A red handle, a small white cross, a blade or two, and fold-out tools for the job -- a Swiss Army Knife is an icon of utility and smart design recognizable the world over. Invented in the 1880s, and today still made exclusively in only two factories in Switzerland, the pocket knives are produced in dozens of varieties at a tune of more than 15 million per year.
This summer, on a trip to Europe, I toured Swiss Army Knife factories in Ibach and Delemont, the idyll Swiss towns where pocket knives have been made for more than 100 years. Amid the pounding of machines and the bins of knife implements on the factory floor, workers assembled knife after knife to meet the world's demand.
(Old Victorinox HQ)
It was in Ibach, in 1884, where Karl Elsener and his mother, Victoria, opened a cutlery cooperative that would soon produce the first knives sold to the Swiss Army. The original model, called the Soldier Knife, was made for troops who needed a foldable tool that could open canned food and aid in disassembling a rifle. The Soldier Knife included a blade, a reamer, a can opener, a screwdriver, and oak handles.
Today, similar simple pocket knives roll continuously off the line at Victorinox A.G., the company that grew out of Elsener's small cooperative decades back. Blades, corkscrews, files, punches, can openers, scissors, saws, and tiny toothpicks are long-time features.
In Switzerland, I traveled by train from city to city. Across the country, in the†French-speaking region of†Jura, I toured Wenger†S.A., the other half of the Swiss Army coin.
The Delemont company, founded as a cutler in the 19th century and later modernized by businessman Theodore Wenger, shares the Swiss Army knife trademark with Victorinox. Both companies' knives have a similar history, and both have been purchased in bulk quantities by the Swiss Army since the 1890s.
Other Victorinox knives include 21st-century touches like laser pointers, USB storage drives, and fingerprint scanners with data encryption built in. All the implements, from blades to data drives, are foldable or set on springs to disappear when not in use.
Like Victorinox, the Wenger Swiss Army Knives come in dozens of types. The company sells simple pocket knives on up to multitools like the Mike Horn Knife, a half-pound beast with two blades and a pliers. Its EvoGrip line has added ergonomic contours to knife handles. In 2006, Wenger introduced the Giant, a gargantuan, nine-inch-wide "pocket knife" with 85 implements that sells as a collector's item for $1,400.
Wenger and Victorinox are distinct companies. But both are owned by the Elsener family, with the great-grandchildren of Karl Elsener still overseeing production and managing a business that employs thousands of Swiss workers.
In Ibach, after a tour of a factory where up to 28,000 Swiss Army Knives are made every day, I sat down with Charles Elsener, one of the great-grandchildren of the company's founder. He pulled a couple knives from his pocket and started snapping blades and implements out for show.
(New Victornix HQ)
Charles Elsener talked about the hidden springs on which the blades and screwdrivers snap open and closed. It was a type of this spring mechanism, invented in the original Ibach cutlery, that made Swiss Army Knives stand out 100 years back.
At my meeting this summer, Charles Elsener spoke about new implements, test products, and the science of metallurgy for making a perfect blade. From the factory below, I could hear the machines beat. It's been 126 years in Ibach. The Swiss Army Knife machine continues to crank on.
--Stephen Regenold is founder and editor of www.gearjunkie.com.
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A statement which we hear time and time again from our customers all over the world. The advertising medium that matches your image. A top-quality Swiss product – multi-functional, valuable and timeless! Read the history of Swiss Army Knife below . You can buy these swiss army knives imprinted with your own company logo from Futura Promotional Solutions. Check out the complete collection at https://www.victorinox.com/content/corporate_gifts and call us at 703-880-8230 to place orders or questions.
A statement which we hear time and time again from our customers all over the world. The advertising medium that matches your image. A top-quality Swiss product – multi-functional, valuable and timeless! Read the history of Swiss Army Knife below . You can buy these swiss army knives imprinted with your own company logo from Futura Promotional Solutions. Check out the complete collection at https://www.victorinox.com/content/corporate_gifts and call us at 703-880-8230 to place orders or questions.
The Victorinox Premium Promotional Products collection is based on 120 years of experience in developing, manufacturing and selling top-quality brand products ‘Made in Switzerland’. Original Victorinox products are clearly identified by the ‘cross and shield’ logo. And pocket tools are also identifiable by the imprint on the shank of the blade.
Victorinox brand products are synonymous with quality and multifunctionality, are recognized all over the world and are successfully used worldwide in all industries and by all demographic groups thanks to their positive attributes. Our in-house Graphic Design and Labeling/Inscription departments guarantee the professional implementation of your corporate design.
Our extensive product portfolio ranges from simple promotional products to classic ‘Swiss Army Knife’ designs and incentive products, such as timepieces and top-quality executive travel gear and business gear.
Here is a summary of the main advantages:
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Extremely versatile:
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