We went to Switzerland to meet the CEO of Victorinox Carl Elsener and the SAK team, following the release of a video criticising the lack of Swiss Army Knife innovation at Victorinox. This is what happened.
This channel is here to give you ideas and inspiration when it comes to finding great Everyday Carry, Travel Gear and Gadgets, on the back of solid and detailed reviews alongside years of experience, which I hope will make life and travel just a little bit more frictionless and fun.
Here are links to the products featured. This can consist of Amazon affiliate links (and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases) and supplier affiliate links and direct website links. See below for more on affiliate links.
Please note that any prices referred to in the video whilst accurate at the time of recording are likely to change over time.
Products Featured in the Video:
Victorinox Compact https://geni.us/oJZU2b0
Victorinox Super Tinker https://geni.us/dnu93
Victorinox Climber https://geni.us/aoKAk
My name is Jonathan, I have a passion for all things gadget, travel and EDC (Everyday Carry), which has filled both my personal and work life for many years.
This includes sourcing, reviewing and product development and the creation of two UK national retail chains. Find out more here: https://youtu.be/vYCOQ5CpkXY
I welcome any feedback on my videos or the channel in general in the comments. See below for more on this.
Contents of this video to help you navigate:
00:00 - Victorinox reaches out
00:28 - A quick recap
01:26 - Off to Ibach
01:58 - Lots of questions
02:57 - Factory Tour
04:20 - Hand Made vs Machine Made
05:47 - Recycling and Steel
06:29 - Own Built and Victorinox Repair and Refurbish
07:15 - Carl Elsener’s SAK and the Parcel Hook Diamond File
08:02 - Victorinox Archive
09:02 - Questions over lunch for Carl Elsener
12:57 - After Lunch Meeting with the Victorinox Team
14:05 - New Marketing Terminology
15:02 - New Categorisation of SAK In-Store and Online
16:02 - Were Victorinox Listening?
17:11 - Bladeless SAK’s
17:55 - New rescue focussed tool
18:29 - A better blade steel?
19:17 - Belt Clip?
19:51 - Old School Tools
20:56 - The innovation tide has turned
Product Sourcing:
When it comes to sourcing a product for review, I will usually either purchase and item personally or reach out to a supplier requesting a sample for review. Many suppliers are supportive if they are confident in their product, appreciating the value of greater exposure.
I am sometimes sent a product by a supplier which I may include if the product fits planned content and I believe will be of interest to you, my audience. The product needs to be worthy of a review and I always make it clear to the supplier that they cannot influence or be involved in the content in any way. It is not in my interest to review inferior or poor quality products and therefore as you might expect many product offers are politely declined.
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Sometimes a supplier will provide a link to the product or the supplier which I am happy to include in the description. Sometimes I will be provided with an affiliate link so I can earn a commission on sales and this helps to support channel costs but never at the expense of an honest review. There is no cost to you and in some cases discounts can be obtained via the link or via an included code.
If a product I have reviewed is available from Amazon I will often include an Amazon link in the description. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
Replying to Comments:
I really appreciate the feedback in the comments - I find it a source of knowledge and inspiration - so thank you to all of you who take the time to contribute. This is not just for me as the creator, it is a valuable source of information for all readers of the comments. I have recently found that if I continue to respond to all the comments as the number of videos builds, it takes significant time away from being able to produce new content which would be very counter productive! So my aim is to read everything I can and reply when I can, after each video goes live for the first few hours at least, and beyond that when possible. I'll see how that works out 😊
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JonGadget