The Net Faery

The Net Faery

The Giant Swiss Army Knife


The Swiss Army knife was originated in Switzerland in 90s. First manufactured for the Swiss Army, it is now the best selling pocket knife across the globe. Victorinox and Wenger, the manufacturers and proprietors of the copyrighted term ‘Swiss Army knife‘, still issue the Swiss Army with about 50,000 of these knives each year. Its worldwide popularity is due to its extensive variety of instruments and uses and for it being more durable other favoured brands of pocket knives. They have shown to be so popular they are today utilized on expeditions to trying climates such as the North Pole, Antarctica and Mt. Everest, and are even supplied as Basic issue to the crew of space shuttles.

The origin of the very first Swiss Army knife can be traced back to Karl Elsener. Elsener was a stout patriarch who was Horrified to learn the knives issued to the Swiss Army were manufactured in Germany. It took Elsener some 5 years to manufacture the first knife utilized by the Swiss Army that was actually manufactured in Switzerland. He contributed the cross and shield to the knives to help identify them.

The Swiss Army knife is produced in a number of models, sizes and colours. Basic instruments found on most of the knives include 2 blades, tooth pick, tweezers, cork-screw, bottle open, pair of scissors and nail file. Some more advanced models also feature both a Phillips-head and flat-head screwdriver, Biro, can opener, saw, magnifying glass, wrench, fish scaler and pair of pliers. With Swiss Army knives being used for a number of various uses, a large number of models are manufactured. Victorinox, for example, produces over 100 unique sizes and models. Their latest range, ‘Victorinox Cybertools’, feature the most modern technologically savvy attachments such as music players, digital clocks, laser pointer, altimeters and USB thumb drives. The Common range of knives are some 9 centimetres long, however some of the more advanced knives range from just a few centimetres, to a knife produced by Wenger called ‘The Giant’, which was upwards of 22cm long.

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