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Online encyclopedia of all things related to the Swiss Army Knife.

A place to gain, and share knowledge.

The world of Swiss Army Knives can be broken down into three main sections- Victorinox, Wenger, and other. The Swiss manufacturers Victorinox (The Original Swiss Army Knife), and Wenger (The Genuine Swiss Army Knife) split the Swiss military contracts for Soldier's knives directly in half, and are the only organizations legally allowed to use the term "Swiss Army Knife" in reference to their products as they are the only companies that supply knives to the Swiss Army. The Wenger company is now owned by Victorinox consolidating the manufacturing of the contracted Swiss Army Knives under a single manufacturer.

The "other" category encompasses counterfeit knives, look-a-likes, and early knives supplied to the Swiss Military prior to 1891 when Victorinox supplied their first knife to the Swiss Army. Up until 1891 most of the knives issued to soldiers were purchased from Solingen in Germany.

The company which eventually became known as Victorinox was started by Swiss Cutler Karl Elsener. Many of the knives were originally sold through his mother's hat shop in the German speaking town of Ibach. His mother Victoria was where half the company's eventual name came from, the other half being INOX, which is French for "Inoxydable" (i.e. stainless), in reference to the type of steel that was eventually used.

The Wenger company was originally named Boechat & Cie in 1893 after founder Paul Boechat in the small town of Courtetelle. A few years later the company was purchased by a number of entrepreneurs and renamed The Fabrique Suisse De Coutellerie SA. Shortly after that, Theo Wenger was promoted to director of the company and renamed it Wenger & Co SA in 1901, which was later shortened to just Wenger SA.

Swiss Army Knives have grown from an essential tool for soldiers to a world wide icon of ingenuity and quality. The Swiss Army Knife is now used by people across the globe in every industry and in everyday life. There is also a community of people collecting these wonderfully simple and yet incredibly useful pocket tools. This site provides information about the Swiss Army Knife, or what many refer to as the little red knife, that has traveled all continents, across the oceans, to the peaks of the highest mountains, and several times into outer space.



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