I know it's closing the stable door after the horse has bolted because Wenger is no longer a SAK brand, but I'd like to kick off a discussion as to why Wenger didn't make it. Victorinox outsold Wenger by about ten to one, and the occurrence of Wengers as EDC on this forum seems to support this. After Victorinox acquired Wenger in 2005, they allowed the company to operate autonomously in terms of products and marketing. But last year, it was no longer economically viable to produce similar knife ranges in competition with each other, so the Wenger name and almost all the knives were dropped. All that remains is the Victorinox Delémont range, which is based on the 65mm line, which are more ‘personal care’ solutions (nail file, nail clippers, scissors, etc.) than tool kit. The EvoWood scales are used, but apart from that, little Wenger ‘personality’ is evident. A sad end for a range of soldier’s knives! Did Wenger go wrong? Both brands capitalized successfully on their brand equity with travel gear, clothes and watches, and the Wenger brand continues on these items. But branded products are licensed and not manufactured by Victorinox or Wenger, whereas the knives are made in the respective factories. After the 9-11 tragedy, knife sales fell dramatically so new markets were needed. Wenger served niche markets like golf, football, in-line skating, skiing and other activities where tools were used, but it is unlikely that these relatively small markets could generate enough sales volume without costly promotion or sponsorship, or joint-marketing with strong equipment brands in the respective sports. Victorinox took a different approach and developed the CyberTool knives to cater for the growing computer generation who customize their gear. A wise move, it seems. Note that these are simply my observations from a distance, and there are almost certainly other factors at play. I would have liked to have seen the 85mm Wenger SAKs integrated into the Victorinox range of 84mm SAKs. The Victorinox Sportsman (top) and Wenger Classic 07. Coming back to the Victorinox versus Wenger theme, I have compared both brands’ standard offerings in the 84mm and 85mm size (see the thread below). I haven’t included the larger knives because these are tools for the military and other serious users. In many countries it is even illegal to carry knives of this size.
How do the 85 mm Wenger Classic 07 (Traditional Commander in the US) and Evolution 10 compare with the Victorinox Sportsman? All three have the same tool sets, size and weight (around 55 g). The front tools are large blade, nail file, can opener and cap lifter/flat head screw driver/wire bender. The back tools are corkscrew and awl. The scales hold tweezers and a toothpick. The Sportsman (red) and its bigger brother, the Spartan. The Sportsman is the nearest equivalent 84mm SAK from Victorinox, but I also compare the 85mm Evolution knives with a Victorinox 91mm knife. Victorinox only offers one- or two-layer knives in the 84mm size whereas the Evolution range went up to a 10-layer tool kit, putting it in 91mm Victorinox territory. I therefore also included a Spartan in the comparison. This has two blades but there is no 2-layer 91mm knife with a nail file currently in the range. The Sportsman comes in red Cellidor or red EcoLine nylon. The Spartan comes in a range of colors, including red, black, camo, various translucent offerings and EcoLine nylon. Now a bit about the Wenger Evolution range. Using automotive jargon, the Evolution is simply a ‘facelift’. Under the scales, it’s just a Classic. The rounded scales improve ergonomics, but also add volume. They’re thicker and extends beyond the side plates of the knife, but I think they detract from the precision look of flush fitting scales. In addition to the plain red Evolution, there is an EvoGrip version with non-slip black material, a Soft Touch version with a rubber covering, and the EvoWood with walnut scales. There are also various colors available, including an all-black Blackout 10 with a hefty price tag. All these 10 series Evolution knives are essentially the same, and are based on the Classic 07 at the top. Not all Evolution knives are available in all executions. There is a price premium for the EcoGrip, Soft Touch and EvoWood. I am not sure about the durability of the non-slip EvoGrip or Soft Touch coatings, and if they are even necessary. But they do look good new! First off, the knife blades. The Sportsman and EvoGrip 10 both have spearhead blades about the same length, although the Wenger blade is wider. As expected, the Spartan has the longest blade. The Wenger has a longer nail file although its rough surface area is shorter. The Sportsman’s nail file has its rough surface facing the blade when folded, and rubs it when closing. The Wenger file faces the other way. The screwdrivers are similar, although the Victorinox looks a little more solid. It also has a lock position at 90-degrees (good for leverage) and a secure lock when in line. The Wenger screwdriver locks solid in the in-line position when downward force is applied. The can openers are quite different. The Wenger is worked towards the user (clockwise around a can) while the Victorinox is worked away from the user (anti-clockwise). The lack of a Phillips screwdriver tip on the Wenger means it has a sharper point. The Spartan’s can opener is the largest. Now the back tools. The corkscrews on all three are identical in length, gauge and number of coils. The awl on the Sportsman is the same size as that on the Spartan, and features a sewing hole, sharp edge and sharp point. In contrast, the Wenger has no hole or sharp edge and the point is not particularly sharp either. It is the same length however. The scales hold the usual tweezers and toothpick, but there is quite a difference in sizes. The Sportsman has the same size tools as the larger Spartan. The Wenger’s equivalents are smaller, although they are nicely stored in the back of the scales. The larger toothpick and tweezers come from the Sportsman. In conclusion… Although this comparison is a bit academic since the Wenger is now out of production, new ones from old stock are still available. Some suppliers are even discounting them too. I just wanted to show that it was a worthy contender – at least in this Evolution 10 (or Classic 07) configuration. What would I choose? I carry a Spartan in my jeans pocket but for formal trousers, a smaller version is welcome. The Sportsman is roughly 10% smaller and lighter – not a great deal – but for in a suit pocket, I will go for the Sportsman. The Evolution is the same length but chunkier, so not my first choice for formal EDC. But in the Classic 07 execution (with regular scales) I believe it squares up to the Victorinox. Make your choice while you still can. Edit: Wenger screwdriver has a solid lock when downward force is applied. I missed this earlier.
How did you choose your SAK? I bought my first Victorinox Spartan 30 years ago, and to be honest, I didn’t even know about Wenger back then. My local camping store stocked Victorinox, and the internet didn’t exist. In those days, you were limited to what the local stores sold, but my brand loyalty was established and I still prefer Victorinox for EDC. I only discovered Wenger two decades later when choosing a knife for my son, and the Wenger Junior was more appealing than the Victorinox rounded blade offerings. Today of course, online buying makes it easier to compare tools, functions and prices, so choosing a knife and brand is a different game altogether. If you’ve read this far, thanks for the time. I’d like to hear why you chose a particular SAK configuration or brand.
My first SAK was a Spartan, it was a gift and I was pretty young. To be perfectly honest, it was "just" a Swiss Army Knife to me, more or less identical to my dad's as far as I was concerned. I thought that was the brand, and that Victorinox was just some embellishment or the name of the steel. I'm trying to remember if I had any conception of Wenger even after I figured out that Victorinox was the maker. I probably saw them around and didn't pay them any mind, thinking (incorrectly,) that they weren't the genuine article like mine was. I know better now but I still never bought any Wengers, Vics were just familiar. IF I had gotten a Wenger first, I wonder if I would have a Wenger for every Vic I have now. Maybe. Probably. Just the way the cookie crumbled, I suppose, courtesy of that Spartan I received from one Aunt Celia many moons ago.
Interesting read. My first SAK was a simple Classic. I lost a couple, had the thieves at TSA take one or two. Now I have had the same one for 4-5 years and just bought a lot of 5 more off flea bay. I never put much emphasis on the brand as it was just a simple, relatively cheap (yet quality) knife that I carried which meets 99% of my normal needs. I did learn however, there is a big difference in Victorinox vs. $1.99 version sold at big box stores
My first SAK was a Christmas gift from my parents around 1986 or '87. As far as I can remember the store they bought it from only carried Victorinox knives. I don't recall seeing the Wenger brand until years later, I thought Wenger was a "knock off" brand at the time, I had no idea they went back as far as they did. The SAK they bought me was the Explorer, and it remains my favorite configuration to this day. I don't know why they picked that one, but I find it to be the perfect combination of tools (for me) for every day carry.
When I was a kid, there was no such thing as a Leatherman or any of the multitools that we see today. The only options were a boy scout knife of some sort, or a SAK. And there was a certain status or specialness about having a SAK that had more tools or gadgets on it than the other kids. I never had one growing up, but groups of us would go around and compare and talk about the kids that did have them, and compare the tools and gizmos. I didn't have any concept of Victorinox or Wenger back then. They were all just "Swiss Army Knives". When I got older, I got a really nice Wenger wristwatch and I started paying some attention to the differences between Wenger and Victorinox, but not much. When I really started getting into knives, I kinda bypassed the SAK and went for one handed locking folders. It has only been recently that I have been embracing the SAK, and I am sure glad I did. I will be looking for both Wenger and Victorinox items for my collection from here on out. And I have a couple of the Chinamart imitations, and they are extremely poor in comparison. Most of these came to me as a freebie or gift item -- perhaps they soured me for a time on embracing the SAK format, since they were such poor examples.
Just ordered a Victorinox EvoGrip 10 from a Germany company on ebay (.de item 121337933878) for € 27.90 euro ($ 38.40) plus € 5.50 postage. My Wenger EvoGrip bought a month ago from a Dutch supplier was discounted from € 33 ($ 45.40) to € 24.70 ($ 34). This company is discounting old stock Wengers between 25 and 40%. Not many left! But it looks like - at least here in Europe - the Delemont collection will not be more expensive. I should get it in a few days and will photograph both alongside each other.
Finally got the Victorinox EvoGrip 10. Here it is side-by-side with an unused Wenger EvoGrip 10. No more cut-out for the awl or 'Wenger' text (naturally!). For the detail freaks, the shape of the neoprene insert is therefore different and the texture slightly coarser. And from the other side Most obvious tool differences are the can opener and awl - now both Victorinox. The Vic awl was better in my opinion, I've never used either can opener so I can't comment. Blades are the same except for the tang stamp. All other front and back tools are the same as the old Wenger version (nail file, corkscrew, screwdriver/cap lifter) The scale tools are now the familiar Victorinox tweezers and toothpick, which means the 'concealed' slots on the Wenger are gone. It was nice but fiddly to use. Another less obvious change is the the side plates. They now follow the 'kidney' form of the EvoGrip scale rather than having straight edges (the Wenger Evolution series were just facelifted traditional Wengers, so the side plates and dividers were unchanged). On the Wenger, you can see that the scale wraps around the side plate. Is it a worthy Victorinox? It sounds a bit more robust than the Wenger, with that characteristic 'clack' when closing. It weights 3 grams more (about 5% of the total weight), and this may be just the tool variations or perhaps they've beefed up the springs to give it a Vic feel. I like the profiled side plates, and it makes sense to use common tweezers and toothpicks. I like it, and it's a contemporary looking SAK. But it won't replace my 'old school' Victorinox as EDC.
My first SAK was a Wenger. That was decades ago. At the time, I knew nothing about Wenger v. Victorinox except one was the "original," the other "genuine." AFAIK, a SAK was a SAK. The only thing on it other than the four blade soldier knife setup was scissors, maybe something else (it was long ago, really hazy memory about this) but it was an okay EDC. Other than considering one to be a daily necessity, I had no interest then in knives as such, any more than I cared about what brand of cookware or fire extinguisher in my life. If it functioned, all was good. Eventually, the first time I came across a Vic, it was obvious to me a better designed and made item, although this was marginal at most, certainly not enough to make me want to switch. Several years down the road, the Wenger loosened up considerably, the scales came off and had to be glued in place (what did I know?) and eventually, I gave it away to a neighborhood kid. That Wenger was replaced with a Vic, and later, when I got the enthusiasm, even more Vics. None have ever broken or let me down in any way. So I guess you might say I'm a fanboy.
In the past, when both companies produced nearly identical knives, I found the differences to be few and minor...the can opener's were definitely different in shape, and the awl was unique to each brand; the steel used by both companies, as well as the celidor scale material were the same... that pretty much sums it up from my observations.
My first was a Wenger. I prefer Wenger's can opener and scissors design. I think their demise had to do with availability. If your store only carried Victorinox, that's what you bought.
Great review! My first SAK was a black Vic classic. I have since owned many and liked different aspects of the 2 brands. I am disappointed to see some of the Wenger tool differences disappearing, I liked the option to pick and choose.
I think that my first Swiss Army Knife was actually a large Wenger single bladed locking knife, checking up, a Ranger non-serrated 120mm. I still have it in my knife box. I have a couple of other Wengers, an 85mm model with only a single blade (I don't know where I got it), and a 85mm Picnic. The rest of my SAKs are Victorinox and (off the top of my head) include an alox classic and bantam, a mid 80s Champion, a huntsman, a waiter and a swisschamp (of course) a climber, and a compact (which I think is the perfect SAK). I also have a plain edge one hand trekker.
Thanks for the review, I may pick up one of the Vic Evogrip models. Do the scales have the hole for the straight pin under the corkscrew? As for Wenger vs Victorinox, my first two SAKS were Wenger because that's what was available locally and 99% of them since have been Victorinox. The last Wenger I carried a lot was lost in the North Georgia mountains back in the mid '90s. I replaced it with a Spartan. I prefer most of the Vic tools, with just a couple of exceptions.
My first SAK was a Vic Tinker, and I've carried one almost every day for the past 26 years. My dad had carried a Vic for a very long time, and I always assumed that a Vic was the "real" SAK. My experience with Wenger gear was that it was always a "me, too!" brand - not quite up to the Vic standard, but wanting to capitalize off the reputation. I have no doubt that Wenger made some decent gear, but all of the Swiss Army gear I've owned (watches and knives, primarily) has been Vic, and I've been exceptionally pleased with all of it.
