ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Alright. Here's a question - what is a knife without a blade? That is not a riddle or a Zen Buddhist paradox. It's a question that the maker of the Swiss Army Knife has just answered in the form of a new line of pocket knives without blades.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
They will still have the screwdriver, fear not, also the nail file, the bottle opener, but not the classic flip out blade. Victorinox, the company behind the ubiquitous multitool, has made hundreds of millions of Swiss Army Knives since the late 19th century, but this is a first.
KELLY: They will still have the screwdriver, fear not, also the nail file, the bottle opener, but not the classic flip out blade. Victorinox, the company behind the ubiquitous multitool, has made hundreds of millions of Swiss Army Knives since the late 19th century, but this is a first.
SHAPIRO: The company's CEO told Swiss media this week that the decision was made because some countries have increased the regulation of knives in response to violent crime.
KELLY: Yeah. this is not the first time Victorinox has had to pivot based on current events. When sharp objects, like pocket knives, were banned from planes after 9/11, the company leaned into watches and luggage and leisure wear and even fragrances.
KELLY: Yeah. this is not the first time Victorinox has had to pivot based on current events. When sharp objects, like pocket knives, were banned from planes after 9/11, the company leaned into watches and luggage and leisure wear and even fragrances.
SHAPIRO: The new bladeless pocket knives are in development now, and aficionados will still be able to purchase the classic Swiss Army Knife. Apparently, you could still smell like one, too. They still sell the Swiss Army Classic fragrance, described as, quote, "an olfactory composition of refinement and inherent Swissness." Yum?
KELLY: Yum.
KELLY: Yum.
(SOUNDBITE OF DEPECHE MODE SONG, "GHOSTS AGAIN") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
