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Tool Talk => Swiss Army Knights Forum => Topic started by: demonoflust on March 06, 2012, 12:49:19 PM

Title: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: demonoflust on March 06, 2012, 12:49:19 PM
I went to Wenger site to look for a local distributor and wrote to them whether there is a retail store I can see the Wenger knife and this is what I got:

"Currently we do not have any store yet. You can purchase from me if I have
stock for the model that you want."

Wow.
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: dks on March 06, 2012, 12:56:53 PM
"Currently we do not have any store yet. You can purchase from me if I have
stock for the model that you want."

you got part of your answer there..
Less availability in real shops..
also, less well known in most countries, seen as 2nd best or even a copy  :ahhh  by some people (due to not being well known) , had some quality?/economic problems a few years back (owned by victorinox now).
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: demonoflust on March 06, 2012, 01:08:19 PM
If leatherman is everywhere why not Victorinox/Wenger? Even Victorinox is hard to find here and very little range to choose from.

The Leatherman Squirt PS4 is selling almost $80 here, crazy.
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: dks on March 06, 2012, 01:17:05 PM
Ok, I assumed you meant why is Wenger less popular than victorinox....

In Europe Victorinox and to an extend, Wenger are a lot more common and popular than Leatherman, Gerber atc..

If you specify where you are some of the members will be able to help you more! :think:
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: demonoflust on March 06, 2012, 01:21:04 PM
It was, many years ago I saw more Wenger than Victorinox and it's everywhere. Someone from my local store told me the price increase by 30% and it's very hard to sell these knives.
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: bren10man on March 07, 2012, 03:36:47 AM
Victorinox is, IMHO, overall a better made SAK.

Victorinox is more standard, while Wenger has a reputation around this forum for making "unusual" SAK-type knives, i.e. non-standard tools.
Title: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: Beerplumber on March 07, 2012, 04:22:46 AM
I'd like to see a blind test performed. I have a wenger and it's great. If it said Vic on it I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Wenger is without a doubt less available or not as common anyways. I just remembered I'm using a wenger wallet I got for Christmas this year!


Stay multi my friends
Title: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: Accujohn on March 07, 2012, 04:28:56 AM
Vic owns wenger??? That's hilarious:) wait til Leatherman owns Gerber. I think time and space will fold upon itself then
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: demonoflust on March 07, 2012, 06:02:57 AM
The distribution guys for both Victorinox/Wenger is not doing a good job.
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: captain spaulding on March 07, 2012, 06:13:07 AM
If leatherman is everywhere why not Victorinox/Wenger? Even Victorinox is hard to find here and very little range to choose from.

The Leatherman Squirt PS4 is selling almost $80 here, crazy.


Holy crap, that's expensive. Where do you live?
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: Reinier on March 07, 2012, 06:49:57 AM
I think he lives in Singapore :think:
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: Santos on March 07, 2012, 07:54:22 AM
I think Victorinox and Wenger really comes down to one man. MacGuyver.

That and probably that victorinox broke into the North American market a lot earlier than Wenger.

One thing i have notices is the quantiy and variety in models from both companies available at retail outlets has shrunk in the last fifteen or so years. Most likely due to the rise of plier-based leathermans
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: dks on March 07, 2012, 08:02:41 AM

 quantiy and variety in models from both countries available at retail outlets has shrunk in the last fifteen or so years.

I assume you meant companies  :think: ; Wenger and Victorinox are both made in Switzerland
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: Santos on March 07, 2012, 08:58:40 AM

 quantiy and variety in models from both countries available at retail outlets has shrunk in the last fifteen or so years.

I assume you meant companies  :think: ; Wenger and Victorinox are both made in Switzerland
:whistle:
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: dks on March 07, 2012, 09:12:48 AM

 quantiy and variety in models from both countries available at retail outlets has shrunk in the last fifteen or so years.

I assume you meant companies  :think: ; Wenger and Victorinox are both made in Switzerland
:whistle:

my mistake.....

 :rofl:
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: demonoflust on March 07, 2012, 09:15:24 AM
Singapore.

If leatherman is everywhere why not Victorinox/Wenger? Even Victorinox is hard to find here and very little range to choose from.

The Leatherman Squirt PS4 is selling almost $80 here, crazy.


Holy crap, that's expensive. Where do you live?
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: ironraven on March 07, 2012, 03:51:09 PM
Wenger and Victorinox are both made in Switzerland

But isn't Wenger in the predominantly french speaking region, while Vic in the German? I've always trusted German engineering better. :P

I've always preferred the way the Vic's feel, and they seem to have a less brittle steel. That being said, I've recently become a fan of the Wenter 65mms.
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: demonoflust on March 08, 2012, 01:24:51 AM
I do prefer Victorinox than Wenger but I'm not against Wenger or any that sort. Victorinox seems to pack more tools in the same size and Wenger doesn't have any pen options (not 100% sure though). Many of the advantages could be due to patent so Wenger cannot design the same. Even though Vic owns Wen, they still very much running their own way from the way I see at least for now. Wenger is more open to try more things
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: jzmtl on March 08, 2012, 01:31:15 AM
Before the implementation of price control by victorinox, wenger was more expensive across the board, so that might have something to do with it.

Now with Victorinox inflating the price to comparable level though we'll see how it works out.
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: bushidomosquito on March 08, 2012, 04:41:27 AM
Because Victorinox is just a much cooler name than Wenger? Wenger sounds like a sewing machine brand to me. Also, that Vic shield is just a damn cool logo.

There's also the fact that Vic makes a better tool.
Title: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: Ashley on March 08, 2012, 08:53:35 AM
Why can't we all be equal? :shrug:

Sent from Ash forum mobile
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: turnsouth on March 08, 2012, 06:36:34 PM
Why can't we all be equal? :shrug:

Sent from Ash forum mobile

We are, it's just that some are a little more equal than others  :D
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: enki_ck on March 08, 2012, 07:13:31 PM
Why can't we all be equal? :shrug:

Sent from Ash forum mobile

We are, it's just that some are a little more equal than others  :D

Oink, oink!

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ny6Rpvrpdcc/TrkY1xspVTI/AAAAAAAABIk/BBcTXawXPQo/s1600/Animal+Farm+Card+001.jpg)

Great read. :tu:
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: demonoflust on March 08, 2012, 07:20:57 PM
What I want to say with my original post was the distribution network of Wenger is bad. I have maybe close to 10 Vics and always wanted to check the Wenger out even though I know I have slightly more preference to Vics.

Anyway, I just purchased a used Wenger Traveler and a Esquire from ebay :)
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: Gareth on March 08, 2012, 07:27:27 PM
Because Victorinox is just a much cooler name than Wenger? Wenger sounds like a sewing machine brand to me. Also, that Vic shield is just a damn cool logo.

There's also the fact that Vic makes a better tool.
In your opinion. ;)

It should also be remembered that Wenger is a far smaller company than Victorinox.  I seem to recall reading that it is about 1/10th the size in terms of employees.  With that in mind I'm guessing their total output is going to be far less as well.
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: jzmtl on March 08, 2012, 08:09:49 PM
I knew they were smaller, but not how much though. 1/10 is pretty surprising, smaller than I expected (assuming we are talking about knives, not all the other stuff victorinox is cramming out).
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: Gareth on March 08, 2012, 08:27:07 PM
I knew they were smaller, but not how much though. 1/10 is pretty surprising, smaller than I expected (assuming we are talking about knives, not all the other stuff victorinox is cramming out).

Here's (http://www.jckonline.com/article/284092-Victorinox_Buys_Rival_Wenger_Rescues_Swiss_Icon.php) an article that gives that number, not sure if it's not being a little misleading though.

"The merger saves Wenger's factory in Delémont, in northern Switzerland, which employs 150 people. There will be no job losses, the companies said. (Victorinox, headquartered in Ibach, employs about 10 times that number worldwide.)"
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: jzmtl on March 08, 2012, 08:56:14 PM
Ah, wenger factory vs. victorinox worldwide, so the actual difference is not that big.
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: Gareth on March 09, 2012, 12:16:05 AM
Ah, wenger factory vs. victorinox worldwide, so the actual difference is not that big.

Well, yes and no.  What it still doesn't actually tell us is just how many people work in the Victorinox factory, my gut still says it's going to be many more than at Wenger.  If for no other reason that I can walk into at least 10 local shops to buy a Victorinox and can only think of one where I can get a Wenger.  That story seems to be true in almost every other market as well.  Perhaps the question should be, not how many people work there, but what is the actually unit output from each factory. I can only guess that Vic is making a lot more. :shrug:
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: J Mackrel Jones on March 09, 2012, 12:47:32 AM
The 900 or so employees in the Victorinox factory make 34,000 SAKs, plus 86,000 other knives, each day.  The 200 employees in the Wenger factory make 22,000 SAKs plus 6,000 chefs knives per day.  Victorinox is the largest cutlery in Europe.  This data from The Swiss Army Knife Owner's Manual, copyright 2011.
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: Gareth on March 09, 2012, 02:04:09 AM
The 900 or so employees in the Victorinox factory make 34,000 SAKs, plus 86,000 other knives, each day.  The 200 employees in the Wenger factory make 22,000 SAKs plus 6,000 chefs knives per day.  Victorinox is the largest cutlery in Europe.  This data from The Swiss Army Knife Owner's Manual, copyright 2011.

Good info, cheers mate. :cheers:  So about two thirds the number of SAKs (actually more than I was expecting) but a whole lot less in the 'other knives' area. :o

well, wherever all those Wenger SAKs might be going, I can tell you it's not Scotland. :D
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: jzmtl on March 09, 2012, 02:16:32 AM
Well I just got a wenger evo 14, might do a comparison with climber. Which should I do, text/photo or video with awful accent?  :D
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: demonoflust on March 09, 2012, 02:23:17 AM
When I hop over to Youtube looking for Wenger Swiss Army Knife, the number of review is not very encouraging. Guys, please do some WSAKs video review :)

Meanwhile, can I pop out the scale of WSAKs just the same way as VSAKs?
Title: Re: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: enki_ck on March 09, 2012, 02:28:41 AM
Well I just got a wenger evo 14, might do a comparison with climber. Which should I do, text/photo or video with awful accent?  :D

Both :D

Actually, I just stumbled upon one of your reviews yesterday, the crossgrip, and l liked it :tu:
Title: Re: Why is Wenger less popular?
Post by: Gareth on March 09, 2012, 08:19:02 AM
Well I just got a wenger evo 14, might do a comparison with climber. Which should I do, text/photo or video with awful accent?  :D
:D