Saw a couple discontinued Wengers at a bait shop. Are they worth the price tag?

[Gimmeabreak]

I was at a local bait shop/sporting goods store and spotted a few NIB Wengers tucked away in a dark corner of the display case. I've always been a Victorinox man so I'm not sure why I gave notice, but a couple of them had pretty cool implements I hadn't seen before. I got home and was able to figure out that one was the Cyclist with wrench and end opening phillips, and the other was a 85mm Adventurer with the locking main blade (very cool), and black handle scales with embellishment under the Wenger logo. I'm thinking about going back tomorrow and beginning my Wenger collection with a couple of awesome models but I can't find any info on the web to tell me if they're priced right with the $33 tags. The only reference I was able to find were a couple closed auctions on used Cyclists, and they ended in the low $20 range, which fuels my hesitation on grabbing that model.

Any help would be appreciated. I think I have to have the Adventurer no matter what, but may grab both depending on the advice I get here.

With as rarely as they seem to appear for sale, I can't help but believe this is a good price. Am I wrong?

[Smaug]

Even if they're discontinued, I wouldn't buy them unless they have just the right tools. The cyclist sounds especially interesting. I'm not sure what you mean by "open-ended phillips" but Phillips' are very useful in today's world.

I bought my first Wenger several years ago just to try them out. I was a little disappointed at the thinner blade and handles, but it was more at the idea of it than any real drawback. The simplicity of their cross grew on me, as did the shorter 85mm size compared to the same size Victorinox.

I wound up giving that one away. I don't know which model it was, but it was like the Spartan, but smaller.

Their reamers, I'm not too impressed with, although a non-sharp reamer could come in handy sometimes.

Their large blades have more belly to them, which some folks like, as it gives a longer cutting edge for the blade length; good for slicing at something.

Their can openers lack the screwdriver tip, which I miss on most of their models, since they don't have an inline phillips. The screwdriver tip on the bottle opener is narrower, and all their blades seem to be made of thinner material.

On the other hand, the blades are slightly easier to sharpen, and they seem to get sharper, due to the thinner steel stock. They also have some really useful too combinations and features that can't be found with Victorinox sometimes. For instance, they have more models with a nail file instead of a small blade. That nail file can be dead useful for other things, like a flat #1 phillips driver, or general light duty pry bar. The Evo grip shape is really nice in the hand. The springless scissors and pliers are nice. (the use the knife's back spring, which is less prone to breakage than the leaf springs Victorinox uses) The toothpick is thinner, and works a little better for those tight tooth gaps. The Rangers are FULL SIZE lock blades whose liner lock system is both faster to deploy and to close than the Victorinox models. They have several medium sized models with locking blades, which I also think is a great feature. (any one that has an 'S' in front of the model number)

So I guess my advice is to take a look at their current offerings, and see if they have something with a tool set you like better.

That, or buy them as investment pieces, knowing they'll go up in value over the years.

[kirk13]

Bottom line on this one is:Do you like them?If so go for it!The 85mil size is very handy,and I like the fact that they have nail files(if I ever stop bitting my nails that opinion may change).As a cyclist,I'd say the Cyclist doesnt cut the mustard,but as an EDC,inline Phillips are good,and that wrench could be a lifesaver

[ICanFixThat]

Hmmm bait shop you say... I just picked on the NOS Troller a while back, that sounds like something you might find in a bait shop... it would be a real deal in the $30 range.

I agree with the previous post though, only buy them if you like them or know what they are worth on the market.

[Gimmeabreak]

Thanks for the advice gang. I decided that, while each has a cool feature or two, neither compare to my newest modded Vic in usefulness (will post after the badass new scales get here from SwissBianco). And after digging up the couple Wenger 85mm's I own, decided they're just too small for EDC.

Maybe I'm a dork but I like the idea of them sitting in that dark corner until they catch the eye of a true Wenger collector or even a kid who'll put them through their paces.

[Smaug]

After reading your latest response, I think you should really buy them both and just set them aside, still in the packaging for a few years.

Then, when you need to raise money you want, just write a kickass auction, pointing out the collectibility and the fact that they're NIB. I bet you can double your investment without too much trouble. If they don't sell, just hang onto them.

Heck, you could even try flipping them right away, and hang onto them if you can't make a profit.

You've got to think like a proper little capitalist!