5 Intriguing Victorinox Products That Aren't Swiss Army Knives

The Swiss Army Knife is as much of a product type as it is a brand. The item packs numerous tools, from screwdrivers to corkscrews and beyond, into one sleek case, thus securing its classification as a "multi-tool." And while the Swiss Army Knife is indeed of Swiss invention, the term wasn't coined until World War II, and only because American soldiers got tongue-tied trying to pronounce the item's name at the time — Offiziersmesser, German for "Officer's Knife."

While plenty of companies create their own versions of the Swiss Army Knife, when most people think of the term, they picture arguably the most iconic version, which bears a red handle and a logo with a white cross flanked by a red background. This incarnation of the Swiss Army Knife has been the bread and butter product of the company Victorinox since the early 1900s — earlier if you count when it went by the name Messerfabrik Carl Elsener. 

However, it's never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket, and Victorinox produces more than just Swiss Army Knives. Some of its other offerings also channel the company's almost century-and-a-half of experience manufacturing knives and other sharp implements, while others keep your personal belongings safe during transit.

What are these items? On one hand, we could say you'd never guess if you only know Victorinox for its Swiss Army Knives. But on the other hand, they'll probably make sense as you read about them.

While a Swiss Army Knife can pack in everything from a bottle opener to tweezers, it always has room for an eponymous knife. This design lets the item count as both a multi-tool and a pocketknife. However, Victorinox has been known to make much bigger dedicated knives too.

Most Victorinox pocket knives are standard flip-out knives. They are quality products, but they work like almost every flip-out knife you've ever seen. These pocket knives primarily come in two flavors: curved pruning knives designed for gardens and general-use outdoorsy knives meant for camping. At their cheapest, they're about $23, but they can go as high as $130.

Victorinox also makes several flavors of non-folding knives. Some are large, straight blades requiring leather holsters, while others are tiny pigstickers designed for a variant of the Swiss Army Knife known as the Swiss Card — a credit card-shaped multi-tool that fits in your wallet. Victorinox's larger knives can run as high as $255, but if you want a tiny knife, you can either buy a Swiss Card, which comes with a microblade, for around $50, or a replacement Swiss Card knife for just under $6.

When you think of the word "knife," your mind probably jumps to kitchen knives and other forms of cutlery. After all, how are you supposed to enjoy a delicious steak without a knife to cut through it?

The majority of Victorinox's kitchenware items are quality cutlery products, ranging from small paring knives to big honking chef's and butcher knives. And since the company sells knives, it also offers plenty of accessories to keep these blades as sharp and well-maintained as possible. Victorinox sells cutlery blocks to store your kitchen knives and sharpening rods to give dull blades back their edge. You can find them either in the company's BBQ sets or in its "Other Accessories" section.

Victorinox also sells plenty of common kitchen products for buyers who need something other than a knife. The company offers utensils in both collections and a la carte, peelers and graters of every shape and color, slotted spatulas, and cutting boards. Victorinox also sells scissors that you can use either in the office or the kitchen. While every piece of Victorinox kitchenware is more expensive than rival brands — you're looking at $7 for a spoon and $8 for a single fork — they are of superior quality and all come with a lifetime warranty. When was the last time you bought a butter knife with a lifetime warranty?

Part of the appeal of a Swiss Army Knife is the ability to secure numerous tools in one small package. Sure, the tools themselves are pretty small, but they still remain safe in a durable container. Victorinox used this knowledge to manufacture a completely different line of products.

Outside of its Swiss Army Knives, Victorinox's multiple luxury luggage lines represent some of its biggest business. These come in numerous sizes to fit any traveling need, from checked baggage to carry-ons. Each includes standard features travelers have come to expect, from wheels to space-expanding zippers, and some also feature bonuses like integrated USB charging cables and anti-scratch pockets.

Luggage cases aren't the end of Victorinox's traveling offerings. The company sells duffle bags — standard and wheeled — backpacks and laptop bags, and quality briefcases. And one of Victorinox's more novel offerings is designed for frequent fliers: a series of toiletry, tech, and organization bags. These compact items are designed to go in your other luggage or pocket and help you stay, well, organized. More importantly, these products are lined with antimicrobial and RFID-protective linings to keep your hygiene products clean and your credit cards invisible. As with all things Victorinox, none of the company's luggage options come cheap ($72 for a toiletry bag, and up to $725 for a luggage case), but they are built to last.

Some of the best luxury watch brands in the world come from Switzerland. Rolex, Zenith, and Patek Philippe — most of these kings of industry exclusively deal in watch and watch accessories. However, some quality watchmakers do more than build wristwatches; some also create Swiss Army Knives

While Victorinox started life as a knife manufacturer, the company has been channeling some of that skill into the production of quality watches since 1989. In 2001, it teamed up with the watch company Swiss Army Brands Inc (SABI) to form Victorinox Swiss Army Watch AG. One year later, Victorinox acquired SABI in its entirety. These days, the company produces some pretty fancy wristbound timepieces.

Victorinox sells pilot watches (as in, watches made for pilots), watches designed with business execs in mind, chronographs, and waterproof diving watches. Oh, and Victorinox also has a catalog of watch accessories, mostly replacement straps. Victorinox watches start at $500, and the line's most expensive product, the Dive Pro Automatic, costs $1,500 and is currently the company's most expensive item.

Wallets are a dying breed. Why would you need a physical portfolio to store cash and credit cards when services like Apple Pay can act as your payment cards, loyalty program membership records, and personal IDs? Because Victorinox sells fancy ones, that's why.

The vast majority of Victorinox's wallets are precisely what you think they are: cloth or leather pouches that keep your credit cards and currency safe. They're all designed to be slim, and some also include RFID-protective lining. And yes, all Victorinox wallets are compatible with the company's Swiss Card.

Two Victorinox wallets break the standard mold. The first is an aluminum card wallet, and as its name suggests, it is only designed to hold your credit and debit cards. However, the company's most intriguing wallet product is the Smart Card Wallet. Instead of being a Swiss Card that fits in your wallet, it's a Swiss Card that holds money and credit cards like a wallet, or at least like a money clip. While Victorinox's wallets range from $38 to $140, the Smart Card Wallet sits roughly in the middle at only $100. Meanwhile, the aluminum card wallet is Victorinox's second cheapest money storage solution at only $55. The company must be using some top quality leather if those wallets are more expensive than the options made out of metal and utility items.