Camillus knives?

A.McPherson

A.McPherson

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jan 27, 2012
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Any body have any experience with these knives?
I went knife shopping st the local stores and couldn't find anything to my liking. Everything had big humps on the blade and/or serrations. So I found this knife, a "Camillus", that looked decent although it has a bizarre opening lever (see pics below).
It seems pretty sturdy, although I don't like the opening mechanism and it has a lump on the spine which I don't like.
But, it's big enough to fit my mitts which is good, and is made from AUS8 which is ok.
Let me know what you think and what experiences you have with this brand if you would!













 
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greetings,
a clone to the original "cuda" that was usa made. in my opinion, this one delivers a lotta bang for the buck. mine locks up solid and holds a really decent edge. the shape fits me great. no regrets at all. for the price point, it's a great value. don't think you'll be disappointed.
mike
 
I buy the new camillus for the guys that work for me. Usually tantos. Suits their work needs well. They aren't perfect knives. But with vg10 steel that seems to be decently treated and g10 slabs, they work. They cut stuff and scrape chemical residue (we make glue basically) and get beat up. I put a quick course edge on them fairly easily for them. The lock bars look a little dainty but they haven't failed yet.

The coating seems to chip rather easily. But the vg10 beneath shouldn't rust.

I actually carried the drop point style from them for a while when I was a sr tech and didn't need much knife. And didn't know much better at the time, wasn't a collector like I tend to now.

They do work surprisingly well in borderline hard use for them though. Haven't heard them complain so that's a good thing. I don't think I'd trust one to do as hard of work as I would a ZT or hinderer and they definitely aren't as perfectly built as a sebenza, but for the price, what can I say. They cut stuff. Lol
 
Only Camillus I have now is the USMC my uncle gave me in '68 when he returned from 'Nam. One of the most used knives I've ever owned once I finally got bigger than it was. Still is.

Not sure about the current ones...
 
EChoil said:
Only Camillus I have now is the USMC my uncle gave me in '68 when he returned from 'Nam. One of the most used knives I've ever owned once I finally got bigger than it was. Still is.

Not sure about the current ones...
Click to expand...

Current ones are a whole new company. Some foreign company bought the rights to the name. That's the only things that's carried over.
 
Hmmmm well, I've had it all of 4 hours now and it hasn't broken, so I suppose there's that... I'm thinking I'm going to have to modify it a bit.
I really don't like the thumb ramp, and the edge is pretty obtuse, but I think I can fix that!
 
I don't have any information on the knife pictured. The original company Camillus made a lot of knives under a lot of brands for a lot of years. Until it went bankrupt. Now it's just another brand name with products from various suppliers. I have a few of the original Becker BK knives that Camillus made and they are super strong, well built knives. If I look closely, some of the other knives I own was probably made by Camillus for other companies.
 
They made excellent knives originally [ made in USA ] .I have an original one like that in the photos.
Then the greedy owners and greedy union bosses destroyed the company. Now just another copy , made in China !
 
That there is a Cuda, I purchased one on clearance locally for $15. It hasn't been a bad knife, it holds an edge, it cuts, and the blade doesn't have any play. Sure, it's Chinese made, but if to you it doesn't matter where it's made. I have 3 new Camillus knives, the Cuda, the Hustle and EDC3. The Cuda and Hustle have been great. The EDC3...well, I got less than a day of use out of it before the frame lock bent so far I couldn't close it.
 
I gave an original CUDA tanto point 154CM to my wife, who carried it for years. She got rid of it when it came open in her purse and nearly cut her. The detent was not good enough for the massively thick blade. Otherwise, it was an excellent knife. I cannot say about the new ones but they are so cheap you don't lose much by trying them.
 
Some of the newer Camillus knives are made in Taiwan, and a couple models are even made in the US, although I have a sneaking suspicion that TOPS might be involved. I bought a Camillus Barbarian fixed blade a year or two ago, made in the US with 1095 steel blade and micarta scales. It came with a nice kydex sheath and a Tek-Lok, which I use to carry it on a backpack strap on hikes.

Who knows? Maybe they'll up their game sort of like Schrade has in recent years. Sure, it will never be the same company as in the past, but more US-made knives would be a good step.
 
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