The Rex peeler is an aluminum vegetable peeler made in Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland by the Zena company since the mid 1930s. A similar version of it made in stainless steel is called “Star.”
The Victorinox REX Potato Peeler is actually the original Zena Rex peeler, made in the same factory, just re-marketed by Victorinox under different branding. [1]Rex Vegetable Peeler. Big Book UK. Blog Entry by “Dee”. 10 March 2013. Accessed August 2020 at https://www.thebigbook.co.uk/rex-vegetable-peeler/
The Zena company has since added a few different peelers to its lineup as well. In 1984, it introduced one with a plastic handle called the “Rapid Peeler”, and later, it introduced a Julienne Peeler, and a Serrated Peeler (“Tomi”, aka ” soft skin peeler”), both in stainless steel.
Rex
Rex is the original design of peeler made by the Zena company. The model number is Mod. 11002.
It is made of aluminum and carbon steel. The handle is a single piece of aluminum. The blade is hardened, blued carbon steel. A strip of the blade extends off to the side to form a potato eye remover on the side. There are six parts in total to it: “The basic Rex model has six parts.” [2] Brookes, Robert. Rex the peeler is king of the kitchen. Swiss Info. Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. 5 October 2006. Accessed August 2020 at https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/rex-the-peeler-is-king-of-the-kitchen/5486616
Fans of the Rex say the carbon steel blade stays sharper longer than stainless steel blades.
Owing to aluminum being the primary material, it is very light. But again, owing to the aluminum, it is not dishwasher safe and needs to be handwashed.
A gold-plated model of the Rex was created in 1997 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Rex. [3] Brookes, Robert. Rex the peeler is king of the kitchen. As of 2020, it is still being offered, with production restricted to 1,000 annually.
At one point, the company also made limited editions of Rex in titanium, but only three of those were made. This model was called the “T-Rex”.
Star
The Star peeler is an updated version of the Rex.
It is made entirely of stainless steel, both the handle and blade. The stainless steel blade is a bit less sharp than the carbon blade on the Rex model.
Owing to the use of stainless steel, it is slightly heavier in weight than the Rex. This also makes it, however, dishwasher safe. It has only three parts: “Star is made of stainless steel and has just three [parts].” [4] Brookes, Robert. Rex the peeler is king of the kitchen.
Common features between the Rex and the Star
- Both the Rex and the Star are made in Switzerland and have an open, minimalist design;
- Swivel blade;
- The swivel blade has two cutting faces so it either can be the top or bottom, thus allowing for ambidextrous use;
- The blade does a broad thin peel;
- The strip that forms the handle is 13 mm wide;
- Fans say the broad handle design is easier to hold than skinnier peelers and is even friendly for those with hand issues such as arthritis;
- The handle is a horseshoe shape, with indents just a bit below the blade for the thumb and forefinger on either side, allowing for a grip;
- A cross bar holds the two sides of the handle together and stabilizes the unit.
History
The Rex Peeler was created by Alfred Neweczerzal (1899-1959). He received the first patent for it in 1935.
Alfred was born in Davos, Switzerland. His parents were Czech immigrants to Switzerland. [5]Vegetable peeler: Rex. E-Guide. Museum für Gestaltung. Zurich University of the Arts.Accessed August 2020 at https://www.eguide.ch/en/objekt/rex/ His family moved to Zurich when he was thirteen. [6]Rex Vegetable Peeler. Big Book UK
He became a market vendor of household items. [7] “Alfred Neweczerzal war Sohn böhmisch-amerikanischer Einwanderer und Handelsreisender. Ihm genügte es nicht, Produkte anzubieten, die jeder hatte – er wollte die Dinge exklusiv. Also erfand er sie: Haushalts- und Küchengeräte, darunter ein Milchsieb und ein Krawattenspanner – und der Rex.” — Klün, Franziska. Der King der Küche. YSSO Magazin. 1 October 2015. Accessed August 2020 at https://www.ysso.de/zena-rex-der-king-der-kueche/ In his spare time, he worked on inventing items at home to sell. “As early as 1931 he had purchased a punching machine and set up a workshop in a house in Zürich Wiedikon.” [8]Vegetable peeler: Rex. E-Guide. Museum für Gestaltung.
In 1935, he filed a German patent application for a vegetable slicer with an adjustable blade. [9]Vegetable peeler: Rex. E-Guide. Museum für Gestaltung.
In 1947, he received worldwide design protection for his peeler: “In 1947 he had the invention he called the “Rex” put under worldwide design protection as Mod. Int. 11002.” [10]Vegetable peeler: Rex. E-Guide. Museum für Gestaltung. He used aluminum for its design. During World War Two, steel had become scarce, and aluminum become a popular alternative in Switzerland for kitchen implements. The Swiss could make their own aluminum, with the large aluminum plant of “Aluminium Industrie Aktien” in Neuhausen am Rheinfall. [11]Vegetable peeler: Rex. E-Guide. Museum für Gestaltung.
In 1958, Alfred’s son, Alfred Neweczerzal Junior, took over the firm. [12] ZENA, the company. Interesting facts about our company in brief. Accessed August 2020 at https://www.zena.swiss/en/world-of-zena/company
Alfred died in 1959.
Peter Newec, Alfred’s grandson (born approximately 1958), took over management of the factory in 2000 from his father, Alfred Junior. [13] Brookes, Robert. Rex the peeler is king of the kitchen. [14] Yes, there was a shortening of the family surname: “Nur der Nachname der Gründerfamilie änderte sich irgendwann: aus Neweczerzal wurde Newec – ganz einfach, „weil sich das besser buchstabieren lässt“, erklärt Peter Newec nüchtern.” — Klün, Franziska. Der King der Küche.
In 2009, the Rex peeler was included in a MOMA exhibition in Zurich. [15]Klün, Franziska. Der King der Küche.
In 2020, it is still a small company in Affoltern am Albis near Zurich with around 10 to 11 employees [16]11 as of 2010: ZENA, the company. Interesting facts about our company in brief. Accessed August 2020 at https://www.zena.swiss/en/world-of-zena/company , but manufactures 2 million pieces a year.
Until the 1990s, demand outstripped supply, and the company didn’t even have to think about marketing, or offering new products.
Sources
Brookes, Robert. Rex the peeler is king of the kitchen. Swiss Info. Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. 5 October 2006. Accessed August 2020 at https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/rex-the-peeler-is-king-of-the-kitchen/5486616
Rex Vegetable Peeler. Blog Entry by “Dee”. Big Book UK. 10 March 2013. Accessed August 2020 at https://www.thebigbook.co.uk/rex-vegetable-peeler/
Zena Switzerland site. https://www.zena.swiss/en Accessed August 2020
References
↑1 | Rex Vegetable Peeler. Big Book UK. Blog Entry by “Dee”. 10 March 2013. Accessed August 2020 at https://www.thebigbook.co.uk/rex-vegetable-peeler/ |
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↑2 | Brookes, Robert. Rex the peeler is king of the kitchen. Swiss Info. Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. 5 October 2006. Accessed August 2020 at https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/rex-the-peeler-is-king-of-the-kitchen/5486616 |
↑3 | Brookes, Robert. Rex the peeler is king of the kitchen. |
↑4 | Brookes, Robert. Rex the peeler is king of the kitchen. |
↑5 | Vegetable peeler: Rex. E-Guide. Museum für Gestaltung. Zurich University of the Arts.Accessed August 2020 at https://www.eguide.ch/en/objekt/rex/ |
↑6 | Rex Vegetable Peeler. Big Book UK |
↑7 | “Alfred Neweczerzal war Sohn böhmisch-amerikanischer Einwanderer und Handelsreisender. Ihm genügte es nicht, Produkte anzubieten, die jeder hatte – er wollte die Dinge exklusiv. Also erfand er sie: Haushalts- und Küchengeräte, darunter ein Milchsieb und ein Krawattenspanner – und der Rex.” — Klün, Franziska. Der King der Küche. YSSO Magazin. 1 October 2015. Accessed August 2020 at https://www.ysso.de/zena-rex-der-king-der-kueche/ |
↑8 | Vegetable peeler: Rex. E-Guide. Museum für Gestaltung. |
↑9 | Vegetable peeler: Rex. E-Guide. Museum für Gestaltung. |
↑10 | Vegetable peeler: Rex. E-Guide. Museum für Gestaltung. |
↑11 | Vegetable peeler: Rex. E-Guide. Museum für Gestaltung. |
↑12 | ZENA, the company. Interesting facts about our company in brief. Accessed August 2020 at https://www.zena.swiss/en/world-of-zena/company |
↑13 | Brookes, Robert. Rex the peeler is king of the kitchen. |
↑14 | Yes, there was a shortening of the family surname: “Nur der Nachname der Gründerfamilie änderte sich irgendwann: aus Neweczerzal wurde Newec – ganz einfach, „weil sich das besser buchstabieren lässt“, erklärt Peter Newec nüchtern.” — Klün, Franziska. Der King der Küche. |
↑15 | Klün, Franziska. Der King der Küche. |
↑16 | 11 as of 2010: ZENA, the company. Interesting facts about our company in brief. Accessed August 2020 at https://www.zena.swiss/en/world-of-zena/company |