The manufacturer of the iconic Swiss Army Knife said that’s releasing a new multi-tool that comes without a knife.
The pocket tool-maker Victorinox’s CEO Carl Elsener said in an interview with Swiss media outlet Blick that the company is “concerned about the increasing regulation of knives due to violence in the world.”
“We’re actually working on pocket tools without blades,” Elsener added. “For example, I have a cool tool for cyclists in mind.”
“We already have a tool specifically for golfers in our range. Cyclists probably need special tools, but not necessarily a blade. The blade creates a weapon image in some markets,” he said.
The new versions of the tools, however, will not replace the original Swiss Army Knives, whose classic design includes a toothpick, tweezers, a nail file and a knife blade — and retails for $24 on Victorinox’s website.
Victorinox’s forthcoming tool is only expected to complement the classic Swiss Army Knives, Elsener told Blick.
Still, Victorinox — which also makes watches, kitchen cutlery and travel gear — makes roughly 45,000 blade-bearing Swiss Army Knives each day, which are then shipped to more than 100 countries around the world.
It was the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, that made Victorinox realize “we must not become dependent on a single business area,” Elsener told Blick.
Restrictions on knives rose in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center. Elsener told the Swiss outlet that the company’s pocketknives sales plunged by more than 30% in its aftermath.
However, it wasn’t until recently that it actually began reinventing te original version of what became known as the Swiss Army Knife in 1897, which reportedly has as much as 75 functions.
Victorinox does, though, have versions of its Swiss Army Knife designed for nail care, called the Nail Clip 580, which boasts a nail file and clipper, tweezers and a serrated-edge scissors. The pocket tool also includes a small blade and retails for $38.
The pricier Huntsman tool, which goes for $52, has both a large and small blade, along with a corkscrew and can opener, screwdriver, wood saw and wire stripper, among other nifty gadgets.
It wasn’t immediately clear when a blade-less version of the Swiss Army Knife will be launched.
Representatives for Victorinox did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
