The Swiss Army knife () is a multi-tooled pocketknife made for the Swiss Army since 1890, with consumer versions made, particularly since 1945.: "Swiss knife", : "Swiss officer's knife", : "Pocket knife", : "Swiss pocket knife" The term "Swiss Army knife" was used by American soldiers after World War II rather than the German word "", meaning "Officer's knife". They are commonly made by Victorinox and its subsidiary Wenger.
The Swiss Army knife generally has a drop-point main blade plus screwdriver, bottle opener, can opener and awl, while commercial versions include other blades and tools, such as scissors, corkscrew, saw blade, tweezers and toothpick. The blades and tools are folded into the handle of the knife through a pivot point mechanism. The handle is traditionally a brown cellulose fibre with embossed Swiss cross, with later military issue having plastic handles with the coat of arms of Switzerland and consumer versions mainly having red plastic handles but also made in a variety of colours and materials. Consumer knives can be distinguished by their cross logos; the Victorinox logo has a cross surrounded by a shield while Wenger's has a cross surrounded by a rounded square.
The knives are an icon of Swiss culture and the design and the versatility of the knife have worldwide recognition. Until 2008, Victorinox and Wenger supplied about 50,000 knives to the Swiss military each year and manufactured many more for export, mostly to the United States. Sales declined significantly as a result of competition from other pocket multi-tools and legal restrictions on the carrying of knives, particularly on airlines.
History
Origins
Multi-tool pocket knives have been made since at least the mid-19th century. In 1851, in Moby-Dick (chapter 107), Herman Melville mentions the "Sheffield contrivances, assuming the exterior – though a little swelled – of a common pocket knife; but containing, not only blades of various sizes, but also screwdrivers, cork-screws, tweezers, bradawls, pens, rulers, nail files and countersinkers."
During the late 1880s, the Swiss Army decided to purchase a new folding pocket knife for their soldiers. This knife was to be suitable for use by the army in opening canned food and for maintenance of the Swiss service rifle, the Schmidt–Rubin, which required a screwdriver for assembly and disassembly. In January 1891, the knife received the official designation Modell 1890. The knife had a blade, reamer, can opener, screwdriver, and grips made out of dark oak wood, some possibly later replaced with ebony wood. At that time, no Swiss company had the necessary production capacity, so the initial order for 15,000 knives was placed with the German knife manufacturer Wester & Co. of Solingen, Germany. These knives were delivered in October 1891.
Victorinox and Wenger
In 1891, Karl Elsener, owner of a business in Ibach, Switzerland that made surgical equipment (which later became Victorinox) set out to manufacture the knives in Switzerland. In late 1891, Elsener began production of the Modell 1890 knives, in competition with the German manufacturer. He incurred financial losses doing so, as Wester & Co was able to produce the knives at a lower cost.
In 1893, the Swiss cutlery company Paul Boéchat & Cie of Delémont in the French-speaking Canton of Jura, received its first contract from the Swiss military to produce model 1890 knives. Later, its general manager, Théodore Wenger, acquired the company and renamed it the Wenger Company. The two Swiss companies split the initial contract for provision of the knives.
Elsener was on the verge of bankruptcy when, in 1896, he developed an improved knife, intended for the use by officers, with tools attached on both sides of the handle using a special spring mechanism, allowing him to use the same spring to hold them in place. This new knife was patented on 12 June 1897, with a second, smaller cutting blade, a corkscrew, and cellulose fibre grips, under the name of ("Swiss officer's and sports knife"). The Swiss military did not commission the knife but it was successfully marketed internationally, restoring Elsener's company to prosperity."Officer's and Sports Knife" SAKWiki Wenger produced similar knives.
In 1908 the Swiss government split the contract between Victorinox and Wenger, placing half the orders with each.
In 1909, Elsener used a variation on the Swiss coat of arms to identify his knives. With slight modifications, this is still the company logo. In 1909, following the death of his mother, Elsener used her name Victoria as a brand name. In 1921 following the invention of stainless steel ( in French), Karl Elsener's son renamed the company to be Victorinox combining Victoria and inoxydable.
Wenger advertised as "the Genuine Swiss Army Knife" and Victorinox as "the Original Swiss Army Knife".
By the early 2000s, sales of Swiss Army knives declined dramatically as a result of competition from other pocket multi-tools and restrictions on carrying knives, especially on airlines.
On 26 April 2005, Victorinox acquired Wenger, becoming the sole supplier of knives to the military of Switzerland. Victorinox at first kept the Wenger brand intact, but on 30 January 2013, it announced that the Wenger brand of knives would be abandoned in favour of Victorinox. A press release stated that Wenger's factory in Delémont would continue to produce knives and all employees at this site will retain their jobs. They further elaborated that an assortment of items from the Wenger line-up will remain in production under the Victorinox brand name. Wenger's US headquarters would be merged with Victorinox's location in Monroe, Connecticut. Wenger's watch and licensing business will continue as a separate brand: SwissGear.
Swiss government legal proceedings over trademark Victorinox registered the words "Swiss Army" and "Swiss Military" as trademarks in the United States (US). The Swiss government agency, Armasuisse took legal action against Victorinox in October 2018.Maurizio Minetti, Der Bund gegen Victorinox vor Gericht: Streit um «Swiss Military» Luzerner Zeitung, 18 October 2018. After an initial hearing, Victorinox agreed to cede the US registration in of the term "Swiss military" to Armasuisse in return for an exclusive licence to market perfumes under the same name.
Features
Components
There are various models of the Swiss Army knife with different tool combinations.
Though Victorinox does not provide custom knives, they have produced many different variations to suit individual users, with the Wenger company producing even more model variations.
Common main layer tools Large blade With 'VICTORINOX SWISS MADE' tang stamp on Victorinox blades since 2005 Small blade Nail file Scissors Sharpened to a 65° angle Wood saw Metal file or metal saw with nail file Magnifying glass Phillips screwdriver Fish scaler / hook disgorger / ruler in cm and inches Pliers / wire cutter / wire crimper Can opener / 3 mm slot screwdriver Bottle opener / 6 mm slot screwdriver with wire stripper
Other main layer tools LED light USB flash drive Hoof cleaner Shackle opener / marlinspike Electrician's blade / wire scraper Pruning blade Pharmaceutical spatula (cuticle pusher) Cyber Tool (bit driver) Combination tool containing cap opener / can opener / 5 mm slot screwdriver with wire stripper
Back layer tools Corkscrew or Phillips driver Reamer Multipurpose hook with nail file 2mm slotted screwdriver Chisel Mini screwdriver (screws within the corkscrew) Keyring
Scale tools Tweezers Toothpick Pressurised ballpoint pen (with a retractable version on smaller models, which can be used to set DIP switches) Stainless steel pin Digital clock / alarm / timer / altimeter / thermometer / barometer
Three Victorinox Swiss Army knife models had a butane lighter: the SwissFlame, the CampFlame and the SwissChamp XXLT, first introduced in 2002 and discontinued in 2005. The models were never sold in the United States due to lack of safety features. They used a standard piezoelectric ignition system for easy ignition, with adjustable flame; they were designed for operation at altitudes up to above sea level and continuous operation of 10 minutes.
In January 2010, Victorinox announced the Presentation Master models, released in April 2010. The technological tools included a laser pointer, and detachable flash drive with fingerprint reader. Victorinox now sells an updated version called the Slim Jetsetter, with "a premium software package that provides ultra secure data encryption, automatic backup functionality, secure web surfing capabilities, file and email synchronization between the drive and multiple computers, Bluetooth pairing and much more. On the hardware side of things, biometric fingerprint technology, laser pointers, LED lights, Bluetooth remote control and of course, the original implements – blade, scissors, nail file, screwdriver, key ring and ballpoint pen are standard. **Not every feature is available on every model within the collection."
In 2006, Wenger produced a knife called "The Giant" that included every implement the company ever made, with 87 tools and 141 different functions. It was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's most multifunctional penknife. It retails for about €798 or $US1000, though some vendors charge much higher prices.
In the same year, Victorinox released the SwissChamp XAVT, consisting of 118 parts and 80 functions with a retail price of $425. The Guinness Book of Records recognizes a unique 314-blade Swiss Army-style knife made in 1991 by Master Cutler Hans Meister as the world's largest penknife, weighing .
Materials Rivets and flanged bushings made from brass hold together all machined steel parts and other tools, separators and the scales. The rivets are made by cutting and pointing appropriately sized bars of solid brass.
The separators between the tools have been made from aluminium alloy since 1951. This makes the knives lighter. Previously these separating layers were made of nickel-silver.
The martensitic stainless steel alloy used for the cutting blades is optimized for high toughness and corrosion resistance and has a composition of 15% chromium, 0.60% silicon, 0.52% carbon, 0.50% molybdenum, and 0.45% manganese and is designated X55CrMo14 or DIN 1.4110 according to Victorinox."Product presentation of a knife" Victorinox. After a hardening process at 1040 °C and annealing at 160 °C the blades achieve an average hardness of 56 HRC. This steel hardness is suitable for practical use and easy resharpening, but less than achieved in stainless steel alloys used for blades optimized for high wear resistance. According to Victorinox the martensitic stainless steel alloy used for the other parts is X39Cr13 (aka DIN 1.4031, AISI/ASTM 420) and for the springs X20Cr13 (aka DIN 1.4021, but still within AISI/ASTM 420).
The steel used for the wood saws, scissors and nail files has a steel hardness of HRC 53, the screwdrivers, tin openers and awls have a hardness of HRC 52, and the corkscrew and springs have a hardness of HRC 49.
The metal saws and files, in addition to the special case hardening, are also subjected to a hard chromium plating process so that iron and steel can also be filed and cut.