Has Victorinox "lost their way"?

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fuyume

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The subject of what Victorinox should and shouldn't be doing in regards to their business in general and their knife business specifically is a perennial debate, but yesterday's new video from Jon Gadget brings it to mind, once again.


I agree with him. I don't mind the fashion statement knives, but the prices they are charging for them are a bit silly. I don't mind their other business ventures, so long as they are good quality products, and so long as they don't come at the cost of the core business that made the Swiss Army brand what it is today. I used to own one of the first generation Swiss Army watches. Actually, I still have it, but it's broken, and I've never bothered to get it repaired.

I used to carry a SwissChamp in my briefcase, back when I was doing tech consulting in the 1990s and early 2000s, but for the past 20 years, I've carried a Victorinox Rambler as my primary EDC knife. It is the one that gets the most use out of all my knives. I used to actually have two of them, but somehow one got lost, and I haven't got round to replacing it, yet. That one is supposed to stay with my camping gear, so I don't have to pull things out of my everyday handbag to go camping.

But if there are two wishes I see commonly expressed, they are the wish that Victorinox would make an Alox Rambler and a Cadet X. And I would personally like to see the Alox models have machined cutouts for the scale tools that are common to the 91 mm Officer's models with the ABS plastic scales. Every time I see discussions of Swiss Army Knives, an Alox Rambler and a Cadet X are the most commonly discussed items.

My personal wish would be for a set of two 93 mm Alox models, with a choice of the traditional silver anodizing, or black Type III hard anodizing. The tools I want in each can be perfectly illustrated by these two custom knives from Robert Lessard.

The first one is the knife I would carry in town. It has the scissors, the caplifter, the electrician's blade, and an inline Phillips driver—these are the only tools I really need when I am going about my daily life in the population centers of civilization. The second one is the one I'd need in the woods. It has the large blade, the reamer, and the wood saw—I have zero use for these in town, so why would I want to carry the weight of a Farmer X? In town, just the one knife; in the woods, both of them. The second one, Victorinox has actually made as the "Bushcrafter" model, though it is not a regular production model and isn't currently available.
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"Has Victorinox (SAK) Lost their way?"

I don't think so.
They produce what sells to their customer base world wide - the "average" "Joe Schmoe"; not neiche markets that have a low percentage of knife users.
"Knife Knuts" for example, MIGHT make up as much as 0.005% (one half of one percent) of the global market.
It is no suprise to me they don't make even a standard toolset knife with a "modern" wear resistant blade, which is something else a lot of "knife knuts" clamor for.
Most of their customers around the world are happy with the blade steel they use now.
In some areas of the world, people are still using smooth river/stream rocks to sharpen their knives.
Diamond plates and SiC stones required for the "wear resistant" steels are either not available, or cost a year's or more income in the poorer parts of the world.

There is (or was) a company (I forget the name ... it is mentioned here once in a while) that makes a "Swiss Army" knife to order insofar as tool sets, a highly wear resistant blade steel, etc.
Obviously, the cost is considerably higher than a standard genuine SAK.
Custom makers such as the one you used, is also a viable option for some.

I will agree an ALOX model with scissors, side and back tools (including the multi purpose corkscrew and multi purpose package hook, would be nice.
Since there isn't one, I will "make do" with the existing models with those features.
Honestly, if there was an ALOX model with those features, I probably could not afford one anyway, making it a moot point. 😊
 
I have everything I want from them, other than a Cadet X. As long they don't start discontinuing my favorites, they will have my business.
(Spirit, Explorer, alox Pioneer X, Cadet, alox MiniChamp, Cybertool lite, camo OHT).
 
Didn't the post-9/11 restrictions on carrying knives put a big crimp in their knife business, subsequently leading to diversification and greater emphasis on other products? And, simultaneously, haven't there been increasing efforts by many companies to create and emphasize"brands" that include a range of products?
 
I disagree about Swizza being a legitimate competition for Victorinox. They have inferior scales which don't last, inferior tools (the scissors in particular come to mind), inferior ergonomics, and they're more expensive.

I do agree that Victorinox's marketing department is slacking off. They have their heads up their butts. And they're out of touch with the core consumer base. I think Jon hit the nail on the head when he criticized how the Companion was handled. Victorinox hardly seems to do any marketing at all, and when they wrote the product descriptions for the Companion, it was this silly and awful garbage that appears to be pandering to a demographic which generally has no interest in things like multitools.

I think that the more vocal die-hard fans of Victorinox are also part of the problem. They tend to monopolize discussions wherever Victorinox products are regularly discussed. They're quick to praise Victorinox and are dead set against any criticism of Victorinox or its products (and lack thereof in some cases). They're also more than willing to open their wallets for what I consider to be some truly ridiculous and downright insulting offerings by Victorinox, and are happy to encourage others to do so. I think this has probably led to many of the higher ups at Victorinox becoming dangerously complacent, and I do think Jon is right when he says it is only a matter of time before a legitimate competitor comes along and eats Victorinox's lunch.
 
They can’t offer a premium performance blade option, but they still market package carrying hooks, cuticle pushers, fish scalers, Damascus blades etc.
 
afishhunter said:
"Has Victorinox (SAK) Lost their way?"

I don't think so.
They produce what sells to their customer base world wide - the "average" "Joe Schmoe"; not neiche markets that have a low percentage of knife users.
"Knife Knuts" for example, MIGHT make up as much as 0.005% (one half of one percent) of the global market.
It is no suprise to me they don't make even a standard toolset knife with a "modern" wear resistant blade, which is something else a lot of "knife knuts" clamor for.
Most of their customers around the world are happy with the blade steel they use now.
In some areas of the world, people are still using smooth river/stream rocks to sharpen their knives.
Diamond plates and SiC stones required for the "wear resistant" steels are either not available, or cost a year's or more income in the poorer parts of the world.

There is (or was) a company (I forget the name ... it is mentioned here once in a while) that makes a "Swiss Army" knife to order insofar as tool sets, a highly wear resistant blade steel, etc.
Obviously, the cost is considerably higher than a standard genuine SAK.
Custom makers such as the one you used, is also a viable option for some.

I will agree an ALOX model with scissors, side and back tools (including the multi purpose corkscrew and multi purpose package hook, would be nice.
Since there isn't one, I will "make do" with the existing models with those features.
Honestly, if there was an ALOX model with those features, I probably could not afford one anyway, making it a moot point. 😊
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Agree with this totally.

Knife nuts and SAK nuts make up such a small percentage of the Victorinox customer base, it's probably a single digit percent of their business. Victoprinox is huge, the world's biggest in fact. The regular Joe SAK buyer is a non knife nut, but someone who needs a knife and if it has a few tools so much the better. There's a reason that SAK's go on expeditions from Antarctic to the space station. I know a few people who carry a SAK, and it's their only pocket knife. They don't care about super steels of the month, how fast and tacticool it is, just that it gets the job done and doesn't cost a lot, and can be replaced at the next big box store they run across.

Sooth river rocks work, but I prefer a nice coffee mug bottom, after I finish my morning coffee.
 
fuyume said:
...But if there are two wishes I see commonly expressed, they are the wish that Victorinox would make an Alox Rambler and a Cadet X. And I would personally like to see the Alox models have machined cutouts for the scale tools that are common to the 91 mm Officer's models with the ABS plastic scales. Every time I see discussions of Swiss Army Knives, an Alox Rambler and a Cadet X are the most commonly discussed items...
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Victorinox trashed their tooling for 84mm-sized scissors years ago. Doubt they'll retool for them now. Given the discontinuation of the Tinker Small, I wouldn't be surprised to see them phase out the 84s completely.
 
A couple times a year it seems someone chimes in and mentions Victorinox has lost their way and doesn’t know what they’re doing… et cetera, et cetera… then carries on to mention what they want out of Victorinox. Jon Gadget can go sit on a Spartan and spin, for all I care.

Where’s my 84 mm scissors? Why not use a super steel? How come they don’t make exactly the tool combination I want? Why do they choose to anger me by continuing to make a parcel hook?

It’s fun to dream up the SAK you want, and I wouldn’t diminish that, but let’s not conflate what you or I want with successful business ideas. Victorinox is the undisputed champion of affordable, reliable, quality multi tools, and they do it so well they can sell you the original reissue for half a grand.

We should thank our lucky stars we can buy as many Spartans as we want for less than $30 a pop. I spent more on Easter brunch. 84 mm scissors be damned.
 
Pinned comment from the uploader:

"As I write this comment it is just short of 24hrs since I posted this video. I didn't really expect to get many views for this content and even less in the way of feedback and comments as I felt this was perhaps a bit of a niche subject, and I really just wanted to get some Victorinox concerns off my chest. I have though to say I have been totally blown away by the reaction to the video with over 1,000 comments within the first 24hrs from over 60,000 views. It would appear I am not alone in my thoughts about the brand we love - the sentiment is overwhelming. I truly hope Victorinox look at all of these comments from you all as they make a compelling case and offer real insight from a loyal and passionate worldwide community and I want to personally thank you for taking the time and making the effort to feedback with your views. JG "

A.L. said:
Manchild screams at tidy basement that multitool giant doesn’t please his influencer content. Got it.
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If you feel the need to make your point simply by insulting others without contributing anything else of value to the discussion, then I feel the need to disregard your post(s).

Keep in mind that the uploader is someone who made a living for years by running a successful chain of stores which sold Victorinox products among others including Maglite and Leatherman. He is also someone who has spoken directly with Victorinox employees who watch his content on youtube and use it as a teaching tool to help their employees learn english.
 
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EngrSorenson said:
A couple times a year it seems someone chimes in and mentions Victorinox has lost their way and doesn’t know what they’re doing… et cetera, et cetera… then carries on to mention what they want out of Victorinox. Jon Gadget can go sit on a Spartan and spin, for all I care.

Where’s my 84 mm scissors? Why not use a super steel? How come they don’t make exactly the tool combination I want? Why do they choose to anger me by continuing to make a parcel hook?

It’s fun to dream up the SAK you want, and I wouldn’t diminish that, but let’s not conflate what you or I want with successful business ideas. Victorinox is the undisputed champion of affordable, reliable, quality multi tools, and they do it so well they can sell you the original reissue for half a grand.

We should thank our lucky stars we can buy as many Spartans as we want for less than $30 a pop. I spent more on Easter brunch. 84 mm scissors be damned.
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Then, when someone like Leatherman puts a magnacut blade in a multi tool, we get the "How dare they charge so much?" crowd.

Doesn't matter what any of these companies do, it's gonna be wrong to somebody.

I often think that some of these influencers have never heard the adage: The minute you think you have authority, try telling someone else's dog what to do.
 
Guy McVer said:
Keep in mind that the uploader is someone who made a living for years by running a successful chain of stores which sold Victorinox products among others including Maglite and Leatherman. He is also someone who has spoken directly with Victorinox employees who watch his content on youtube and use it as a teaching tool to help their employees learn english.
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So he was a retailer, not necessarily end user.
 
A.L. said:
You’re right, I didn’t. I have seen many of his videos and I know exactly how useless his ”reviews” are.
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This is ridiculous. If you had actually watched that many of his videos (even though you say they're useless, which makes no sense to say if you're watching multiples of them), then you'd already know better than to say he's not an end user of Victorinox SAKs. He talks about how he carries them even in videos that have nothing to do with Victorinox.
 
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