Victorinox to shut down Wenger

[RonnieC]

Victorinox is the brand I grew up with, and they are my favorite production knife company. I've never owned a Wenger, but I always thought of Wenger as a cheaper version of Victorinox. I'm sure they are not any cheaper or lesser quality, but that is what I've always assumed without ever trying one out.

I had the same assumption. When I first saw Wengers I thought they were a rip off of Vic! This may have been simply due to distribution- I note that you are from New England - I grew up in Massachusetts and don't remember seeing a Wenger until I was in my late teens, but vividly remember seeing the giant Victorinox moving display from my early youth.

 

[300Six]

............ The punch/awl never made much sense to me; there were other tools I would have voted for to replace it........... A more ergonomic handle design would be good. I'd like a locking main blade. Maybe a range of colors (I've always preferred black over the trademark red; I'd like the option of an olive drab or a navy). Other than that I can't think of many feasible improvements, and again there are few manmade objects I can say that about.

That feature is just another reason why I have carried a SAK on me for 1/2 century. The awl/pick is handier than a pocket in a shirt! Turn it clockwise and it is a awl/drill bit or reamer, turn counter clock and is a marlin spike for ornery knots in string, thin rope and sometimes fishing line. Perfect for marking metal for cuts, dimples for starting screws, cleaning threads etc etc.
I too thought I would have enjoyed a lock blade feature but realized (after buying a SAK version (too big and heavy)) that self-defense or stupidity (accidentally having the blade close on a finger) is not the primary function of a pocket knife.

 

[300Six]

The reviewer loved his knife and had carried it for years. Alas, it got too dull to use. So he bought a replacement. It was the same make and model, but new and sharp.

I gotta love this; "got too dull to use"! Sort of like saying 'I bathe once a year whether I need to or not'. What I like about having 2 blades is the large one is tolerated to be sort-of sharp and is used for utility and common purposes and the smaller one is kept razor-sharp for specific uses. To be able to lightly trace a newspaper article with the small blade and then be able to lift it out has never ceased to impress onlookers, or myself.

 

[TriviaMonster]

The Wenger knife with the clippers was a gift for a few women in my family. My younger sister went camping and her and the girls spent the rainy day using it for manicures. Don't understand why, but I was happy it made their day. And the clippers were very sturdy, better clippers than most people own already.

Plus it was pink.

The ladies will miss you Wenger. I'll miss you less, but you had a few models good enough for my collection.

 

[sitflyer]

I was always a bit confused by the Wenger and Victorinox brands, especially before the internet age. I remember having a discussion with my dad about which was the "real" Swiss Army knife I have some of both brands and like them equally( Wengers are pre 2005) seeing as they are both under one ownership it actually surprises me that they kept the Wenger name thus far.

 

[coyotebc]

Yet you still carry it nearly daily.

As I stated it is on my work keys
I don't carry it except at work because I occassionally need the phillips screwdriver and I am not allowed to carry a multitool.
If I was able to carry a multitool then the sak would be long gone
I carry another knife in my pocket that does most of the cutting chores

For me the sak is just a junk knife that I carry, that I can lend out to people if they ask to borrow a knife.
It could just as easily be a made in China clone

This knife went on my work keys as it was part of my 15 year gift from my employer and had the company logo on it.

You are free to love the brand if you want it makes no difference to me
I think that they are generally over rated, but I think that if they had better steel in the blades they would be very good knives

 

[leghog]

Hard to over rate them at their inexpensive cost. They represent value. Great bang for your buck. Consistent quality at less than 20 bucks and available worldwide. Doubt I'll ever be without one on me unless flying commercially.

 

[Django.cj]

they sharpen up really fast. they are a very good pocket knife. they are not meant to take on the planet. what do you want them to do??

Their steel holds up "long enough" and MOST IMPORTANTLY (to me) sharpens easily. I hate super steels with a passion, because once they get dull, they stay that way.

 

[coyotebc]

they sharpen up really fast. they are a very good pocket knife. they are not meant to take on the planet. what do you want them to do??

But the flip side is they dull really fast
I have heard people complain about how soft the steel is on Case xx knives, but in my purely subjective use I find the stainless used by Case to be superior
That is damning with feint praise
For myself something similar to Buck's 420 steel is what I consider a minimum for edge retention on an edc

Your opinion that they are a very good pocket knife is just that your opinion
My opinion is that they are not

My opinion is that they are well designed but hampered with blades that are too soft, you of course are free to feel differently

 

[coyotebc]

I find their performance to cost ratio to be similar to numerous made in China knives out there
The difference is for many people on this forum made in China automatically raises a stigma

Hard to over rate them at their inexpensive cost. They represent value. Great bang for your buck. Consistent quality at less than 20 bucks and available worldwide. Doubt I'll ever be without one on me unless flying commercially.

 

[coyotebc]

That is the only difference in our opinions, what you consider "long enough" and what I consider "long enough"
I have very few knives that are super steels
My favorite hunting knife (I have used for over 30 years) is a carbon steel Wade and Butchers knife made circa 1936

If everyone wanted the same thing in a knife then we would have a lot fewer companies and designs out there

Their steel holds up "long enough" and MOST IMPORTANTLY (to me) sharpens easily. I hate super steels with a passion, because once they get dull, they stay that way.

 

[leghog]

I find their performance to cost ratio to be similar to numerous made in China knives out there
The difference is for many people on this forum made in China automatically raises a stigma

Perhaps because China is a communist country with "questionable" labor practices, across many industries, detrimental to the very ones doing the manufacturing (and often their customers). That plus their penchant for intellectual and trademark thievery.

Regardless, Victorinox alone makes nearly 30 million knives every year with incredible quality control and of designs of their own. They're hugely successful. No Chinese manufacturer will ever catch up.

 

[ChrisB507]

I'll miss Wegner, though I prefer Victorinox. I really, really liked the tool set and size of the Evo 16. I picked up a few of them this year, knowing they'd be scarce....the Patagonia model has a locking blade, which I liked more than I thought I would.

I hope Victorinox doesn't go overboard with the corkscrews and package hooks.

 

[K.B.]

Needs Moved ?

 

[dogstar]

I find their performance to cost ratio to be similar to numerous made in China knives out there

My opinion is that your opinion is not representative of most people's opinions.

 

[Planterz]

Count me among those who hope the Wenger scissors design (lever-age and slight serration vs. Victorinox's spring) will abide in some implementation....

I always liked Wenger's spring design far better than the antiquated one Victorinox uses. No serrations though. Good for utility, not so good for trimming fingernails.

 

[shecky]

Wenger has some superior implements that I would like seeing folded into the Vic line, like the auto-locking screwdriver/cap lifter, regular sized locking blades, scissor spring, and a few others.

Regarding steel, I love SAK steel. Modern super steels are good for specialized situations and bragging rights. But for the most part, I find super steel edge holding capabilities to be a false economy. SAK steel is durable and not demanding. Qualities that keep it an actual user.

Despite Wenger's strengths, the writing was on the wall. End of an era.

 

[AreBeeBee]

Well, I've taken this thread as a heads-up to order a Wenger (Evo 18) before all the stock out there disappears into the hands of collectors and collector-dealers. Can't say I'm a big fan of SAKs in general, but I have several, mostly Vic's. These include four Classics (in silver alox, red, green, & black plastic), a red Rucksack, and a black alox Pioneer. With the Evo 18 (yet to arrive), the Wengers are one "Classic" (blue) and a silver alox Standard Issue (love it).

Several here have mentioned the possible migration of Wenger tools and designs into the Vic line. We'll see, but Vic has been outstandingly successful doing exactly what they have been doing. So the brand manager(s) at Vic may not make any changes at all.

 

[Tallahassee]

I too grew up (in the Southeastern US) seeing Victorinox displays, Vic was my first SAK at 17 and I probably didn't encounter Wenger until the 1980s sometime. I too was unclear about the relationship, if any, between Wenger and Vic. I've owned both and frankly prefer the Vic every time, from the Vic logo to the design of many of the blades. Funny, I prefer the Vic scissors although I've had their springs break twice in normal light usage. I never liked the Wenger 'scimitar' can opener. The Wenger magnifying glass (I have 20-20 but use a lens a lot for repairs, first aid, etc) was weirdly placed on a long screwdriver tip, you either liked it or hated it, I hated it. The Wenger top of the line model with the compass and plexi ruler was so over the top I couldn't bring myself to buy one.
Overall the Wenger had a number of aspects that seemed to me just 'beta' compared to their Vic counterparts. I don't know what role if any that played in their acquisition by Vic and I don't much care about the boardroom/financial maneuverings. I just prefer the Vic, by a big margin, and this thread brings home to me that I would have been surprisingly and genuinely saddened if it had been Vic that were disappearing.

 

[Tallahassee]

All that said, I'm going to be watching eBay for Wenger bargains. There must be tens, maybe hundreds of millions of them out there in sock drawers and car consoles and there isn't going to be a shortage of them second hand in any of our lifetimes.
I gave my last Wenger (their Vic Champ equivalent but without the compass thingy) away a few years back and never missed it. But now I suppose I ought to get another.
Can any Wenger fans out there recommend a specific Wenger model that you feel is 'iconic' compared to the Vic's and worth having?