Wegner Vs. Victorinox

C

Colt

Joined
Nov 15, 1999
Messages
73
Both these companies have swiss army knives, What is the differnece between the two when it comes down to quality. Which one is better?

Thanks
 
IMHO - Victorinox is superior in fit and finish. I always thought the Vics were the 'original' SAK. Someone gave me a Wenger and the feel wasn't same, neither was the overall quality. I am not versed enough to comment on steel quality, but the Vic takes and keeps a much better edge.

The Vic SAK Camper is the best IMHO,

Cheers,

RLR
 
The REAL SAK:
The real/original SAK (not called so, then) was produced for the swiss army end of last century by a german knifemaker. Victorinox was founded later and took over production. Later on Wenger joined and to this day the "real" SAK, made for the army are produced by both companies half and half.
The "real army model" has aluminum shells on the handle, is very cheap and solid.

What you probably know are "fancy" so called "officer's knives" (which they are NOT), with
bright red plastic shells and incorporating a variing number of tools, in different sizes.
For the numbers they are made (zillions!) their Quality is remarkable. I do doubt, that one or the other brand is always "best".
I am using several models from both and do not see much difference.
Kind regards

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D.T. UTZINGER
 
Victorinox is the better quality, fit and finish is higher. I only buy Victorinox, the few Wengers I had I got rid of fast, they just didn't "feel right".

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"Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n"
John Milton
There are only two types of people; those who understand this, and those who think they do.
 
I did not notice any big difference in quality. Since I could not find Victorinox of the appropriate size I got Wenger and I am happy with it. It has even better lock.

David

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DIVERTI NESCIO

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My Photopoint pictures
 
I suppose in your original post that you meant Wenger instead of Wegner.

Tim Wegner makes great knives, but I havn't seen any SAK's he's made.
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I haven't seen alot of difference in quality of the Victorinox and the Wenger knives. Both are very functional, and inexpensive knives. I own a few different models of the Victorinox and the Wegners, and I'm happy with the workmanship in both.

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Mark - AKA Excalibur

[This message has been edited by Excalibur (edited 01-27-2000).]
 
There is some overlap between features of specific types of SAK's, and if you can't find the features you want in a Wenger, then look at the Victorinox, and vice-versa.

I've been very happy with the Wengers, and have one of the earlier multi-feature models that actually has a locking blade. The same comparable model in a Victorinox didn't have a locking blade, and I'm not sure if it even does now. Depends on the features you want, like a cigar cutter (Wenger) or laser pointer (Victorinox).
wink.gif
I've personally found the quality of both brands to be quite comparable. YMMV, of course.

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Don LeHue

The pen is mightier than the sword...outside of arm's reach. Modify radius accordingly for rifle.
 
I own both Wenger and Victorinox models. I carry and use the Victorinox Deluxe Tinker, Swiss Champ and Swiss Tool. I find the Victorinox knives feel sturdier than the Wengers. The Victorinox blades seem to take a better edge and hold it longer than the Wengers.

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Travis Autry
My knives are just like rabbits---they keep multiplying!!
 
Ive carryed my Victorinox SAK every day since i was 9. It would take a year if i tried to tell to all the times it saved my ass. If i based my liking of my knives on their usefulness, then my SAK would be my favorite. So without a doubt i can say that Victorinox makes decent quaity knives.

However, as far as Wenger goes ive always thought of them as being looked down upon. Ive never heard any good reports about them either. I guess ive drawn my own conclusions about them.
 
Wenger has some features that Victorinox doesn't. A locking blade, as Don mentioned, on some of their regular sized models, also a screwdriver that locks when pressure is put on it. The Wenger scissors uses a spring like a Leatherman Micra instead of a press in spring like the Victorinox. The smallest Wenger is a little longer than the smallest Victorinox and seems sturdier. The Wengers do not seem to be as smooth as the Victorinox.

Either way, both brands are good knives and are well worth the money.
 
Victorinox are better - just.
I carry a Victorinox, my daughter carries a Wenger.
Both are pretty good quality for the price, both have a useful assortment of tools.
I'd say look for the knife which has all the bits and pieces you want, and don't worry too much about the maker's name.


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"..it is foolishness and endless trouble to cast a
stone at every dog that barks at you.."
 
I’ll give Victorinox the edge, mostly on personal preferences in configurations.

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James Segura
San Francisco, CA
 
Victorinox for me, not to say that the Wenger would fall apart or that it's a way bad knife, just preference and my personal opinion. Though I've heard others say that the Wenger scissors are better or work better?

G2

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"The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions!"
Take the time to read your Bible Now, don't be left behind...


G2 LeatherWorks
 
I'd like to specifically ask about the Victorinox Rucksack and the Wenger Mountaineer. Both knives have similar features and both have locking blades. Has anybody handled both? What types of locks do they use? Thanks.
 
I asked the same question of the Wegner representative at this years SHOT SHOW. He gave basically, the same answers as above. Both companies split the Swiss contract equally and make comparable knives. Victornox has a much better reputation and name recognition in the U.S. marketplace. Wegner knives differ in the fact that they have some features not found on the Victornox knives. While I don't use scissors a lot, a screwdriver that folds over on my fingers won't last long in my pocket. My Victornox is on the shelf not because it isn't a stellar knife that holds an edge a very long time but, because I bought a Leatherman SuperTool which locks the tools so they don't fold over my fingers. I will probably buy a Wegner a try it out since the "Swiss" army knife is whole lot lighter weight and offers the features I really care about when in the office.

Sid
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Knife dealer
 
Oddly enough, as a youngster, I did not pay attention to the company names, I just thought all SAK's were made by the same company, even though I had examples from both brands. Back then I probably didn't care.
I have found that I just like the Victorinox better. I like the smooth action, overall appearance, and the fact I carried a Vic model as my sole knife for a decade at one point, it's proved to me I prefer them. Also, for a manufacturer that makes a total of about 134,000 knives A DAY, their quality control is amazingly consistent, perhaps even making Victorinox's QC the best of all knife companies in the world.
Jim
 
I've always liked the Victorianox knives; the scissors on the Wenger knives loosen up over time and become impossible to use. You can tighten them back up with a small screw driver but they inevitably work their way loose again, even superglue doesn't help!

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An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.
 
Having owned them both, I say the Victorinox is the superior knife. I own about 10 of them and got rid of all my wenger knives. The vic holdes a better edge in my opinion and is better quality. Also I`ve never had the handles come off of a vic like I have the wenger.

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janefromnc

walker
 
I own a pile of both and I can't really tell any difference between the two in terms of quality. Maybe--and that's a big maybe--Victorinox has an edge (no pun intended) but if they do, I'm at a loss to say why. The Wenger scissors don't have a little spring to break like the Victorinox. I've replaced a bunch of those springs over the years on Victorinox scissors and it's no fun. The tooth pick on the Victorinox is a lot tougher than Wenger toothpicks. I like to whittle the toothpicks down to a small size and when I do, the Wenger toothpicks don't last nearly as long as Victorinox.

In general--you can't go wrong with either. As an earlier post pointed out, given the zillions that are produced, it is amazing the kind of quality control they maintain. I have carried an SAK of one kind or another every day for over 30 years.

If there is one thing I would like to see in SAKs, it would be a greater choice of handle material. I have a Victorinox SAK with rosewood handles that I love.

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Hoodoo

No, I do not weep at the world--I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.
Zora Neale Hurston

Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.
Lao Tsu
 
Hoodoo,
Try http://www.swiss-knife.com/ and use their advanced search. You can get SAKs with bone or MOP scales. I don't know what the exchange rate is so I'm not sure how expensive they are.

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Frank
 
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