Any love for Wenger?

[Smaug]

My story with Gerber is similar in that I picked up a Suspension in a store, thought it was rubbish and wrote off the whole Gerber line.   Happily I decided to give them a second chance and asked for a MP600 a couple of Christmases ago.  Happily sliding pliers ever since.

Gareth, do you ever find the Gerber can pinch the hell out of you if the pliers suddenly lose traction while gripping them hard? I got a blood blister on the palm of my hand in the 80s with the Gerbers first came out that I'll never forget, and wrote off the whole series. If this problem has been solved, do you know how?

Also, the original Multi-Plier didn't have the tip of the pliers protrude through the end of the tool. (which tends to eat sheaths) Have they solved this problem yet?

[Gareth]

My story with Gerber is similar in that I picked up a Suspension in a store, thought it was rubbish and wrote off the whole Gerber line.   Happily I decided to give them a second chance and asked for a MP600 a couple of Christmases ago.  Happily sliding pliers ever since.

Gareth, do you ever find the Gerber can pinch the hell out of you if the pliers suddenly lose traction while gripping them hard? I got a blood blister on the palm of my hand in the 80s with the Gerbers first came out that I'll never forget, and wrote off the whole series. If this problem has been solved, do you know how?

Also, the original Multi-Plier didn't have the tip of the pliers protrude through the end of the tool. (which tends to eat sheaths) Have they solved this problem yet?

Well the tips do stick out on the MP400 and MP600 but I've not had one poke through a sheath yet.

As to the palm pinching; I've played with the old Multi-Plier and can well imagine the potential damage.   Happily this has never been a problem with the MP600/MP400 or Octane in my experience.  When the pliers are deployed the gap between the handles is lage enough that I've never felt in danger.

On the other hand I did manage to pinch my hand with my LM Wave earlier today.

[Donald]

I love that hammered stainless in the Esquire.

Gareth, ironically my first SAK was a Wenger 1 17 01 which I have retired in favor of an Evo S17. My next knife was a Gerber, the Gerber Paul Knife.

It was actually the predecessor Paul knife to the one in the below picture. The Gerber is second from the top.

[Donald]

I love Wenger and Victorinox!

[borgwarrior]

First, I was Vic only. Than I got a Realtree 55 as a present, and I fell in love with Wenger ever since.

[Gareth]

I do remember that when I first got into SAKs and SOSAK back in 2008 Wenger's name was pretty much mud with a lot of members.  It is very pleasing to hear so many people have become fans.

[magentus]

In my defence the first Wenger I got as an adult was second hand and was rotten

What model was it out of interest?

[Gareth]

In my defence the first Wenger I got as an adult was second hand and was rotten

What model was it out of interest?

IIRC it was a Wenger Forrester.  Funnily enough I found out that my first ever SAK was a Forrester as well, though that one was lost a long time ago when I was still a kid.  Now I have an Evo17 and love it.  Can we see a trend?

[magentus]

So is the Forester a Huntsman equivilent? What made it rotten?

Seems to me that what folk like about Wenger is the little improvements they make over the Vic standard (locking SD, metal mag glass, scaled ruler) and other innovations. Would that sound right?

[Gareth]

So is the Forester a Huntsman equivilent? What made it rotten?

Seems to me that what folk like about Wenger is the little improvements they make over the Vic standard (locking SD, metal mag glass, scaled ruler) and other innovations. Would that sound right?

well on that particular one the springs were very flabby, the corkscrew was bent as was the blade. Turns out one of the liners was cracked. :\  I now don't think it was Wengers fault but just that it had had a hard life.  at the time though it just confirmed all the bad things I had been told to expect.

Oh and yes the Forrester is nearly the same as the Vic Huntsman except the small blade is replaced with a nail file on the Forrester.

[Mercury]

Kinda late to this party but I really dig Wenger knives, the Adirondack is one of my fave's.  I plan on picking up another from Felinevet soon.

[AimlessWanderer]

Despite my earlier rant, I'm still a fan of the old stuff and a Traveller is back in my pocket again today

[Mercury]

Despite my earlier rant, I'm still a fan of the old stuff and a Traveller is back in my pocket again today

The traveler is another oldie but goodie.  I had one a while back that I donated to a friend in need.  Awesome SAK, it's another on my MT bucket list.

[Smaug]

I tried to open a coffee can with my Wenger EvoGrip S16 this morning, and it was an epic FAIL. If that were a can of beans and I were stuck in the wilderness with nothing else to eat, I wouldn't have starved. But I would have sliced my fingers up, gotten infected, and died from gangrene.

It left sharp, jagged edges on both the outside AND inside of the cut lid, and I was only able to cut about 2" before it couldn't get purchase on the rim any more.

That said, I suppose this can opener was designed for smaller food cans, like 20 oz. and under, and for that, I recall it working just fine.

Wenger should beg and plead with Victorinox to "share" the can opener technology, or they should just leave the tool off altogether on any knife that is not aimed at campers. Replace it with a sturdy flat phillips and just admit that the common man doesn't need it any more.

[enki_ck]

It's not nearly that bad, it just depends on wat can opener you're used to. I am faster with a Wenger and get a cleaner cut with it too. I'm proficient with the Vic can opener too now, but when I first started using it, it was terrible.

[ColoSwiss]

I grew up with an Imperial Boy Scout knife; and the opener on the Wenger is very similar in design. For me it is faster and easier to use than the one on the Victorinox. All depends on what you're used to.

My old Imperial; my current EDC Wenger Traveler; and an old Victorinox economy Spartan that was my EDC for a number of years back in the 80s.

Karl

[jerseydevil]

I've actually had better luck with the Wenger opener, less jagged edges with it.  I feel that it's a bit easier to use left handed.  I've opened large coffee cans and such with it with no problem. 

[Mercury]

I tried to open a coffee can with my Wenger EvoGrip S16 this morning, and it was an epic FAIL. If that were a can of beans and I were stuck in the wilderness with nothing else to eat, I wouldn't have starved. But I would have sliced my fingers up, gotten infected, and died from gangrene.

It left sharp, jagged edges on both the outside AND inside of the cut lid, and I was only able to cut about 2" before it couldn't get purchase on the rim any more.

That said, I suppose this can opener was designed for smaller food cans, like 20 oz. and under, and for that, I recall it working just fine.

Wenger should beg and plead with Victorinox to "share" the can opener technology, or they should just leave the tool off altogether on any knife that is not aimed at campers. Replace it with a sturdy flat phillips and just admit that the common man doesn't need it any more.

(Wenger is owned by Vic) 

[Smaug]

(Wenger is owned by Vic) 

Yes, I know. What is your point? It doesn't necessarily mean they allow spill-over of technology between the brands.

[Mercury]

(Wenger is owned by Vic) 

Yes, I know. What is your point? It doesn't necessarily mean they allow spill-over of technology between the brands.

And I've seen nothing saying they won't.  Point is, Wenger is it's own brand within the brand, and maybe Vic wants to keep Wenger knives the way the are for posterity, who knows?  Just saying.

[borgwarrior]

I have a new "do want" Wenger...

Blackout 10.x

[Frankctz]

Its nice, where did you get it...

[borgwarrior]

Don't have it yet, it's only on the wanted list...

[ICanFixThat]

Old 91mm Wenger.

[Marius]

I was them many years ago and liked but for myself I only recently discovered the small Wengers as well... A bit earlier had a Ranger 55 (still have) but that was it. My discovery was when they introduced the EvoWood scales, I got one, then a second then a third just for the scales... A few pics here. However there are other older classic (not evo) scaled Wengers that I like more: Serrated Master and Tradesman (my favorite for the Philips making it even more rounder and especially for the small clip point blade). I also have a SI for the sake of it. A small island of Wenger SAKs in a (not sea, not that big) pond of Vic SAKs I have

Pics of my EvoWoods follow in two posts due to my images limit per post.

[Marius]

A few more:

[J Mackrel Jones]

Old 91mm Wenger.

(Image removed from quote.)

Oooh, that's a lovely old knife.  When would you say it was made?

[Marius]

Old 91mm Wenger.

Yummy. Do you have a pic showing how thick the tools are on this old one? Thanks

[ICanFixThat]

Old 91mm Wenger.

<closed-image>

Oooh, that's a lovely old knife.  When would you say it was made?

Sorry I could not say right now other than I think it's before 1950.  Need to research dates, it could be much earlier.  You, Jazz, and James C. would likely be the best to say.

[J Mackrel Jones]

My guess is the 1920's.  Wenger used this same shield on their carbon-steel knives that had fiber handles, which would be before 1921 or so and the new stainless steel with a metal shield with crossbow and caplifter with scraper - as shown by photo in the sequence on page 43 of the SAK Owner's Manual.  The Wenger history is always a bit mysterious.
It is interesting that Wenger had a caplifter on their screwdriver in the carbon steel days (yours appears stainless) - long before Victorinox had a caplifter on their 'driver.