James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Wenger Giant Swiss Army Pocket Knife 16999 | Collectible Guinness World Record Everything Pocketknife
1 min read
Wenger of Switzerland holds the current Guinness World Record for the Most Multifunctional Penknife, and the Wenger 16999 is the reason why. With 85 tools and a total of 141 functions, the Wenger 16999 includes nearly every option ever offered by either Wenger or its sister company, Victorinox. Obviously it’s a multi-tool for collectors, but it’s not entirely for show.
Some of the massive knife’s blades are actually detachable tools with multiple bits suitable for an appropriately wide range of tasks. Those usable tools include a removable screwdriver bit holder with three Phillips and three flat bits, an Allen wrench with Phillips head tip, a removable bicycle spoke adjuster, and of course the familiar permanent toothpick and tiny tweezers. If you’re looking for practical reasons to buy this beast, regrettably you won’t find them — but if you’re a collector of knives, you can be fairly sure you own the only one on your block even if you live in Manhattan.
Everything in this knife is made with the same care as the knives Wenger produces in a practical size, using the same high carbon stainless steel for tools and cutting blades and the same durable steel liners. Some of the blades even include lockbacks. You’ll find very unusual tools in the crowd as well — among them a fine watch spring bar fork and a self-centering gun-sight screwdriver, as well as laser pointer, shortix laboratory key, and compass. The most practical accessory may actually be the black plush-lined gift box which comes with the knife. The box looks good enough to grace any desk or display shelf and has enough space to hold the knife with all blades open.
At two pounds and eleven ounces, the Wenger Giant Knife is too big and too heavy for anyone’s pocket. Fortunately, one of the blades is a carabiner clip, so you can still hang this baby on your belt. Now, where’s that toothpick…
See the Swiss Army Champ for Victorinox’s entry in the race for the Most Multifunctional Penknife World Record.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
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Wenger of Switzerland holds the current Guinness World Record for the Most Multifunctional Penknife, and the Wenger 16999 is the reason why. With 85 tools and a total of 141 functions, the Wenger 16999 includes nearly every option ever offered by either Wenger or its sister company, Victorinox. Obviously it’s a multi-tool for collectors, but it’s not entirely for show.
