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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
SwissBuck Folders
- Thread starter alex
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2002
- Messages
- 519
Alex,
Tightwad seems to be correct with 1998 as the last reference to the SwissBucks in the catalogs. Actually, the last pictures I can find of the knives are in the 1996 catalog. Pricing info was still available in 1997 & 1998 in the Suggested Retail Price List, but the knives themselves were not featured in the catalog those years.
In 1998 their were 15 models listed in the Price Guide - all with an indicator that it was a "discontinued item." If you're really interested, email me direct and I'll send you a complete list off the forum.
As a side note, something I find interesting - Wenger and Buck joined forces to produce the SwissBuck line (as Tightwad mentioned) - Wenger is the name behind the world famous Swiss Army Knife. In 1992 when the SwissBuck line was introduced (12 models at that time) you could also purchase any regular Swiss Army Knife from Buck as well. They were a distrubutor for Wenger. This was not the case, acording to what I can find in the catalogs, in 1993.
Tightwad seems to be correct with 1998 as the last reference to the SwissBucks in the catalogs. Actually, the last pictures I can find of the knives are in the 1996 catalog. Pricing info was still available in 1997 & 1998 in the Suggested Retail Price List, but the knives themselves were not featured in the catalog those years.
In 1998 their were 15 models listed in the Price Guide - all with an indicator that it was a "discontinued item." If you're really interested, email me direct and I'll send you a complete list off the forum.
As a side note, something I find interesting - Wenger and Buck joined forces to produce the SwissBuck line (as Tightwad mentioned) - Wenger is the name behind the world famous Swiss Army Knife. In 1992 when the SwissBuck line was introduced (12 models at that time) you could also purchase any regular Swiss Army Knife from Buck as well. They were a distrubutor for Wenger. This was not the case, acording to what I can find in the catalogs, in 1993.
CJ Buck
Moderator
- Joined
- Apr 15, 1999
- Messages
- 898
gypsy, that rings pretty true as far as my recollection goes.
In the early 90's, with all the McGuyver hipe, Wenger was having trouble getting a foothold in US from Victorinox. Victorinox was made in Germany and distributed by Foreschner(I cant remember the spelling here). Wenger is manufactured in Delemont Swizterland. Both companies have provided knives to the swiss army.
They had a court battle/settlement at one point so Victorinox won the title of the "Original Swiss Army Knife" and Wenger the "Genuine Swiss Army Knife."
We asked both companies if they would be willing to manufacture for us. It would have been too capital intensive to tool up for those knives.
Victorinox was not interested and Wenger said yes.
At the beginning, we changed the blade shape on the main blade and had black handles tooled with the buck logo in the side. We were very unique, and about 20% more expensive when competing cause we were a middle man. When both companies came out with Black handled knives we were no longer unique and it was just a matter of time until we let it go.
Wenger were good people to work with and we ended on a positive note.
The Leatherman introduction of tools and the industry's picking up on tools made a huge dent in sales for them. Now the airlines (9-11) and corporate types rethinking knives as premium gifts has hit them hard again. Without glasses and assorted stuff from luggage to workout gear, they would be really hurting.
In the early 90's, with all the McGuyver hipe, Wenger was having trouble getting a foothold in US from Victorinox. Victorinox was made in Germany and distributed by Foreschner(I cant remember the spelling here). Wenger is manufactured in Delemont Swizterland. Both companies have provided knives to the swiss army.
They had a court battle/settlement at one point so Victorinox won the title of the "Original Swiss Army Knife" and Wenger the "Genuine Swiss Army Knife."
We asked both companies if they would be willing to manufacture for us. It would have been too capital intensive to tool up for those knives.
Victorinox was not interested and Wenger said yes.
At the beginning, we changed the blade shape on the main blade and had black handles tooled with the buck logo in the side. We were very unique, and about 20% more expensive when competing cause we were a middle man. When both companies came out with Black handled knives we were no longer unique and it was just a matter of time until we let it go.
Wenger were good people to work with and we ended on a positive note.
The Leatherman introduction of tools and the industry's picking up on tools made a huge dent in sales for them. Now the airlines (9-11) and corporate types rethinking knives as premium gifts has hit them hard again. Without glasses and assorted stuff from luggage to workout gear, they would be really hurting.
Before the entire line was discontinued, the original 12 SwissBuck models listed in the 1992 catalog had four new models added (golfer, white legend, SwissMate III and attache) and one model was dropped (SwissMate I). Adding to the confusion are the four models that had name changes - odyssey to tailgater, SwissMate II to Swiss Workman, SwissMate III to SwissMate and golfer to greensmaster. Your best bet for identification is a catalog picture with model numbers. With 16 knives and 20 names, after a while they all look like black and silver SwissBucks in green boxes. Take Dan's generous offer.