A potentially stupid question

T

Tafkaag

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May 18, 2022
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While I'm no fan of scissors on a SAK, I keep wondering why Victorinox won't marry the Wenger spring design (which looks robust, unlike the Vic spring) with their own scissor blades.

Any thoughts?
 
The Wenger spring design is actually terrible because it makes the scissors wiggle up and down while you use them.

I think it was either Boker or Ruike (whatever, they're probably both made from the same factory) that copied this spring design while improving it so that the scissors don't wiggle anymore.

edit: it was Ruike.
 
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Guy McVer said:
The Wenger spring design is actually terrible because it makes the scissors wiggle up and down while you use them.
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huh ... I never noticed that using the scissors on my Evo Grip 14.

T Tafkaag
Just so you are aware:
The only "stupid question" is the one NOT asked. 😁👍
 
Tafkaag said:
While I'm no fan of scissors on a SAK, I keep wondering why Victorinox won't marry the Wenger spring design (which looks robust, unlike the Vic spring) with their own scissor blades.

Any thoughts?
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Maybe I am stupid too, but is there something wrong with the Victorinox spring?
 
Barbababa said:
Maybe I am stupid too, but is there something wrong with the Victorinox spring?
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A lot of people think it's fragile and prone to breaking because of the lower quality leaf springs found on other more cheaply made knives.

The Victorinox leaf springs are incredibly durable and I have never actually had one break on me. The only reason that I ever had to replace one is because of the often beat-up used SAKS you'll find on sites like ebay. You can tell that the previous owner really beat the crap out of it, but it's still fun to restore those SAKS or to use them for parts on custom SAK builds.

There are oldschool short black leaf springs from Victorinox that still work today. They last a very long time. If your spring does happen to break, it's easy to get replacements. The only issue that you might run into is that sometimes you can get confused and order the wrong spring size. It will fit but it might be either too weak or too strong for the size of scissors that you have. That's the only real problem. You have to be very careful to order the correct size spring, and make sure that the scissors feel right once you have inserted it.

They're easy to remove and install as well. You can tap the spring out with a small nail and you can seat a new one in with a pair of pliers. The 91mm Victorinox pliers work well for this. Victorinox has its own special procedure, but you can ignore this and just use the nail and pliers method. It's very easy once you've done it once or twice.

You can probably tell that I really prefer the Victorinox leaf springs. I think they're awesome.
 
Old Biker said:
They break. They can also get bent out of shape.

The beauty of the Wenger design is, it uses the back spring of the knife as the scissor spring. I like it. I think it is the better design.

O.B.
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Okay, I did not know that. Is there any pictures for educational purpose available? I am not really that big on scissors on my SAK´s, I prefer a saw over scissors, so my experience is limited. I am not sure how to interpret what you mean with "back spring of the knife"? Does it share spring with another tool? All Vic with scissors that I have have a designated spring (and do not share spring with another tool) that is just as strong as the blades spring...
But, on those I have with a scissors, when using the scissors, I don´t see how there is any force on the spring other than when it´s being opened or closed?
No, now I get wich spring you are talking about. The spring inside the scissors off course 🫣
 
Old Biker said:
They break. They can also get bent out of shape.

The beauty of the Wenger design is, it uses the back spring of the knife as the scissor spring. I like it. I think it is the better design.

O.B.
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👍👍
John 😁
 
Barbababa said:
I am not sure how to interpret what you mean with "back spring of the knife"?
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The same spring that holds the scissors open in their deployed position and causes them to snap back to their undeployed position is also the same spring which is used in order to provide tension for the scissor blades to return to their open position while in use. The piece of metal that contacts the hinged scissor arm is also contacting the back spring for the other arm. As you squeeze the scissors, this metal piece is being pushed against the back spring, which then creates tension, which then forces the scissor blades back to their open position. I hope that makes sense.

The problem with this design is that it cause the other scissor arm to move away from whatever it is that you are cutting. This gives you a wiggle effect, where the scissors wiggle back and forth while you are cutting. This is a problem that is not present with a leaf spring design.

"Wengers wiggle" is how I always remember it.
 
If I was worried I'd personally keep a spare spring in my pocket organizer, but that's just me.
 
Guy McVer said:
The same spring that holds the scissors open in their deployed position and causes them to snap back to their undeployed position is also the same spring which is used in order to provide tension for the scissor blades to return to their open position while in use. The piece of metal that contacts the hinged scissor arm is also contacting the back spring for the other arm. As you squeeze the scissors, this metal piece is being pushed against the back spring, which then creates tension, which then forces the scissor blades back to their open position. I hope that makes sense.

The problem with this design is that it cause the other scissor arm to move away from whatever it is that you are cutting. This gives you a wiggle effect, where the scissors wiggle back and forth while you are cutting. This is a problem that is not present with a leaf spring design.

"Wengers wiggle" is how I always remember it.
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I can't say that I've seen the "Wenger wiggle" actually make a difference in use. It certainly doesn't keep me from cutting in a straight line.
 
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