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So he convinced local cutlers like himself to club together and jointly manufacture the pocket knife in Switzerland by 1891. Just as his great grandson is today trying to fend off cheap competition from the Far East, Victorinox’s founder was irritated by the military’s bid to turn to Germany’s steel industry for mass production.
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The Swiss army wanted to supply conscripts with a knife they could also use to maintain their new rifle and open tinned food, something of a novelty for army rations at the time. The devout Karl Elsener was motivated by more earthy, practical values and the kind of business acumen that seems to run in the family.Īfter learning his trade in Switzerland, France and Germany, he set up his cutlery and knife workshop in the village of Ibach in 1884. Ominously, it was hung above the couple’s bed. In Italy an ornate small folding blade was dubbed the “coltello d’amore" - the knife of love - an engagement gift to encourage the future husband to remain faithful. “Powerful presidents have been using the Swiss Army knife as a gift for their visitors to the White House," he added, also recalling that it was once used to perform an in-flight emergency tracheotomy high above the Philippines.Īn exhibition at the Swiss National Museum in Schwyz, near the firm’s headquarters, retraces the evolution of pocket knives “from tool to icon", revealing the far more rural flavour of the early models.Īpart from replacing daggers, the European ancestors of the multipurpose tool were designed to saw wood, castrate boar, pluck feathers or sew potato sacks. “The Swiss Army knife became the reliable companion for many expeditions, to the North Pole, the South Pole, in the Amazon, to Mount Everest, even official equipment of the space shuttle crews," said Elsener with pride. “We always try to be very close to the market and get new ideas," said Elsener junior, great-grandson of the company’s founder.Īlthough the modern discourse is imbued with marketing speak, Elsener says the family firm has poured “a lot of soul" for more than 125 years into developing the legendary red tool. Victorinox president Carl Elsener is eyeing a Bluetooth-equipped remote controller for business presentations next, and even fingerprint ID to secure data stored on the computer memory key. Made Schrade Tough, Schrade's Uncle Henry and Old Timer knife products have been carried by generations of Americans, and prized for their reliability, durability and value.ĭeeply rooted in the Uncle Henry tradition, the Schrade Knife family tree includes Old Timer Knives and Uncle Henry Knives.Former rival and now subsidiary Wenger recently added the folding nail clipper to the nail file, while London’s Bond Street, New York’s Soho and Tokyo’s Ginza rival army barracks around the world as outlets. that are built for use, with Staglon handles, brass liners, nickel silver bolsters, and stainless steel blades.įor almost 100 years, since 1904, the Schrade and Uncle Henry name products have been manufactured with superior materials and expert craftsmanship. The Uncle Henry knife line, made by the new Schrade, is a selection of pocket knives, lock blades, fixed blade hunters, etc. The only sad note is that they are now imported from China to keep the prices low. Taylor has recreated the original patterns, and made these Classics available to the public once more.
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Thanks to Taylor Brands LLC, which purchased the intellectual property rights to all of the Old Timer, Schrade, and Uncle Henry Knives, these great classics live again. However popular name brands and designs are in demand by the public, and as Mark Twain once said, "Reports of my Demise are Greatly Exaggerated". There will be no more original Schrade Uncle Henry knives produced. Uncle Henry Knives manufactured by the Imperial Schrade Corporation closed their doors July 30, 2004, after 100 years of business.