SWISS KNIVES: WENGER VS VICTORINOX
Those who are acquainted with blade weapons, and in particular Swiss knives,
will know about the protracted debate which has gone on between Victorinox
and Wenger. There has been no shortage of blogs and forums where enthusiasts
of these knives and penknives have expounded, to greater or lesser effect,
their opinions on each brand. Nonetheless, for those who are starting out in
this vast world of Swiss knives or simply want to find out a little about
this subject, they can do so from the lines which follow.

Wenger Swiss knife with 85 functions
The history of the Wenger and Victorinox companies is linked almost from
their beginnings, and is also connected with the origins of the Swiss knife.
As has happened since the beginning of time, human beings have adapted to
whatever medium presents itself, inventing new technology and mechanisms
which could help them to overcome obstacles. In other words, when man comes
face to face with a crossroads, he develops something which helps him to
overcome it. In the case of the Swiss knife, it was the need of the
country’s army which brought about the manufacture of the multipurpose tool.
In 1886 the Swiss Army needed an instrument which could cut and at the same
time permit them to dismantle the rifle which they used during their
military operations.
For this purpose, it was the knife designer Karl Elsener who in 1891 founded
the Swiss Association of Knife makers, in which 25 Swiss companies
participated. It was this association that manufactured the knife with which
the Swiss army was supplied, the so-called ”soldier’s knife”. This tool had
a wooden handle and comprised various uses which went on to form part of the
legendary pieces of a Swiss knife: screwdriver, spoon, hole punch or reamer
and tin opener. Nonetheless, the dreams of the Association of Swiss Knife
makers were thwarted prematurely when it couldn’t meet the high demand from
the Army; besides this a German company in Solingen began making this new “multi-tool
knife at a lower price. These events brought about the break-up of the
Association.

Soldier knife made in 1891 by the Swiss Association of Cutlers led
by Victorinox founder: Karl Elsener
Nonetheless, the efforts of Karl Elsener didn’t stop there. This Swiss
artisan helped by the economic and moral support of family and friends,
succeeded in maintaining the production of his own workshop, which had been
founded in 1884. The “soldier’s knife” had certain aspects which could be
improved on, and for this reason Elsener continued working on and enhancing
it. On 12 June 1897 the so-called “Swiss knife for Officers and Sports”
which was lighter and neater was registered; although the major innovation
of this knife lay in the two unique springs which successfully incorporated
six utensils (along with the four original ones on the “soldier’s knife”, a
corkscrew and blade were added).This Swiss knife was less successful than
the first one since the army did not adopt it as part of its military
equipment. Elsener’s company continued working, and in 1909 adopted its
definitive name and company logo. Victoria Elsener-Ott, Karl’s mother, died,
and in her honour “Victoria” was chosen as the company’s corporate name.
Years later, in 1921 to be precise, when stainless steel was discovered and
the “Victoria” knife and penknife company started to use it in its factories,
the definitive name of the company was adopted: Victorinox.

The future of the Victorinox company wasn’t shaped alone. In 1893 the firm
Paul Boechat y Cía, which was the second largest knife company in
Switzerland, began to manufacture a knife for the Swiss army similar to the
one produced by Victorinox. This company would be led years later by
Theodore Wenger and would consolidate its position in the market by offering
a solid competitor to the Victorinox knives. The Wenger knife company had
its headquarters in the Delémont valley, situated in the canton of Jure;
while its adversary Victorinox was situated in the canton of Schwyz. There
was much rivalry between the two Swiss cantons due to their differences, the
main one being language: in Jure French, and in Schywz German. To avoid
confrontation the Swiss government decided on an agreement to entrust half
of the production to Wenger and the other half to the competition. In
accordance with this division, the slogan of each of the knife makers was
established. The Victorinox company named its knives the “original knife” of
the Swiss Army; and on the other side Wenger used the description “the
genuine knife” of the Swiss Army.

Victorinox knives factory in Switzerland
Both companies were making new models and incorporating new
ideas with the intention of improving the original product. With their
determination and force they succeeded in establishing themselves as the
Swiss knife makers par excellence. And thanks to the caution and care with
which they manufactured their pieces the Swiss knife has achieved worldwide
fame. Their products have been distributed in a great number of countries,
reaching the United States, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Poland, China… In reality
we can obtain Wenger Victorinox penknives and knives in almost every point
on the planet, either through real or virtual outlets like Aceros de
Hispania.
In 2005 the Victorinox company acquired Wenger Ltd., securing the production
headquarters in Switzerland, however, they decided to respect the brands,
and for this reason we can find both Wenger and Victorinox knives and
penknives on the market. The two manufacturers have made some of the
important decisions together, and jointly perform the purchase of steel for
their products. They have also expanded their line of products, widening
their range of Swiss knives and including other products such as watches,
kitchen knives and travel goods like suitcases or wallets.

Victorinox Swiss Army Champion Plus
54525
If we want to identify a Victorinox and a Wenger knife on the
market, we can find one obvious difference. We are talking about the logo
displayed on the handle of the knife. Both manufacturers use the typical
cross of the Swiss flag as their symbol, however the Victorinox knives and
penknives display a shield with bilateral symmetry, whereas the Wenger
knives and penknives are identified by a quadrilateral shield.
As has been said, the debate about which company makes the best Swiss knives
is still a burning issue, and is extremely difficult to conclude. The
opinions of the users are very varied, from those who defend to the end the
Victorinox brand, to those who do the same for the Wenger brand. Based on
the general opinions of those who have occasionally used the knives or
penknives from Wenger or Victorinox, we can define the basic comparative
features between both knife companies.

Victorinox knife with USB, one of the recent developments of the
factory
The knives of the Victorinox brand are really beautiful, with a great deal
of attention paid to their appearance, and in this sense they could be
considered superior to the Wenger knives; however, Wenger puts applies
creativity when designing its knives, which must also be taken into account.
In fact, recent innovations which have had definite success among users are:
the design for the locking of the blades, the new wrench, the ergonomic
handles and the self-locking bottle openers-screwdrivers. What is clear is
that the appearance is a question of personal taste. With regard to the
length of the blades, both companies have designed models which respond to
the many requirements of the users. On the market we can find models of
Wenger and Victorinox knives, with a total length ranging from 58 mm up to
85 mm. As regards the price of the knives, Wenger’s prices tend to be
slightly higher than Victorinox, however, the prices are very competitive.
The handles of the Wenger knives are more fragile than those of the
Victorinox ones due to the fact that the plastic isn’t as durable, but in
the event of any of the handles becoming damaged they can easily be replaced.

Swiss Army Knife Wenger Evogrip model with ergonomic design
The most significant difference and the
one which stops some enthusiasts from purchasing a Wenger knife is the
hardness of its steel which makes the job of sharpening more difficult.
While Victorinox knives sharpen easily even with a sharpener, the Wenger
knives are more difficult to sharpen and can also result in a more
complicated task for those starting out in the world of blade weapons. Many
users express a unanimous opinion, in response to the question which knife
is better: Victorinox or Wenger? Both. Each has its own strong points.
In conclusion it can be confirmed that the knife which should be used is
determined by the way in which it is to be used; in other words , given the
variety of knives on the market from these two brands, depending on the work
we are going to carry out with our multi-purpose tool, we will select one or
the other. Therefore, when specific users opt for one of the two knife
brands they could end up making the wrong choice and thereby use the wrong
blade for the job. In any case, when we have in our hands a knife or
penknife from the Wenger or Victorinox brand, we can rest assured that both
will offer us quality, tradition and effectiveness.
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