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AntonLaVey
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Victorinox "Huntsman" Swiss Army knife with knife chain and belt clip.
A
Swiss Army knife (
French:
Couteau suisse,
German:
Schweizer Offiziersmesser,
Italian:
Coltellino svizzero) is a brand of multi-function
pocket knife or
multi-tool. It originated in
Ibach Schwyz,
Switzerland in 1897. The term "Swiss Army knife" is a registered trademark owned by
Wenger S.A. and
Victorinox
That damn backpack was like 90 bucks, it better be real
Victorinox History
Victorinox was founded in 1884 by Karl Elsener in Ibach, Switzerland. The company first delivered knives to the Swiss army in 1891(after coming close to bankruptcy during its first few years).
Upon the death of the founder's mother in 1909, he used her name (Victoria) as a brand name. When stainless steel was introduced in 1921 the company added inox (inoxidizable, or stainless) to the brand name.
Currently the company manufactures about 7 million Swiss Army knives per year, plus 9 million other multi-tools, and 9 million kitchen knives and other knives.The company is now managed by Carl Elsener, third generation of the Elsener family.
Wenger History
Wenger & Co SA was founded in 1893 by Paul Bouchat (bought out and renamed by Theo Wenger in 189
. The company first delivered knives to the Swiss army in 1901 (possibly earlier).
For a while, Wenger was also enamored with stainlessness, and marketed a Wengerinox knive.
Wenger was purchased by Victorinox in April 2005, but still continues to run as an independent subsidiary.
Victorinox vs Wenger
Which company makes the better Swiss Army knife? It's a tough choice, since both companies make a top quality knife, and both have continued to innovate.
It seems that a majority of people prefer Victorinox knives, for the following reasons:
- Better fit and smoother overall finish
- Better locking action on blades
- Tougher toothpick
- Tighter scissors
- Can opener contains a screwdriver too
- Awl makes a better drill
- More variety of features
However, many folks prefer Wenger knives, for these reasons:
- Microserrations on the scissors cut tough materials more easily
- Tougher spring on scissors
- Can opener is better at opening cans
- Better corrosion resistance in salt water
- Toothpick and tweezers are less likely to fall out and get lost
- More large knives with nail files
- More knives with serrated blades
- Blade lock available on many models
