Wenger SAK alert! :O

GIRLYmann said:
some of you fellas might get a kick outta dis
perhaps even enjoy watching
what was once wenger.. :)
Click to expand...

Is the Wenger factory still making Wenger-marked knives, and is simply owned by Victorinox?

Because from what I read, Victorinox cut the Wenger name from knives in 2013, and the Wenger factory is making knives marked Victorinox. Is this the case, or no?

Maybe we need someone from Switzerland in here to clarify this.
 
Last edited:
I think my boy is going to need a wenger sak. Good looks mecha. I’ll be keeping an eye on this forum.
 
Mecha said:
Meanwhile, Victorinox is circling the drain by excreting bladed insults such as the "Rangergrip." :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
I believe the basic design for these is from Wenger ? o_O Vic just added the rubbery grip and some minor changes to the lock etc .
 
rxavage said:
I think my boy is going to need a wenger sak. Good looks mecha. I’ll be keeping an eye on this forum.
Click to expand...

Yessir. I'm gonna do my best. Starting with checking the dates on the Wengers at the knife store. I CAN say that they have been there since before 2013, I'm damn sure.
 
Last edited:
DocJD said:
I believe the basic design for these is from Wenger ? o_O Vic just added the rubbery grip and some minor changes to the lock etc .
Click to expand...

Exactly. Victorinox saw what Wenger was doing and had to stomp it out before they rocketed ahead in the world of SAKs. Now with the current Rangergrip all we see is the nascent, un-developed potential of what Wenger was going to do. o_O
 
Very generous offer, Thank you!
I'd be in for a Pocket Tool Chest or Traveller in black, if they have either of those laying around.
 
HotGuts said:
Very generous offer, Thank you!
I'd be in for a Pocket Tool Chest or Traveller in black, if they have either of those laying around.
Click to expand...

They have a little glass case with a decent selection. I just hope everything is still as it was and this isn't all for nothin'!
 
Mecha said:
Is the Wenger factory still making Wenger-marked knives, and is simply owned by Victorinox?

Because from what I read, Victorinox cut the Wenger name from knives in 2013, and the Wenger factory is making knives marked Victorinox. Is this the case, or no?

Maybe we need someone from Switzerland in here to clarify this.
Click to expand...

The knives, that I own, that were made in the former Wenger factory in Delemont, are marked;
Victorinox
Swiss Made
Delemont
They are Wenger size and style knives, with mostly Wenger tools, but with the Victorinox name on them. They do have a Victorinox style can opener and corkscrew. Both of which are improvements over the Wenger style in my opinion.

O.B.
 
Old Biker said:
The knives, that I own, that were made in the former Wenger factory in Delemont, are marked;
Victorinox
Swiss Made
Delemont
They are Wenger size and style knives, with mostly Wenger tools, but with the Victorinox name on them. They do have a Victorinox style can opener and corkscrew. Both of which are improvements over the Wenger style in my opinion.

O.B.
Click to expand...


Aha, thanks for the info, Old Biker.
 
Mecha said:
Is the Wenger factory still making Wenger-marked knives, and is simply owned by Victorinox?

Because from what I read, Victorinox cut the Wenger name from knives in 2013, and the Wenger factory is making knives marked Victorinox. Is this the case, or no?

Maybe we need someone from Switzerland in here to clarify this.
Click to expand...
"...
Wenger brand Swiss Army knives will no longer be produced as of 2014, said Victorinox, the owners of the brand.

“Many consumers can hardly distinguish between the knife products from Victorinox and Wenger and the global fight for survival is getting increasingly fierce,” said Carl Elsener, CEO of Victorinox.

Wenger, a company that has been producing the multiple tooled pocket knives since 1893, was purchased by Victorinox in 2005.

Urs Keiser, a spokesman for Victorinox, explains the reasoning behind the decision, “The Swiss Army knife was not differentiated for the consumer abroad — we had to fix that confusion,” Victorinox has competition “to maintain shelf space” in stores. Having two similar looking brands of Swiss Army Knives in one store was a problem.

“That’s why we are joining forces and focusing on one brand: Victorinox… The concentration of forces will allow the group to grow within the global competitive environment, to enhance the product range and to strengthen the Delémont site in the long term.”

Victorinox said the decision would not affect any jobs at Wenger, which employs 248 people worldwide, including 193 people in Switzerland. Keiser added that Victorinox’s goal was to “maintain and create jobs — this reflects the company’s phliosophy”. Victorinox said it will continue to operate the Wenger site in Delémont, with all knives being produced there rebranded under the Victorinox name..."
source
 
GIRLYmann said:
"...
Wenger brand Swiss Army knives will no longer be produced as of 2014, said Victorinox, the owners of the brand.

“Many consumers can hardly distinguish between the knife products from Victorinox and Wenger and the global fight for survival is getting increasingly fierce,” said Carl Elsener, CEO of Victorinox.

Wenger, a company that has been producing the multiple tooled pocket knives since 1893, was purchased by Victorinox in 2005.

Urs Keiser, a spokesman for Victorinox, explains the reasoning behind the decision, “The Swiss Army knife was not differentiated for the consumer abroad — we had to fix that confusion,” Victorinox has competition “to maintain shelf space” in stores. Having two similar looking brands of Swiss Army Knives in one store was a problem.

“That’s why we are joining forces and focusing on one brand: Victorinox… The concentration of forces will allow the group to grow within the global competitive environment, to enhance the product range and to strengthen the Delémont site in the long term.”

Victorinox said the decision would not affect any jobs at Wenger, which employs 248 people worldwide, including 193 people in Switzerland. Keiser added that Victorinox’s goal was to “maintain and create jobs — this reflects the company’s phliosophy”. Victorinox said it will continue to operate the Wenger site in Delémont, with all knives being produced there rebranded under the Victorinox name..."
source
Click to expand...



There it is, straight from the horse's mouth: after a century of struggle against each other, the forces of Victorinox were finally able to destroy their arch-rival Wenger Syndicate once and for all, executing a hostile takeover and stamping out Wenger's very name from the world of knives.
 
Actually, the brand Victorinox is a little bit older than Wenger. They have competed for over a century for being the purveyor for the Swiss Army Knife. One year, one won, the next year, it was the other. This may explain the discrepancies in the official SAKs : I remember an uncle still having his service SAK with a clip main blade and brown fiber scales. I lusted after this knife. Thought it was way sexier than the current spear bladed red plastic scaled ones. In the end, Victorinox won Wenger over because they managed to churn out more knives, with better finish, better quality control, more option choices and a bombproof warranty. They also decided to invest massively in their production facility at the right time.
 
Back when I got my first SAK in 1971, I went with the Victorinox as I liked their can opener, better than that "V" shaped one that Wenger had at that time. I also thought that although the Wenger was perfectly serviceable, it was not as well finished as the Victorinox. I also believe Victorinox just about had to buy the Wenger brand, as if the Chinese bought the name, it would be very hard for them to compete against the Chinese. John
 
Schuey2002 said:
Please post some pics.. :)
Click to expand...

Pics will be posted upon arrival at the knife store, in the next couple days.

Interested Wengerites and their knife hopes are being written down on a list. So far there are 4 "yes" and two "maybe."

aJpKsJy.jpg



Purchased Wengers will be posted, so that the Victorinoxians can see and secretly seeth that they didn't take this chance to upgrade to a NOS Wenger.
 
I bought one of the evo grip knifes years ago. it works really good, doesn't slip out of my hands as easy as the normal swiss knives.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top