Victorinox Swiss Army is a company based in Ibach, Switzerland and it has been making the Swiss Army Knife since 1891.
This is the ingenious pen knife Schweizer Offiziersmesser, or ‘Swiss Officer Knife’, that US soldiers loved so much that they bought thousands of them after WWII, calling them a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ because they couldn’t pronounce the German words.
These amazing knives were originally in made in Switzerland for the Swiss army, and they were mainly used for opening food cans and servicing their rifles. That was why they included a screwdriver.
The design has come a very long way since then as the original only had a blade, a reamer, which they used for cutting metal, and a screwdriver.
These days they have many more attachments and a very special spring mechanism holds everything together.
Karl Elsener designed the spring, and when his mother died, he decided to call the knife after her, ‘Victoria’, then when they introduced stainless steel (inox) into the knife, they joined the two words together and came up with ‘Victorinox’.
I have never met a man who did not love his Swiss Army Knife. My grandad had one very similar to the one in the picture below, I think a soldier gave it to him during WWII, because it was very precious to him. I remember he used it when he went fishing, and to open his bottles of wine!
My dad had one too and so does my husband. My son just can’t wait for his turn to have one! It’s a sort of coming of age thing for him. I think it is a man thing!
Here’s an original Swiss Army Knife.
When I bought it for my husband I really couldn’t see how all those attachments could possibly be useful – after all my nail scissors were perfect for sorting all those fiddly, irritating little jobs! I couldn’t work out what all those thingys were for, especially that pointy one!
However, over the years I have grown very fond of it. I cannot begin to tell you how useful it has been. My husband keeps it hidden away somewhere in the car. It has helped us out of so many difficulties, and we have certainly used every single feature.
That pointy thing is fantastic for starting a hole in wood, and then you use the screwdriver to drive in the screw! No problem! Brilliant idea!
It even has tiny tweezers for removing splinters from fingers, and ours has two bottle openers and a corkscrew – fabulous I’d say!
It’s perfect when you go on holiday or traveling, although you won’t be allowed to take it on a flight.
We use ours every time we go camping, which is one of the things we love to do. I had even used it when I went camping in Switzerland!!
Here’s the biggest Swiss Army Knife ever made!
There are replicas out there these days, but Victorinox Swiss Army knives are the best because they are so well made.
The rivets and flanged bushings are made from brass and they hold all the various blades and knives together. The tools themselves are as hard as steel. They are nice and solid. They feel like a quality product because that’s exactly what they are. They come with a lifetime warranty.
I bought this knife over 20 years ago for my husband and it is still working perfectly. Nothing has fallen off and he’s never had a problem with it. Which is more than I can say for my pathetic nail scissors!
Any man would be delighted to open a present with a Swiss Army knife in it. It’s worth recording their reaction! My husband was so happy, he said that he’d always wanted one, and I could tell that he was really chuffed with his gift!
Did you know that Victorinox Swiss Army make other things for men that are also of excellent quality and would make great Christmas presents. I really love the look of their watches! Take a look at the one I’ve posted below!
I love the style and design of this watch. It’s a great price too. The Swiss are famed for their watches. Click on the image further down the page and you’ll be taken directly to Amazon.com, where there are more amazing styles.
Beautiful Switzerland
Fancy a Fabulous Trip to Switzerland?
Great Rail Journeys | Train Holidays in Europe – Experience Europe by train, on fully escorted train holidays throughout Europe, enjoy the panoramic beauty of Switzerland by rail. Truly breathtaking experiences. No flying involved!
Here’s another article I wrote about Mens Winter Hats. Perhaps you’re looking for a gift for under Christmas tree!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
