C.U.D.A. MAXX Q's

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liltemp

Joined
Apr 1, 2004
Messages
9
I'm thinkn about purchasing the blade for Christmas and was wanting some feedback on it. Is it a frame lock? How well is the lock? how well is it to sharpen on the 204 sharpmaker? and last but not least, how do u guys get it quick into action. Thanks alot :)
 
The Cuda Maxx is a framelock. Read some old threads; some folks have reported differing levels of satisfaction re: fitting of the lock, centering of the blade (when closed), etc. I can only say that both of mine (an early bowie, with the thicker handle scales, and a later edition dagger-style) both lock open securely and center nicely when closed.

At any rate, if you order one (and thus can't inspect prior to purchase), and should happen to get a specimen that isn't "up to par," Camillus customer service has an excellent reputation.

The Maxx is a lot of knife for the bucks, IMHO.
 
It is an excellent choice, especially in the bowie form which is a more practical user than the dagger blade. Lockup is a little chancy and I've had several of these knives that I base this on. The one I have now has the best lock of any one I've had. Ray is right on when he talked about the CS at Camillus. A bad one will get the attention it needs. Of course out of the several I've had most of them displayed excellent lockup. As far as deployment in a fast manner, well............just practice. I've found the D2 steel to be easy to touch up on the Sharpmaker, especially if you don't let it get butter knife dull. I have replaced the teflon washers with bronze washers and replaced the stock pocket clip with a deep-carry clip.
 
Great knife. I keep one on the kitchen table as a general purpose slicing, dicing, and carving knife.
 
I have the Maxx 5.5 and it is far and away the best mega folder for the money I've ever seen or owned. It's better than the REKAT Sifu(now extinct company) and is waaay better than the extra large Voyagers from Cold Steel (I have three of those. One "Gunsite" model, a 5" Vacquero and a 5" clip point in plain edge).

My Maxx is dead center when closed, flicks open very easily, has zero lock issues and the Frame Lock is as tight as the proverbial drum when in the open position. To me it's a winner in every way. :cool:
I feel badly for those that got a less than perfect sample, but Camillus' customer service seems to get fairly consistent high ratings from folks here and on other forums so if you get a lemon it'll get taken care of with no worries.

To answer some of your other Q's, mine touches up quickly on the 204, and I use the horn to get the blade started and with a slight flick of the wrist and the blade flies open. If a slower deployment is desired, I use the lower horn and push the blade open with my thumb.


Hope this helps!
 
The Maxx Bowie is my second favorite production knife, just barely behind it's flashier brother the Aftermath. It is a big, tough knife with a very solid lock.

The D2 is hard enough not to resharpen quickly, but it isn't tricky to do. And it will hold an edge for a long time.

The flipper lets you open the Maxx quickly and easily. It's my favorite opening mechanism. However, I found that the Maxx is particularly well suited to the "Brownie pop" technique, which lets me deploy it straight from the pocket without having to shift my grip at all.

In short, buy a Maxx Bowie. You won't regret it.

--Bob Q
 
I love my Maxx. It locks up perfectly, flips open like nobodies business, and is so huge it makes me laugh. :D An awesome knife. Get one.
 
Since they began making these knives, QC has been generally solid. There have been some that got through, but Camillus takes care of them.

I have no problem getting the knife out and open from a tip down configuration, either by flipper, using my thumb on the lock side flipper/guard and or the good ole inertial opening. Some people get theirs converted to tip up carry. the flipper acts like an Emerson Wave. This was unintended in the original design and Camillus does not endorse this conversion.

If a 5.5" blade seems a little wimpy, Camillus has the 7" Gibbs Maxx available as a limited run. Might be worth checking out.

The Madd Maxx design has become my favorite folder design.
 
have had 2 bowies and a dagger - i like the dagger myself, lock up on all has been 100%, no QC issues at all, the best thing going if ya want a 5.5" blade imho, blows the old rekat stuff away, better steel, carries better, opens better, last but certainly far from least is it locks 100% which cant be said of the old rekat stuff. the CS stuff is a step down(or 2) in price/quality imho.

all in all an excellent rendition of the ralph maxx imho.
 
I have a 5.5" Bowie and the new 7" Gibbs CUDA MAXX. They both flip open very nicely, using the flippers, and lock solidly. The Gibbs has a bit of a problem with keeping its blade closed if the pivot gets loose, there is an awful lot of inertia in that much blade, so do keep it snug. It will still flip, take my word. When I first got my 5.5 Bowie, it was a bear to disengage the frame lock, but using the knife has worn the surface and smoothed it out. Both knives carry easily in my right front pocket and are no more obtrusive there than any other largish knife, say a Spydie Military or StarMate. They are quite light for their size and carry easily.
 
Hugh, I solved the "sticky lock" problem by lubing it with graphite. Really complicated; rub the tip of a number 2 lead pencil on the exposed end of the frame lock when the blade is closed.

Wish I could take credit, but I read this tip on one of the forums . . .
 
liltemp--I concur with my fellows. Do a search on the Camillus sub-forum and you'll find LOTS of information. This knife was highly anticipated, and after its debut it was reviewed very favorably and frequently. It's certainly one of my very favorites. I had a little trouble re-sharpening on the 204, probably due to my own ineptitude, prompting me to finally buy an EdgePro. Now its edge is like new.

I toyed with a tip-up conversion until a nice guy on another forum related to me in gory detail his accident with one.

bquinlan--I never quite got the "pop." Since I'm lefty, I carry mine in my left rear pocket and draw it cavalry-twist style. Is there a version of the pop that would apply here?
 
No one mentioned the maniacal giggle that blurts out the first time you unzip the case and flip the knife open.
;)
 
Gents, is the handle of the Maxx series too slick for hard cutting (cardboard boxes, whittling, carpet)?
 
Ebbtide, in my case it wasn't a maniacal giggle, it was laughing out loud -- until I realized the neighbors might worry. :D
 
Smoke, I don't find the handle slick at all. Its width and the grooves along it give a me a very positive grip.
 
I agree, the grip is surprisingly good. I initially thought it might be slippery when I saw photos but that wasn't what I found when I bought one. I like this knife so much that I'm considering buying a talonite version in the future, the only problem is that the talonite version costs three times the D2 version.
 
liltemp, just noticed you were a N.C. boy. Welcome aboard! We are about 45 minutes apart so maybe we can get together sometime.
 
Since I now have a tanto Dominator as well, I'm considering moving up to the bronze washers for both. I mentioned this on the Dominator thread on this forum. To those of you who have done this on their Cuda Maxx, was it difficult? How much disassembly is involved? I've noticed some accumulated crud around the blade/handle joint and I want to at least clean it, and possibly go for the bronze.
 
Not hard at all LJ. You need a #6 torx to remove the three (3) handle screws, and a #10 torx to remove the pivot screw. The #6 torx will also remove the clip screws if you decide to put on a deep pocket carry clip. Once apart clean it up good, place bronze washer in, a small one for the lock side, a larger one for the nonlock side. Knifekits sells 3 sizes and I've found the small and the large work well. Also use a good lubricant when you reassemble it. Let us know if you do this and how it turned out.
 
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