Hi guys,

I recently went to France on a business trip. Unfortunately I had no time to visit Thiers, Laguiole or even just a nice coutellerie. So I am afraid I have to disappoint everybody who had hoped for some nice pictures.

The good news is that my trip continued. To Switzerland. And the Swiss have their own national knife. And they are proud of it. You cannot miss it when you are there.





It was not long before I encountered the first knife shop.



Lots and lots of Victorinox knives. All very practical. Keycard knives, rescue knives, keychain knives, ...



They cut paper, rope, wood, car belts, open wine bottles, beer bottles, tin cans, they can unscrew and screw things. And do many more things. These knives are practical!



Hey, ceramic kitchen knives! Interesting...



And, while there is nothing wrong with being practical, one can go too far...



A knife with a USB connection and a laser pointer? And then I haven’t shown you the Victorinox yet with a thermometer, barometer and altitude meter...

Unfortunately, this abundance of practical knives did not give me a reason to buy a nice new knife for myself. I already own a Victorinox. Here it is.



It is my EDC. Because it is so practical.

And while we can make jokes about the practicality of the Victorinox knife, the Swiss are the only people not to have fought in a war in over a thousand years. The jury is still out whether that is thanks to the fact that it is their army knife or in spite of this fact .

But hey, wait. Wat is that?

That's OK bro! I love your pictures from Switzerland and in particular from the various Victorinox places. Come to think of it I do not have a Swiss Army knife in my collection. I must take a look at one for my grandson Owen.
Thanks for the pictures my friend! I would have gotten back to you sooner but I didn't even see your post! Duh! Cretin Leo!

Cheers
Leo

Beautiful Pictures, Mark!

When I was 13 I went to Europe for 3 weeks, and we went to Switzerland as part of the tour. I bought a swiss army knife there, and still have it 23 years later where it is the knife of choice in our bedroom - used for cutting frayed string, toenails, loose screws in the kids' toys, etc.

Before 9/11, I used to carry it on the plane for international flights with no trouble at all... Ahh the good 'ol days

Thanks Leo and Tom! Switzerland is a beautiful country. But I prefer France when it comes to knives. Even though French knives don't open tin cans, you cannot file you nails with them and they don't have USB connections. (You can open wine bottles with many of them .)

My 7 year old nephew got a Victorinox last year. It is a special children's model with a rounded tip. Man, he is proud when he can show it to me. (And his mother does not want him to see my knife collection and does not allow me to sharpen his Victorinox .)