Wenger vs. Victorinox, on non-SAK products

[jzmtl]

I picked up a Wenger backpack for laptop from Costco because my shoulder bag (also a Wenger) is not comfortably walking with a laptop inside, and my other backpack (another Wenger) doesn't have a compartment for it.

Don't know about where you live, but here Wenger bags/luggages are literally everywhere, almost every store in downtown or mall sells bags and luggages have it. Even walking on the street I often see people using Wenger products. Victorinox on the other hand, I've never seen them outside the Vic corporate store. I dunno, it may have something to do with they are $#%@ing expensive.

It seems to me Victorinox is trying hard to go for the upscale market. I recall seeing a Vic jacket in store a while back, which is made of one layer nylon fabric that probably goes for $50 in walmart. I turned the price tag over, and it was 300 bones! For the life of me I can't see how it's any better than a much cheaper alternative quality wise. Heck even a specialized outdoor brand doesn't go for that much.

On the other hand the bag I just bought cost me less than $50, as far as I can tell it's very well made, with thick fabric, big zippers, and even a waterproof bottom for putting on wet surfaces.

Since apparently I'm not a target consumer for Victorinox, I can't really tell how their strategy is working, but I can tell I see heck a lot more Wenger around than them, so to me Wenger's goal of affordable quality is working.

Any thoughts?

[Gareth]

Yeah, Wenger really do seem to be much more readily available here as well.  My wife got one of their laptop backpacks for university, I'm more than a little jealous.



 

[nuphoria]

If you go in to  Vic store, it's absolutely full of luggage and clothing.... all of it somewhat overpriced IMHO.

I have however owned both watches and bags by Vic and Wenger, mostly bought on the bay or used, and the quality of both was pretty good. The certainly seem to be trying to fill other markets and don't appear to be making any rubbish.

As for the Vic perfume... they can keep that

[jzmtl]

Here's mine, next to my tiny 12" laptop, pretty overkill but I can't find one that fits well.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

When I was in college, I worked in various outdoors and sporting goods stores and bike shops for a number of years.  Most 'name brand' manufacturers have all their stuff made at about a dozen or so factories in China or Taiwan, and there isn't a lot of differentiation between the products of different brands.  To see what I mean, take a look at some of the polypro under-garments made by Ex-Officio and compare them to stuff with the Terramar label; they're pretty much identical, and about twice the price.  Same thing between North Face and Columbia, very similar products, but North Face is about twice the price of Columbia stuff.  So yeah, basically you're paying for the name with stuff like that.

Sometimes though, paying for the name doesn't buy you anything other than saying you paid for it.  Several years ago I saved up for a top of the line Marmot gore-tex multipurpose shell for mt. biking, camping, hiking, etc.  After about three years of regular use as my primary shell, it started to delaminate and leak.  I took it to the Marmot store that was literally two blocks from my college at the time, and they warrantied it and gave me a new one.  Eventually middle age caused me to out grow that one, and my wife used it for a few years of light duty use, but it too eventually delaminated.  I've had a Columbia "Omni-tec" jacket/parka system for ten years now that is my main cold weather jacket, and it's still going strong.  I paid a little more than 1/3 of the price for my original Marmot shell 15 years ago, and I'd say I'm coming up on 10 years with my Columbia jacket.

It always pays to shop around.