Help with Victorinox GAK

[Alex_W]

Hello,

First post here.  I've been collecting Victorinox knives for about a year and could use some help with a Victorinox GAK I just received.  I'm not sure but I believe it to be a modern refurbishment.  The scales look too new compared to the frame of the knife.  From what I can find online, the tang stamp VICTORINOX SWISS MADE STAINLESS was only used after 2005.  Probably still a very usable knife however the seller listed it as original and I wouldn't have bought it had I known it was a refurb.  What do you guys think?

Thanks

Alex

[Alex_W]

More photos

[Myron]

Hello Alex, and welcome to MTo!

I am not an expert in 108 mm SAKs but I'll take a stab at this.  I agree that something is a bit fishy here.  I looked at pictures of my own 108's (GAKs, Safari's, Troopers) and they all have the small-v VSSR tang stamp that you'd expect. 

I also have a 108 GAK that I returned to Vx a year or so ago for repair after one of the springs broke.  I can't remember now if they replaced the blade on it in addition to the spring, but I'll check when I get home.  I'm thinking they didn't but just can't remember for sure.  Somewhere on MTo there's a thread on this project. 

I suppose if you sent a 108 back to the factory for repair of a broken off blade they must still have replacement blades available and I suppose further that those replacement blades would have a modern tang stamp.  And if it were me, I wouldn't be too concerned with a factory repair.  So your GAK has had a return trip to the motherland to be reborn; who cares, right?   But if I knew that the knife had been modified by someone into some kind of Franken-GAK then I'd probably care a little more about it and give the knife a sidelong glance whenever I walked in the room.  Probably the only way to tell is to remove the scales and examine the pins and collars holding it all together. 

I'll have a look and see if I can find my repair thread, which should have some good before and after pics. 

Kind regards,

Myron

PS, forgot to add that the factory did replace the scales on my GAK when I sent it in. They're indistinguishable from the originals except that they are new.  So this would also support your theory of factory refurbishment. 

[Myron]

Hi Alex,

I found my thread from last year.  It may prove interesting or helpful to you:

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,82747.msg2009599.html#msg2009599

Myron

[Alex_W]

Thanks for the reply Myron.  I had read your post which is what got me thinking it might be a Victorinox factory repair/refurb.  I've got a Trooper to compare it to and everything feels the same the only difference I can see apart from the tang stamp is the opening nail nick seems a little wider on the saw and knife blades.  I have found another example with tang stamp like mine online https://threepointsofthecompass.com/2020/03/15/knife-chat-victorinox-108mm-german-army-knife-and-safari-derivatives/  I'd feel a lot more comfortable knowing it was a factory job.  I guess its just my preference but I don't think a refurb with a modern blade has the same collector value as a totally original example in the same condition.  As a usable knife its just as good if not better but knowing that Victorinox still refurb these, I would have been far better off financially to buy a banged up one and send it back to Victorinox myself.  Next time I'll do the research prior to making the purchase.

Thanks again.

Alex

[Myron]

Alex,

That blog article you linked to is interesting and well-written.  Thanks for sharing it.   

He shows at least two 108's with the more modern tang stamps.  I'm not a tang stamp expert, but it makes me think that production of the 108 mm models went into this era and that yours is legit.  I never buy SAKs as an investment anyway, and so these two things would put my mind at ease, were this knife mine.  These 108 mm GAKs have never been very valuable anyway and aren't particularly collectible today, I don't think.  I think you should just use your GAK to open a beer and enjoy it!  .   

And perhaps someone who is more into GAKs and tang stamps will come along and help us out. 

Cheers,

Myron