Victorinox buys Wenger!

D

Denix

Joined
Mar 24, 2001
Messages
326
Hi guys!

Victorinox has announced that they've merged with Wenger. It looks like both companies will keep operating independently for now.

Good news or bad? Surprising after 100 years of competition!

Full details here: http://www.victorinox.ch/newsite/en/index.htm (click on the second news item at the bottom).

Guy
 
Not too surprising. They've both been hit hard from outside competition and cheap knock-off SAKs.

People who buy SAK knockoffs should get just _one_ real SAK. They would never go back to their 5.00 junk. Most SAKs cost less than a restaurant meal.
 
klattman said:
People who buy SAK knockoffs should get just _one_ real SAK.
Click to expand...
I'll bet that a lot of people don't even know brand names. Someone gives them a knife or they buy one at the swap meet and they just use it until it breaks. That's my theory anyway.

As far as the acquisition, I kind of liked the competition of having two companies.
 
As much as I dislike Wenger's QC, i really hate this. Competition lasting 100 years is a good thing. The scales had leveled over time. Both companies had enough business to make ends meet and just enough competition to keep one uping each other to making better and better products. Kinda sad.

Jake
 
When I first read this thread's title, I was thinking that Wenger could *really* benefit from Victorinox's quality assurance and control, but, after reading your replies, I'm realizing that QC and QA at Victorinox could also be lowered towards Wenger's level, and that would be disastrous, in my opinion. I hope that Victorinox keeps up their same high standards and that it migrates over to the Wenger line. Maybe Victorinox will ultimately takeover the Wenger facility and produce Vic knives there, getting rid of Wenger?

GeoThorn
 
Steely_Gunz said:
...Both companies had enough business to make ends meet ...
Click to expand...

Apparently that isn't the case for Wegner right now. I'd rather see Vic in charge than lose Wegner completely. They may phase out Wegner designs, or they may not, but at least everyone is still afloat for now.
 
I've always liked Victorinox better. Don't exactly know why.

I really think it's the name Wenger that I don't like. I just never would be comfortable pulling my Wenger out of my pocket in public. :D

Many people like Wenger, though, so it's good that they allowed them to continue operating. Competition is always a good thing even if you are competing with yourself.
 
I suppose it could go either way, but I'm an optimist at heart so I'm gonna say that this is a good thing.

I prefer Victorinox SAKs but Wenger has some terrific ideas and innovations.
I like the Wenger scissor-spring better than the Vic, and the Wenger open-end wrench is a neat idea too. I even like the slip-joint pliers that are on Wengers.

OTOH, I do hope they start using Victorinox blade-steel.
I just can't get my Wengers as sharp as my Vics no matter how much I try.

We'll just have to see how things pan out.

Allen.
 
According to a usually well-informed Swiss newspaper ( you can see the original article in French here and with a translation here ) Victorinox will have the task of making "traditional" SAKs while Wenger will try to market its products for more specialized niches.
 
tnozh said:
According to a usually well-informed Swiss newspaper ( you can see the original article in French here and with a translation here ) Victorinox will have the task of making "traditional" SAKs while Wenger will try to market its products for more specialized niches.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan.
 
I must disagree on the serrated scissors.

I really like the Wenger scissor spring but I prefer the crisp edge the Victorinox scissors produce.

If you ever trim your fingernail with Wenger scissors you'll get a ragged edge.

Allen.
 
allenC said:
If you ever trim your fingernail with Wenger scissors you'll get a ragged edge.
Click to expand...
that's why there is a nail file... but I agree the victorinox scissors are better.

I don't remember the large Wenger's scissors, but what drives me crazy on the esquire, compared to the vic's classic's scissors, is the thickness of the handle... look at both and you'll understand what I talk about: on the vic's, they enlarge the handles of the scissors to the total thickness of the scissors layer, while on wenger's, they're only half of the total layer... really painful for strong cuts!
 
allenC said:
I really like the Wenger scissor spring but I prefer the crisp edge the Victorinox scissors produce.
Click to expand...

choubbi said:
... but I agree the victorinox scissors are better.
I don't remember the large Wenger's scissors, but what drives me crazy on the esquire, compared to the vic's classic's scissors, is the thickness of the handle... look at both and you'll understand what I talk about: on the vic's, they enlarge the handles of the scissors to the total thickness of the scissors layer, while on wenger's, they're only half of the total layer... really painful for strong cuts!
Click to expand...
I couldn't agree more about the Victorinox scissors that give a much cleaner and crisper cut.

I did a comparison between the regular sized Victorinox and Wenger scissors -
check out this thread with lots of feedback -
SAK Scissors - Wenger or Victorinox?
in particular Jeff Clark's post at #14 about the "set" in scissors.....

These are what I consider disadvantages of the the Wenger scissors design -

(1) serrations - may seems "tougher" but doesn't cut cleanly on some materials.
(2) thinner handles and overall - less comfortable, and flimiser (so much for being "tough")
(3) moves relative to handle in use - takes getting use to, and can be disconcerting.

All this just to get a springless design to avoid breakage of a scissors spring (which on the Victorinox is cheap and relatively easy to replace - plus I have owned Victorinox scissors for over 22 years some with lots of abuse and have yet to break a single spring.... of course that does not mean they don't break - just not as often as some people make out)

--
Vincent

http://UnknownVT2005.cjb.net
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net
http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net
 
I'm a Victorinox fan more than Wenger, but I do think I'd like to see Vic get access to Weng's evolution handle shape.
 
The biggest fault I find with Wenger is where they put the key ring on the small version like the Vnox "classic" - if it is not attached to keys - the ring often flops over that you catch the blade tip - either dulling the tip or leaving the point exposed as you pocket your "closed' knife... I only have a few Wengers the bulk are all VNox... which in my opinion is a superior product...

Revvie
 
I recently tried to cut paracord with the scissors of my Minichamp and my Esquire, to see how they perform on it, and the Wenger's are the best for cords apparently. I still prefer Vic's because of the straight edge and thicker handles, but for cords, the serrations on the Wenger's are better suited, the cord slips on the straight edged ones.
 
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