For those who didn't hear.  Carl Elsener Sr. of Victorinox fame passed away yesterday, at age 90.   Victorinox has suspended its social media sites until Friday out of respect.  He was 90 years old.

He was inducted into Blade Magazine's Cutlery Hall of Fame back in 2011 

Hall of Fame

For those who haven't heard the Wenger knives are going away.  Well sort of.  So are really goign away but others will just be re-branded to Victorinox.  I wonder what will happen with the Wenger Scissors.  I kind of like them better than the Vic Spring loaded.  Anyway, heres an article with some info on the changes coming in 2014. a href="http://gearjunkie.com/swiss-army-knife-victorinox-wenger" target="_blank">http://gearjunkie.com/swiss-army-knife-victorinox-wenger >

I've been meaning to post this knife here for a few days now.  I don't buy many Wenger knives but when I run across an Eddie Bauer Whistle knife for $5 at an estate sell -- well that is something that I don't pass up!  Signature nice a clean.  Actually the entire knife is pretty clean.  It just has a small X near the top of the revesrse scale. (by small I mean perhaps an 1/8 of inch  Compass is still accurate and clear. Blade has scratches but is unsharpened. The combo tool appears unused.

Toby, Great score! What's that blade to the left of the whistle in the picture? It looks like there's an edge on it and a large flathead screwdriver? I have a lot of Wenger knives but I am not familiar with any blade that looks quite like that one???

That would be the Wenger style Combo Tool Ron.

Thanks, Wayne! I know that none of the Wenger's that I own have that tool, and I can't recall ever seeing one before? But, then again, I can't remember what I had for breakfast, either?

Here's another picture of one that I found...

Good to see you, my dear friend! I hope that you've been well and that your collection of SAK's continues to grow. 

Cheers!

As Wayne said, the Wenger Combo  Vic and Wenger both have a combo tool (Combination cap lifter/can opener/screwdriver.   The blade isn't widely used.

Wenger also has it on the Golf-pro, Soccer, Evo 63, Classic (Entree) and others.

The Vic  combo appears on the 111 Hunter, Some Golfers, the Compact, Mechanic Jr, and others.

I haven't used the combo tool on trhe Wenger but it looks like it will work better than the one on the Vic.

I have not used any of mine as a tin opener yet but I can tell you of a serious flaw in this tool. I have several smaller Wenger knives, 1 or 2 layers, and on these I have bought used the Combo tool has been forced out of the layer and sometimes even past the back-spring. I think what is going on is the amount of force needed to pierce the can causes the tool to slip past the back-spring and even sometimes damages the liners/rivet where it spreads them apart. The back-spring and the rivets are not strong enough plus the Combo tool might be too thin so as to cause this failure. This is of course just my observations of 2 or 3 Wenger knives with the Combo tool that has failed in some degree.

Wayne, at that point, I'd say the tool is useless!

Just carry a P-38 in your wallet. ;)

Tank, I have one on my key-chain. the P-38 in hands down better than any can opener ever put on a knife.

Yes, I agree the Wenger Combo tool is not as good as the Victorinox one. I have that same knife Tobias has shown below but never used it. I do have a couple of Entree models but I would not try and open any tin cans with it. I have the P38 and the P51(larger model) and have always liked them. First time I saw one my Grandad was opening a tin of can milk for his coffee and I was about 5 or 6. He really used the tool well and that can was open lickity-split! I recently bought one for my wife and she looked at it like it was an alien object or something. :)

C-Ration cans cowered and trembled in fear at the mere mention of my P38!

Nearly 50 years later my Army issued P38 still sees regular service and dispatches the lids off of cans with ease. Probably the single greatest invention and most useful tool that I have ever owned!

I carry a p38 in my wallet and it is a very efective can opener, in fact better than the can openers of any knife!!

 I too have a p38 from my Army days and still use it from time to time.

I found the perfect knife to put on my wish list, the Swiss Army Giant, take a look...

It is for real and costs around $ 1600. Anyone own one ?

Thanks, Ivars!

Since I already own several of those now discontinued Vic Soldier knives I won't be taking advantage of your offer. But it sounds like a good opportunity for someone who has been looking for one, since they are becoming hard to find.

Cheers, my friend!

Yeah, Rick, I am familiar with this large Wenger display knife. And they are indeed the real deal. But the price is a little steep for a knife that is essentially nothing more than a novelty. Don't get me wrong. I would love to own one just to show people and blow their minds. But, like I said, not at that price point.

Cheers, mate! Thanks for posting the pic! 

guys, that $1600 Wenger is my EDC keep it on a rifle sling- LOL,  by the way I could buy one over in UK for £599.00 about $950

Steve, I still chuckle every time I see that Caveman SAK! Vintage, indeed!

The funny thing is, with the exception of this Stone Age SAK and a toy SAK, i've never seen a SAK with a spoon!

I would say it is Vic response to the Buck Vantage and Ontario's folding RAT knives.  I suppose it is also there to be an alternative to Spyderco.

It's basically an ergonomically designed  Vic Centurion on Steroids   Were talking a 5 1/4 inch one hand / locking folding hunter.  To me, it looks like it has some nice lines.  At nine inches fully opened and locked, it is nothing to be sneezed at!

For me the greatest drawback to this knife is the lack of a pocket clip. Yes, it does come with a sheath. But for a tactical knife like this--think Spyderco--I would prefer a clip over a sheath. Aside from that I'm sure that this knife, like all of Victorinox knives, will perform well in the field and prove itself to be a valuable tool for anyone who owns one. 

For me, personally, I will continue to carry a Spyderco Paramilitary 2 in my pocket and the Victorinox Hunter XT on my belt in its sheath. I prefer this particular model over the single blade of the Pro Hunter because of its versatility. It adds the gutting blade that I feel is requisite for any knife that purports itself to be a "Hunting Knife." In addition to the two locking blades on my North American Hunter XT I have a 4" saw and a Phillips screwdriver. Just like the one in the video review below...

So, that's where I stand in relation to this relatively new addition to the Victorinox line of knives -- The Pro Hunter. I'm sure that somewhere down the line I will acquiesce and buy one. But not necessarily to use. Only because I am a huge fan of these fine Swiss made knives and I feel that no Victorinox collection would be complete without adding the Pro Hunter.

For actual use, in the capacity of a one hand opening single bladed knife, I am content to use one of my Spyderco knives with their superior steel, S30V or better, in conjunction with my Vic Hunter XT...

Ron, The Hunter XT is sweet but I'm gonna be stubborn and stick with my SAK Hunter and/or Rescue Tool

The rescue tool has a glass saw but it'll work on wood.  The seat belt cutter will also work as a gutting blade. (same as your fireman)  The Hunter has a smaller gut hook blade and a good wood saw. (it is also a three layer instead of 4 layer  SAK.   The great thing about SAKs is the wide variety.  It really is hard to go wrong. (okay... I admit, I know I'll eventually pick up the XT, also - but I still like the Hunter.  It just looks good!)

Oh yeah,  About the pocket clip.  I think I'm in a minority. I tend to remove them if it is at all possible.  I don't like the feel in my hand and in Chicago, where I live, it just lets people know you have a knife and if they want to freak out and call the police, it is just going to get confiscated.  Knife with pocket clip = dangerous offensive concealed weapon.  Must have a permit!

Hi everyone. I am new to the group. I hope to be a valued part of this group. I have been collecting SAK for a while now and will soon post some pics of my nifty ones.

Question? Does anyone have a Victorinox "Presentation Master? It seem I have erased the software that came with mine and I can't use it anymore to make power point presentions. Can anyone help me with this? Very much appreciated if you can.

Sean, I believe that the Presentation Master software is now no longer being supported by Victorinox. In fact, they were offering a full refund for anyone who owned one and wished to return it.

This appeared last year: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/24/victorinox-secure-usb-flash-driv...

I hope this helps?

Victorinox and Wenger both make great kitchen cutlery. I have a couple small pieces but nothing major in the kitchen with Made in Switzerland on it.

That one illuminated wall with all of the knives reminds me of the wall in Tobias' "Man Cave" with all his Scout knives mounted on it.

Ron & Steve... I don't know if I should be honored or embarrassed!  Either way I'm in the process of moving the my scout knives to another wall.  I need more room.  I plan on mingling them in with my SAKs for the time being.  My current wall only has room for 75 and I need to increase that number to at least 100. What's worse, is I'm probably still going to be rotating knives for display purposes.

Strangely the problem isn't due to a recent increase in SAKs or Scout knives but the addition of more fixed blade hunting knives that I want to display. I only have room for nine right now and I need to double that.

And then I need to move my SAKs and other non-military knives from the Wall of military/survival knives so I can an expand it. This will also allow me to moves some of  my military folders such as TL-29s,  riggers and utility knives over to this wall.

It's a rough life, fixing up the man cave.  Maybe when I retire, I'll do interior designing for men!

Tobias, my friend, you're brave storing your knives in their leather sheaths.

Anthony, they are displayed not stored.  I regularly remove and inspect.  Plus they are rotated and given time to breathe outside the sheaths

On a side note, My Camillus MkII fighting knife (1095 Carbon Steel) was carried and stored in its leather sheath for well over 20 year with no noticeable side effects. If it wasn't cutting something or being cleaned it was in the sheath. And there were even times when the knife spent days in wet sheath.(the situation required such an action).

I think it is more important to monitor temperature and humidity in your display area and  check your knives and sheaths routinely for any signs of corrosion, rust, staining dry rot, etc at least once a month. Blades need to be wiped and sheaths need to be conditioned.

One thing I do highly recommend is making sure you don't store a knife or bayonet in a steel scabbard. Rust will form quickly!

Myself I don't tempt fate. I Renaissance Wax my knives and oil my sheaths and store them separately.

I can understand where you're coming from Anthony but I enjoy seeing them out on the walls.  I  want to see them  when I'm in my little cubby hole.  i also want other people to see them. Their value to me is not going to drop and I'm not concerned about their value to others.

I suppose I could look at ways to mount the knives on the walls out side of the sheaths but I feel it is safer to have them in the sheath.   I probably wouldn't even buy them If I were just going to leave them in the original box or original packaging. 

I under stand your philosophy but none of my knives are worth over $100 and many are just in the $25-$50 range and  all have been used at one time or another. I suppose some could still look mint but they are really "near" mint.

You know, I often see knives at estate sales that have never left the box and I can normally pick them up for $5-$10.  I always wonder was this a knife he never used because he didn't like it or because it was his favorite? And if it was his favorite why didn't he enjoy it. You can't take it with you!

I've decided that if the good Lord gives me the chance, I'll sell off all the knives I never used or seldom used before I die and leave my favorites  to my loved ones. They'll know they were my favorites because they were used and were often on display.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading that and your philosophy is wonderful. Since I'm no longer able to use mine I collect higher dollar knives as investments I plan on leaving to my nephew to hopefully help pay for his college education.

I let him swap my users in and out now when he goes camping and hunting.

And as I said, I absolutely understand your philosophy and support it.   I rarely buy a knife for over $100 because I'd be afraid to use it!    If one of my children or a nephew gets the knife bug, I'll probably buy knives for them as well as set some higher end knives and older near mint knives within my collection aside for them. 

In fact, now that I think about it, I have bought knives for them in the past and will probably continue to do so. I've also given them knives from my collection because they showed an interest in them.

Sorry to have hi-jacked the comment wall, everybody.  I know this thread probably belongs somewhere else   This is the great thing about collecting. We all do it for different reasons, and we all appreciate our collections in different ways.  We may all  find different ways to enjoy our collections but at the end of the day; it comes down to the joy of collecting.  I've yapped enough and  I cede the floor to Anthony for any final comments! 

--Let's see if I can actually NOT post a reply!  LOL

Well, now that you've "ceded the floor."

I'm gonna jump in here for a second...

I didn't realize you were a commissioned officer?

Let me throw a snappy AIRBORNE salute on ya! 

The Man Cave is looking good, sir!

Steve, the Victorinox Chrono Classic is a watch. The link you provided takes me to what I believe is an Alox Mini Champ...

1. The Alox MiniChamp was first manufactured in early 2011 for reseller Swiss Bianco. The knives feature the standard Silver Alox scales with red Victorinox shield. The Alox scales do not allow the tweezers and retractable pen tools to be included. Only a relatively small number were reported to be made; 5 prototypes, and short-run of 20 knives. In March 2011 an additional run of unknown size was manufactured for Swiss Bianco.  In July 2011, Dark Green and Blue Alox models were made; other colors may be available as well.  In April 2012 a run a Red Alox scaled models were manufactured for Swiss Bianco.  The Alox scaled versions are 10.15mm in width, and weigh 39.5g.

Steve, that's a great link you posted of Jeroen's visit to the Victorinox factory in Ibach, Switzerland! Especially interesting is what he had to say about the dissolution of the Wenger brand name in 2014. As most folks already know, Victorinox took ownership of Wenger in 2008 but the two brand names retained their respective identities. Now, it would appear, that will change in 2014 with all knives being branded as Victorinox. The Wenger name will disappear. Although, Jeroen states:

"In 2014, Wenger produced knives will have Victorinox stamped on the blade, but with the addition Delemont. Ibach produced knives will have the same stamping they now have."

Thanks again for posting that link, Steve! There was a whole lot of great information packed into that piece. Terrific pictures, too!

Hi Steve, I also enjoyed the factory tour. Tobias what did you think about the blog this guy started for SAKS ? I am going to do some more reading there.

Hi Ricky..  This is the first I've seen it.  Looks like a lot to digest and very informative.  The tang stamps and such should prove very helpful   He has an excellent collection.  It'll take some time to get through all of it.   I'm more curious what Wayne has to say.  He is the real expert in the group!

The coolest thing about the pioneer is that it is laied out like a classic camp/scout knife.  The end mounted reamer is fantastic compared to the spine mounted one!

I've got the Standard  Pioneer in Red and The Pioneer  Farmer in Silver.  I  Also have the 84mm Cadet and an Alox 58mm.   I need to get more alox Scales

I am looking for a reference book on SAK's.  Does anyone have a recommendation ? I found this one on Amazon, Swiss Army Knives: A Collector's Companion Hardcover – May 31, 20

The book by Derek Jackson is OK but not really comprehensive. It is more of a b beginners book. There is also a book "The knife and its history" written by the Victorinox company released in 1984. Hard to find book that is out of print. It has some interesting company history. Then there is a privately written book  by Michael Young called "Swiss Army Knife, The — Owner's Manual" and it is full of history, tips and photos. Check out the book section on the SAKWicki website for a more complete list of books. The last book can be had for around $20 and is still currently being sold.

I'll second one of Wayne's suggestions:  

The Swiss Army Knife Owner's Manual

It can be found on Amazon for about $20.

I will agree with Wayne and Ron, having seen and read all three.  I have the owners manual and it probably is the best.  They are hard to find, even in library systems.

As good as the manual is, you will still find it lacking.  I've had more answers to questions answered in the group and on the SAK-wiki than any of the books.

I have each of the other 2 books if you are interested. The Derek Jackson book can be found quite readily but the Victorinox book is scarce and OOP.