Wenger Canyon and Viking

[WhittlinAway]

I'd never noticed it before, but today when my eyes landed on the copy of E. J. Tangerman's Whittling and Woodcarving that I'd tossed on the coffee table the night before, I realized that the cover features what looks to be an SAK with a small clip secondary. A small clip is my favorite flavor of whittling blade, so that piqued my interest and the hunt was on.

Part of the tang stamp is visible in the picture: "Weng..../Switz...". Aha, it's a Wenger! I've never owned one and don't know much about them other than that they were the other official manufacturer of SAKs. After a bit of searching I came across the Wenger Canyon and Viking models, which are both two layer and look interesting as whittling/traveling knife. The Canyon seems very similar to the Victorinox Tinker, but with a small clip; the Viking is likewise similar to the Victorinox Traveler.

Before trying to track one down, I thought I'd ask whether anyone here has thoughts or experiences to share about these models and how they compare to their Victorinox counterparts. I've read that Victorinox has the better fit and finish of the two brands, but is the difference so much that I'm likely to be disappointed with a Wenger?

Also, I couldn't find a Wenger equivalent of the Victorinox Recruit, which would also be very interesting to me. Anyone know if one exists and, if so, what it is called?

And, of course, if anyone's whittled with one of those Wenger small clip blades, I'd love to hear about that as well.

Thanks for reading this far and I look forward to any discussion that ensues.

 

[HeathH]

Wenger's version of the Recruit would be an Apprentice. I've been looking around for one on the cheap lately for a modification project. I like that the blades are wider (from edge to spine) than the 84mm Victorinox models... I haven't whittled with a Wenger clip, but I've whittled with their small pens - it's a lot like a Victorinox small pen. I don't find the Wengers lacking in terms of Fit and Finish, although I generally like Victorinox models more, but I can't place my finger on why, exactly.

They're pretty cheap, pick one up and try it out, let me know how it whittles! I've always liked the looks of those little clips.

 

[HeathH]

By the way, while they're maybe too slim to whittle with comfortably (I like a fatter knife for whittling), the Wenger Patriot is a small, slim aluminum two blade with the little clip. I've been thinking about one of those too...

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Wenger and Buck Knives collaborated on a 'SwissBuck' knife some years ago, which was a Wenger SAK with black handle covers and a red shield with the Buck name on it. The main clip blade has the standard Wenger stamp on the tang. I have one of those, given to me by my father a few years ago. It's a pretty nice little knife, on par quality-wise with Victorinox. It has the secondary, smaller clip blade as well. The one I have is apparently called the (SwissBuck) 'FishTale', with large & small clip blades, a fish scaler/hook remover, can opener, screwdriver/caplifter, Phillips screwdriver and an awl. Not sure which Wenger model* that'd correspond to, but I'm guessing it's one of theirs just rehandled with the Buck name/styling.

( * - Edited to add: There's a Wenger 'Trout' model almost identical to my SwissBuck 'FishTale', except for the main blade, which is a spear instead of a clip. )

I haven't whittled with it, but it seems like it'd be a good candidate for it. Like the Vic SAKs, the blades on the Wenger are nice & thin, and the steel is a breeze to sharpen up.

I remember, I think back in the late '70s, I used to spend a good deal of time perusing some mail-order knife catalogs as a teenager. Wenger SAKs were featured in some of those, and I liked the looks of them. Couldn't afford 'em though, as a teen at the time. I wish I'd picked up a few in the years since, before they went away.

 

[yablanowitz]

The Wenger Patriot does work well for small projects, even in my meaty mitts. I haven't Rockwell tested them, but Wenger blades feel harder during sharpening than Victorinox blades and seem to hold an edge better as well.

 

[Bladester]

I have 2 good books on whittling by Chris Lubkemann. In "Whittling Twigs and Branches," he says his favorite pocket knives for whittling are 2 blade models. He goes on to say that his most used is a Victorinox Tinker. On page 3, he describes his modifications to the Tinker blades. The Tinker is probably my favorite SAK. I had one and made the modifications he described. He also wrote one called "The Little Book on Whittling," where he again mentions the Tinker as an everyday user. He doesn't describe the mods in that book, but has a good couple of pages on sharpening and honing (also, in the first book). Unfortunately, although I've read the books and admired his results, I'm still hopeless as a whittler. Need to work on my patience, I guess...
--Larry

 

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

If I'm not mistaken Wenger was recently bought by Victorinox.

 

[John A. Larsen]

Time flies by as Victorinox bought Wenger back in 2005. John

 

[WhittlinAway]

Wenger's version of the Recruit would be an Apprentice. I've been looking around for one on the cheap lately for a modification project. I like that the blades are wider (from edge to spine) than the 84mm Victorinox models... I haven't whittled with a Wenger clip, but I've whittled with their small pens - it's a lot like a Victorinox small pen. I don't find the Wengers lacking in terms of Fit and Finish, although I generally like Victorinox models more, but I can't place my finger on why, exactly.

They're pretty cheap, pick one up and try it out, let me know how it whittles! I've always liked the looks of those little clips.

By the way, while they're maybe too slim to whittle with comfortably (I like a fatter knife for whittling), the Wenger Patriot is a small, slim aluminum two blade with the little clip. I've been thinking about one of those too...

Thanks for the info and your observations on F&F. I'm glad you mentioned the Patriot. I saw a picture of it while researching those other models and wondered the same thing about comfort. I'm glad that yablanowitz was able to speak to that below.

Wenger and Buck Knives collaborated on a 'SwissBuck' knife some years ago, which was a Wenger SAK with black handle covers and a red shield with the Buck name on it. The main clip blade has the standard Wenger stamp on the tang. I have one of those, given to me by my father a few years ago. It's a pretty nice little knife, on par quality-wise with Victorinox. It has the secondary, smaller clip blade as well. The one I have is apparently called the (SwissBuck) 'FishTale', with large & small clip blades, a fish scaler/hook remover, can opener, screwdriver/caplifter, Phillips screwdriver and an awl. Not sure which Wenger model* that'd correspond to, but I'm guessing it's one of theirs just rehandled with the Buck name/styling.

( * - Edited to add: There's a Wenger 'Trout' model almost identical to my SwissBuck 'FishTale', except for the main blade, which is a spear instead of a clip. )

I haven't whittled with it, but it seems like it'd be a good candidate for it. Like the Vic SAKs, the blades on the Wenger are nice & thin, and the steel is a breeze to sharpen up.

I remember, I think back in the late '70s, I used to spend a good deal of time perusing some mail-order knife catalogs as a teenager. Wenger SAKs were featured in some of those, and I liked the looks of them. Couldn't afford 'em though, as a teen at the time. I wish I'd picked up a few in the years since, before they went away.

Hey, that's cool. I wasn't aware of that collaboration. I did some searching and it turns out that there is a SwissBuck model called the Odyssey (a.k.a the Tailgater, apparently) that is the same as the Viking, but has a clip main instead of the spear point. I'll have to keep my eyes open for that one.

The Wenger Patriot does work well for small projects, even in my meaty mitts. I haven't Rockwell tested them, but Wenger blades feel harder during sharpening than Victorinox blades and seem to hold an edge better as well.

Thanks for your reports on both the ergonomics of the Patriot and the qualities of the Wenger blades. Both are appreciated and reassuring.

I have 2 good books on whittling by Chris Lubkemann. In "Whittling Twigs and Branches," he says his favorite pocket knives for whittling are 2 blade models. He goes on to say that his most used is a Victorinox Tinker. On page 3, he describes his modifications to the Tinker blades. The Tinker is probably my favorite SAK. I had one and made the modifications he described. He also wrote one called "The Little Book on Whittling," where he again mentions the Tinker as an everyday user. He doesn't describe the mods in that book, but has a good couple of pages on sharpening and honing (also, in the first book). Unfortunately, although I've read the books and admired his results, I'm still hopeless as a whittler. Need to work on my patience, I guess...
--Larry

Thanks for mentioning the recommendations from Lubkemann. I made those mods to a Recruit I had after checking out one of his books from the library. It was a fine whittling knife.

I'm personally partial to small clip blades, hence my excitement when I found out about these Wenger ones.

As for patience, we could all work on that. I find even just making shavings with no project in mind to be a soothing exercise, though.

If I'm not mistaken Wenger was recently bought by Victorinox.

Time flies by as Victorinox bought Wenger back in 2005. John

My understanding is that after the acquisition, the Wenger models of SAKs were discontinued, but there is now a single Wenger model that was introduced in 2017 and has the old Wenger logo on the handle. Is that all correct?

 

[WhittlinAway]

Wenger's version of the Recruit would be an Apprentice. I've been looking around for one on the cheap lately for a modification project.

I forgot to reply to this part in my previous reply. Thanks for the pointer to the Apprentice. The ones I saw had a nail file instead of a secondary blade. Are there other ones that are like the Recruit and have a second blade in place of the nail file?

 

[PaulS.]

My understanding is that after the acquisition, the Wenger models of SAKs were discontinued, but there is now a single Wenger model that was introduced in 2017 and has the old Wenger logo on the handle. Is that all correct?

I believe there are more than one pattern still being produced under the Wenger name, but I could be wrong. I bought a Wenger Crusader several months ago for around $8 or $9 USD, so at that price, I assume it was new production.

 

[WhittlinAway]

I believe there are more than one pattern still being produced under the Wenger name, but I could be wrong. I bought a Wenger Crusader several months ago for around $8 or $9 USD, so at that price, I assume it was new production.

I can't find that on the Victorinox site and it is listed as discontinued on a SAK reference site I found, so I'm wondering if that was NOS. Granted, I got my information from Wikipedia, so it could also be out of date.

 

[Amir Fleschwund]

This is a Wenger Canyon.
Two layers, main spear, and small clip. Screwdriver/bottle opener, and can opener. On the back, it has a phillips, and an awl.
I’m not a Whittler, just a hack whittler, but do find that small clip really handy for finer work.
Maybe my favorite SAK.

I have a bunch of both, but prefer Wengers. I like the blade shapes better, and they do hold an edge. The Wenger version of the Vic Classic is the Esquire and is on my keys. It’s a wee bit bigger than the Classic.View attachment 1028951View attachment 1028952 View attachment 1028954View attachment 1028955 Here’s a three layer Vic with the Canyon for comparison. The Wengers are 3 5/16”, and Vics are 3 9/16 long.View attachment 1028956View attachment 1028957

 

[Old Biker]

Victorinox still produces knives in the old Wenger factory in Delemont. These knives are marketed as the Delemont collection. These are Wenger pattern knives although they now carry the victorinox name. The one change that I can see is they are now made with the victorinox style can opener, instead of the Wenger style. I think this is an improvement.

The evolution S101 knife from this group has the small clip blade. It is similar to the small tinker, but has a corkscrew instead of the philips screw driver. It also has a locking main blade, hence the S in the model number.

The evolution S111, has the same tools as the small tinker, and also has the small clip blade. Unfortunately this model seems to have recently been discontinued, as it seems, nobody but the auction site has it in stock. I think this is unfortunate, because it is a nice little knife. I haven't actually used mine, but I still think it is a nice knife.

O.B.

 

[WhittlinAway]

This is a Wenger Canyon.
Two layers, main spear, and small clip. Screwdriver/bottle opener, and can opener. On the back, it has a phillips, and an awl.
I’m not a Whittler, just a hack whittler, but do find that small clip really handy for finer work.
Maybe my favorite SAK.

I have a bunch of both, but prefer Wengers. I like the blade shapes better, and they do hold an edge. The Wenger version of the Vic Classic is the Esquire and is on my keys. It’s a wee bit bigger than the Classic.View attachment 1028951View attachment 1028952 View attachment 1028954View attachment 1028955 Here’s a three layer Vic with the Canyon for comparison. The Wengers are 3 5/16”, and Vics are 3 9/16 long.View attachment 1028956View attachment 1028957

Thanks for the mini review and the photos. They’re helpful. I’m glad to hear you’ve had a really positive experience with your Canyon and enjoy whittling with it.

Victorinox still produces knives in the old Wenger factory in Delemont. These knives are marketed as the Delemont collection. These are Wenger pattern knives although they now carry the victorinox name. The one change that I can see is they are now made with the victorinox style can opener, instead of the Wenger style. I think this is an improvement.

The evolution S101 knife from this group has the small clip blade. It is similar to the small tinker, but has a corkscrew instead of the philips screw driver. It also has a locking main blade, hence the S in the model number.

The evolution S111, has the same tools as the small tinker, and also has the small clip blade. Unfortunately this model seems to have recently been discontinued, as it seems, nobody but the auction site has it in stock. I think this is unfortunate, because it is a nice little knife. I haven't actually used mine, but I still think it is a nice knife.

O.B.

Thanks for the corrections and clarifications. Much appreciated.

I’m glad the small clip is still found on at least one current production model. I’ll have to look more into the Delémont collection.

 

[Jack Black]

Many years ago, Wenger asked me if I'd like to do a head-to-head review of their large Major model and the equivalent Vic Swiss Champ. Wenger supplied the Major, and a few other knives, and I contacted Victorinox, whose knives I regularly reviewed at the time, for a Swiss Champ. Their UK dealer was so terrified of a comparative review that they told me all sorts of rubbish to try and get out of the challenge (eg claiming their MD was friends with the UK Wenger MD, and they had a gentleman's agreement not to do tests like this - which Wenger flatly denied). In the end Wenger supplied the Vic Swiss Champ. I liked some of the innovative Wenger features, but have generally always preferred Victorinox knives, as I did in this case. I had to admire Wenger's fighting spirit though

I have this knife in my collection Greg, and would be willing to gift it to you if you'd like it I also have a vintage Wusthof knife, of a similar pattern, in carbon steel if you'd prefer that

 

[Amir Fleschwund]

Very nice, Jack Black !

 

[Jack Black]

Very nice, Jack Black !

Thanks Jeff

 

[WhittlinAway]

Many years ago, Wenger asked me if I'd like to do a head-to-head review of their large Major model and the equivalent Vic Swiss Champ. Wenger supplied the Major, and a few other knives, and I contacted Victorinox, whose knives I regularly reviewed at the time, for a Swiss Champ. Their UK dealer was so terrified of a comparative review that they told me all sorts of rubbish to try and get out of the challenge (eg claiming their MD was friends with the UK Wenger MD, and they had a gentleman's agreement not to do tests like this - which Wenger flatly denied). In the end Wenger supplied the Vic Swiss Champ. I liked some of the innovative Wenger features, but have generally always preferred Victorinox knives, as I did in this case. I had to admire Wenger's fighting spirit though

I have this knife in my collection Greg, and would be willing to gift it to you if you'd like it I also have a vintage Wusthof knife, of a similar pattern, in carbon steel if you'd prefer that

Wow, Jack. That's a very generous offer, my friend. If you are sure you won't miss it and won't mind me tuning it up for whittling and putting it to use, I'd be delighted to take you up on your kind offer.

And thank you very much for the offer of the vintage Wusthof as an alternative. That's very kind and generous of you. The carbon steel is appealing, but I think it's best for the vintage example to continue to lounge in the luxury of your care.

Thanks for sharing the story of your Wenger vs. Victorinox head-to-head comparison. I gut a chuckle out of reading it and it speaks to the interesting position that the two companies found themselves in.

 

[Jack Black]

Wow, Jack. That's a very generous offer, my friend. If you are sure you won't miss it and won't mind me tuning it up for whittling and putting it to use, I'd be delighted to take you up on your kind offer.

And thank you very much for the offer of the vintage Wusthof as an alternative. That's very kind and generous of you. The carbon steel is appealing, but I think it's best for the vintage example to continue to lounge in the luxury of your care.

Thanks for sharing the story of your Wenger vs. Victorinox head-to-head comparison. I gut a chuckle out of reading it and it speaks to the interesting position that the two companies found themselves in.

I'd be happy to let you choose Greg, I'll PM you a pic of the Wusthof later