Wenger will be no more.

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Are you guys expecting huge closeout sales on Wenger knives? Or is it more likely the supply will simply trickle to a stop?

 

I went into a store...uhhh...bullseye, hit the mark, red circle with a dot in the middle. You know that store? Wenger accessories were discounted. Got myself a pair of hiking boots and a wallet.

 

Not in the USA. Wenger's knives did not have good distribution here.

Go to the big polluted tropical river and see what floats by. One obvious candidate for extinction has already vanished.

http://www.amazon.com/Wenger-16520-Standard-Issue-Swiss/dp/B0019DV9ZC/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

EvoGrips and Rangers are still available at the old prices. I assume that when current inventory runs out, the chosen survivors will have the Victorinox logo added to their scales. Hopefully Victorinox will use the strength of its distribution channels to greater advantage, and we will see better prices in the USA. Look for extinct Wengers in the Bay of Fleas.

 

I'll pick out a few today at a favorite dealer that already sells at significant discount. Better to cover the need now, instead of waiting on closeout prices that may not ever happen. I'm definitely looking for an Evo, a Blackout, plus some of the standard SAK models like the Teton and Apprentice.

 

I disagree completely with that. Evo, locking tools, scissor design, titanium, nail clippers, that weird stapler thing. Wenger have always been experimenting. In fact if anything, Wenger innovated too much, took too many risks and that's what doomed them.

 

Victorinox AG is an Aktiengesellschaft or joint stock corporation, but their stock is "privately held": it isn't traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange or the Berne eXchange and you need to know the right people to own it. Publicly traded corporations have shareholder relations officers to blow smoke at analysts and big investors, and they hold dog & pony shows. Privately held corporations have less incentive to lie. I think Victorinox had a convincing explanation of what went wrong with Wenger's knife business.

Victorinox AG was competing with itself.

Victorinox makes over 300 different SAKs. Does anyone know how many Wenger makes? What is the difference between a Victorinox Swiss Army Pioneer Pocket Knife and a Wenger 16520 Standard Issue? Look at the questions in our forums. When people need expert help to understand your product line, you have a problem with your product line.

Wenger's budget line had a bad reputation. I own two Classic 66 knives, pre- and post-2005. The old Wenger's fit and finish was inferior to Victorinox's. The new one is improved, and it has Victorinox's saw which is better than Wenger's. But the perception of inferiority remained.

Bloomberg says SAK sales have fallen by 1/3 since 2001. I would like to know where they got their information: but if that is true, it doesn't seem to concern Victorinox.

To neutral Switzerland, wars in Asia are part of the world economic cycle. What concerns them is not the mass of profits, but the rate of profit. They are competing with nations in the stage of economic development Europe passed through in the 19th century, when new industries ate their workers alive and labor disputes were settled by the military. No one in Switzerland wants to return to that. Something had to be jettisoned to lighten the load, and that was Wenger's knife business. Victorinox AG can no longer afford the luxury of competing with itself.

 

Funny, I've bought a few since reading this including the alox. My favourite SAK was an old Wenger Adventurer which eventually lost its scales and then got lost ina house move... I for one like their lock blades on smaller knives, and their scissors....
They also made the Left handed one which my daughter has EDC for years being a left herself.
Anyway, still available here. Wondering what the collectible ones will be.

 

Wenger knives are everywhere. That will limit the collectability factor for years to come. Unless it's a rare, and desireable, model, it will not be anyone's holy grail for 20-30 years. If you want to collect them to use, cool. Otherwise, I wouldn't buy them hoping to retire.

 

Besides, You wil still find the Vics everywhere. a SAK is a SAK to the general public.

 

Not sure if it's related or not, but our local discount department store has a rack crammed with Wenger knives on sale for $15 and $17.
Picked up an EvoGrip 11 for $17. Sign said "Regularly priced at $38," but that sounds like hogwash.

The $15 row contained a couple different models mixed together including the Highlander, an Evo model, and something like the Highlander but with a locking blade. Think I'll go back and pick up one or two. :thumbup:

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Went back and grabbed the Highlander for $15.
Paid almost that much for a Vic Recruit in the past, and the Highlander has more tools.

 

End of an era, which is always sad. Every SAK I have is Vic, as I hadn't heard of Wenger when I was a kid, and don't believe they had good distribution in my area. In fact, I remember seeing a Wenger SAK for the first time maybe 25 years ago and thinking "Who are they kidding? They're totally ripping off Victorinox!"

I'm glad that the plan is to keep the Wenger employees and have them integrated into Victorinox.

 

I own a couple dozen Swiss Army Knives, and I gotta say that Wenger is every bit as good as Victorinox.

My first experience with Wenger was their SwissBuck, a collaboration with Buck Knives. Wish I could go back in time and buy a few more when they were on closeout for $8 each.

 

I'd be inclined to give a slight nod to Vic's overall line being better, but that would be picking nits since its a very close thing.

It seemed to me after Vic bought Wenger they used Wenger to try out more variations in design and concept as opposed to the standard (classic?) SAK. Or since Vic has always said Wenger was run independent of Vic maybe they just allowed Wenger to continue along those lines.
I think Wenger came up with some very interesting and useful variations on the SAK concept and I hope that continues.

 

Hi guys!

Some time ago, I read in a german knife magazine (MesserMagazine) that Wenger will stop production until the end 2013. Some of their knives will be still made under the Victorinox label and some will disappear from the market.

Here is a link to Wenger´s website

http://www.wenger.ch/about-wenger

I thought you guys & gals would be interessted when such a traditional brand will no longer be made as it has been done.

Somehow sad - but I´m glad that the employees of Wenger will keep their jobs.

EDIT: Look at the "Recent Developments" in the wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenger

 

Even though Victorinox is widely beleived to be the better overall brand, I still want a few Wengers because they arw being discontinued.
Theyre a bit pricey though.

 

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1033860-Wenger-will-be-no-more

 

Uups... I must have missed that thread... Sorry - to the admins, this can be closed, for sure.

 

Merged the two threads.

 

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My first SAK was a Wenger, so long ago I don't remember the model's name. At the time I knew next to nothing about multi-tool pocket knives except I had to have one. The box said "genuine" SAK, so that was good enough for me. I liked it, thought it well made, but in the course of things I came across Victorinox SAKs and right away realized they were superior, but not enough to make me lust for one since the Wenger served well enough. Years later, when the Wenger was all but destroyed and I needed a new SAK, I got a Vic and have bought nothing but Vics since. Too bad about the brand disappearing, but I don't feel nostalgia on that account. If Vic were to shut down, of course, I would have to kill myself. :nightmare: