Giant Swiss Army Knife

image This has to be a publicity stunt, because how could anyone actually use this thing? It's a Giant Swiss Army knife, featuring 85 tools, including a flashlight, golf divot repair tool, fish scaler, cigar cutter, toothpick, and a key ring. It weighs 2 pounds, 11 ounces and measures 8.75 inches. Wenger is selling it for $1200. But you have to special order each one.

Technology

Posted on Thu Aug 24, 2006



Comments

You'd have to have a VERY good memory.
Posted by Mera  on  Fri Aug 25, 2006  at  01:24 AM
They should make a reality TV series about a group of individuals with each one having to walk around carrying one of these things. Imagine watching someone having to cope with one of these things.
Posted by Peter  on  Fri Aug 25, 2006  at  02:06 AM
That damn things bigger than most pockets out there... And they put TWO keyrings on it to make it even bigger and bulkier. C'mon, who'd actually attach their keys to this thing? Better yet, how could you maneuver it to use the knife blades, or ANY of the tools on this behemoth?
Posted by Christopher  on  Fri Aug 25, 2006  at  07:08 AM
I'm sure it's pretty much a novelty item. Seems like it would be way too awkward to use 95% of tools included in it.

That being said, I would totally like to have one. Would look cool on a display shelf or counter thingy i have in my place. Mega MacGyver... But $1200 is a little steep for my blood.
Posted by Grain  on  Fri Aug 25, 2006  at  11:42 AM
I've seen several Swiss Army knives of approximately this type in shop windows, mainly in Europe. The window display, obviously, indicated that (regular-sized) Swiss Army knives were for sale inside. I always assumed the giant ones were purely promotional, not intended for actual retail sale. The tools on them probably all really work (or would work if you could lift the knife to manipulate them), but yeah, how would you carry the dadgum thing around? You'd need to tow a little wagon just for your pocket knife.

When I bought my own Swiss Army Knife, I deliberately avoided the ones that included a spoon, fork, shovel, tire chains, etc., on the grounds that they would be too cumbersome to carry. I got a fairly simple (and fairly small) model instead. I imagine most people do the same.
Posted by Big Gary  on  Fri Aug 25, 2006  at  01:25 PM
By the way, what is a "golf divot repair tool"?
I thought you were just supposed to put the divot back where it came from and sort of step on it.

Obviously, I don't play golf.
Posted by Big Gary  on  Fri Aug 25, 2006  at  01:38 PM
If I were a surgeon, I'd get one of these G.S.A.K.s and put it in the operating room, then get it out of the box just before the patient was anesthetized. The look on the patient's face would make it all worthwhile.
Posted by Big Gary  on  Fri Aug 25, 2006  at  01:41 PM
HAH id do what big gary does, but as they are falling asleep id say "now what am i doing here?" they would never come back again
Posted by joodd  on  Fri Aug 25, 2006  at  04:36 PM
I used to actually own a giant, motorized Swiss Army Knife intended for use as a store display. Then again, I used to own a LOT of strange and wonderful things. That was before my divorce when I had no way to move the stuff and no place to store it so I just abandoned it. Ah, memories!
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Sat Aug 26, 2006  at  02:54 AM
I'd like to see someone using a 1 kilogram "precision screwdriver".
Posted by FrostBird  on  Sat Aug 26, 2006  at  03:18 PM
Next year they will release a new version with a small Weapon of Mass Destruction on it too...
Posted by LaMa  on  Sat Aug 26, 2006  at  05:16 PM
When does the one with the 8' halberd for the Swiss Guards come out?

I also remember seeing the large mechanised versions of these many times in Europe as displays in stores. I often wondered if those ones were actually functional, or if they were just plastic. And if they were functional, I wonder if this one is just the same thing, minus the little motors inside?
Posted by Accipiter  on  Sun Aug 27, 2006  at  09:40 PM
HAHAHA Big Gary's idea is one of the best things I've heard in a while. You just made my day with that image.


Did anyone else notice one of the "tools" is a "Removable tool holder with expandable receptacle"?
Posted by Archibold  on  Tue Aug 29, 2006  at  08:17 AM
You know, in the time it would take you to sort through all the stuff in that thing, I could hunt down the proper tool and use it. Even if we were in the wilderness and I had to walk home and back. If I remember right, the original Swiss Army Knives were designed to allow an officer to have the gear he needed without having to spoil his neat uniform by hanging all that stuff off of it. Instead, you just carried the knife in your backpack. I want to see one of these things with a death ray pistol packed in it. But, you could never get it on an airplane.
Posted by Christopher Cole  on  Tue Aug 29, 2006  at  05:00 PM
1. Not the wrold's biggest or most complicated penknife by any means. IIRC that accolade went to the year knife in Sheffield: with one blade for each year of the present era. I believe they stopped adding new blades in 1976 - they ran out of room.

2. The Victorinox catalogue (they're the other makers of Swiss Army knives) includes a Swiss officer's knife: it's the one WITHOUT any of those fancy blades and accessories.
Posted by MichaelS  on  Tue Aug 29, 2006  at  05:40 PM
It's just the my workplace's Swiss Army Knife once we had a committee figure out what it should have.
Posted by wdl  on  Wed Aug 30, 2006  at  06:25 PM
Why not get a smaller one here.
Posted by Charlie  on  Tue Apr 22, 2008  at  11:05 AM
I mean here http://www.pacificnorthwestproducts.com/Knives-Victorinox/c5_6/index.html
You could also get the giant one there too.
Posted by Charlie  on  Tue Apr 22, 2008  at  11:07 AM
that would be fun to camp with the fish would rot before you could find the tools to gut it
Posted by madd mullet  on  Wed Jun 11, 2008  at  03:00 PM
hi i was wondering if anyone knows where i can get one of them huge shop display motorized swiss army knife please let me know thanks
Posted by jack  on  Thu Nov 27, 2008  at  02:29 PM
Re: MichaelS's comment--not the largest penknife. SAKs are not penknives, really.
Re: everyone else--obviously it wasn't meant to be used. it was a showcase of all the tools Wenger had put on their various knives up until that point.

Why have so few people ever understood that simple concept?
Posted by Seriously People  on  Sat Dec 25, 2010  at  05:40 PM
i'm think this Swiss Army Knife is very big for me.. Ah.. 85 Tools ..... too much.
Posted by Robert  on  Wed Feb 23, 2011  at  12:29 PM
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