COLLECTION: Victorinox Ambassador Hoffritz 74mm (1970s)

My second 74mm Ambassador which is also from the early 1970s.  This time it is the co-branded, Hoffritz version.  

Hoffritz brand is the shortened version of its proper company name Hoffritz for Cutlery which was a specialty cutlery retail chain stores business in the metropolitan area of New York which started in the 1930s.  According to the CEO of one of its suppliers who started supplying them with Swiss Army Knives since the 1940's, "In the minds of many New Yorkers, Hoffritz was the first place people thought of when they wanted to buy a pocket knife".  Sadly, due to financial difficulties the company eventually filed for bankruptcy in 1994.  The Hoffritz brand was then acquired by its current owners the Lifetime Hoan Corporation.

References:
Hoffritz for Cutlery wikipedia, accessed 6 August 2014.
NY Times: Trying a Jump-Start at Hoffritz, accessed 6 August 2014.
NY Times: Company News; Lifetime Hoan Buys Hoffritz Cutlery Brand Name, accessed 6 August 2014.

REVIEW: Victorinox SwissChamp vs Wenger Champ - Battle of the Biggies

I acquired a 1980's Wenger Champ in good condition a while back and since I also have the original Victorinox SwissChamp from the 80's as well, I thought it's a good idea to compare them side by side.  

The Wenger Champ is an 85mm-8 layer model also marketed as the Classic 28.  It preceded the Pocket Tool Chest and was one of the biggest models of Wenger during the time of its release together with the Matterhorn.

The Victorinox SwissChamp is a 91mm-7 layer model that was introduced in 1985 and contained all the available tools produced during that time.  It replaced the Champion upon its introduction but the Champion was still produced and sold in parallel with it.

Here is a summary of the tool set compared side by side in table format.  The SwissChamp has more tools owing to the good use of the back layer.

Size: The SwissChamp is longer and feels bulkier than the Champ.  

Main Blade: Almost the same size, the SwissChamp main blade is slightly longer but the Champ main blade is slightly wider.

Metal File w/ saw: Almost the same length and width.  

Wood Saw: SwissChamp saw is longer but thinner.  Also the saw tooth pattern are different.

Fish Scaler: The Victorinox has the longer scaler with a ruler engraved to it as well.

Philips Screwdriver:  Both have inline Philips screwdrivers which is great for actual use.  The SwissChamp one is significantly longer and bulkier than the Champ one.

Can Opener: Completely different designs.

Caplifter: Same design.  The Victorinox has the larger one of the two.

Scissors: Completely different design.  The Wenger has the "serrated" scissors and has a different implementation of the spring compared to the Victorinox.  The Victorinox scissors is bigger as well.

Magnifying Glass:  The Wenger design is better looking than the Victorinox one, specially since the frame is metal and is longer.  Although the magnifying glass itself is smaller in diameter compared to the Victorinox one.

Corkscrew: Same length, the SwissChamp has the old design with groove.

Awl: The Champ has a thinner and a bit longer awl.  It also doesn't have the sewing eye that the SwissChamp has.
  

Layer Tool differences:

The Wenger Champ has the pointed nail file and universal wrench, which I think is a pretty cool tool.  I hope that Victorinox will adopt this tool in their knives in the future.

Meanwhile, the SwissChamp has the slim plier (first version) and small spear point blade in the main layer; small flat screwdriver and chisel in the back layer.

The SwissChamp has the ball point pen in the scales as well.

Reference:
www.sakwiki.com

COLLECTION: Victorinox Classic 58mm (1970s)

This is the 1970s classic version of the Classic. It sports an aluminum-head tweezers.  It also has the Victoria (w/ crossbow) tang stamp which dates it at early 1970s.  Although, it is hard to date the 58mm's as there isn't a lot of information about them unlike the 91mm's which has a good tool evolution information.

COLLECTION: Victorinox Classic Canadian National Flag 58mm

One of the collections I would like to complete in the future is the National Flags released by Victorinox.  I have yet to acquire one until now.  This one is not in a very good condition, there's a crack on the scale with the print of the flag (arghh!).  Still better than nothing.  If any of you have some national flags to sell for reasonable prices, please let me know. I'll gladly take them off your hands for a reasonable price.

Swiss Army Knives Collectors FB Page

Last month, I started a group in Facebook focused on Swiss Army Knives collecting.  The membership quickly grew and now we're 106-member strong :)  There's a lot of interesting collection being shown and a lot more information being exchanged between members.

Great interaction overall! 

If you want to join, please visit Swiss Army Knives Collectors FB Page.

COLLECTION: Victorinox Alox Watch Case Opener 84mm

Victorinox and Wenger have produced versions of the watch case opener mainly for the various  Swiss watch companies. That's why most of the samples out in the wild have a company logo or name printed on the scales.  

Mine has a "Nivada" company name.  According to the history I read, Nivada is a swiss watch company founded in 1879 in the town of Grenchen, Switzerland.  The town of Grenchen has a large traditional watch industry and some of the famous manufacturers like Breitling SA, Epos, Fortis and Titoni Ltd are based here.  Nivada has since moved its manufacturing operations in Mexico in 2000 and re-focused its business towards entry level watches.

The "Elinox" tang stamp was introduced in 1957, it is not far off to say this particular SAK was produced in the 1960s.

References:
www.sakwiki.com Watch Case Opener
Nivada Wikipedia page

COLLECTION: VIctorinox Classic Edelweiss 58mm

Victorinox produced this collection to honor the Edelweiss flower that has been used as a symbol for purity and rugged beauty associated with the Alps.  It is also a national symbol (flower) for Switzerland and Austria.

Photo of the actual flower from the Wikipedia page:

Reference:

www.wikipedia.com