Any love for Wenger?

[basilio]

For future reference:
Wenger-in-a-can or "The Swiss Personal® Container"
more pictures posted here
http://forum.multitool.org/index.php?topic=51025.new#new

[M0rkoni]

Haven't pulled this old boy out in a while.

I've just start the following topic: Vintage SAK Owners Club so just refer to this link:
http://forum.multitool.org/index.php?topic=51152.0

[kkokkolis]

A Wenger stand in the Munich airport on my road to Sarajevo.

[enki_ck]

...
A Wenger stand in the Munich airport on my road to Sarajevo.

So you were traveling from Greece to Sarajevo via Munich?

[bmot]

...
A Wenger stand in the Munich airport on my road to Sarajevo.

So you were traveling from Greece to Sarajevo via Munich?

That's... a bit of a detour :p

[lowtech]

(Image removed from quote.)
(Image removed from quote.)
A Wenger stand in the Munich airport on my road to Sarajevo.

  They stole my Wenger cabinet!

[kkokkolis]

Yes. And I'm going back through Vienna.
The stand states that these knives (same as Vic Classics, I'm not very familiar with Wenger nomenclature) are permitted in flight. I had my Minichamp in the suitcase, with all the portable arsenal.

[Gadget]

I'm not sure if I love it but I have carried my Highlander every day for a few weeks now, it's a handy size, well made and has a philips screwdriver instead of an almost useless cork-screw!
The only other Wenger I have is a 1949 marked M1908 (and about 15 Vics)



cheers,

-John

[basilio]

Hello,
today I found a Evo 63 Blackout SoftTouch in a local shop.
(Image removed from quote.)
Is (or was) this model really exclusive to the Australian market?
http://www.sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Entree
The shop owner told me he had three (this was the last one) and that he came across them way before the Blackout models (with EvoGrip scales) were available.

I did some more research about the above knife (Blackout 63 Soft Touch), and the results are as follows:
1) identifier is 1.63.242.814
2) it was for sure a limited edition
3) it was not australian exclusive (I found many references about the knife been sold in Europe as well as Japan, and possibly other countries)
I think that the "australian exclusive" information came from this discussion
http://forum.multitool.org/index.php?topic=19083.0
Main difference with the standard Evogrip 63 Blackout are not only the scales but also the toothpic and tweezers (which are not black coated on the Soft Touch model).
Sorry for the missing picture, but all the wiki images seem messed up at the moment.
Anyone has different informations?
If not I'll edit the wiki after few days.

[enki_ck]

The wiki pictures work fine for me.

Thanks for the legwork on this one.

[ICanFixThat]

On the excusivity of the Wenger 63 PVD/Blackout I'm inclined to believe it was originally exclusive to AU, as I was active at the time and there were no where to be found and they we priced at $500 or something like that in AU, they were billed as something very special.  I suspect after Wenger could not move all the stock at that price they moved some to other markets. sort of like in the US where certain dealers get to liquidate clearly limited exclusive models like the SMKW models being sold by other sellers.  That's my belief at this time anyway.  Also check that it's really PVD version.

[basilio]

The wiki pictures work fine for me.

Now they are working, but this morning all the wiki pictures were not loading.

  Also check that it's really PVD version.

Are you referring to the scales or the identifier?
Because I can tell you that the scales are exactly the same as the Soft Touch models.
I forgot to mention that all the models I saw (mine included) are missing the keyring.
Some additional pictures can be found on the stressmaster blog
http://sakfan.blogspot.it/2013/07/wenger-evo-soft-touch-63-blackout.html
and expecially have a look at this discussion on this german forum (about half way)
http://www.messerforum.net/showthread.php?79010-Wenger-Soft-Touch-schwarze-Klinge
Apparently the picture shown there was taken from a shop in Switzerland (if I understood correctly).
That german topic dates back to 2009!!!!
Mine came in a metal box exactly as the one shown above.

[ICanFixThat]

The wiki pictures work fine for me.

Now they are working, but this morning all the wiki pictures were not loading.

  Also check that it's really PVD version.

Are you referring to the scales or the identifier?
Because I can tell you that the scales are exactly the same as the Soft Touch models.
I forgot to mention that all the models I saw (mine included) are missing the keyring.
Some additional pictures can be found on the stressmaster blog
http://sakfan.blogspot.it/2013/07/wenger-evo-soft-touch-63-blackout.html
and expecially have a look at this discussion on this german forum (about half way)
http://www.messerforum.net/showthread.php?79010-Wenger-Soft-Touch-schwarze-Klinge
Apparently the picture shown there was taken from a shop in Switzerland (if I understood correctly).
That german topic dates back to 2009!!!!
Mine came in a metal box exactly as the one shown above.

PVD refers to the process used to coat the blades.  I also remember the Australian distributor and dealers claiming they were exclusive.  I'll look at the links you provided.   If the keyring changes they may technically be a different model.  It could also be like many models... only exclusive for  short time, but this was a very expensive knife in AU.

[basilio]

Ok, I think I probably deserve a medal for this   
Went through a tons of cached web pages on Wenger Australia website, and here are the result

Original web page from 2009



and, even more interesting, copy of the knife press release



Note that the production run was limited to 275 units in Australia, not for Australia.
However, the knife above has both an additional different catalog number (1.063.249.814X) and the keyring.
On both version toothpic and tweezers are not black coated.
My conclusion is that this knife was a limited edition sold both in Australia and other countries (but not in North America) at around the same time (2009).
Models sold in Europe and Japan were missing the keyring and had a different identifier (1.063.242.814).

[enki_ck]

Nice detective work.

[Caranthanus]

Ok, I think I probably deserve a medal for this   

[ICanFixThat]

Ok, I think I probably deserve a medal for this   
Went through a tons of cached web pages on Wenger Australia website, and here are the result

Original web page from 2009

...

 

That is very good detective work, but haven't you established also that they are different knives?  Sorry if I missed it do you know that the knives in other parts of Europe were available around the same time, or could it be they simply took the recent PVD model that has no keyring and black scale implements and just changed the scales for some places in Europe?

I guess it does not really matter, if what you are saying is that you can get a Black Evo 63 with soft-touch scales that's pretty darn close to the Australian exclusive. 

[Caranthanus]

This Wenger's beauty has it's own place in a special jacket ("just in case" ) that hasn't been used, so it had a pocket time, but not carried recently
Took it out yesterday for a kinda funny corkscrew photo session, and then decided that today will be its day, and it was, of course. When I came home was also call "on duty" with a package & some precision tiny plastic cut, so it deserved its own photo session too

Wenger Evolution s10

 

 

 

 

 

[basilio]

That is very good detective work, but haven't you established also that they are different knives?  Sorry if I missed it do you know that the knives in other parts of Europe were available around the same time, or could it be they simply took the recent PVD model that has no keyring and black scale implements and just changed the scales for some places in Europe?

I guess it does not really matter, if what you are saying is that you can get a Black Evo 63 with soft-touch scales that's pretty darn close to the Australian exclusive.

Francis,
I wish I was able to answer all your points, but all the informations I was able to collect are pretty much included in the messages above.
For sure there are two different versions of the knife, one with keyring and one without.
I can now confirm this, since I found the australian web pages posted above and the different catalog number.
I don't think, however, that
"they simply took the recent PVD model that has no keyring and black scale implements and just changed the scales for some places in Europe", if you were referring to the 2012 model (the recent one, with black evogrip scales (not soft touch)).
This for two reasons:
1) the picture shown here
http://www.messerforum.net/showthread.php?79010-Wenger-Soft-Touch-schwarze-Klinge
which was taken not later than 2009, and shows exactly the knife we are discussing with a price tag in swiss francs. This was 3 years before the introduction of the Blackout line with evogrip scales.;

2) information I got from the shop owner where I bought the knife. For sure this information can not considered 100% accurate. However he is the man who provided me all the catalogs I uploaded on the wiki, and seems to remember very well that the knife (Blackout 63 Soft Touch)came out years before the recent Blackout line.
Sorry for the not so good english, but I hope you were able to understand the points.
I'll send Karl a message. Perhaps he could have additional informations. 

Wenger Evolution s10

Nice one!

[Caranthanus]

Wenger Evolution s10

Nice one!

[victor7000]

I've found a fixed Wenger. Any info about this one?

Franz Carl Weber is a big Swiss toy(!) seller.

[ICanFixThat]

I've found a fixed Wenger. Any info about this one?

Franz Carl Weber is a big Swiss toy(!) seller.

.....

Nice one! I have one, not stag, that I posted about at one time. Carl has quite a collection of different handles with/without the saw tooth I believe.

[basilio]

For those interested in the Blackout 63 Soft Touch "saga", I had been corresponding with Wenger in the last days.
Luckily the former Sales Assistant is still working there, but he is in the watch division now.
Anyway, here is the last email I got (translated from italian)

-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------
From: Jerome.Gueniat@victorinox.com
To: ---me----
Subject: RE: Blackout 63 Wenger Soft Touch
Date: Thu, April 3rd 2014 09:33:57 +0000

....

After double checking (with and without metal box) it appeared that we have produced that model Soft Touch also in 2008 and 2009 (493 and 300 units in metal box).
It was a good idea to ask a second time.
Regards!
Wenger Watch SA
Jerome Gueniat

This was about the production numbers.
As for the identifiers, Wenger does not have a record for the one I found.
Here is part of a previous email:

From: Jerome.Gueniat@victorinox.com
 To: ---me---
 Subject: RE: Wenger Blackout 63 Soft touch
 Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 07:44:04 +0000

...

All our Blackout were produced with key ring. There are no articles such as: 1.063.242.814, but only 1.063.249.814.
I think that given the fact that black cover is easily removed from the ring, some partners have preferred to take it off directly. In fact, the ring was not covered by the same way of the knife (PVD). It was clearly less resistant (type of simple painting).

?

-. X means: in metal box

The "X" refers to the identifier.

[gingerman]

Can you buy a Wenger New Ranger 54 in the U. S?

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

[ColoSwiss]

I've found a fixed Wenger. Any info about this one?

Franz Carl Weber is a big Swiss toy(!) seller.

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

I have one with black composite handles. A nice addition to the collection, but not impressed with it as a tool. Poorly balanced and with an uncomfortable handle.

[detron]

more pictures here

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,51534.msg872644.html#msg872644

if you can help ID or date this, I would be very greatful

[Gim]

My new swissmemory

[edingg]

My new realtree wenger

[nsa-x-file]

My first Wenger Metal series.
I really like the thick metal scales on this and also the fact that it still has the toothpick and tweezers. 

Metal 50

[willc]

I just got a Ranger 151 and 2 nos Professional series knives.
The spear blade is dated 88.
The Ranger is a very neat knife.
It is my first 130mm Wenger and I like it but unlike the big Vic's this is not lefty friendly.
The cross button lock release is so cool that I will have to carry it sometimes.
It would be great if Vic incorporated this feature on the 111mm line.


Sent from my fancy work phone.