The longtime maker of the Swiss Army Knife will soon produce a variant that is missing a major feature: the actual blade.
“We are in the early stages of developing new pocket tools without blades. These will not be replacing our assortment of Swiss Army Knives but will be additions to our product offering,” Taryn Gentile, a spokeperson for Victorinox, told The Epoch Times on Wednesday.
The company spokeswoman said the firm wants “to acknowledge our consumers’ need for products that carry the functionality, versatility and the craftsmanship the Swiss Army Knife is known for in specialized fields as well as everyday situations.”
“An example of this is a possible tool for cyclists who may require a tool without a blade,” the statement added. “These new additions to our range will not be replacing the original Swiss Army Knife™ but will ensure you are best prepared through smart and masterful solutions for any life situation.”
The comment after Victorinox CEO Carl Elsener Jr. told a Swiss news outlet that his company is working on a knifeless product due to an increase in restrictions on knives.
He said he is concerned about regulations in several countries. In the United Kingdom, legislation has been proposed to further criminalize possession of a knife or other bladed instruments.
Mr. Elsener suggested that the company has a “cool tool” that will be produced “for cyclists,” although he did not provide any more details.
Classic Versions Still Will Be Sold, Too
The new versions of the tools will complement the classic, blade-bearing Swiss Army Knife, the CEO said.“In England or certain Asian countries, you are sometimes only allowed to carry a knife if you need to have it to do your job or operate outdoors,” he further explained.
“In the city, however, when you go to school, to the cinema, or to go shopping, carrying pocket knives is severely restricted.”
He added that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks “painfully showed us that we must not become dependent on a single business area.”
Hijackers used box-cutters to take over several planes before flying them into the World Trade Center towers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, and crashing one in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Elsener said that sales of the firm’s Swiss Army Knife dropped by more than 30 percent after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Several Victorinox spokespeople did not respond to multiple Epoch Times phone and email requests for comment by press time. The CEO also did not provide a timetable for when the bladeless products will be produced.
It’s not clear if the new, proposed knife-less Swiss Army Knives suggested by Mr. Elsener will be offered in the United States or only in countries with significant restrictions such as the United Kingdom.
It is marketed as a “Swiss made pocket knife” but is “bladeless.” The item is currently sold out.
“When a pocket knife comes without a blade, it can go everywhere you do,” the page says.
“Make your next journey a well-equipped one with the Jetsetter, a sleek, slim profiled Victorinox piece that’s packed with functionality, including scissors and a screwdriver. With the Jetsetter, you don’t just take the journey, you take your tools, too.”
The Victorinox firm, founded more than 130 years ago by Karl Elsener, has been handed down to family members throughout the generations. Initially, the knives were created for soldiers in the Swiss army but were later manufactured for the public starting in 1891.
In France, the product is called the “Couteau Suisse,” while it’s called the “Schweizer Messer” in Germany and Austria.
