (it is huge and awesome with onehanded opening and a locking blade) or the Victorinox Farmer (all metal construction for added durability).

I can't comment on the price difference between Vic and Wenger, it has seemed strange to me.

 

[znapschatz]

For an all around gadget, the Champion Plus is pretty awesome, especially at $23 less than the swisschamp. The only difference is the pliers (which in effect cost $23).

In general, I prefer Victorinox over Wenger for design and construction, although Wenger is still very close in quality. If price is little or no object, go for the Swisschamp. Seems like a big jump in price for what extra you get, but over the years it will be in use, not that huge. I've had my 'champ a long time, during which the pliers have been used often on a variety of projects. Once I prepared a bunch of photos for an exhibit (dedicated tools not available on site) using only my Victorinox pliers and screwdrivers to assemble the frames. Another reason for the Swisschamp is that it's the ultimate big SAK classic, while the Champion Plus is sort of an economy "second best." Nothing wrong with it, but if you can, give the best.

 

[Humppa]

Well... Wenger or Victorinox - that´s a queston about dogma

I think each company makes a pretty fine knife for their price. With very low construction caused tolerances. That´s a hard choice, when you are stuck between the two.

But I like the Victorinox design slightly better. And some people say, that the HT of Wenger is not as good as the one of Vic. But in the mid 90s Wenger was sold to Victorinox. I think both knives come from the same factory, just the tang stamp might be different (limited down to the bladesteel).

I wouldn´t just choose because of the price. The personal taste should let you pull the trigger. Just my 2 cent.

 

[znapschatz]

Well... Wenger or Victorinox - that´s a queston about dogma

I think each company makes a pretty fine knife for their price. With very low construction caused tolerances. That´s a hard choice, when you are stuck between the two.

But I like the Victorinox design slightly better. And some people say, that the HT of Wenger is not as good as the one of Vic. But in the mid 90s Wenger was sold to Victorinox. I think both knives come from the same factory, just the tang stamp might be different (limited down to the bladesteel).

I wouldn´t just choose because of the price. The personal taste should let you pull the trigger. Just my 2 cent.

I agree with the above, except my understanding is that although Victorinox now owns Wenger, nothing else has changed and the company continues to operates as it always has. Its product lines differ enough from those of Victorinox that consumers still have real choices between the two. This is all to the good.

 

[b0wz3r]

Hey everyone, first time poster here and hoping to get some expert advice!

So I want to get my bf a gift and I thought a SAK would be pretty neat, but I wasn't quite sure which one to go for. After doing some research online, it seems that both Vic and Wenger are very similar overall; however, there are some questions still puzzling me:
1. Why is Vic much cheaper to buy relative to Wenger? When I go onto Amazon, a lot of the Vics get hugely discounted e.g. a $100 list price could be marked down to $30 whereas Wengers are less discounted e.g. $60 list price marked down to only $40. Does that suggest there are quality differences? The prices are making me double-think my original decision to get a Vic.
2. If there are no quality differences, then which of the following Vic SAKs would you guys recommend?
a. champion plus ($35)
b. swisschamp ($58)
c. workchamp ($67)
all prices from Amazon

Really just hoping to get something of good quality, useful but not too much/bulky. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for your help!

I haven't found much difference in quality between Victorinox and Wenger; I think the price difference is merely due to the economy of scale that Vic has over Wenger. The fit and finish on both are superb. There are things about each that I prefer, so a lot of it would depend on your own needs.

The issue of the pliers is one of personal preference. I personally find the small pliers on the Vics to be very useful. Wenger models with pliers are actually slip-jointed, like real full size pliers, although they're still only good for small work. Keep in mind, that to me, calling them "pliers" is a bit of a misnomer; I think of them as really heavy duty tweezers or forceps. I use the pliers in my Vics frequently for lots of things from sewing to making small tools out of paperclips, straightening small bent things, and so on. They're also the best thing I've ever found for digging thorns, glass, staples, whatever, out of bicycle tires.

Of the ones you list here, I am partial to the Work Champ. I've had one for well over a year now, and I love it. It is the biggest and heaviest of the bunch, so it really does need to be belt carried. If you're looking for something your BF can pocket-carry, none of these will be a good choice; they all should be belt carried, or carried in a pack or bag.

If this is to be primarily an outdoors knife, then looking at one of the Wenger Rangers is a good idea. They are larger overall than a 111 mm Vic, but the length of the cutting surface is almost identical; there's a large area at the base of the blade on the Rangers that is unsharpened. They have a nicer locking release too, and the largest saws of any SAK or MT on the market that I know of.

If you're looking to get him a pocket carry SAK, as I've already mentioned, all of these will be too big. I'd suggest something like a Vic Climber or an Explorer. Another good suggestion would be the Wenger S16; it's pretty close to the perfect all around pocket SAK in my opinion, followed very closely by the Explorer.

 

[Knife Crazied]

Victorinox has stronger springs in most cases.

Victorinox scissors are plain edged whereas wengers are serrated so they continusely stay sharp.

Both make good knives.

Victorinox does own Wenger as Wenger went bankrupt but they are still run as 2 separate companies and still use the same materials as they always did.