Are Swiss army knives from Switzerland?

Answer 1

Yes they are. They main factory is probably Victorinox. And there's still the saying "a real man has an army knife" - with a smile.

Answer 2If they weren't from Switzerland you couldn't call them "Swiss", that would be fraudulent advertising.

Swiss Army Knives are made by two manufacturers: Victorinox and Wenger.

Victorinox is located in Ibach, canton Schwyz; and Wenger is located in Delémont, canton Jura.

These two companies have been manufacturing knives for the Swiss Army, and for retail sale, for over a century. The model currently supplied to the Swiss Army is called "Soldatenmesser 08".

Answer 2

Yes, every new soldier in the Swiss army has a knife as part of his kit. This is how the Swiss Army Knife started out.

The model issued has been updated regularly. The latest model, issued since 2008, is the "Soldatenmesser 08" (Google it). It is not red. This model is also sold to the public (in Switzerland but not in the UK) and costs CHF 44.