13 Fun Facts About Swiss Army Knives 

Curious about Swiss Army knives? Then you’re certainly in the right place because we’ve got all the facts about Swiss Army knives you might be interested in!

Who invented them, how are they made, and which are the best ones are just a few of the questions answered in this guide. Read on to learn all the facts about Swiss Army knives you need to know and see what it is that makes them so great! 

Who Invented The Swiss Army Knife?

The official Swiss Army knife slowly evolved from the knives that were issued to Swiss soldiers. These were originally produced by a German knife manufacturer Wester, but Karl Elsner started producing them in Switzerland in 1891. 

He was a Swiss cutler and he founded Victorinox in 1884. The company was founded in Ibach, Switzerland, and since its inception, it has grown to become synonymous with Swiss quality. 

Back in the day, the Wenger company also used to produce the first Swiss Army knives. In the late 19th century, the Swiss Army decided to offer Wenger the contract as well, so the two knife manufacturing companies split the contract for the supply of the Swiss military force until Victorinox bought Wenger in 2005. 

How Are Swiss Army Knives Made?

If you’re genuinely interested in the process of manufacturing Swiss Army knives, you’ll really enjoy this video:

The Victorinox Swiss knife blades are stamped from steel rolls, and each of the rolls can produce about 16,000 steel blades. The main Victorinox factory produces about 45,000 knives every day, so they utilize about three steel rolls per day. 

It takes about five minutes to produce one Swiss Army knife, which is pretty impressive. The exact time depends on the model, and it’s also worth noting that the different tools seen on various models of the SAM require alloys of different hardness. 

The red casing is made with injection molding and it’s one of the last components in production. 

Who Makes Swiss Army Knives?

The Swiss company Victorinox manufactures Swiss Army knives. They’ve been manufacturing them since the late 19th century, and they’re the leader in the Swiss Army knife market today. 

It’s worth noting that there was another Swiss cutlery company that had the contract to manufacture military knives. This was the company Paul Boéchat & Cie, which later became known as Wenger.

Victorinox acquired Wenger in 2005 and since 2013, all the Wenger knives have been integrated into the Victorinox product range. Some were discontinued, the most notable of which is the Wenger Giant, which was the largest SAM that was ever produced. 

How Long Is A Swiss Army Knife?

Swiss Army knives are between 58mm and 111mm long when closed, with six other options in between. They are available in a wide variety of sizes, so the length does differ from model to model. 

Both the length and thickness of the model depend on the number of tools it has. Also, it’s worth noting that those are the available options for Victorinox Swiss Army knives – those produced by Wenger are available in a few other sizes. 

Wenger SAMs are available in sizes from 65mm to 130mm, with five options in the middle of the range. 

Which Swiss Army Knife Has The Most Tools?

Out of all the Swiss Army knives that were ever produced, the Wenger Giant was the one that had the most tools. It included every single tool that was ever created for a Swiss Army knife, and it had 87 different implements that allowed for 141