I just bought a Camillus 695 Marlin Spike and thought I would share my thoughts on this knife.
I had only seen this knife in pictures, so when I found one in a local knife shop (The Knife Shop, located in Ft. Mill, SC) I had to check it out.
First, a quick opinion of Camillus knives:
Camillus makes some terrific knives and they make some fairly bad ones too. Some are as well crafted as any knife out there, while others have horrible fit-and-finish and spotty QC, to say the least.
So, you really never know how the knife will be until you actually handle and inspect it.
Immediately I knew that this was a well made knife. In fact, it is much better crafted than any of my Yello-Jaket Camillus knives.
The first thing you notice is the weight. This is a fairly heavy knife and feels extemely stout and very solid. The weight is mostly due to the thick brass liners and the large steel marlin spike.
The beautiful black delrin scales are perfectly fitted to the thick brass liners and feel as comfortable and nice as any micarta scales I have touched.
The single blade is a very stout sheepsfoot with just a hint of curve instead of perfectly straight, giving the blade a little more belly than your average sheepsfoot. The blade is flat ground (as a sheepsfoot should be IMHO) and about 1/8" at the spine.
From what I've read about "rigging knives" and "sailor knives", sailors cut line (rope) by placing the blade on the line and hammering on the spine of the blade with a baton. This would explain why the blade needed to be strong and stout.
Despite having a thick blade, it still slices very well, probably due to the flat grind and blade design.
The sheepsfoot blade does not lock but the spring tension is very strong. Although the tension is strong, you will not break a nail opening the blade because there is plenty of exposed blade to grasp, so you don't need to use the nail-nick at all. And it makes the blade quicker to deploy as well.
The blade steel is nothing special (probably 440A) but it was plenty sharp right out of the box.
The marlin spike!
This large steel spike serves as the back of the knife handle when using the sheepsfoot blade and it is surprisingly comfortable.
Unlike the blade, the spike locks open. The lock is a variation of a lockback design with the lanyard bail serving as the lock-release.
The lock seems very strong and nearly foolproof.
The spike itself is very stout and strong--not only is it great for loosening wet knots, it also makes a handly prybar or icepick.
A few things that are not so great:
1) The "lanyard bail/spike lock-release" protrudes from the bottom of the handle and does not lay flat against the handle.
2) The knife is really too large for comfortable pocket carry and needs a pouch or a pocket-clip.
3) With its strength comes weight.
To sum it up, this knife is very strong and rugged and was designed to stand up to the abuse of your typical young sailor--it was built to last!
The design of the knife is very well thought out (this style has been around for over 100 years) and it has a very rich tradition behind it.
Although it's very comfortable to use, and it performs very well, there's something more to this knife.
This knife makes you think. It conjures thoughts of the golden age of the great sailing ships. New England whalers, sailing merchants, brave men exploring the Pacific, this knife takes me away.
Even though it's brand new, it feels "old timey".
Good luck,
Allen.
I had only seen this knife in pictures, so when I found one in a local knife shop (The Knife Shop, located in Ft. Mill, SC) I had to check it out.
First, a quick opinion of Camillus knives:
Camillus makes some terrific knives and they make some fairly bad ones too. Some are as well crafted as any knife out there, while others have horrible fit-and-finish and spotty QC, to say the least.
So, you really never know how the knife will be until you actually handle and inspect it.
Immediately I knew that this was a well made knife. In fact, it is much better crafted than any of my Yello-Jaket Camillus knives.
The first thing you notice is the weight. This is a fairly heavy knife and feels extemely stout and very solid. The weight is mostly due to the thick brass liners and the large steel marlin spike.
The beautiful black delrin scales are perfectly fitted to the thick brass liners and feel as comfortable and nice as any micarta scales I have touched.
The single blade is a very stout sheepsfoot with just a hint of curve instead of perfectly straight, giving the blade a little more belly than your average sheepsfoot. The blade is flat ground (as a sheepsfoot should be IMHO) and about 1/8" at the spine.
From what I've read about "rigging knives" and "sailor knives", sailors cut line (rope) by placing the blade on the line and hammering on the spine of the blade with a baton. This would explain why the blade needed to be strong and stout.
Despite having a thick blade, it still slices very well, probably due to the flat grind and blade design.
The sheepsfoot blade does not lock but the spring tension is very strong. Although the tension is strong, you will not break a nail opening the blade because there is plenty of exposed blade to grasp, so you don't need to use the nail-nick at all. And it makes the blade quicker to deploy as well.
The blade steel is nothing special (probably 440A) but it was plenty sharp right out of the box.
The marlin spike!
This large steel spike serves as the back of the knife handle when using the sheepsfoot blade and it is surprisingly comfortable.
Unlike the blade, the spike locks open. The lock is a variation of a lockback design with the lanyard bail serving as the lock-release.
The lock seems very strong and nearly foolproof.
The spike itself is very stout and strong--not only is it great for loosening wet knots, it also makes a handly prybar or icepick.
A few things that are not so great:
1) The "lanyard bail/spike lock-release" protrudes from the bottom of the handle and does not lay flat against the handle.
2) The knife is really too large for comfortable pocket carry and needs a pouch or a pocket-clip.
3) With its strength comes weight.
To sum it up, this knife is very strong and rugged and was designed to stand up to the abuse of your typical young sailor--it was built to last!
The design of the knife is very well thought out (this style has been around for over 100 years) and it has a very rich tradition behind it.
Although it's very comfortable to use, and it performs very well, there's something more to this knife.
This knife makes you think. It conjures thoughts of the golden age of the great sailing ships. New England whalers, sailing merchants, brave men exploring the Pacific, this knife takes me away.
Even though it's brand new, it feels "old timey".
Good luck,
Allen.
