Weird Safari Solo 108 clone - Help needed

[Ptisuisse]

And I thought I was buying just another Solo on the local classifieds...........

Much to my surprise, it is some sorte of a rather well-made clone.
Tang stamp is a bit off on the left side. Color just a bit on the pinky side.
Quality is good, not to Victorinox standards but well above the chinese gakalikes

First time I see one. Nothing on Google.
Has anybody out there seen something like this before ?

[glenfiddich1983]

And I thought I was buying just another Solo on the local classifieds...........

Much to my surprise, it is some sorte of a rather well-made clone.
Tang stamp is a bit off on the left side. Color just a bit on the pinky side.
Quality is good, not to Victorinox standards but well above the chinese gakalikes

First time I see one. Nothing on Google.
Has anybody out there seen something like this before ?

Huh? 

What the heck? 

[Ptisuisse]

Huh? 

What the heck? 

You want it ? No serious collection should be without it !

[glenfiddich1983]

You want it ? No serious collection should be without it !

 

[cody6268]

What in tarnation?!

[gerleatherberman]

Seems legit.

That is that genuine Wustarimex. Victorinox Safari is the clone.

[SirVicaLot]

Did someone say WURSTarimex?



 

[Ptisuisse]

C'mon guys !

jokes sure are fun, but beyond the smiles, any serious input on this one ? no one seems to know anything about it ?
are we on the number one swiss knife forum or are we not ?

[Mechanickal]

Could it be that it was made by Wüsthoff?
And that they changed the name stamp for this one to Wustarimex to mimic Vic's name a bit?

Just brainstorming here...

[Ptisuisse]

Could it be that it was made by Wüsthoff?
And that they changed the name stamp for this one to Wustarimex to mimic Vic's name a bit?

Just brainstorming here...

actually, I was waiting for your input.
yours is a very interesting suggestion. thanks.
what beats me is that there is absolutely nothing on Google.
a real challenge to our swiss knife gurus out there

[Mechanickal]

I might try to dig deeper into the subject today.
Whatever the case, my curiosity is tickled...

[Mechanickal]

Also, try different search engines.
Google gets payed by companies and use the amount of hits to put certain pages up high.

If you search "swiss knife brands" on Google, it'll show only Victorinox related pages to begin with.
Yahoo and duckduckgo might give completely different results.

[Ptisuisse]

Also, try different search engines.
Google gets payed by companies and use the amount of hits to put certain pages up high.

If you search "swiss knife brands" on Google, it'll show only Victorinox related pages to begin with.
Yahoo and duckduckgo might give completely different results.

Genau !   I tried Qwant with no results. Nothing more on the two you suggested. Amazing. Quite a challenge. I like being the "inventor" of a new brand.

[Mechanickal]

Well it's worth having in the collection simply for being such an unknown, unseen and therefore intriguing knife.

Don't feel bummed because it's not a genuine Vic after all. It might even be way more rare! Check that, it IS way more rare

I can't seem to find anything either.
It might be worthwhile to email Wusthof?
They do offer a folding knife in their current line-up, so it's not like they have nothing like it in their offerings.
Even if it turns out they have no info, you'll know that you shouldn't be searching in that direction either.

[Ptisuisse]

Well it's worth having in the collection simply for being such an unknown, unseen and therefore intriguing knife.

Don't feel bummed because it's not a genuine Vic after all. It might even be way more rare! Check that, it IS way more rare

I can't seem to find anything either.
It might be worthwhile to email Wusthof?
They do offer a folding knife in their current line-up, so it's not like they have nothing like it in their offerings.
Even if it turns out they have no info, you'll know that you shouldn't be searching in that direction either.

I don't feel bummed or conned at all.==au contraire== Best thing in my 108 collector life since my Bowie-bladed Solo !

[Mechanickal]

I recently discovered that the Mauser knife was also offered by a company named "Brookstone"

Might be interesting to see one of those pop up for sale one day...

Oh, and it has Vic bladestamps!

[Ptisuisse]

Let us not stray too far away from the original subject of this post : call to the knife-collecting community for help on an unidentified cutting object.

[Ptisuisse]

Got this one recently. From Herbertz, but with "blind medalion" scales and a laser etching on the blade.
But let us stay on the Watchamacallit !

[Myron]

I think this will require the services of one of our Swiss members who attends the markets regularly.  I suggest we recruit @jaydar. 

[VICMAN]

And I thought I was buying just another Solo on the local classifieds...........

Much to my surprise, it is some sorte of a rather well-made clone.
Tang stamp is a bit off on the left side. Color just a bit on the pinky side.
Quality is good, not to Victorinox standards but well above the chinese gakalikes

First time I see one. Nothing on Google.
Has anybody out there seen something like this before ?

Can you contact the person you got it from to find out what they know about it or where they got it from?

[Ptisuisse]

Can you contact the person you got it from to find out what they know about it or where they got it from?

Good idea. I thought about doing that, but I got the knife from the classifieds, and I have neither mail nor phone, just the return address on the parcel. It will take some time.

[Alan K.]

I've never seen that brand name before. How is the quality?   

[glenfiddich1983]

I don't feel bummed or conned at all.==au contraire== Best thing in my 108 collector life since my Bowie-bladed Solo !

 

[Ptisuisse]

I've never seen that brand name before. How is the quality?   

Alan, just read the top of my post :
"Much to my surprise, it is some sort of a rather well-made clone.
Tang stamp is a bit off on the left side. Color just a bit on the pinky side.
Quality is good, not to Victorinox standards but well above the chinese gakalikes"

[Ptisuisse]

I have another Bowie Solo on the way. Depends how much money you can put on it (ROTFL) 

[McStitchy]

Couldn't find any hint. Ended up with the same results as Nick. Maybe a Wüsthoff 

I could sent you Chewie to secure the imposter Solo... 

[glenfiddich1983]

I have another Bowie Solo on the way. Depends how much money you can put on it (ROTFL) 

Where do you find those? If you're willing to sell it, please let me know

Or are those mods?

[Ptisuisse]

More info on the Unidentified Cutting Object, AKA Wustarimex :
The seller reports he bought it in a cutlery shop in Osaka, Japan, in the late eighties/early seventies.

There used to be a time when our friends the japanese would copy lots of US and European productions,
like photographic, electronic equipment, tin toys, you name it, and then, improve upon them.

But somehow this theory does not hold long, copying took place more in the sixties and seventies. And there is this stamping on the blade "Swiss Made". Any input I would appreciate.

[Mechanickal]

Japan was once like China is today.

The "Swiss made" might be stamped but that doesn't make it true.
I have a "Rolex" that reads "Swiss Made" too... But I'm fairly certain it's not made there

Anyway, the info provided by the seller is a good start. Sadly, I think there are next to no Japanese members here who might be able to help out.

EDIT: Also keep in mind that the knife may have been in the store for a long time before someone bought it.

[cody6268]

What's interesting is they used the "Swiss Made" stamp decades before the real deal (Victorinox) did.