Why doesn't Victorinox/Wenger let their customers buy customized SAKs?

R

Radioactive

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Apr 10, 2006
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Is it not possible to have an option available to customers who want to buy SAKs to be able to pick and choose what tools they want to go into their item?

Is it just not logistically possible or is it too expensive to individually cater to each customer?
 
I'd love to see a custom shop from Victorinox/Wenger. But it's probably not logistically feasible. They make thousands and thousands (millions?) of knives a year. If they started taking custom orders, they'd be bogged down so quickly production would grind to a near standstill.
 
Victorinox is a big company and all their products are assembled on modern assembly lines. I would guess its just not worth their while to set up a whole separate group just to assemble a limited number of one-off custom configured knives.
 
That would probably be to much hassle and cost for them.

Victorinox and Wenger (Victorinox owned now), are true masters of the automated modern manufacturing process, individual customs are probably not worth their time to fool with.
 
With as many choices offered already what is the need? Their quality (at least Vic which I own) is top notch.
 
In addition to it screwing up their mass production manufacturing system, it would also be a logistical nightmare to take orders for and ship one-offs to individual consumers all over the world. Remember, as it is, Victorinox doesn't take consumer orders...at all.
 
Oh please, there's bound to be a hopper FULL of each little tool before it gets assembled, making a few extra a batch won't cut into anything. Set up a few tables, a few touch screens with the orders and have a few people do them by hand... then mark them up 500%

You all know DARN well they'd sell faster than they could ship em
 
mmarkh said:
With as many choices offered already what is the need? Their quality (at least Vic which I own) is top notch.
Click to expand...

That's likely part of the reason they don't have a custom option. There's so many models that they probably figure that for 99.999% of their customers, at least one of their existing models is "close enough".

It's only knife knuts like us that would desperately yearn for (and be willing to pay extra for ) that perfect SAK with everything we want and nothing more.

As for me, give me an ALOX Victorinox with the Soldier's reamer (WAY better than the other reamer), the large blade, pruning blade, bottle opener/flathead, and the bit driver/bit holder of the Cybertool. It would also be nice if they'd offered a premium steel for their blades.
 
mrmaigo said:
Oh please, there's bound to be a hopper FULL of each little tool before it gets assembled, making a few extra a batch won't cut into anything. Set up a few tables, a few touch screens with the orders and have a few people do them by hand... then mark them up 500%

You all know DARN well they'd sell faster than they could ship em
Click to expand...

It's not that simple and that cheap, because Victorinox brand is about quality. When you go custom there's always a chance for you to screw up an order, and that's a hit against their jealously guarded brand. Setting a few extra tables are easy, making sure that 99.9997% of custom orders are fulfilled correctly is not. Moreover, when they start dealing directly with end customers they'll be exposed to problems in payment processing, shipping mishaps, idiot who ordered wrong then screams in internet forums, etc.

They're making enough money even when insulated by dealers from end customers. I see why they don't feel the need to open that can of worms.
 
According to an article in Knife World magazine a numbr of yeara ago, Victorinox made at that time 35 million knives a year. They are the largest knife company in the world, going by production numbers. They are also the most automated production facility in the world. When Leatherman came out with the mulitool concept and multitools cut inot their sales, Victoinox made the move to invest massive amounts of capital into the most high speed computer controled machines they could find. To stoop to individual orders would be a steo back to the stone age for them.

They have so many models, that for the rest of 99.999% of the world, there is no need for a custom shop. 9 out of 10 sak buyers are not knife knuts.
 
The events of 911 also dramatically cut into Victorinox sales. They used to sell their products in airport gift shops but after travel regulations changed world wide people could no longer buy a SAK in the terminal and hand carry onto a flight.

I'm sure Vic, like most companies today, wants to do whatever it can to keep assembly lines moving in the most efficient manner possible. Custom SAKs would take valuable resources they could be devoting to their bread and butter mass produced money makers.

If you poke around this site or SOSAK there are a bunch of guys that customize SAKs. Some of those guys do some beautiful work. They may be able to produce the piece you want or steer you in the right direction for a DIY project.
 
Here's a story that may illustrate why they (Victorinox) won't do it:

I sold kitchen hardware for 7+ years, and years ago one of our European handle (cabinet door & drawer) suppliers decided to go with a new line of custom finishes, as an aside to their regular production. They did this to try to get into a niche marker here, a niche focused on very high-end, very specialized colors, finishes, materials, etc. They thought that by offering 'production' handles with slightly different options, it would work.

Within 3-4 months, it became a nightmare. It was a neat idea, but the fact that every order was different, and sometimes only for two-three pieces, that they would have had to charge literally 20-30x regular price, just to break even. Bear in mind, these were regular production pieces, with slightly different design elements (colors, finishes, etc.)

What killed the whole concept (in seven months) was the problem of trying to keep up regular production and then create, maintain, and somehow make profitable a whole other product line, and not interfere with production already in place. Th is mfr. was using regularly produced base materials, with slightly different finishes, etc.

So, I don't mean to sound preachy, but I know from my own experience why Victorinox won't get into customs. Besides, with all the models they have or have had in the past, there's something for everyone.

thx - cpr
 
orca8589 said:
Here's a story that may illustrate why they (Victorinox) won't do it:
..."What killed the whole concept (in seven months) was the problem of trying to keep up regular production and then create, maintain, and somehow make profitable a whole other product line, and not interfere with production already in place. Th is mfr. was using regularly produced base materials, with slightly different finishes, etc.
thx - cpr
Click to expand...

Orca's got it. Have you seen the "How It's Made" episode on 'Swiss Army Knives'? Vic makes all the tools, blades, etc on several auto-lines, then assembles on another. The final assembly line has several semi-manual operations which a hypothetical custom line would have to use...or Vic would have to duplicate.
The capital outlay for a dupe line or the splicing of standard and custom orders on the one standard product line are prohibitive.

Vic would be better off if they sold raw, unassembled parts to a 2nd source and licensed them to assemble the custom orders. But then you still have QC and admin issues...gotta preserve the Vic reputation for Quality, and 2nd sources are often hard to control.
 
There's a Swiss-transplant named Roger Remund who has a company making customized SAKs here in the USA. He tells of red tape and Swiss laws which prevent him from converting SAKs in Switzerland.

Take a look at past newsletters and subscribe to see what he's got going for SAKs.
http://www.swissbianco.com/newsletter.shtml
 
It would be NO problem to make available all the blades and tools with an "application" cross reference and some scales and REMOVABLE screws that would allow infinite combinations and sell them as components.

BUT.......

WE forget that MOST people just want a..... knife .... and don't much give a hoot what's in it or what STEEL it may have.

The MOST successful cutlery companies are WELL AWARE of that fact even though knife knuts say differently.

:o
 
What they could do is have certain tools for certain models that someone can pick out. Let's say they had their electrician model, and you could choose from a set line up of tools to put on your model. That might not bog them down as much because they could still run them through the same production lines, and remove steps if anything.

If that makes any sense. It sounds better in my head.... trust me.
 
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