Swiza SAKs?

[Steinar]

Hey, they're actually dishwasher safe? That's cool! Really nice if using them for messy food.

[firiki]

Interesting. No scissors or pliers. Those moving parts are expensive and hard to make well. Makes sense to not have them when first starting out.

My only concern is if Swiza fails.  Victorinox already bought one of Peter Hug's companies (Wenger) to keep it from being bought out by the Chinese.  I don't think Vic would buy another company off him.

^^^ Now, that was mean!

[ducttapetech]

Interesting. No scissors or pliers. Those moving parts are expensive and hard to make well. Makes sense to not have them when first starting out.

My only concern is if Swiza fails.  Victorinox already bought one of Peter Hug's companies (Wenger) to keep it from being bought out by the Chinese.  I don't think Vic would buy another company off him.

^^^ Now, that was mean!

They won't. Wenger was well known knife company and had a long history in Switzerland.

That's us mobile.
Nate

[firiki]

Interesting. No scissors or pliers. Those moving parts are expensive and hard to make well. Makes sense to not have them when first starting out.

My only concern is if Swiza fails.  Victorinox already bought one of Peter Hug's companies (Wenger) to keep it from being bought out by the Chinese.  I don't think Vic would buy another company off him.

^^^ Now, that was mean!

They won't. Wenger was well known knife company and had a long history in Switzerland.

That's us mobile.
Nate

You never know. Maybe they become incredibly popular in no time I don't think they will, I'm just saying.

[NetsNJ]

Interesting. No scissors or pliers. Those moving parts are expensive and hard to make well. Makes sense to not have them when first starting out.

My only concern is if Swiza fails.  Victorinox already bought one of Peter Hug's companies (Wenger) to keep it from being bought out by the Chinese.  I don't think Vic would buy another company off him.

I think they were buying the trademark "The Genuine Swiss Army Knife" more than anything else.

[sawman]

These look interesting but I will stick with my well-proven and tested Victorinox

[Syph007]

If they innovate like wenger did with interesting tools, they MIGHT carve out a niche.  But since Victorinox has been THE tool for 125 years... good luck with that.   

If it was my company Id target a high end niche market.  Do high end blade steels and finishes.  People want that.

[SAK Guy]

Interesting. No scissors or pliers. Those moving parts are expensive and hard to make well. Makes sense to not have them when first starting out.

My only concern is if Swiza fails.  Victorinox already bought one of Peter Hug's companies (Wenger) to keep it from being bought out by the Chinese.  I don't think Vic would buy another company off him.

I think they were buying the trademark "The Genuine Swiss Army Knife" more than anything else.

So the Vic Delemont line is a result of buying the trademark?

[dks]

I assume, if they sell enough knives, they will incorporate more tools. Victorinox is only know considering scissors on alox. 

I assume people just do not like the idea of having the cross and swiss branding on a new company.

I am reminded of GEC, who in 2006, was started by ex employees of Queen?, and has now carved a niche market, mixing tradition with new ideas for those willing to pay the premium.

[dks]

I think we need more threads on this topic 

[beerbaron]

Soft touch grip, nice modern style, good steel. I'm ordering one.

To each his own.. I still have to find out what makes an undistinct 440 steel "good".

Vic uses a choppy 420 but it's been heat-treated insanely well and it's been tried and tested.
440 is what every China SAK is saying for a decade... unless it gives detailed info on type of 440, HRC, composition and steel mill, I'm not convinced...

mmm I'm not going to get into the Chinese smurf, if you think Chinese 440 is actual 440C then 

One of the best knife makers in the world about 440c jayfisher.com

they say the hardness is 57, which is a lot harder than vic, and you can read how much better 440 is than 420 on any steel page.

[SAK Guy]

Soft touch grip, nice modern style, good steel. I'm ordering one.

To each his own.. I still have to find out what makes an undistinct 440 steel "good".

Vic uses a choppy 420 but it's been heat-treated insanely well and it's been tried and tested.
440 is what every China SAK is saying for a decade... unless it gives detailed info on type of 440, HRC, composition and steel mill, I'm not convinced...

mmm I'm not going to get into the Chinese smurf, if you think Chinese 440 is actual 440C then 

One of the best knife makers in the world about 440c jayfisher.com

they say the hardness is 57, which is a lot harder than vic, and you can read how much better 440 is than 420 on any steel page.

Corwin is correct, unless it says "440C", it could be 440A or 440B...decent steels if heat treated properly but 440C is different and never (in my experience) listed as just "440" in ads/specs.

[Grass]

I think we need more threads on this topic 

This was the first thread! The original Swiza swiss army knife thread! Or the original Swiza swiss army knife that is not a swiss army knife thread!

This is proving quite controversial. Which I find strange while we do not even have one in our hands yet.

On the commercial side, I think the biggest threat to the ongoing success of Victorinox is the same as a lot of other industries (think cars, mobile phones etc). Chinese or others eventually mimicking designs, with an indifference to western legal protections like patents, to the point of producing a product that is so similar in quality that the consumer happily takes the cheaper price.

I do not see Swiza as anywhere near this level of threat. It's another Swiss made, relatively high price point product. My punt is that Swiza will either find a niche place or sink while Victorinox will continue. No doubt Victorinox would have known it was coming, too - it's a small sak world! At best, some competition in sak innovation could be fantastic - for example, the availability of more lock mechanisms in smaller saks could be a good thing, even though some dislike it it has legality issues in some jurisdictions.

So anyway... here's looking forward to the first reviews!

[alexTOOL]

If they innovate like wenger did with interesting tools, they MIGHT carve out a niche.  But since Victorinox has been THE tool for 125 years... good luck with that.   

If it was my company Id target a high end niche market.  Do high end blade steels and finishes.  People want that.

I think they could target the custom market.
Knives with flexible configurations.

Bad for your business, but something like SOG and his customizable multitools...
Screws and different type of compatible layers

[red_rider_1979]

I think we need more threads on this topic 

This was the first thread! The original Swiza swiss army knife thread! Or the original Swiza swiss army knife that is not a swiss army knife thread!

Many years later, if Swiza were to become popular worldwide, forumers looking for info about the brand will ask why there are two threads on Swiza. The moderators here will have to step in and state for the record that both are legit, and declare this thread as "The Original Swiza Thread" and the other as "The Genuine Swiza Thread".

[SAK Guy]

I think we need more threads on this topic 

This was the first thread! The original Swiza swiss army knife thread! Or the original Swiza swiss army knife that is not a swiss army knife thread!

Many years later, if Swiza were to become popular worldwide, forumers looking for info about the brand will ask why there are two threads on Swiza. The moderators here will have to step in and state for the record that both are legit, and declare this thread as "The Original Swiza Thread" and the other as "The Genuine Swiza Thread".

 

[Mextreme]

Swiza is a very welcome addition to the SAK market. Victorinox desperately needs a qualified competitor.
I would like them to return to the innovative mode from their haydays of the 70-80'. It was a long time ago since they added any new modern tools or patterns to the SAKs.
The small screwdriver in the corkscrew and the cybertool driver are the latest and thats like 25 years ago.
I mean do we need can opener on basically all models when cans without pull rings are close to extinct, just as example? Room for a new impoved tool.
I hope Swiza will step up and push Victorinox and also bring some good stuff of their own.
As a SAK lover how can you not like a new SWISS brand of SAK style knives.
Ergonomics and locking blades are stuff that I've seen many forumites have asked for.

[sLaughterMed]

Swiza is a very welcome addition to the SAK market. Victorinox desperately needs a qualified competitor.
I would like them to return to the innovative mode from their haydays of the 70-80'. It was a long time ago since they added any new modern tools or patterns to the SAKs.
The small screwdriver in the corkscrew and the cybertool driver are the latest and thats like 25 years ago.
I mean do we need can opener on basically all models when cans without pull rings are close to extinct, just as example? Room for a new impoved tool.
I hope Swiza will step up and push Victorinox and also bring some good stuff of their own.
As a SAK lover how can you not like a new SWISS brand of SAK style knives.
Ergonomics and locking blades are stuff that I've seen many forumites have asked for.

Yep. I plan on keping a close eye on this brand, because a 91mm SAK with a good lock, OHO blade and good scissors is my dream knife. Even better with a Vic style metal file,  but I can settle for a nail file.

If the lock is of good strength, and the rest of the tools are on par with Victorinox (or even just a notch below) quality, I can see this really doing well, especially in Germany, where locking two hand blades are legal.

Maybe if we are really lucky, these will be easily modable, and I can add a Vic file and scissors

[Grathr]

I have ordered a D02.
Cant wait to see it in the flesh!


Sent from a device made from star dust using tapatalk

[shibafu]

I mean do we need can opener on basically all models when cans without pull rings are close to extinct, just as example? Room for a new impoved tool.

This is mentioned often, and I assume it must be something that varies by country.  In the UK it's definitely not true.  I had a quick look through my food cupboards and found about half the canned goods had no ring pulls.  Branded stuff like Heinz soup has ring pulls, but supermarket own-brand products, canned vegetables etc mostly don't.

[Etherealicer]

I mean do we need can opener on basically all models when cans without pull rings are close to extinct, just as example? Room for a new impoved tool.

This is mentioned often, and I assume it must be something that varies by country.  In the UK it's definitely not true.  I had a quick look through my food cupboards and found about half the canned goods had no ring pulls.  Branded stuff like Heinz soup has ring pulls, but supermarket own-brand products, canned vegetables etc mostly don't.

I agree that traditional cans are not yet extinct... still most people own more than one tool, so there is really no need for every one of them having a can-opener.

[sawman]

I mean do we need can opener on basically all models when cans without pull rings are close to extinct, just as example? Room for a new impoved tool.

This is mentioned often, and I assume it must be something that varies by country.  In the UK it's definitely not true.  I had a quick look through my food cupboards and found about half the canned goods had no ring pulls.  Branded stuff like Heinz soup has ring pulls, but supermarket own-brand products, canned vegetables etc mostly don't.

I agree that traditional cans are not yet extinct... still most people own more than one tool, so there is really no need for every one of them having a can-opener.

I've had mixed feelings about can openers but some of my favorite foods still require them. Still, it seems every SAK and/or MT includes them and they can get a little redundant.

[Mextreme]

Well another thing against can openers is that few people carry cans on hikes when dry freeze food is an option. At least they should have options without them and offer some more useful EDC Items for us. It was years ago since I used a can opener outside my home.

[dks]

I just use them to peel oranges 

[SAK Guy]

Here, the only cans with pull rings is the dog food...everything else is a standard can. Before I bought a Vic kitchen can opener, I was using the opener on my knife 2+ times a week.

Besides, the opener got me out of a jam with a stuck package.

[Mextreme]

I'm  not saying it's impossible to find use for a can opener but I never carry cans outside my kitchen and even if i didn't own a real can opener, all the brands i purchase like Heinz, Bonduelle, green giant have pullrings. On a hike I sure will not ever carry cans when dry freeze is an option with less than 1/10 of the weight.
When the SAK was invented the soldiers got rations in cans. I don't. I use drivers and such daily and would prefer a better reach driver, in line awl, package opener, micro philips of 58 mm or some other invention that is more of a modern EDC item.
I feel the same about corkscrews. They are not EDC worthy items.
I think Victorinox can keep models with the classic tool set but I don't understand why not offer other options.

[AimlessWanderer]

I'm interested to hear reviews and see how these knives fare in their own right (as opposed to direct comparisons with Victorinox etc).

Will I get one? Not yet. I'll wait till they start having a go at incorporating scissors before I consider trying them out

[Syph007]

I mean do we need can opener on basically all models when cans without pull rings are close to extinct, just as example? Room for a new impoved tool.

This is mentioned often, and I assume it must be something that varies by country.  In the UK it's definitely not true.  I had a quick look through my food cupboards and found about half the canned goods had no ring pulls.  Branded stuff like Heinz soup has ring pulls, but supermarket own-brand products, canned vegetables etc mostly don't.

Pull tabs arent common here either.   All of the cans I have are normal can opener style.

[Singh]

Speaking of cans, I hate the pull tabs because they leave a rim around the can and it's frickin' impossible to scrap everything out.  But it doesn't really matter since all the cans I buy need an opener. Everyone talks about pull tabs on cans but I rarely see them. It must be a European thing.  But even if the can had a pull tab I'd use a can opener so I could get everything out of the can.

The can opener is a great little tool besides opening cans.  It can be used for popping open watch cases, and to open up packages (not clamshell packages, but I use the awl for those).  But most importantly, its an extra blade which offers more utility; it makes an excellent scraper. Better for me to use that for scraping tasks than the main blade.

But back on topic; despite the cheekiness in my first post, I hope Swiza finds success.

[Mextreme]

Speaking of cans, I hate the pull tabs because they leave a rim around the can and it's frickin' impossible to scrap everything out.  But it doesn't really matter since all the cans I buy need an opener. Everyone talks about pull tabs on cans but I rarely see them. It must be a European thing. But even if the can had a pull tab I'd use a can opener so I could get everything out of the can.


But back on topic; despite the cheekiness in my first post, I hope Swiza finds success.

It surprises me since I dont buy much cans but when I do most are american brands like: Heinz, Green Giant, Campbell soup and so on... All of those use pull cans.
Do they use old style opening on the home market?