SAK Scissors - Wenger or Victorinox?

U

UnknownVT

Joined
Feb 15, 2003
Messages
2,575
Up front disclaimer -
I'll admit my preference/bias to Victorinox scissors.

Many people consider the Wenger SAK scissors "superior" to those on the Victorinox SAKs.

The most cited reason is the "flimsy" spring on the Victorinox.

But I have owned SAKs for well over 22 years and have yet to break or even weaken a Victorinox scissors spring.
Although I now know not to "abuse" the scissors, finally understanding that they are not wire-cutters or pliers :D -
I have abused enough in my lifetime.....

Now I'd be the first to say - that spring can obviously break - otherwise there wouldn't be so many reports about it.

So Wenger responding to this "flaw" came up with the springless scissors - very cleverly utilizing the backspring to provide the springiness.
Wenger uses an "actuator" arm to utilize the backspring -
Scissors_VicWeng.jpg


Here in lies the problem(s) for me.

When using the Wenger scissors - the whole scissors move relative to the knife handle.
This may seem trivial and something one can get used to -
I find it disconcerting -
especially when compared to no movement of the Victorinox.

The actuator arm of the Wenger takes up some thickness too - so that the actual scissors of the Wenger is made up of thinner material -
ScissorsSpn_VicWeng.jpg


I don't have a micrometer to measure - but it seems pretty obvious to me that the Wenger scissors are much thinner than the Victorinox -
so which now would be considered flimsier?

Another point that some may have missed - in the upper photo - that's the full extent the Wenger scissors jaws will open - that's fine for any normal use of scissors.
But to possibly accomodate the changing of the spring the Victorinox scissors jaws will open up a lot more -
which probably can account for more abuse of the scissors - just from the sheer fact one can get a lot more material in the jaws to cut -
So in other words - the Victorinox scissor probably gets more "abuse" than the Wengers -
(a) because of the jaw opening - and
(b) probably becasue people "migrate" to the Wengers after having an abused Victorinox scissors fail - to what they think are superior Wenger scissors -
BUT they also have learnt not to abuse those scissors.

Look again at the spines of the scissors in the lower photo -
and now tell me which do you think might stand up to abuse better? -
not that I am advocating abuse..... :D

--
Vincent

http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net
 
I also prefer the Victorinox scissors. Mostly because Iwant a clear cut. Those Wenger serrations leave a ragged edge on anything you cut with them.

I've had a few Victorinox models with scissors, and only once has a scissor spring broken (and that was on a tiny little SAK that I bought well-used at a flea market--no telling how much abuse it'd seen in its life).

I've also had a keychain Wenger that _did_ have a spring problem. The pivot loosened up (due to abuse on my part--hey, it was a long time ago :p ), and the "ramp" of the actuator arm would slide right past the "ramp" on the scissor arm.
 
Grover_Cephas said:
I also prefer the Victorinox scissors. Mostly because Iwant a clear cut. Those Wenger serrations leave a ragged edge on anything you cut with them.
Click to expand...


My sentiments exactly.
 
Personally I don't really care because I never use the scissors anyway, but having both, the wenger scissors always felt a bit more solid and not as flimsy and I prefer the wenger spring action to the little vic spring (which somehow I always bend sideways so it gets stuck when I try to close the scissors). So I guess that means I like the wenger scissors more, but I do think vic makes the better sak as a whole.
 
I'm a student and don't have any other scissors in the kitchen so they get used a hell of a lot. I have a class and climber by victorinox and have never broken a spring. I know someone that abused their knife and bent the spring but that was them being stupid

Victorinox is far better kit IMHO
 
I have several Victorinox SAK's with scissors and I have never had an issue with them or the spring. They are some of the best scissors I have ever used. :)
 
thats why I use a leatherman daily...

same spring arm as the wegner, but the scissors open all the way like the vnox.

My first vnox, a classic, needs a new spring for the scissors... 15yrs of use though.
 
I've never had a problem with the V-nox scissors. I've never used the Wenger scissor, but have never liked the way serrated scissors cut.

Paul
 
I like the full sized Victorinox scissors better than the comparable Wengers. On the small size (Classic, Esquire), I prefer the Wenger. They feel bigger than the little Vics.

Never broken a Victorinox spring in over 20 years.
 
Personally I like the serrated edges of the Wenger scissors over the straight edge of the Victorinox because they cut for a long long time. I've got several old Vics I used to carry a lot and really like too but the scissors, while sharp enough to cut anything when new, have long since become a real useless tool that won't cut much of anything at all anymore.

I took them to a knife show and had a guy sharpen one of them but they were worse after he did this than before. I've since given up trying to sharpen scissors of anykind when they are that small.

I use my Wenger scissors all the time for cutting the wax thread I use for stitching leather sheaths and for other things like cutting up credit cards or cutting out paper or card board tracings of blade patterns or folder patterns and they have never once failed to perform in over 14 years of use.

I feel the serrated scissors on my Wenger make a very clean cut and I think anyone would be hard pressed in a blind test to tell the difference between the Vic and the Wenger on a paper cut test from what I've experienced after using both. Personally I prefer the thinness of the Wengers as I think it just helps in cutting efficiancy. From my experience once the Vic scissors dull, which they will if you use them on everything and anything as I did, they don't cut clean at all but tear and rip instead. Try cutting a gun cleaning patch with one of my well used Vic scissors and then try it with my well used Wenger ones and you'll see a big difference in the cleaness of the cut, much in favor of the Wenger.

I thought when the Leatherman company came out with the Micra that I'd found the best of the best but I've had three now and got tired of buying them because the scissors no longer cut well and were very difficult to sharpen. So, I went back to carrying the old standby Wenger again.

I agree the scissors move when you cut because of the back spring mechanism but it really isn't something that keeps them from working. Once you get used to it they are just as easy to use as the Vics scissors are in my opinion.

On the other side of the coin. The Vics have very good quality control, which is probably slightly better than the Wenger company. However, they are both great knives and have great well made and useful tools.

For what it is worth, I truly love my Vic Swiss Tool and never leave home without it. My Swiss Tool is my 'go to knife' for just about anything heavy duty.

I walk both sides of the street I guess because I have a Wenger SAK in my pocket and a Victorinox Swiss Tool on my belt most everyday of my life.

One other thing I prefer about the Wenger is the locking main blade.

WengerandVictorinoxSwisstoolgotos.jpg


MyWenger.jpg
 
Wenger. I cut coupons and thread with my scissors, if I need to cut a big job, then I get REAL scissors. Overall, I have NEVER had any luck with the spring on the Victorinox scissors, and the dam thing ALWAYS breaks at the worst possible moment.

Sincerely,
Anthony
 
I've snapped my Vic's spring while cutting rose thorns, and "dislocated" my Wenger scissors while cutting small-gage stranded wire. I guess it differs between users, right?
 
STR said:
I feel the serrated scissors on my Wenger make a very clean cut and I think anyone would be hard pressed in a blind test to tell the difference between the Vic and the Wenger on a paper cut test from what I've experienced after using both.
Click to expand...

I've done it, I can tell, and I'm more concerned with fingernails than with paper. My SAKs are the only tools I use to groom my fingernails (they're handy when I need 'em). The Wenger scissors leave a horrible ragged edge that's usually worse than whatever I was trimming. The Vics trim nice and neat.

Also, I've had plenty of success sharpening SAK scissors myself. I wouldn't trust a random guy at a knife show, though. Heard too many horror stories about ruined edges.
 
Scissors? We don't need no stinking scissors!

I carry razor sharp knives with thin blades to avoid the humiliation of a knife man resorting to scissors. I've carried SAK's (or the similar Boy Scout knives) daily for about 45 years and have never carried one with scissors.

On the other hand I have owned and sharpened a lot of scissors and the design of the Victorinox is more in line with premium scissors. If you look at the pictures posted by Vincent you'll notice the smooth finish full bevel blades on the Victorinox compared to the rough finish and saber grind of the Wenger. More significant to me is when you look at the edge-on pictures you will see how the point of the right-hand blade of the Vic is curved to cross over the shear-line. This is called "set" in scissors and allows thin blades to cut thin material more effectively at the tip. The Vic is designed for more delicate work than the Wenger. To properly maintain it you need to be able to restore that curve, tighten the pivot rivet, as well as rehone the leading shearing surfaces. The Wenger uses all the tricks to allow crude scissors to keep working. The blades are stiffer due to the saber grind and serrated to avoid material slipping out along the length of the blades. I would use the Vic if I generally cut hair, thread, thin cloth, or thin paper. I would use the Wegner for tougher material that might bend the blades on the Vic.
 
Hi Vincent,

I have a Victorinox Champion with a broken scissors spring. How do I fix it?

Thanks very much in advance.
 
Ratcoon said:
I have a Victorinox Champion with a broken scissors spring. How do I fix it?
Click to expand...

Get a spare spring - SwissArmy.com has them -
SwissArmy.com FAQ on replacements
QUOTE:
Q. Must I send my knife in to have the scales, toothpick, tweezer, and scissor spring replaced?
A. No, you can purchase all of these right here. To learn how to replace scales and scissor springs, contact our consumer service department at 1.800.442.2706. -SA
UNQUOTE

ha-ha! I don't know how to replace the spring - since I've never done it before..... :D

But I guess it's relatively simple to push/punch out the spring from the tang - and replacing the spring is a matter of getting the end compressed enough to get it started in its hole in the tang and just push/squeeze in.........
But I'm sure people who do this a lot can easily correct me.

Just a hint - Victorinox/SwissArmy.com have an excellent warranty and customer service - often if you just simply return the knife to them - they will repair it FREE of charge... sometimes depending on the condition they simply replace the knife - so if the actual knife has sentimental value make sure you let them know you do not want it replaced.
The FAQ says the repair turnround time is about 3-4 weeks though......

--
Vincent

http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net
 
I like the Wenger scissors better. Despite the thinner construction, I've never had issues with its durability (just like most never have issues with the Victorinox spring). I've cut wire and other tough stuff with both and neither scissors have failed me. I agree with Jeff Clark that the Victorinox seem better suited for finer material and the Wenger for tougher media.
 
So....
can the Wenger scissors go wrong?

Of course, nothing is unbreakable.

I have a used Wenger "Forrester"(?) model (equiv of the Vic Huntsman) - while refurbishing it I noticed that the scissors did not line up that well with the actuator arm - enough for the scissors not to work properly.

It was a simple tightening of the pivot screw - it certainly got the scissors to work well again - so I thought no more about it.

Until I used it the other day and the scissors were loose again - tightening the pivot screw did the trick again - but within about a dozen actuations/cuts the scissors were loose again.

Surmising that it might be all the oiling I did that was causing the pivot screw not to hold - I cleaned the scissors and its pivot screw using isopropyl alcohol as thoroughly as I could.

But the scissors continued to loosen after about a dozen or so cuts...... not good.

So I finally resorted to using some "LockTite" blue (medium strength) thread-locker on the pivot screw. The scissors no longer loosen and are perhaps just on the shade of being a tiny bit tight.

LockTite.jpg



Just so I'm not too "biassed" - I have had a pair of Victorinox scissors loosen on me too - those were a pair on the tiny Classic that I EDC for over 8 years and probably abused more than I really care to admit - including sharpening them the WRONG way like a knife (which obviously ruined them....) - before I learnt scissor really cut by shearing action and re-ground them back to the proper bevels.

However I did not have to resort to threadlocker stuff -
although I'll see if I can find the old thing to see if that's just me being lazy and not doing the right thing.......

--
Vincent

http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net
 
I prefer the unserrated blades of the Victorinox scissors, but I hate the flimsy Victorinox spring (I've had 5 break over the years).

Allen.
 
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