The Great Debate

[CQC-7]

I was sitting there today wondering about somthing.  Victorinox or Wenger?  I am quite partial to Victorinox although I have a wenger or two or three.  What do yall think?

[aksd]

I own 7 Victroinox and 1 Wenger, but if Wenger were available in India I'd own a few more. I'm a Mechanical Engineer student and te tool selection offered in Various Wenger models are by far more useful to me than some of the Victorinox knives, their newer collections are quite advanced whe compared to Victorinox with the EvoGrip and lockable tools. THe Wengrip offers fabulous pliers, as per the review posted here. I'm not partial to either becaus eif its out camping I'd carry my Trailmaster, but for city use I'd go for a Wenger.

Regards,
Akshay

[Tom Munch]

Wengers seem to be better designed, but the blades are less robust.  I really, really like my Wengers, but I find that they don't hold up to tough jobs as well.  For example, in my impromptu scissors test last month the Wenger blades spread very easily when cutting thicker materials.  But again the design - EvoGrips, locking screwdrivers, locking blades, serrated scissors, slip-joint pliers, universal wrench - is very nice.

[NutSAK]

I own about 50 Victorinox knives and 2 Wengers.  It really just comes down to the fact that I like the Victorinox tool selection better.  For instance, Wenger has no substitute for Vic's can opener/screwdriver tool that works so well on phillips screws.

They both are of comparable quality, and I've heard that the quality of the newer Wengers have improved, possibly due to Victorinox's influences as a owner/partner.

[CQC-7]

I do like the can opener on the Wenger better than the Vic.  I use the can opener of the wenger to clean the grooves of my golf clubs when I am golfing it is sharp enough that it re-cuts the grooves on my soft steel sand wedge.  However, I belive the quality of the Vic far surpasses that of the wenger, it just feels more solid to me.  Then again, opinions are like you know what, everyone has one.   On the upside Wengers appear to be a bit smaller which is a plus for me and others who dont like unsightly bulges in their pocket.

[NutSAK]

On the upside Wengers appear to be a bit smaller which is a plus for me and others who dont like unsightly bulges in their pocket.

Victorinox has a comparable 84mm lineup.  Not as much to choose from there, but nearly the same form factor.

[Irish Sentry]

I HATED the older Wengers...swore off them for good....then I bought an Evo S-17 with locking main blade and I LOVE it. I still carry Victorinox but the Wenger seems to find its way to my pocket more and more. I also carry a Spirit most days....I wish I hadn't gotten the scissors but the one that came with the non-serrated blade, but such is life. It is still the best multi-tool I have ever owned.

[felinevet]

In my opinion, Wenger has always had great innovation and design advantages over Victorinox but the quality was not nearly as good (some would disagree on this point). However, recently Wenger's quality has really impressed me to the point where I am now an authorized dealer for both Victorinox and Wenger.

[CQC-7]

I was borred yesterday, so I figured that I would sharpen a few dull(er) knives.  It might just be me but I think the Victorinox blades take an edge easier.  I do not know if the steel is the same or if it is the blade shape that made this appear to be so or if I am just in a state of cabin fever madness.

[felinevet]

I have heard that before. Don't know what the steel difference is. I like the bigger "belly" on the Wenger blades.

[CQC-7]

Yes, I like the deeper belly blade design as well.  I have a USMC camp knife which is about the same as an alox soldier only a bit heavier and a bit less "refined."  The blade shape is a deep bellied spearpoint made of carbon steel.  I have alwayse loved that blade shape. 

[BIG-TARGET]

I own 7 Victroinox and 1 Wenger, but if Wenger were available in India I'd own a few more. I'm a Mechanical Engineer student and te tool selection offered in Various Wenger models are by far more useful to me than some of the Victorinox knives, their newer collections are quite advanced whe compared to Victorinox with the EvoGrip and lockable tools. THe Wengrip offers fabulous pliers, as per the review posted here. I'm not partial to either becaus eif its out camping I'd carry my Trailmaster, but for city use I'd go for a Wenger.

Regards,
Akshay

Dumb question, doesn't Victorinox have its own manufacturing capability in India???

[Grant Lamontagne]

All Victorinox knives are made in the same factory in Ibach that they have always been made in.  They don't make them anywhere else in the world.

Def

[BIG-TARGET]

All Victorinox knives are made in the same factory in Ibach that they have always been made in.  They don't make them anywhere else in the world.

Def

here is the Vic-india link  http://www.victorinoxindia.com/Products_ks1_2812.htm

[CQC-7]

I was wondering about somthing.  Last time I carried a Wenger almost exclusively I dropped it and the handle scale just cracked off, somthing that my vic would have survived easily or so I think.  So I was wondering if the newer wenger "evo" series were better put together than the older ones.  I hate scales that fall off but I am considering buying a wenger evo.  Anyone have any comments? 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Victorinox's kirpan series are actually made by a Spanish company called Meulla and distributed in India.

Victorinox scales can also pop off or shatter due to impact on a hard surface such as a tile or concrete floor.  I've had it happen a couple of times, plus I've gotten several used knives with broken scales that likely had the ends broken in a fall or other impact.

Def

[NutSAK]

In my experience, Wenger scales break much more easily when dropped due to way the scales wrap around the ends of the liners.  I've always liked Victorinox's scale design much better for this reason, and I find them more aesthetically pleasing.

[CQC-7]

I agree.  I dont want to insult anyone here and I am diverse in my SAK purchases.  However, Wengers have always had a "generic" generic feel to them for me anyway.  Although, I am probaly going to buy one of the EVO series knives with a locking blade.  I believe that the Wenger knives have some great features that some Vics dont have.  It comes down to what a person is looking for I guess.   

[Danjo]

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but Im still new here and have been reading through many of them. I think that the thing that did Wenger in was threefold: 1) The can opener and all, 2) Poorer marketing plan, and 3) MacGyver.

1) The can opener and all each being a single function tool compared to Victorinox's three function can opener and reamer is pretty huge. That's 4 additional functions per knife in the same space. Who wouldn't want more for the same money?

2) Before Amazon, the only places I could find Wengers was K Mart. Vics seemed to be everywhere (at least in the USA). So, if Vics are in more places, they're going to sell more.

3) Macgyver (the reason many got turned on to SAKs in the first place, used Vics over Wengers something like 3 to 1. Talk about good advertising!

So all of the debate over which is better is less important than those factors listed above, IMO.

[ColoSwiss]

Hi Danjo,

Welcome aboard.

Wenger's demise is often blamed on the Swiss Business Tool, a fancy stapler with extra features. Wenger invested heavily in product design and tooling, only for it to be a total failure. As one Swiss knife dealer mentioned, who's going to pay 60SF for a stapler when then can buy one at an office supple store for 5.

http://www.sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Wenger+Swiss+Business+Tool

[Thunderpants]

Red Victorinoxes get boring pretty quickly, once you've got a few of them. Add scissors, add a saw, take away the corkscrew for a Phillips.... (yawn!) Wenger had a billion strange SAKs, with unique tools on some of them (2D Phillips on their Fisherman, for example) and whacky and wonderful scale designs.
So while Victorinoxes seem to be more efficiently built and less prone to gumming up on themselves, Wengers are a lot more fun. If I had to fly to Mars equipped with just one penknife it would probably be a sober and sensible Victorinox, but if I could take 10, most would be Wengers.

[Ron Who]

Nothing wrong with Wenger. One of my favorites, I use it a lot, is an old Wenger S17, with flat scales. I also have a newer Wenger Evo 17. The scales on this one seem somewhat less sturdy. I'm planning to get me a new Victorinox Delemont EvoGrip 17. I like the 17 pattern. It's like the Vic Huntsman in 85mm, and it has gotten even better with the Vic awl on it. I also like the larger Wenger tools (130mm Rangers). Nevertheless, I have more Vics than Wengers.

[SAK Guy]

Both...

[Roc]

I don't think they should be compared. Appreciate each one for what they are. I don't own many Wengers, but the ones I do own are awesome. If you have more confidence in one over the other, so be it. This reminds me of the worst SAK thread. There just isn't a winner or a loser here.

[Padre]

I love Wenger blade. But the scissors are annoying as they fold slightly when you use them. Just mediocre design.

Other than that I have nothing against Wenger.

[MacGyver]

3) Macgyver (the reason many got turned on to SAKs in the first place, used Vics over Wengers something like 3 to 1. Talk about good advertising!

You've said the magic word... 

Although what turned me on to Sak's initially was my grandpa, he had a classic Vic when I was very young and I loved that thing, those red scales and the cross and shield logo was like... magnetic to me. Then years later came Mac and... well you can figure it out... 
So the classic red vic's where always present through most of my life as you can imagine.
The closest to Wenger I have is the Vic evo16 my wife bought me recently, even though I like it, classic vic's will always be my number one 

Red Victorinoxes get boring pretty quickly, once you've got a few of them. Add scissors, add a saw, take away the corkscrew for a Phillips.... (yawn!) Wenger had a billion strange SAKs, with unique tools on some of them (2D Phillips on their Fisherman, for example) and whacky and wonderful scale designs.
So while Victorinoxes seem to be more efficiently built and less prone to gumming up on themselves, Wengers are a lot more fun. If I had to fly to Mars equipped with just one penknife it would probably be a sober and sensible Victorinox, but if I could take 10, most would be Wengers.

Even though I understand your point, I've always preferred the "less is more" philosophy, why take 10 that do specific functions if you can take a simple one one and resort to imagination to make the best of it and discover uses for it that wouldn't crossed your mind if you had 10 other available to you.
IMHO, I'm yet to get even close to be bored with the "Red Victorinoxes "

[Barry Rowland]

Both...

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