Swiss Army Knife

History of the Swiss Army Knife

Karl Eisner invented the Swiss army knife in 1891. Karl Eisner set out on this task because he wanted to create something for the Swiss army that was not manufactured by Germans.

The first knife that he made was called the "soldier’s knife" and it featured a wooden handle and a variety of tools like a screwdriver, a can opener, a punch and a blade. Karl Eisner created a revised version later. This one featured two blades instead of one. This change resulted in Eisner having to add another spring for the second blade because of which there was now room for him to add other tools such as a corkscrew.

Swiss Army Knife - What is it?

The Swiss army knife is a multi-function pocketknife or multi tool. The Swiss army knife is made up of a blade and a combination of various tools, like can openers and screw drivers. These attachments are found inside the handle of the knife that works on a pivot point mechanism.

The handle of the Swiss army knife is usually red in color and features the emblem of Switzerland. The knife model that the Swiss army actually uses is made up of a knurled alox handle, a blade, a reamer and a small screwdriver.

Features of the Swiss Army Knife

Today various models of Swiss army knives are available in the market. The most common tools that are featured in a Swiss army knife are a main blade, a smaller second blade, a toothpick, tweezers a corkscrew, a can opener, a bottle opener, a slotted flat-head screwdriver, a nail file, a pair of scissors, a saw, a file, a hook, a magnifying glass, a ball point pen, a fish scaler and a key chain.

With the advance in technology, the Swiss army knives of today include a USB flash drive, a digital clock, a digital altimeter, LED light, a laser pointer and an MP3 player.

The standard Swiss army knife is approximately 9 cm long and 2 cm wide. The smaller models are about 6 cm long and 1.5 cm wide. The thickness of the Swiss army knife varies according to the number of tools included. The red Swiss army knife is the most common, though nowadays the Swiss army knife is available in various colors and textures.

Facts about the Swiss Army Knife

• One of the reasons for the Swiss army knife being light and elegant is that it makes multiple use of each spring.
• The cutting blades of a Swiss army knife are made from special blade steel with a Rockwell C (Unit of hardness) of 56.
• The internal separating strips of a Swiss army knife are made from Aluminum alloy and the bushings and rivets are made of brass.
• The small and large blades of a Swiss army knife are pressed into place by the spring with a force of 8 and 12 kg respectively.