Swiss Army knife each year, and manufactured many more for export, mostly to the United States. Many commercial Victorinox and Wenger Swiss Army knives can be immediately distinguished by the cross logos depicted on their grips; the Victorinox cross logo is surrounded by a shield while the Wenger cross logo is surrounded by a slightly rounded square. Victorinox registered the words "Swiss Army" and "Swiss Military" as a trademark in the US. The company was sued over this, at Bern cantonal commercial court, by the Swiss Confederacy (represented by Armasuisse), in October 2018. After an initial hearing, a deal was reportedly made between
Swiss Army knife 1891. In 1891, Karl Elsener, then owner of a company that made surgical equipment, set out to manufacture the knives in Switzerland itself. At the end of 1891 Elsener began production of the "Modell 1890" knives, in direct competition with the Solingen company. He incurred financial losses doing so, as Wester & Co was able to produced the knives at lower cost. Elsener was on the verge of bankruptcy when, in 1896, he developed an improved knife, intended for the use by officers, with tools attached on both sides of the handle using a special spring mechanism, allowing him to