Any love for Wenger?

[Gim]

My last wenger

[enki_ck]

Nice ones, Gim.

[basilio]

Yes, nice knives!

[Marius]

My last wenger

Very nice!

If I may comment, to me especially the SS coffin-style and the Snow camo ones. Too bad they have the nailfile instead of the secondary small blade

[pfrsantos]

Like the 1st one.

 

[basilio]

Reading the forum, I came across this picture by derekmac that I missed before

Wenger knife on top left.
Interesting the Wenger website logo on the front scale.
It is usually the same found on the back scale of the S557 Exclusivities model

[derekmac]

Hmmm. I just did a Google image search and I didn't see any other ones like mine. I'll admit I don't know too much about Wenger, so hopefully someone here will be able to add some more info.


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[derekmac]

A few more pics of it:

[derekmac]

Anyone else have any info on this? I can't seem to find anything


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[enki_ck]

Sorry, nothing comes to mind. I know I've seen it before but am not sure if it was the reverse side of the Exclusivities model basilio mentioned or somewhere else. I know Vlada got one of the Exclusivities so maybe it's that. I'm sure though if it has been mentioned here on the forum, it's in this thread. So who's gonna go through all the 1389 replies to find out?

[basilio]

I don't remember either..... for sure the company website logo on the front scale is not common.
Perhaps other members will know more.

[derekmac]

Hmmm, going through all the posts might give me something to do tomorrow at work.

I can say that I wish I had of bought an EvoGrip sooner though. This is a really nice knife, so I might just have to start trying to get the other versions now!


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[burnside]

My new and first Wengers as an adult (I'm 99% sure I had a wenger SI when I was a kid because I distinctly remember closing the knife on the bail more than one time).

One is hiding out in it's box while the other is just chilling with my new Spirit RT..

[basilio]

This is something interesting I found.
A version of model 1.30.03 with the older style compass.
I had one from the 1990 time period, but with the standard "third generation compass", as I call it.
A later version of this knife is listed on the wiki as Classic 30
http://www.sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Wenger+Classic+30
Since I had two similar models to compare, I realized something I didn't know.
Not only the old compass is different, but the whole plastic orienteering tool is much thinner.
You can see the difference in the pictures attached.
Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures, but the light was terrible.
I will take more for the wiki.

[enki_ck]

Interesting find, so a layer with the liner in the middle of it. Do you have a time frame for that model?

[North Man]

This is something interesting I found.
A version of model 1.30.03 with the older style compass.
I had one from the 1990 time period, but with the standard "third generation compass", as I call it.
A later version of this knife is listed on the wiki as Classic 30
http://www.sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Wenger+Classic+30
Since I had two similar models to compare, I realized something I didn't know.
Not only the old compass is different, but the whole plastic orienteering tool is much thinner.
You can see the difference in the pictures attached.
Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures, but the light was terrible.
I will take more for the wiki.

Interesting!

[basilio]

Interesting find, so a layer with the liner in the middle of it. Do you have a time frame for that model?

Yes, I think the layer with the middle liner is pretty standard...I have seen this configuration for all the orienteering tools, apart from the older ones with the "first generation" compass, like the one shown above.
As for the time frame, I don't know.
North Man?

[North Man]

It does not look like it got the W stamping on the blade(backside) and it looks like the short can opener, if so i would believe it to be a early Compass, at first i did wonder if the Compass is genuine. But since it also got a totaly different orienting tool all together, it should be genuine. I can not remember having seen this before. Not 100% on time frame , if short can opener and no W it may be mid 80s.

[basilio]

It does not look like it got the W stamping on the blade(backside) and it looks like the short can opener, if so i would believe it to be a early Compass, at first i did wonder if the Compass is genuine. But since it also got a totaly different orienting tool all together, it should be genuine. I can not remember having seen this before. Not 100% on time frame , if short can opener and no W it may be mid 80s.

Thanks North Man.
I'm sure the compass is genuine, as I saw it (only the compass) in a shop with other Wenger replacement parts and the shop owner remembered about these old models.
There is also a picture of the same knife (but with longer key chain) in the stressmaster5000 blog.
http://sakfan.blogspot.it/2011/08/wenger-swiss-army-knife-european-north.html

Do you agree with me that the compass with the black background as shown in your images of the Pathfinder model here

was introduced at a later time? Does the timeframe match?
Edit: I'm attaching two close up pictures of the older compass, so it can be seen better

[Singh]

I do appreciate Wenger’s focus on the great outdoors. Victorinox is focusing right now on fashion luggage and handbags. 

I understand that Wenger and Vic are taking separate marketing approaches so as to appeal to a wider audience (and not step on each other’s toes), but hopefully we’ll see a more well-rounded approach as Vic takes in Wenger. And maybe we'll see a blending of their sak philosophies. We could get the best of both worlds.

To add to the Wenger love, Wenger had exactly what I needed for my kid’s first sak. 

[North Man]

It does not look like it got the W stamping on the blade(backside) and it looks like the short can opener, if so i would believe it to be a early Compass, at first i did wonder if the Compass is genuine. But since it also got a totaly different orienting tool all together, it should be genuine. I can not remember having seen this before. Not 100% on time frame , if short can opener and no W it may be mid 80s.

Thanks North Man.
I'm sure the compass is genuine, as I saw it (only the compass) in a shop with other Wenger replacement parts and the shop owner remembered about these old models.
There is also a picture of the same knife (but with longer key chain) in the stressmaster5000 blog.
http://sakfan.blogspot.it/2011/08/wenger-swiss-army-knife-european-north.html

Do you agree with me that the compass with the black background as shown in your images of the Pathfinder model here

was introduced at a later time? Does the timeframe match?
Edit: I'm attaching two close up pictures of the older compass, so it can be seen better

Sure it is a genuine Compass, and should be before the one on the Pathfinder   I can only say based on the general shape all together into a 5 year period. I did find a key date 1988 on some changes that is important before, but i can not say for sure.

[North Man]

I do appreciate Wenger’s focus on the great outdoors. Victorinox is focusing right now on fashion luggage and handbags. 

I understand that Wenger and Vic are taking separate marketing approaches so as to appeal to a wider audience (and not step on each other’s toes), but hopefully we’ll see a more well-rounded approach as Vic takes in Wenger. And maybe we'll see a blending of their sak philosophies. We could get the best of both worlds.

To add to the Wenger love, Wenger had exactly what I needed for my kid’s first sak. 


(Image removed from quote.)

Nice knife

[North Man]

I wonder if others here have done more research on the tang stamps from late 70s until early 90s?

Not much difference on the front tang stamp here, on the picture you see the crossbow, this is easy to find. I have looked over many knives.
 I put in a picture of some Swiss first day issue letters and stamps, just in random order.

Another question, to put the Swiss Army Knife and Swiss stamps, letters and symbolic Swiss motives into a setting. Must be many topics that could be made. Anyone?

[basilio]

Nice pictures!
unfortunately I don't collect models from before the 80's and have only one or two from the 70's, I suppose.
Will check the markings on the blade tangs, but I think they are pretty much the same as posted above.
As for the pictures composition, I remember Francis using a lot of "swiss stuff" on the background of his images.

[North Man]

Thanks!

There are some differences in the tang stamps if one use a magnifying glass. Most of them are just how deep the words look  and width of the lines if one can say. Just interesting to see, did not get any smarter by it Then there are the blade shape.

About the stamps and letters i will see later, i must collect more of them.
Many ideas in the head, it would be fun one day to use Wenger knives related to Mountains and Sport, then put in pictures of postcards of these mountains + sports. And also some letters With stamps and so on. The SAK and tourism and the list goes on

[jcfiguet]

It does not look like it got the W stamping on the blade(backside) and it looks like the short can opener, if so i would believe it to be a early Compass, at first i did wonder if the Compass is genuine. But since it also got a totaly different orienting tool all together, it should be genuine. I can not remember having seen this before. Not 100% on time frame , if short can opener and no W it may be mid 80s.

Thanks North Man.
I'm sure the compass is genuine, as I saw it (only the compass) in a shop with other Wenger replacement parts and the shop owner remembered about these old models.
There is also a picture of the same knife (but with longer key chain) in the stressmaster5000 blog.
http://sakfan.blogspot.it/2011/08/wenger-swiss-army-knife-european-north.html

Do you agree with me that the compass with the black background as shown in your images of the Pathfinder model here

was introduced at a later time? Does the timeframe match?
Edit: I'm attaching two close up pictures of the older compass, so it can be seen better

Sure it is a genuine Compass, and should be before the one on the Pathfinder   I can only say based on the general shape all together into a 5 year period. I did find a key date 1988 on some changes that is important before, but i can not say for sure.

I agree it is a genuine Compass and I have the same in a Matterhorn Plus.
In Popular Mechanics catalog of may 1986, a compass (orienteering tool) was mentioned for the first time, but I guess that it was the black plasic compass (see http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=201&u=12247557 at the end of 2nd column on the first page).
This aluminium compass was certainly the first version of Wenger compass (not precise, not solid, seems manufactured quickly) and I guess it dates from late 1985 (for Christmas) or early 1986 (for new year), that would explain a manufacturing emergency. 

[jcfiguet]

Does any body know where I could buy scales for Wenger 130mm (Rangers) and 85mm (classic and Evo) ?

[basilio]

Does any body know where I could buy scales for Wenger 130mm (Rangers) and 85mm (classic and Evo) ?

Here they sell a few for 85mm and Rangers (but only the older models)
http://www.swiss-knife.com/en/swiss-army-knives/handles-sides.html?p=2

[basilio]

Interesting find, so a layer with the liner in the middle of it. Do you have a time frame for that model?

Yes, I think the layer with the middle liner is pretty standard...I have seen this configuration for all the orienteering tools, apart from the older ones with the "first generation" compass, like the one shown above.
As for the time frame, I don't know.
North Man?

Enki,
need to apologize, I was wrong!
The latest version of the orienteering tool does not have the middle liner!
I created a set of pictures to show the orienteering tool/compass evolution.
In every picture from left (older) to right (newer)

[basilio]

Thanks!

There are some differences in the tang stamps if one use a magnifying glass. Most of them are just how deep the words look  and width of the lines if one can say. Just interesting to see, did not get any smarter by it Then there are the blade shape.

About the stamps and letters i will see later, i must collect more of them.
Many ideas in the head, it would be fun one day to use Wenger knives related to Mountains and Sport, then put in pictures of postcards of these mountains + sports. And also some letters With stamps and so on. The SAK and tourism and the list goes on

North Man,
here are the only two old models I have.
I took pictures of the tang markings, so you could try to compare.
I think this model is basically the 1.25.03
Too bad that the main blade was sharpened too much!!!!