Swiss Army Knives, Wenger v Victorinox, what is the story?

Marion David Poff

Marion David Poff

Joined
Oct 8, 1998
Messages
5,403
So,

I am far more familiar with Victorinox than Wenger.

What is the difference?

What is the story?

I heard there is a third brand, they were knockoffs, but the Swiss decided to let them into the fold?

What can you all tell me?

What has been your experience?

Are there quality differences?

I'ts funny, one of my earliest knives was a Victorinox. Very useful, but not too exciting. But now that I carry a Swiss Tool, and have been looking closer at the Victorinox complete line, I am hooked.

I want to hear it all.

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Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye, Cd'A ID, USA mdpoff@hotmail.com

My Talonite Resource Page, nearly exhaustive!!
My Fire Page, artificial flint and index of information.

"Many are blinded by name and reputation, few see the truth" Lao Tzu
 
I've recently seen SAK type knives by Puma and Rogers Sheffield. Both very old cutlery firms.
 
Here is what I know. Victorinox and Wenger are both contracted by the Swiss military for knives. I have quite a few Victorinox models, and like them very much. I have a friend who has several of both, and he thinks both are very good quality. The third that you refer to is Buck knives. Remember the Swiss Buck line a few years ago? As I recall, Wenger made them for Buck. I remember reading that Victorinox has a far greater share of the American market than Wenger. I do think that Wenger is the only one that makes left handed models. Hope this helps.

Richard
 
Both Victorinox and Wenger are contractors for knives to the Swiss Army.

Victorinox is the older of the two and claims to be "original". Wenger claims to be genuine.

As far as I know there is no other real Swiss Army knife. Wenger makes a line called the SwissBuck in an arrangement with Buck Knives but they are essentially Wenger knives. I own one, a SwissBuck Taskmate II. It is a very handy knife that I carry everywhere.

As far as I can tell there is little difference between Victorinox and Wenger knives. There are some different models between the two but the quality as far as I see is the same. I own several of each make and they are all good. My favorite is the one that is supposed to be the one that is issued to the Swiss Army. It is very similar to our "Boy Scout" style knives, but with silver colored aluminum handles. I have seen it sold under different names: "Issue", "Soldier", "Cadet", etc.

You might want to look up the websites for each company. They both have one and will tell you a lot.

Originally posted by Marion David Poff:
So,

I am far more familiar with Victorinox than Wenger.

What is the difference?

What is the story?

I heard there is a third brand, they were knockoffs, but the Swiss decided to let them into the fold?

What can you all tell me?

What has been your experience?

Are there quality differences?

I'ts funny, one of my earliest knives was a Victorinox. Very useful, but not too exciting. But now that I carry a Swiss Tool, and have been looking closer at the Victorinox complete line, I am hooked.

I want to hear it all.
Click to expand...

 
Well, I dont know what the real story is, but I can tell you from experience that both my Wengers broke and I still have my Victorinox.

Whether there is a true difference in overall quality I dont know, but I'm sticking with Victorinox.



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<A HREF="http://home.att.net/~dark-nemesis/" TARGET=_blank>
http://home.att.net/~dark-nemesis</A>
All the knives in the world go round and round, round and round, round and round...DAMN, one of them took my wallet !!! :)
 
I've owned both, and seen little difference. I prefer the scissors, and the way the tweezers/toothpick are inserted on the Wenger. That's simply an esthetic preference.
Dave.

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No man with a good car needs to be justified.
 
If you can believe the printed materials in the packaging with these knives - about 102 years ago - Victorinox, the "Original", learned how to use both ends of one back spring...( name "Victorinox came from the maker's wife's name "Victoria"). The Wenger clan was right behind them in submission to the Swiss Gov't. for contracts to provide knives to the Army.. Not wanting to offend or limit national companies the contract was split 50/50 between them and, I think, still is. Maybe someone from Switzerland will know. -IMO - I'm hooked on Victorinox but both are very good quality. Wenger's sissor is probably got the edge ( no pun intened).. but overall Victorinox's Classic, Executive, Tinker, and Huntsman are never far away from my pocket AND have seen lots of use.. and the guarantee won't quit! -but be aware - insect repellent like Deep Woods Off etc. will eat and jelly the handles. I'd say they are an excellent value in a pocket knife for everyday.. NOT TACTICAL or intimidating even to Airports and very handy. Hope this helps.

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Don't wrestle with the hogs - they enjoy it and you get dirty !
Jonesy
 
I own knives of both brands and have never had problems with either. Although I will say that even though I can't quantify or qualify it, the Wengers feel more - "substantial" - that the Victorinox. But I think that Victorinox knives are more widely available at least in the US. I carry a SwissBuck Taskmate II made by Wenger and use it daily with no problems at all. I for one do not like the color red so I tend to buy the other colors from both companies. I think thos shiny red plastic handles make the knives appear less substantial than other knives.

My other favorite is call the "Issue", "Original", Soldier" etc - it has silver colored checkered aluminum handles and is much like a Boy Scout utility style knife.


Originally posted by Dark Nemesis:
Well, I dont know what the real story is, but I can tell you from experience that both my Wengers broke and I still have my Victorinox.

Whether there is a true difference in overall quality I dont know, but I'm sticking with Victorinox.
Click to expand...

 
From what I've gathered the Wegner are made in the French region of Switzerland and the Victorinox are made in the German region. I like the finely serrated scissors on the Wegners and some of their models like the Handyman are nice as instead of a small blade they have the fingernail cleaner, but two of the ones that I own have developed a lazy blade. The Victorinox seem to walk and talk a bit better but the aluminum liners seem to be prone to granular corrosion, maybe it's also a problem with the Wegner, a problem that could probably be fixed with a different alloy.
 
Victorinox SwissChamp baby. I've owned both, little differences, but overall I just prefer Victorinox for the look/feel/selection of instruments. They seem fairly close to begin with.

smile.gif
Brandon

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I've got the schizophrenic blues
No I don't
Yes I do...
 
I own only 2 Wengers but many Victorinoxes. I feel the Victorinoxes seem to have a stronger "walk and talk." I carried a Victorinox SAK as my only knife for 10 years, many of those in humid Taiwan, with little maintenance, and it held up. That's proof enough for me. I also like the feel of Vic's, also think their can opener is superior.
Jim
 
If you'd like to know more, just look/ask:

victorinox.ch
wenger-knife.ch

Both have pages in english.
Happy sharpening
smile.gif


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D.T. UTZINGER
 
Johno's point is correct, but has it reversed:

Wenger - German
Victorinox - French

The 50/50 dual contracts are issued by the Swiss Defense Ministry, and are intended to show "equal favor" to German and French-speaking "sides."

The third company that Marion is referring to is probably Swiss Army Brand, a Connecticut-based firm which indeed *manufactures* (not distributes) US-made SAKs which follow Victorinox's designs. QC is also apparently monitored by Vnox. These US-made SAKs have wide distribution thru retail stores; e.g., the big retailer Campmor sells SAB, not Vnox, although they are virtually indistinguishable except in name.

This arrangement was authorized/made betw Swiss Army Brand and the Swiss Def Ministry about five years ago, ironically, in an attempt to prevent knock-offs from being made in the US, Taiwan, and elsewhere. The premise is that the US company would have far greater resources to police and pursue knock-offs using the "Swiss Army Knife" name, which is now the sole property of Vnox, Wenger, and SAB.

FYI, I read all of this in two AP articles printed in the LA Times and NY Times since Dec 99. I'll try to track them down if anyone is interested. You might also try searching yourself at www.ap.org -- both were written by the same author.

(I imagine Zut&Zut can fix any factual errors here better than any of us "Américains/Amerikaners.")

Glen
 
Swiss Army Brands makes knives and doesnt distribute Victorinox?? Hmm, I dont doubt your word, but I dont think thats correct. www.swissarmybrands.com lists Victorinox knives. The knives you are referring to, how are they marked?

Richard
 
Hello everybody,
unfortunately I do have to correct:
Victorinox is in the german-speaking part (just a few miles from where I live) and
Wenger in the french-speaking part (very close to the French border) of Switzerland.
You may check any detail on their home-pages.
For specific questions, do not hesitate to ask.
As for who's better, they are probably biased.....
smile.gif


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D.T. UTZINGER
 
One thing I will say for the Wengers -- they have locks on some of their blades that work pretty well.

They do feel a little cheaper than the Vics though. This is subjective of course.

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Clay Fleischer
clay_fleischer@yahoo.com
AKTI Member A000847
 
I have always had Vnox, and had preferred them, then I saw my girlfriend's 10 yr old Wenger and was confirmed in my thought.

But, I recently bought a Wenger Standard and it is very nice, I like it a great deal.

If only they made a model with aluminum handles, main blade, awl/reamer and a wood saw. That would be perfect, absolutely perfect. Throw in a small blade and I would be in heaven. Sheer heaven.

------------------
Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye, Cd'A ID, USA mdpoff@hotmail.com

My Talonite Resource Page, nearly exhaustive!!
My Fire Page, artificial flint and index of information.

"Many are blinded by name and reputation, few see the truth" Lao Tzu
 
Somehow I find the Swiss Army Brand thing wrong. I visited their website and it appears they are distributors for Swiss Army Knives - specifically Victorinox. I found no reference on their site of their own manufactured knives.

Do you have any other information on "Swiss Army Brands" making their own knives? Until I read your post, I thought only Victorinox and Wenger made Original and Genuine Swiss Army Knives.

Thanks.

Originally posted by storyville:
Johno's point is correct, but has it reversed:

Wenger - German
Victorinox - French

The 50/50 dual contracts are issued by the Swiss Defense Ministry, and are intended to show "equal favor" to German and French-speaking "sides."

The third company that Marion is referring to is probably Swiss Army Brand, a Connecticut-based firm which indeed *manufactures* (not distributes) US-made SAKs which follow Victorinox's designs. QC is also apparently monitored by Vnox. These US-made SAKs have wide distribution thru retail stores; e.g., the big retailer Campmor sells SAB, not Vnox, although they are virtually indistinguishable except in name.

This arrangement was authorized/made betw Swiss Army Brand and the Swiss Def Ministry about five years ago, ironically, in an attempt to prevent knock-offs from being made in the US, Taiwan, and elsewhere. The premise is that the US company would have far greater resources to police and pursue knock-offs using the "Swiss Army Knife" name, which is now the sole property of Vnox, Wenger, and SAB.

FYI, I read all of this in two AP articles printed in the LA Times and NY Times since Dec 99. I'll try to track them down if anyone is interested. You might also try searching yourself at www.ap.org -- both were written by the same author.

(I imagine Zut&Zut can fix any factual errors here better than any of us "Américains/Amerikaners.")

Glen
Click to expand...

 
Thanks Zut&Zut and apologies Johno -- my "geographically-challenged" mind stands corrected!

Richard, Marion, and Rick1955 --

Grrr... should've clipped those articles. Couldn't turn them up w/a quick search on AP. Will try to track more info down in the next few days, post-deadlines.

The LA Times article appeared maybe two months ago (I posted here about it days after in a thread I cannot find!). It described SAB as a CT-based company which made its own knives, but w/Vnox's models and under Vnox's supervision.

I don't own any SAB models, so don't actually know how they are marked. Perhaps they are marked "Vnox" but made and marketed in the US by SAB (somewhat of like Hondas and Toyotas)?

Again, will check in the next few days and follow-up here.

Glen
 
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