Wenger Swiss Army

It dated back to 1886 when the Swiss army determined to furnish every soldier with a regulation single-blade folding knife. In 1889 a new rifle was introduced. To take apart the rifle, a screwdriver was needed. So the decision was made to create a multi-purpose tool incorporating a knife, a screwdriver, a reamer and a can opener. At that time, the cutlery industry in Switzerland was well established but incapable of mass production. So the knives were made on Solingen, Germany. However a Swiss cutler soon established a knife manufacturing company and began to make army knives.

Shortly after in 1893 at Courtelle in Delemont Valley, the second industrial cutlery of Switzerland, Paul Boechat & Cie – the future Wenger S.A. – received a contract from the Swiss Army to produce knives. Wenger, another Swiss also came out with the same product by 1908. Wenger successfully convinced the Swiss army that they should not have to stick to one deal of manufacturer on Swiss army knives. Through this he easily gained 50% of the army’s sales.

Consequently, from then on Victorinox has its competitor of identical product persona and positioning. Some times ago, Buck Knives and Wenger in the USA went into a joint venture to produce the SwissBuck range of Swiss Army Knives for the American market. The only difference is that the main blade is a spear point classic. Buck Knives blade design favored by the Americans, and it comes in a fancier black handle. Wenger’s history is known through improvement and evident by an infatuation for quality. Thus, it is with great pride that Wenger continues to serve as guardian of this unparallel legacy. Since 1908, the year Wenger was chosen as a supplier of the Standard Issue knife to the Swiss Army, Wenger engineers have served as the vanguard of knife technology, pioneering the evolution of knives as precision multi-tools.

Victorinox is better-made, but Wenger has more innovative features and better-designed spring mechanisms. It has better-designed can opener and has micro serrations on its scissor blades that allows it cut slightly heavier materials. So if you kinda prefer those refinements, go for it.