Philosophies of the brands

To eksempler på verdensklasse lommekniver, SwissChamp og S557

Victorinox and Wenger philosophies

Around 1982-1983 Wenger introduced a new safety feature. This new design would be for comfort and for evolution.  Everyone knows the feeling when the flat screwdriver accidental close -therefore the push lock safety feature was made.

It works just by pressing the flat screwdriver towards when using it.  It will lock into the notch in the spring.

Wenger did use this patent on more functions in the years after, on the Phillips and combination tool as well. It is a very smart invention and like on every Swiss Army Knife it does require full precision in the production. Not easy to make!

When did Wenger introduce this locking on the Phillips? It is a good question, it is always more difficult with Wenger, what I do know is that I have seen this on knives that I would suggest are from the 1986-1988 period.

In 1985 Victorinox introduced a flat screwdriver (with the cap opener and cable tool) that could be used in 90 degrees. Then in 1999 a notch to prevent accidental closing was made, when the tool is fully out it will prevent it or make it more difficult to accidental close.

It is part of the evolution and comfort of a knife and requires very high precision just like on the Delémont type.

Both brands developed this on more than one function.

A 90 degree function is old in the history of the Swiss Army knives.

The point is that the two brands philosophies are very different.

I feel Wenger is the most innovative brand.

Victorinox got a beautiful design on the Swiss Army Knives and i feel both knives are very well made.

The factory in Ibach got the values: iconic design, functionality and quality. The brand got a knife that is perfected in production and quality. The iconic design from the origin is there from the Officiers knife.

Wenger is a knife with a more modern developed design and it got quality. It is an evolution of the Officiers style knife. It got an incredible well design.

I like both brands design.

The Wenger Swiss Army Knife construction

Many people notice the moving unit on a Wenger knife and some people wonder if this is how it should be.

This unit or spacer does move and it is how it should be. This moving unit will follow the slip-joint spring mechanism as you open or close the main blade. If it does not move it is not necessarily any problem. Sometimes after cleaning this unit will move again or the knife may have a bit tighter riveting with the result of being a bit more stationary. If the blade opens and close correct then I would not worry at all about this unit if it moves or not. Wenger has used this for a very long time.

Yet another minimalist 111mm knife in my collection. This is the Sentinel liner-locking plain edge and blade. The Sentinel also comes with one hand opening blade. It is important not to forget the single blade philosophy. I do enjoy many functions on SAKs with the versatile sphere. Some also just want a blade that they can use for many things. This category got the large locking blade that is preferred because of the sturdy design. On the picture you can see the older Sentinel with one hand opening. The older style had the continuation of the liner that was a bit uncomfortable for the hand because of the slim handle. The same liner could be used for the large screwdriver with cap opener. This got a lock as you know. In many ways the new design got a much more comfortable ergonomic handle.

The OH Sentinel on the picture got the combination edge. This is a knife I received as a gift from a SAK collector. Even if the handle is not the best in comfort I have had it with me in a fishing-kayak, in a boat and different locations. I have used it several times and I have also had it as a backup blade. On the picture you can also see the Alpineer which is one of my latest 111mm knives. One of the advantages with such blades is the very slim design and by slim I really mean “slim”

13:50

Not only is my latest Sentinel slim, it is also very lightweight. Only 71 grams is not easy to beat I would say. I am pleased with it and the edge is very sharp. The plain blade got the stop function when opening and closing the blade for extra safety. There is no side to side play as usual with Swiss knives. It is easy to open and close so this is comfortable to use.  It can be a new experience to use such slim designs at first.  It is a very nice Swiss Army Knife blade.

13:57

Because this category in the services range construction got one side-liner made of stainless steel you get a sturdy design. My hands like a thicker handle for the best ergonomics, still I do not regret it. This is not a wobbly design. This is a fully functional blade.

16:40

The blade thickness is approx. 2,5mm, length is around 9cm with just about 8cm edge. Well in reality the length of the edge is longer because of the curve towards the tip. What you have is a decent size blade that is very corrosion resistant, easy to clean and sharpness quickly. This large blade is placed inside this very slim handle which means you have a ratio and package that is superb. I like the better ergonomics on my new knife compared to my old Sentinel.  The old one will continue its use still. I always feel I get good value for the money with Victorinox. Philosophies can be interesting to learn from. One blade philosophy is something used by some professional services while other services demands extra functions. This is also a very nice EDC blade.