I joined the Wenger S557 club too!

[Syph007]

I won this for $43 new on ebay, and just got this one in yesterday and WOW its even nicer than I hoped.  I cant believe I used to think of Wenger as the cheap version of a SAK, because this this is first class top notch!

I've been EDCing a cybertool 34 and you can see that this new little wenger gem is smaller in both dimensions and quite unnoticeable in the pocket with lanyard carry. (heck I pocket carried a ranger 78 on lanyard belt carry any never noticed it there either though)





Here is the first big plus for me with this Wenger vs my standard vic.  They made the back springs and liners flush at the back!  Its a huge annoyance to me that vic doesn't do this and spend the extra 3 cents of metal to fill out the back layers.  Its the main reason I only like the 93mm frame on vics.  As a result the Wenger feels so nice in the hand and no rough liners poking out!



And it has 3 locking components.  I knew about the lock blade, but I did not realize the philips and standard driver were the auto locking type.  Bare down hard on a screw and the component moves into the tool and locks tight. 



Here we have the plier and scissor sprung components.  While I do like the fact that the spring wont wear out, I don't like the tool tip bobbing up and down while you cut.  This could be fixed if Wenger used a dual backspring, one for tool and one for spring, but they don't.  I prefer vic scissors still because of this.



The pliers though I love love love!  That slip joint lets these little things open up very wide and grab onto a much larger diameter object than the vic pliers.  They still have a crimper too, it's just moved down to where the spring part is.



I tried the wrench out on an imperial sized nut and it worked great, I thought it would be metric only, so my initial impression is quite positive.



Heres another big difference and a huge plus for Wenger for me.  The low profile toothpick and tweezers.  You barely see them from the end view, and you don't see them at all from the side view! 





This Wenger is now my new EDC and is the impetus for more Wenger buying now!  Love this SAK!

[enki_ck]

Great review and comparison of the implements. I agree with you completely. The scissors moving is something I dislike too, and also wish the tab/handle (don't know how to describe it) was thicker as on the Vic scissors. But the big advantage of the Wenger scissors is they can cut through anything and still remain sharp cause of the jagged self sharpening teeth.

[sergemaster]

Amici,
Welcome to the Wenger Fan Club! If you like the S557, try the S585 also in red evo scales. Or if you really want to be a "wild and crazy guy", try upgrading to EVOWOOD scales.. Once you use one of those in your hands, you won't want to put it down.

Although I still like and EDC a Victorinox on more occasions than not, Wenger is AOK in my book!


Cheers,
Serge

[jerseydevil]

Great pics of an awesome SAK!    The S557 seems to have become mildly popular around here lately.....I love mine, it's become an almost everyday companion.

[Smaug]

Yes, it's a great knife. I like mine as much as my CyberTool 34. The Cybertool has the better driver, but the S557 has heavier duty Springs and adds a file, wrench, and locking blade. Tougher scale plastic too.

[nuphoria]

Fine looking tool, and a nice comparison between the two

I never really wanted a CT, but after picking one up that was too cheap to pass on, it really grew on me. The smaller pliers certainly have their uses

[kirk13]

Aaaargh!Feeling peer pressure!Most resist,MUST RESISttt

[Singh]

How useful are those pliers? Hmmm.

[Pignut71]

Aaaargh!Feeling peer pressure!Most resist,MUST RESISttt

Me too!

[Smaug]

How useful are those pliers? Hmmm.

If you have realistic expectations, you won't be disappointed. You're not going to loosen a snug 12mm nut with them. But if you need to grab something small and pull really hard, they can be quite useful.

In this regard, the Victorinox pliers are better, because the teeth are sharper and as a result, the feel like they grab harder for a given amount of pressure.

[jerseydevil]

Aaaargh!Feeling peer pressure!Most resist,MUST RESISttt

Me too!

Resistance is futile!  Join us who have discovered the joys of locking screwdrivers...     As to the pliers, I agree with Jeremy that if you keep in mind that they're little things, they are great.  The Vics might grip a bit better, but the Wengers open wider and I like the spring system better.  I use them for little jobs all the time and am very happy with their performance.

[Ashley]

How do you like that lock that sticks up? I have one on my purple Wenger scout and absolutely hate it. It hurts my hand and gets in the way majorly.

[jerseydevil]

How do you like that lock that sticks up? I have one on my purple Wenger scout and absolutely hate it. It hurts my hand and gets in the way majorly.

I don't mind it at all.  The way that I hold the knife when using it, my fingers don't come close to it.  It doesn't affect taking it out of my pocket either, which I thought it might when I first got my S18.  The other nice thing about the S557 vs. the S18 is that the lock tab doesn't block the scissors on the S557.  It can be a pain getting the scissors on the S18 deployed, there isn't much room to get your thumb in there.  On the 557, there are two layers separating the scissors and the lock.

[Smaug]

The lock tab got in the way more for pouch carry... Until I just figured out to carry it tools in, instead of tools out, as usual.

[AimlessWanderer]

How do you like that lock that sticks up? I have one on my purple Wenger scout and absolutely hate it. It hurts my hand and gets in the way majorly.

I'm REALLY glad you said that Ash! The fact it locks puts me off anyway, but the way it releases has had me concerned on the comfort front too. Sounds like it's another love/hate thing just like the evo scales (another no no for me). If a non-locking, classic scaled version was available I'd definitely snatch it up - the tool set, quality, and characteristics of the Wenger implements are superb

[Singh]

Here is the first big plus for me with this Wenger vs my standard vic.  They made the back springs and liners flush at the back! Its a huge annoyance to me that vic doesn't do this and spend the extra 3 cents of metal to fill out the back layers.  Its the main reason I only like the 93mm frame on vics.  As a result the Wenger feels so nice in the hand and no rough liners poking out!

(Image removed from quote.)


! Well now, this is yet ANOTHER reason for me to look into Wengers.  Hmmm.

[ICanFixThat]

Some older Vics are very smooth on the back, it is too bad the current 84 and 91mm Cellidor models are lumpy. 

[sergemaster]

Amici,
Recently picked up a very nice Wenger made sheath to carry my S557 EVO when I'm in the field. For those also interested, get the MEDIUM pouch and not the large. Mist sites have the S557 falling into the large category which is like throwing a hot dog down a hallway. The large is made for the tool chest, since it's huge. Unless you like your knife swimming around in your pouch, stick with the medium if you're into pouch carry.

Cheers,
Serge

[Smaug]

Some older Vics are very smooth on the back, it is too bad the current 84 and 91mm Cellidor models are lumpy.

My first impression of a Wenger more than 3 layers thick was that "they've wasted the space."  But after a while, I realized it is more comfortable to use the front tools, with that smooth back.

To add to Sergemaster's recommendation, the small, cheap nylon Victorinox pouch is also a perfect size for the S557. (they only make small and large, and the large is sized the right size for the big 111 mm SAKs like Hercules) They're not fancy, but they're comfortable to wear; not stiff at all like the leather ones are.

[Singh]

 (let me  re-post again, but with clarity  )

Well now, this is yet ANOTHER reason for me to look into Wengers.  Hmmm.

Here is the first big plus for me with this Wenger vs my standard vic.  They made the back springs and liners flush at the back! Its a huge annoyance to me that vic doesn't do this and spend the extra 3 cents of metal to fill out the back layers.  Its the main reason I only like the 93mm frame on vics.  As a result the Wenger feels so nice in the hand and no rough liners poking out!

(Image removed from quote.)

[Syph007]

I've been really happy with this gem.  Pocket carry on a lanyard attached to my belt means its unnoticeable to me.  This one got me really interested in Wengers and Ive got quite a few more on the way.  Some cheap ones I got for a few bucks are going to get restored and new scales to be users. 

This one will eventually get modded too with Ti parts and I think a Philips on the backside to replace the corkscrew.  I just cant find a need for one.  The awl on the wengers are perfect for the knot untying jobs as they are smooth not sharpened.