Victorinox user stories

I confirmed some of those stories over on SOSAK, and I am still trying to find the time to write up a full article over on SOSAKonline.

Here was the original stories that started it:

Four years in a purification tank
Gilbert V. Levin from the USA tells an almost incredible story in a letter dated 23 September 1991.This time it’s not about the Swiss knife saving a life or being used to rescue some hopeless situation, but about the little red knife itself having survived four years almost undamaged in a purification tank. Mr. Levin wrote to Victorinox in Ibach:"In 1973 I installed my new invention for sewage treatment at Seneca Falls, New York. One morning as I was crossing the bridge over the aeration tank of the treatment plant, I saw that the setting on one of the instruments was incorrect. I took out my dependable Swiss Army Knife to make the necessary adjustment. The knife slipped out of my hand and fell into the aeration tank. The function of the aeration tank in a treatment plant is to oxidize organic waste. This oxidizing environment is very corrosive to metals.

Four years later, in 1977, I received a small parcel by mail with a note from Al Hawk, the supervisor of the Seneca Falls plant. They had emptied the aeration tank and found my Swiss Army Knife at the bottom. The parcel contained the knife. It was in astonishingly good condition. The only thing wrong of any note was that the spring for the scissors was missing: it had dissolved. There was also some oxide on the aluminum parts that keep the blades separate. The plastic casing and cover had only suffered very minor damage near to the toothpick and tweezers. I intended long ago to send the knife back withy complements to the company which manufactures such durable knives. I have looked after the knife and since then have never used it. I enclose it for your attention as evidence to this almost incredible occurrence. I can assure you that very few products could have survived treatment like this; the components would have dissolved or simply disappeared."


Survived salt water
Your Swiss Army Officers’ Knives coped superbly with extensive use. They soon became an indispensable tool for a range of tasks as well as in emergencies. Frank Goodman was very sad when he lost his on Cape Horn Island. I carried my knife in a life-jacket pocket and as a result it frequently came into contact with salt water. Despite this it continued to function perfectly. Many knives advertised as being‹stainless steel rust precisely when they are needed most. But not the Victorinox knives. These are obviously the genuine article. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generosity. Without your help and those of others this adventure would have been impossible. Our success is your success.

But in a nutshell, I submerged two Victorinox Classics in saltwater for a period of 7 months to test how rust proof they really are. All in all the blades and all stainless steel components showed no signs of rust, but the scissors spring and rivet are a different story.

Here you can see the rust "glob" where the spring and rivet were:
rust_test_final_saks%20(Small).JPG


Here you can see what I found when I opened the knife up:
rust_test_4_15_1%20(Small).JPG


So, as in Mythbuster's we could say that the stories are confirmed.

The post is located here over on KF -> http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/756366/post/813623/#813623
 
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