Victorinox or Wenger?

In My Humble Opinion
21

I’ve had several Victorinox Swiss Army knives over the years (I tend to lose them, and they get replaced quickly) and never had a problem. I agree that the scissors on them aren’t great, but they do a better Phillips screwdriver than I’ve seen on other brands.

I’ve never even seen a Wenger S.A. knife for sale, so they never got considered.

22

Heh. Sounds like we need to have a can opener race at the next campout.

Of course, we’ll probably both get beaten by a die-hard with one of those tiny little GI folding can-openers…
Before anybody asks, only utensils specifically designed for opening cans will be allowed to compete. You can put down that machete and the entrenching tool right now, smarty-pants.

23

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed an ever-so-slight decline in the quality of Victorinox knives over the years? Some examples:

  1. The toothpick:[ul]Originally made from ivory or animal tusk, this was one of the first casualties of cost cutting at Victorinox. It has been made of plastic for many years now.[/ul]2) The pipe reamer and match striker:[ul]The very first Huntsman I purchased had a long, thin and slightly pointed stake with abrasive knurling on its interior surface. It folded out from in between the awl and corkscrew on the knife’s back. My first knife was the only one that ever came with this feature. It was probably discontinued rather quickly due to ease of damage.[/ul]3) The fire starting lens:[ul]No, that’s not a magnifying glass. That small round lens is for igniting tinder at high noon with no birds in the sky on a cloudless day when temperatures are above 100°F with 0% humidity. Oh, and your tinder should be pure aluminum shavings that have been soaked in nitroglycerine. Anyway, the lens used to be bound in a wire rim fold-out metal ring. It is now plastic.[/ul]4) The small blade:[ul]Originally, the small blade was a ‘drop point’ or ‘clip’ blade with a minor upsweep at its point to increase the length of edge on it. It is now more of a ‘spey’ type shape, just like the main blade has always been.[/ul]5) The corkscrew:[ul]This implement was always fabricated with a small groove running down the entire outer edge of the spiral. According to legend, this groove permitted air to enter the bottle while the cork was being pulled. Supposedly, this facilitated removal of the stopper. It is far more likely that the groove increased the surface area of contact made with the cork better ensuring the corkscrew’s intercalation during the pull. The corkscrew is now entirely smooth.[/ul]6)The lanyard ring:[ul]At one time the lanyard ring was a hinged loop that penetrated the entire body of the knife. Now, the lanyard ring depends from a small eyelet that is integral to one of the partitions between the blades.[/ul]

Has anyone else noticed these things?

24

Never understood the need for scissors or a nail file. I find a larger blade with a sharp edge more useful for the same size body. It opens up the # of choices for gentlemens knives.

I’ve also had a hard time sharpening the smaller blades. Not sure why. I use a 2 angle cut on my knives and it is easy to maintain a shave-sharp edge.

25

This is fun - kind of like hearing Mac and Win users discussing. Glad you can keep it civil.

Don’t have much experience with pocket tools but I do like the small Leatherman models. Though I’ve heard they break easily (as does the Gerber).

Just wanted to ask, in regard to this post:

Has anyone else perfected the art of opening wine bottles with your hands? If you do it right, you can press the cork down without even spilling.

26

Victorinox all the way, I have one of the tiny ones, a swiss card (good idea but not as practical as the small knife) and a large one… some of the best purchases I have made… not that I actually use them to cut anything… but the bottle openers and corkscrew are damned handy :smiley:

27

I have used both but I keep a Victorinox in my pocket now. The reason is simple: the tiny screw on the scissors keeps coming loose on both, but my Victorinox has a jeweler’s screwdriver that screws into the corkscrew that I can adjust the scissor’s screw with.

The word “screw” five times in a clean sentence. Pretty cool.

28

I used to have a Wenger, Now it’s in pieces on my desk after I tried to open a bottle of wine!

It did come with a guarantee, I suppose I should look in to getting it replaced.

29

Actually, I do like the serrated blades that more commonly come on a Wenger. I find the two about the same in quality.

Puma comes (usu) with a VERY high quality special alloy that is also VERY, VERY expensive. It is almost as hard as high-carbon, and “rustfrie”. If you see one of these kicking around at a garage sale- GRAB IT. The older ones run hundreds & hundreds of dollars. However, I have never liked their folding knifes- too clunky.