Army Digital

The story begins in 1891 with Karl Elsener, who owns a company that made the surgical team. He founded the Association of Swiss Master Cutlers, for supply of Swiss Army knives, which at that time were using German-made. Elsener took five years to reach what he called the "Soldier's Knife" (today in Switzerland as "Offiziersmesser"). With suggestions of an engineer friend, Jeannine Keller, the original model had a wooden handle and came with a blade, can opener, screwdriver, and a strikeout. It was actually made available to the army before 1896, but Elsener was not satisfied with the device and, finally, was able to put blades on both sides by a special mechanism that uses a single source for the two blades. This allowed him to also add a corkscrew.

Elsener company, Victorinox, was the sole provider of multi-function knives until 1893. A company in the French speaking part of Switzerland called Paul Boechat & Cie began marketing a similar product. The company was acquired by its General Manager, Theodore Wenger, and the company name changed to Wenger. In 1908, the government Swiss decided to split the contract between the two companies knives, partly to appease German and French-speaking factions in the country, and partly to stimulate competition (and lower prices of the knives). The two companies reached a marketing agreement with Victorinox, using the phrase "The Original Swiss Army Knife and Wenger, with "The Original Swiss Army Knife". The next year (1909), the Swiss army knives began to decorate the symbol Swiss national (a white cross). Victorinox uses a shield with bilateral symmetry around the cross, while Wenger, uses a slightly rounded square with symmetry ring. The Swiss army knife uses a simple coat bilaterally symmetrical.

Victorinox opted for stainless steel blades and tools in 1921. Wenger is believed also made at the same time, but company sources are inconclusive about the exact date. The knives were sold in PX stores U.S. army bases from 1945 to 1949. In fact, it is believed that the term "Swiss Army Knife" was coined in English by American soldiers during the Second World War, because he could not pronounce the name of Switzerland "Offiziersmesser.

Today, Swiss Army Knives contain a multitude of tools, including: several leaves, a stripper bottle-opener/screwdriver/wire, CAN / can opener screwdriver, tweezers, toothpick, corkscrew, Phillips screwdriver, nail file, scissors, saw, hook, magnifying glass, ballpoint pen, fish scaler, pliers, USB flash memory key chain, digital clock, digital altimeter, LED light, laser pointer, mp3 player, separator and a bronze in the model army officer, who mounts the SIG 550 and SIG 510 assault rifles (with the screwdriver and reamer extended, the knife becomes a brake for the hammer in the lock assembly). Wenger has a special model that contains all the tools they make. The device is almost twice as wide as long, and retail sales of about $ 1,200.

The knives are also available in many colors besides the traditional red. Black, blue, white, pink, camouflage, fluorescent yellow and many others, in opaque or transparent. Also metal and wood coating. The model actually used by the army Swiss aluminum is made, and not red at all.

On 26 April 2005, the company acquired Victorinox Wenger has again become the sole supplier of knives to the Swiss army. The company intends to keep the brand alive Wenger knives sold to consumers.

About the Author:

Michael Carpenter operates two websites that sell Swiss Army Knives:
Army Knife Swiss (US) and
Army Knife Swiss (UK).

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - A Short History of the Swiss Army Knife

Army Digital

Army Digital