Famed Swiss Army Knives to Be Produced Without Blades

Swiss company Victorinox, known for its versatile Swiss Army knives, is working on a bladeless version. This was revealed by Victorinox CEO Karl Elsener in an interview with the Swiss publication Blick.

The decision was not spurred by a sudden pacifist stance, but rather to circumvent restrictions in some countries. 

"The presence of a blade in our knives leads to our products being primarily seen as weapons in certain markets," stated Karl Elsener.

These countries include England and some Asian nations, where carrying knives requires a special permit granted only to those using them for professional or recreational purposes. Many major cities worldwide also impose restrictions on carrying pocket knives. Hence, Victorinox plans to add tools for cyclists instead of blades to their new models.

However, labelling this decision as innovative is quite challenging, as similar tools called multitools have long existed. Nonetheless, for those who buy Victorinox knives primarily for the corkscrew, this decision might be quite appealing.

This isn't the first time Victorinox has grappled with the issue of categorizing a pocket knife's blade as potential cold weaponry. For instance, after the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, global sales of their knives dropped by over 30%.

It's worth noting that Victorinox, headquartered in the Canton of Schwyz, mainly operates through exports. Only 20% of their products, including pocket and kitchen knives as well as watches, are sold in Switzerland, while 80% are shipped abroad.

The popularity of Victorinox pocket knives surged after World War II when American soldiers brought them home as souvenirs.

Recall that The Gaze reported Swiss scientists developing an artificial intelligence tool designed to detect counterfeit wine. This AI tool uses gas chromatography, a specialized physicochemical method for separating and identifying compounds in mixtures, to analyze the chemical composition of wine and trace its origin.