Swiza SAKs?

[Grass]

This appeared on my Facebook this morning; not sure what to make of it... seem to be a few moderately simple models of SAK...

http://www.swiza.com/

Models like this one - http://www.swiza.com/en/Products/Knives/SWIZA-D04-2.html - D04 - seem to have some sort of lock blade; 75mm blade so perhaps around 90mm overall?

[jerseydevil]

Meh.  Looks like someone should stick to making clocks.....

[Halberdier]

Looks like these were announced literally yesterday.

http://huntinglife.com/swiza-reinvents-the-swiss-knife/

[Halberdier]

A legend reborn: SWIZA reinvents the Swiss Knife

Switzerland has a new knife! The legendary Swiss Knife has been given a redesign for the first time in decades. The result is a unique creation manufactured and assembled in the Jura, restoring the status of the local cutlery industry. It is unveiled today as a world exclusive in Lausanne and Zurich by SWIZA, a brand with a history spanning over 110 years and an established reputation in watchmaking circles. The new Swiss knife successfully couples the contemporary design conceived by a Zurich-based company with a number of technical innovations; note particularly the blade-locking system and easier access to the tools for both right- and left-handers. The knife is available in four Jura-inspired colors: Bright Red, Husky Eye Blue, Snow White and Graphite Black.

Manufacturing expertise from the Jura, design flair from Zurich
The tradition of cutlery-making is part of the Jura’s industrial history and SWIZA is proud to give it a new lease on life with consummate style. The brainchild of the brand’s executive team based in Delémont and designed by estragon, a product design company in Zurich. The new knife was prototyped and is being produced in the Swiss canton of Jura by speSmurfpillsts accomplished in the expertise and high quality standards inherent in the “Swiss-made” epithet, the pocket knife represents time-honored tradition and modernity in perfect synthesis.

Ingenious and indispensable
The sense of playful mischief in the knife’s bold curves, materials, and colors has immediate appeal. Meanwhile the ergonomic shape of the handle offers an intuitive grip facilitated by an extremely durable non-slip texture. The curved shape enables direct access to the tools, which are perforated for easy opening. The Swiss Cross—symbol of the brand—is ingeniously built into the handle and is far more than an identifying feature: it guarantees the user greater safety with a blade-lock system unprecedented in a knife of this size.

Up to eleven functions in total
In addition to the extra-robust blade manufactured of stainless steel 440 and hardened to
57 HRc, other practical and cleverly designed tools make this knife an essential everyday companion. There is a five-turn sommelier cork screw, a flat-head and a Phillips screwdriver, a punch and an awl with a perfect cutting edge. Some styles also include a universal bottle opener, a can opener and tweezers with beveled tips for the utmost precision. The knife is available in four versions offering four to six tools to meet the individual needs of every user.

Swiza: a brand on the up
With Peter Hug and Florian Lachat at the helm, 2015 marks the start of a new chapter for SWIZA. The Jura-based company has a new identity on the strength of which it has launched two new business lines with a comprehensive collection of wrissmurfches and luggage. Swiza was founded in 1904 and to date has focused on developing and producing watch movements, alarm clocks and table clocks. Now its sights are set firmly on the future and several more versions of its new knife are in the pipeline. All will be revealed soon.

[ColoSwiss]

From the Jura region. Wonder if some ex-Wenger people are involved?

[cannonball]

I believe Peter Hug was Wenger CEO.

[cannonball]

Yes he was, confirmed on google. That leads me to think Vic will have competition.

[Halberdier]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I like this new style. It'll be interesting to see what the rest of the lineup looks like.

[cannonball]

I just ordered one direct from Swiza. 20 Swiss Franks (about $21) shipping to US.

[leathermon]

I just ordered one direct from Swiza. 20 Swiss Franks (about $21) shipping to US.

How much was shipping? Let us know how long it takes to get it.

[enki_ck]

I just ordered one direct from Swiza. 20 Swiss Franks (about $21) shipping to US.

How much was shipping? Let us know how long it takes to get it.

That was the shipping.

[cannonball]

Shipping was 20 Swiss Francs not Franks($21)

[SAKdpvdw]

Very cool!  I think there is plenty of room for another Swiss knife brand, especially if former Wenger people are involved.  I also like the idea of having both traditional and modern versions available to use or collect - not unlike alox and cellidor.  It's cool that these are not just repackaged Wenger Rangers - the single back layer tool and single scale tool (tweezer) are a nice touch, and putting the awl back up in the main layer is neat, since that's what the Soldier's had.

I might have preferred a little "fancier" inlaid, metallic cross emblem, though.

[SAKdpvdw]

I just ordered one direct from Swiza. 20 Swiss Franks (about $21) shipping to US.

You have to post some side-by-side pics with comparable Alox and Cellidor versions!

[SAK Guy]

Never an association with the Swiss Army so are these really SAKs?  Maybe SK's (Swiss Knives).

[Modern SAK]

I'm glad to see some competition but the styling seems kind of feminine. I would have liked a tougher look with metal or alox handles. These look like a futuristic prototype from victorinox. I mean the d40 is basically a tinker with an awl in place of the small blade. I do love the button lock but I think I'm going to stick with the smaller 84mm vics for now. I wish they would have tried to disassociate from the "classic swiss army knife" and brought something new to table. Something without smooth plastic scales, a pen knife, and a backside Phillips. These are just restyled vics. And I don't want someone to think I got my knife as a free gift from a make up company. Even the name swiza sounds like a refreshing sparkling water. Eh.

[Grass]

I look forward to seeing what people make of them when they arrive... open minded. What's the quality like? The overall dimensions? The usability? The lock mechanism? The snap? Etc.

[firiki]

... with a comprehensive collection of wrissmurfches ...

 

My first thought was that Victorinox might be involved in this somehow. Seeing ex-Wenger people are in this too, that thought becomes more plausible. After all, it's a cunning -albeit risky- plan, competeting with yourself. Like here, until a few years back beer consumers were mostly divided in two camps, Heineken or Amstel, both brands being owned by the same company.

I like that Swiza thing, it looks like a revamped Vic. What I don't like is the can opener

[Corwyn]

Definately not Vic. I imagine Wenger's former CEO was like: "Silly Victorinox, firing me and my brilliant ideas. I'll show them and make a better knife with French-speakers, nicer steels and all the things I think saks need improving upon. We can even shove a white cross on it, use an existing watch maker and we can ride the Swiss coat-tails."



I think Vic had enough competition with the Chinese, Leatherman, Gerber, SOG and now Emerson Multitasker and Boker Magnum. Let alone the drop in knife sales and the laws and airplane regulations getting stricter and stricter.

Vic does have its flaws (softish steel, no modern scales options, hard to clean, iffy locking/unlocking system, no belt clips, awful lights, awful lighters, no wrenches etc.). I just fail to see how this is an improvement on anything Vic ever did. To me it looks like a Chinese kid redesigned the Vic 111

[beerbaron]

Soft touch grip, nice modern style, good steel. I'm ordering one.

[Corwyn]

Soft touch grip, nice modern style, good steel. I'm ordering one.

To each his own.. I still have to find out what makes an undistinct 440 steel "good".

Vic uses a choppy 420 but it's been heat-treated insanely well and it's been tried and tested.
440 is what every China SAK is saying for a decade... unless it gives detailed info on type of 440, HRC, composition and steel mill, I'm not convinced...

[firiki]

Definately not Vic. I imagine Wenger's former CEO was like: "Silly Victorinox, firing me and my brilliant ideas. I'll show them and make a better knife with French-speakers, nicer steels and all the things I think saks need improving upon. We can even shove a white cross on it, use an existing watch maker and we can ride the Swiss coat-tails."

(Image removed from quote.)

I can see why you call it a hipsterised Victorinox and part of me agrees. Another part of me also agrees that there's no real need for more pocket knife makers

I see this as a modern folder that has drawn conclusions from Vic's success (and copied/tweaked a few things in the process).

[Grathr]

I like it!
Im looking forward to the first reviews!


Sent from a device made from star dust using tapatalk

[Weasel]

Not for me, I will stick to what has served me so well fo the last 20 odd years.

[ducttapetech]

Soft touch grip, nice modern style, good steel. I'm ordering one.

To each his own.. I still have to find out what makes an undistinct 440 steel "good".

Vic uses a choppy 420 but it's been heat-treated insanely well and it's been tried and tested.
440 is what every China SAK is saying for a decade... unless it gives detailed info on type of 440, HRC, composition and steel mill, I'm not convinced...

I am pretty sure the blades on a SAK are inline with 440 instead of 420.

That's us mobile.
Nate

[Corwyn]

Soft touch grip, nice modern style, good steel. I'm ordering one.

To each his own.. I still have to find out what makes an undistinct 440 steel "good".

Vic uses a choppy 420 but it's been heat-treated insanely well and it's been tried and tested.
440 is what every China SAK is saying for a decade... unless it gives detailed info on type of 440, HRC, composition and steel mill, I'm not convinced...

I am pretty sure the blades on a SAK are inline with 440 instead of 420.

That's us mobile.
Nate

Well Vic uses X50CrMO steel hardened at 55-56 HRC.
I'm no speSmurfpillst on this, but I understood it falls between 420HC and 440A, it's the heat treatment that makes it stand out. It takes a good edge and nearly never rusts but it's miles behind modern steels.
http://www.pizzini.at/info_sak_engl.htm#Steelinfo
https://www.victorinox.com/medias/sys_master/8869928075294/CutleryINFO.pdf

[Halberdier]

Soft touch grip, nice modern style, good steel. I'm ordering one.

To each his own.. I still have to find out what makes an undistinct 440 steel "good".

Vic uses a choppy 420 but it's been heat-treated insanely well and it's been tried and tested.
440 is what every China SAK is saying for a decade... unless it gives detailed info on type of 440, HRC, composition and steel mill, I'm not convinced...

HRC is 57. Victorinox is ~56. So this is a small improvement, as long as they sharpen as easily as the Vics.

[Steinar]

Hardness is not toughness is not abrasion resistance is not... DIN 1.4110 is old hat, but saying steel A is better than steel B, without any sort of context, is rarely informative at all. Personally, I'd rather have properly treated 440A than properly treated 440C in an "all-round" knife, because I don't like broken or chipped blades, while someone who wants to cut soft materials for a long time without having to sharpen the blade would obviously prefer 440C. (There is simply too much carbon and chromium in 440C, especially given that it isn't a PM steel.) I have seen at least one French knife manufacturer moving from very cheap steel A to another cheap steel, where steel A was more wear resistant given their heat treatment, but their customers prefered ease of sharpening. The current marketing trend in the US seems to be more (both more of each and a higher number of) alloy elements, higher HRC, and not caring too much about all the other factors which are harder to quantify in a meaningful way. You can get lovely knives with ridiculously cheap steel, it just isn't a useful marketing argument. And for hard use, several cheap steels utterly outperform popular high-end steels. There's a reason a Busse doesn't contain a lot of carbon...

Another problem with steels only identified by their standard number is the allowed variation means you know very little what you actually get, then factor in the problems with heat treatment and you end up with buying knives is a huge trust exercise.

[Corwyn]

Soft touch grip, nice modern style, good steel. I'm ordering one.

To each his own.. I still have to find out what makes an undistinct 440 steel "good".

Vic uses a choppy 420 but it's been heat-treated insanely well and it's been tried and tested.
440 is what every China SAK is saying for a decade... unless it gives detailed info on type of 440, HRC, composition and steel mill, I'm not convinced...

HRC is 57. Victorinox is ~56. So this is a small improvement, as long as they sharpen as easily as the Vics.

Yeah, but it's not only strength and sharpening that make a good knife steel. It's also how well it can hold an edge, how easy is it to bend instead of snap, will it microchip, will it rust easily, how does it react to heat and acids... that we can only see in time...

[Singh]

Interesting. No scissors or pliers. Those moving parts are expensive and hard to make well. Makes sense to not have them when first starting out.

My only concern is if Swiza fails.  Victorinox already bought one of Peter Hug's companies (Wenger) to keep it from being bought out by the Chinese.  I don't think Vic would buy another company off him.