I always have a soft spot for things BSA and with Camillus shutting its doors, I decided I had to have one. I chose the plain scaled 4 blade utility model due my plan on occasionally EDCing the knife and outdoor use. I didn't need fancy scales. When the knife arrived I eagerly opened it because all my blades are at least occasional users. I am not a collector and have no desire to leave things in original packaging. Back to the knife.
I was impressed by the heft and the snap of the springs. It was also sharp out of the box, including the can opener and awl. Now for things that have left me ultimately disappointed.
Uneven quality of rivets. The center rivet is not flush with the scales. They are rough to the touch on the edge and one actually appears somewhat "chewed up" Both rivets that hold on the bail appear to have been damaged when formed. They are both out of round and of variable roughness.
Sharp bail ends. Both ends of the bail where it is held by the rivots have been cut off square and not smoothed or beveled. They are actually sharp enough to scratch skin or catch in your pocket.
Vertical scratching on main blade. On the main blade, on the reverse from the BSA etching is a vertical scratch extending approximately 2/3 the width of the blade. It was present the first time I opened the blade. If I had to guess I would say it was caused by improper seating of the blade too tight to the awl.
This quality is certainly not what I expected from Camillus. The 2 Cub Scout models my son has received in the past year have been completely without defect or complaint. I'm wondering if perhaps this is a "end of days" knife made and assembled after most of the master cutlers were no longer on the shop floor. I saved the packaging to ask this question. Is there a way to determine the date of manufacture of my knife?
Despite these perceived flaws I will continue to enjoy my latest purchase. I have no desire to return it. I was hoping for a nicer example however. Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.
I was impressed by the heft and the snap of the springs. It was also sharp out of the box, including the can opener and awl. Now for things that have left me ultimately disappointed.
Uneven quality of rivets. The center rivet is not flush with the scales. They are rough to the touch on the edge and one actually appears somewhat "chewed up" Both rivets that hold on the bail appear to have been damaged when formed. They are both out of round and of variable roughness.
Sharp bail ends. Both ends of the bail where it is held by the rivots have been cut off square and not smoothed or beveled. They are actually sharp enough to scratch skin or catch in your pocket.
Vertical scratching on main blade. On the main blade, on the reverse from the BSA etching is a vertical scratch extending approximately 2/3 the width of the blade. It was present the first time I opened the blade. If I had to guess I would say it was caused by improper seating of the blade too tight to the awl.
This quality is certainly not what I expected from Camillus. The 2 Cub Scout models my son has received in the past year have been completely without defect or complaint. I'm wondering if perhaps this is a "end of days" knife made and assembled after most of the master cutlers were no longer on the shop floor. I saved the packaging to ask this question. Is there a way to determine the date of manufacture of my knife?
Despite these perceived flaws I will continue to enjoy my latest purchase. I have no desire to return it. I was hoping for a nicer example however. Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.
