Schrade Century Series Research

I may have to keep an eye out for cheap deals on the Irish Camper or "hobo" as it is called, and the top of the Century line eight blade CN101 Galaxy (48.00 MSRP).
 
Codger_64 said:
...I may have to keep an eye out for cheap deals on the Irish Camper or "hobo" as it is called, and the top of the Century line eight blade CN101 Galaxy (48.00 MSRP).
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It shouldn't be too hard to find a deal. I only paid $3.25 for a NIB CN-101 Galaxy. Subsequently I got a CN-41 for $1, a CN-121 for $3, and a DL-2 for $4. In all cases shipping has been more that the purchase price. Apparently these knives are not much in demand.

Dave
 
Yeah, now that you mention it, I think I was only aware of the Irish ones before this thread. So thanks for the public service! It's definitely a hoot to discover these Century knives, particularly since I'm a long time SAK fan.

Dave
 
Well no luck so far on the origin of the Century knives. I thought someone on the SOSAK forum might know, but so far no useful info has developed there. Short of knowing someone who was at the company at that time, or finding a really close look-alike, it seems like it will be very difficult to know the source of these.

Dave
 
If memory serves, Wenger was around (in Switzerland) since the early 1900s (maybe even late 1800s). They just got bought by Vic in the last few years. I don't know about any plants in Germany. I will compare the Century in detail to a Wanger and see what comes of it. The only German company I *know* that made "SAKs" is Richartz. I don't have any good examples of theirs to compare, however. Maybe I'll see if I can find one.

Dave
 
I have an old Browning SAK style knife that was also made in Germany IIRC. If I can dig it out I'll see how it's marked. In the ultimate irony, the pocket knife issued to the troops of the German Army for the last 30 years has been made by Victorinox in Switzerland.
 
I just got a CN-121, and it triggered some interesting observations. I am also starting to wonder if the Swiss companies were somehow involved.

The CN-121 is *identical* to a Wenger Diplomat and a Victorinox Buddy (or Secretary); so much so, that they had to be made from the same plans. (Although maybe the plans are widely available, like certain other Army types.) Other than tang stamps and markings on the handle, the only noticeable difference is the way the little ring is connected.

A couple of the other Century models look very very similar to Victorinox. Handle and blade (including can and bottle openers) size & shape look too close for coincidence. I wonder if Victorinox had some experiment running or collaborating with a German plant?

Now it would be very interesting to get the low-down from an insider.

Dave
 
The Swiss have a long history of collaborating with the Germans, that's what kept them out of two world wars. ;)
 
Interesting patterns, thanks for showing them. There's one like the SW utility on ebay now with a BIN price of $45 IIRC.

What is your basis for saying Wenger began in Germany? If so, it had to be in the 19th century, according to Wanger's history page: wenger history

Dave
 
Sometime ago a question came up in Bernard Levine's forum about the "Pastor Aleman" brand, which was common in Mexico back in the 60's and 70's but then simply disappeared, it seems that they were probably made in Eastern Europe for the Latin American market.

I did some looking around and found nothing about the brand but I did find a few knives, here's one that I bought for about $2 US at a second hand shop, to me it looks much like the Imperial Matterhorn, could be just a knockoff of the pattern or maybe some parts were made by the same manufacturer in Europe, interesting...

Luis


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Well, after comparing a couple of Century models with contemporaneous Victorinox knives, I'm convinced the Century is a Vic design (not a copy, they are too identical).

It would be interesting to know the rest of the story. Where's Paul Harvey when you need him?

Dave
 
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