There is also one extra interesting detail on the Victorinox knives that changed in the mid-1970s.
The knives after 1976 got the new changes on the function VS the spring. This you can feel when opening the main blade in the half open position. The economy made knives from 1976 got the new changes. I believe it is related to the spring pressure.
You can still feel a certain detail on the knives after 1976 but there is a change at this time. The full change is in 1979 and up.
Springs update
i will explain some more what i mean on the spring pressure and the function vs the spring. On the knives with a more slim blade the spring is according. If you open economy
made knives from the mid-1970s both slim and more normal blades with springs according to the dimesions you feel a kind of stop or a notch in half open position. There is a change on the knives around 1976 and a precision and an end to this notch in the half
stop position from 1979. It is very easy to feel if you try. There is a difference in spring pressure, precision and total quality. There must have been a change in the production at this time.
The feeling in the half open position on the main blade is not designed to be any function, it is regarding the total design for the spring pressure i believe that makes this strange feel when opening the blade. There is also on the tang evidence of
a production factor on mid-1970s knives.
behaviour
For sure there is a difference in the behavior
on the economy made knives and the regular line. It is easy to feel. The quality on the economy made knives are better from 1979 and up but not as good as the regular lines. 1979
is maybe when the biggest changes for the quality did happen. There is much going on with this line after this year. We know from history the knives made out of regard for the Association too.
In the mid-1970s Victorinox experimented with different corkscrews for the economy made knives. Some are too slim and fragile. The tint or color is different as well. The economy made knives from 1976 show a new and improved
one but still not the best. 1979 is maybe the year here too.
I am very happy with the Victorinox quality on modern knives and the main line is the
best still. The EcoLine today is pretty close. I have a feeling that the economy made knives is of a big importance towards the modern products. I do not want to speculate.
I am however sure that the the less expencive knives gradually devloped from 1976 to 1979 and then 1980 is a milestone with the Officier Suisse tang stamp. In the 1990s it became it and today very close to the regular line. It is of great interest to
me anything related to the 1970s era and how this line devloped. It did survive! Somehow it did not start so well from 1957 and it seems it almost collapsed in quality in 1975. It did survive.