IBACH, Switzerland (dpa) – A fateful decision was passed on the Swiss soldier’s knife late last year. The people of Switzerland were asked to decide on the future of their army yet again.
The only problem was – how could the Swiss Army Knife hold on to its global-market share when the army it’s supposed to represent doesn’t exist?The Swiss rejected the attempt at self-disarmament by a margin of 78.1 per cent for an overwhelming vote of confidence in the Swiss penknife. The said knife must be the most civilised piece of soldier’s equipment in military history.Switzerland was an industrially underdeveloped country in the 19th century. In 1889, the army came up with the idea of combining the various soldierly implements into one tool, but found that local businesses were unable to guarantee the mass-production.The order to make the army penknife was given to the centre of cutlery-production in Germany, Solingen. Karl Elsener, a cutler from Schwyz, found this situation intolerable and drummed up support among his colleagues to find a way to produce the knives in Switzerland.Success, however, only came with the introduction of the “officer’s knife”, which became popular worldwide thanks to American GIs. Today, the largest of the officer’s knives has over 30 functions. The simple soldier’s penknife, on the other hand, has “only” a blade, an awl, a screwdriver and a bottle-opener.The knife is still produced in the identical silver design, as supplied to the Swiss Army. It was originally conceived by the companies Victorinox and Wenger.The two firms are not content to rest on the laurels of the indestructible reputation their product has earned and they still contribute to progress in technology and lifestyle.Wenger, for example, produces a model with an integrated laser that is useful for speech-reading and the Swiss Cigar Knife which has everything a Havana-fan needs.For those who find carrying a penknife on the belt a bit of a burden, there is now a compendium of tools which fits inside a wallet.The SwissCard instruments, manufactured by Victorinox, fit in a case the size of a credit card.Victorinox is proud of the Altimeter, a multifunctional model which doesn’t just tell you your altitude and costs around 70 euros (61 dollars). All in all, the officer’s knife is a very affordable symbol of quality Swiss workmanship.However, the Swiss officer’s knife has rivals overseas. The American engineer Tim Leatherman came up with his Original Pocket Survival Tool in the early 1980s.In contrast to the Swiss Army Knife, the Survival Tool has implements which are snapped open rather than pulled out, and provide much more leverage.Stahlwaren Schmitz, a steel-goods maker in Neubrunn, Bavaria, has imported Leatherman products since 1984.Deputy manager Marcel Schmitz said: “Initially we sold five or ten a month. Now it’s several thousand.”Nowadays the tools, which cost about 75 euros (65 dollars), are a class unto themselves, with Victorinox and Wenger still providing much of the impulse.At the moment an atmosphere of co-existence reigns between the pocket-tool producers on either side of the Atlantic.“An officer’s knife can be carried in a suit, a tool is more for technicians,” says Rena Strelow at an outdoor shop in Berlin. Price also plays a role.The officer’s knife is about half as expensive as a Leatherman – and how many other Swiss products can claim that distinction?
