Swiss Army Knife: A Great Gift for Any Active Person

Do you know someone who is just impossible to shop for? We all have a least one person in our lives who drives us nuts because it is so hard to find just the right gift. Well, you might want to consider buying that person a gift that virtually anyone could find a use for (or could at least give it to someone else who could use it) -- a Swiss Army knife.

The Swiss Army knife is not just any old knife but is a conglomerate of tools that can be used for any number of purposes and occasions. The tools are stored in the knife handle and are activated by a pivot point mechanism. The most common tools found on one of these knives are a primary blade, smaller blade, toothpick, corkscrew, nail file, magnifying glass, fish scaler, key chain, pliers, screwdriver, can opener, and file. Newer knives can also have USB flash drives, LED light, digital clock, and laser pointer. And, believe it or not, you can even fit one of these knives in your pocket!

The Swiss Army Knife was developed in 1891 by Karl Elsener, the owner of a surgical equipment company, who was astounded when discovering that knives supplied to Swiss army solders were manufactured in Germany. The original knife contained a cutting blade, screwdriver, punch, and can opener, but were improved over-time to include a second blade and corkscrew.

There are two companies Victorinox and Wenger that currently manufacture Swiss Army for the Swiss army and for export. Victorinox is the former surgical company owned by Karl Elsener and actually owns Wenger. There are numerous companies that produce copies of the Swiss Army knife, but the true product is manufactured by Victorinox which uses the cross and shield as identification on each knife.

The Swiss Army knife has come to denote “quality” and “dependability.” Owning one of these knives is even considered to be a status symbol among many people. In 2006, Victorinox created “the giant,” a knife with 85 devices and 110 functions, It is over nine inches thick and costs around $1200. To say that this knife is over-kill is an understatement (at least for most people anyway). Most knives with a reasonable amount of capabilities would cost between $75 - $300.

So for that difficult person who is always the biggest shopping challenge, consider a Swiss Army knife.You will be buying an icon of quality and craftsmanship that will please anyone. These knives will last for decades if not longer and never go out of style.

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