The New Boy Scout Knife By Wenger
By Kevin Pace
When I was a Boy Scout, we were never allowed to carry an actual Swiss Army Knife for “safety” reasons. I ended up with this cheap, dual blade Trails’ End knife that I won from selling popcorn. Man oh man, do I wish that Wenger had been offering this Scout’s knife back then.
Wenger, one of the two companies long known for manufacturing some of the best knives in the world under the Swiss Army Knife brand, has manufactured three knives to the exact specifications of the Boy Scouts of America. Scouts are to use the knives both as a practical tool and as a way to learn knife safety and operation.
The Scout Junior S10 is designed with the younger Cub Scouts in mind. This knife is smaller than the other two and sports a basic array of features including a can opener, flat and Phillips screwdrivers, junior blade with round tip for safety, reamer, toothpick, and tweezers. Wenger specifically puts a good quality rounded blade on this knife so that it is effective for cutting or slicing, but not for poking when in the hands of a junior knife user.
The Scout S18 includes all the features of the junior model but replaces the rounded blade for a flat pointed one and adds on a nail file, serrated-edge scissors, and wood saw for a little more versatility. The Scout NewRanger 55 cuts down on the functions but includes a couple of heavier-duty tools like a corkscrew and larger blade.
All in all, Wenger is able to put a quality knife into the hands of our Boy Scouts while still keeping an eye on saftey and the ability to teach the proper use and respect of these amazing tools. Man, I really wish I had one of these 15 years ago.
Scout Knives [Wenger]
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:50 pm
“…rounded blade on this knife so that it is effective for cutting or slicing, but not for poking when in the hands of a junior knife user.”
How on Earth are they going to “learn knife safety” from a knife with a rounded point? I got my first Swiss Army knife when I was a Cub Scout, going on 30 years ago, and I learned knife safety by losing blood, the way every Cub Scout should.
I’d already learned to keep my mouth shut, so my parents never knew I’d nicked myself and I got to keep the knife.
I mean, no offense, but if I wanted to read Perez Hilton, he’d be in my RSS feed instead of you guys.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Trust me, a large group of 7-10 year olds with sharp, pointy knives is a bad idea. I’ve been there, done that. The rounded blade will still allow them to learn sharpening and cutting practices without the danger of them stabbing another scout over who’s Pinewood Derby car looks cooler.
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:34 pm
When I got my first Scout knife they were still made of flint.
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I was a scoutmaster for nearly 2 deacdes - with only 1 trip to the ER for a knife-related injury. We’d typically have 30 to 40 scouts in the troop - and our SPL and PL’s would work with new scouts on safety issues - under adult supervision and sign-off. Scouts (as opposed to cubs) start at about 11 years of age (6th graders) and work up to 18. We insisted on the scout qualifying to use a knife and being awarded (and carrying with him) a totem chit to signify this. We also insisted that the scout could just as easily lose the privelege (the totem chit and the knife - taken and given back to a parent) if he was observed using the knife incorrectly or dangerously. We tought good practices including safe handling. sharpening, cleaning and use. Carrying an open pocket knife - while moving - was one of the reasons to lose the knife - as was being observed having more than one blade open (as in the picture) at once.
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:22 pm
i want this knife. Its not antique like all my dads Boy Scout books but it would still look good sitting on the bookcase.
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Perez Hilton writes about tools now? Cool!
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:55 pm
When I was a kid everybody had a pocket knife. It just wasn’t a big deal, and I just don’t understand why people let it become a big deal. When I was selling magazines in the ninth grade, I won a great big Bowie knife for a premium, and then I won a crossbow and a .22 rifle. Each of which was handed over to me in the classroom. And nobody thought anything about it. If you made a mistake–and we all made plenty of them– you learned from it, and lived with the consequences.
June 24th, 2009 at 12:52 am
Scout NewRanger 55 cuts down on the functions but includes a couple of heavier-duty tools like a corkscrew and larger blade.
A corkscrew?I don’t remember needing one of those back in my scouting days.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:50 am
Philip Roth has an interesting section in his novel “Our Gang” involving Boy Scouts and scout knives. It’s been about 35 years since I read it, but I think there was a corkscrew in it.
I sure wouldn’t think of that corkscrew as a heavier-duty tool, but I guess it’s all relative.
June 24th, 2009 at 7:48 am
It looks okay. I was born in 1980 and carried a knife throughout my time in school. I remember having one in elementary school which wasn’t allowed then but I just kept my mouth shut about it. I regularly used mine in high school and even loaned it to a teacher that asked if anyone had a knife. But I still got a weird look from her as I handed over my gerber multi-tool. Guess she was just expecting a pen knife.
June 24th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
[...] Good review at Toolmonger [...]
June 25th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Trouble with kids and knives now a days is that most of their idiot parents don’t them teach personal responsibility, their friends are no different. Excuses are made for bad behavior, too much sugar, TV, video games etc etc. Their precious little snowflake can’t be at fault for anything bad. Yes there are exceptions. Taught a neighbor’ s kid to shoot a .22 and trusted him more than the vast majority of adults I’ve instructed, but then his dad was a standup guy. Want to give a kid a knife? Tell him he is utterly, totally responsible for it and what is done with it. Simple.
June 25th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
I’ve carried a pocketknife every day since I was a Cub Scout, and I’m always amazed at how many people (adults) never learned how to use a knife safely and maintain a sharp edge. I’m with the people here who think that you shouldn’t “dumb down” a youngster’s knife by insisting on a blunt tip. But really… purple?!?! That was never a color component of my Boy Scout uniform.
June 25th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
I think it was part of a compromise.