Camillus U.S. Military Pocket Knife

TAH

TAH

Joined
Jul 3, 2001
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I've been thinking about getting one of these knives for a long time. I've always liked their looks and their stainless handles, but I've never held one. So I have a few questions:

Is the quality any good at all?
Do they typically have blade play?
Are the backsprings heavy/tight/strong?
Do the blades snap open and closed?
Is the quality (fit and finish) better or worse from the older models to the newer models?

Thanks! :thumbup:
 
I have one marked 1984. It probably saw some pretty hard use based on it's condition. There's a little bit of play in the awl and bottle opener, but the can opener and blade are still tight. The backsprings are still in good shape. It's definately still usable.
 
Honestly from what I've observed they can run the gamut from great to poor. They will never be a nice as say a Victorinox or Wenger Standard Issue, but a good one will serve you fine.
 
Bear Claw Chris Lappe said:
Honestly from what I've observed they can run the gamut from great to poor. They will never be a nice as say a Victorinox or Wenger Standard Issue, but a good one will serve you fine.
Click to expand...

Do you know if the quality improved over time? Would I have better luck with one made in the 90s versus the 60s/70s...or vice versa?
 
I have one that I bought back in the mid-to-late '90s or so. It's a fairly solid little knife, with regard to tightness/snugness of fit, good snap on the blades/tools. I bought it mainly for the novelty of it. Very simple pinned construction, from decent materials.

The one thing about it, when I touched up the edge on it, it seemed as if the steel used for the blade was VERY soft compared to other knives I've sharpened. It takes a very sharp edge (toothy), but I didn't feel like it'd hold it very long. The blade is 'stainless', although I have no idea what grade of stainless. Seemed like it was way too easy to take metal off the edge. I think, for relatively light usage, it's a decent knife. But I don't think the blade itself would last very long if abused or frequently taken to a stone.
 
Quality is OK; functionally fine, but fit and finish can vary.

Yes, the blades are soft, not really good users but OK for light use. I keep one in my car and open the mail with it.

Beware that partially opening both blades on the same side, as shown in the photo, frequently results in a broken backspring.
 
From the one I have (1984), I can say that the quality is pretty high as far as F&F is concerned. Nice snap on the blade and tools. A few gaps between the springs, but nothing major. I haven't used it though; like Obsessed, I bought it for it's history, not quality. Besides, the Vic Soldier is better for daily use IMO: better can opener, better awl, better blade shape (demo knife has too much belly for my tastes). Also, the demo knife is fairly heavy. All that stainless steel does that.
 
I've owned seven or eight of them over the years, all were marked ''USMC'' or ''US'' and were made by Camillus cutlery.for the U.S. Govt. all had good blade steel. only weak point, for me any way, was the can opener seem to break easly . been told they were also made by other companys for the Military. that my be why the diffrence in the quality in the previous posts.also beware of asian knock off's
 
Mine's a Camillus from 1990. I got it from of a pilots survival kit, I think from an ejection seat. So keep in mind it had never been opened from 1990 till I got it in 2002.

It's a nail breaker! I had to soak it in gasoline for a couple days to get it open. There was no rust but it was covered in grease that had solidified. Not sure if they all come covered in grease. Fit and finish is just about the worst I've ever seen but that's to be expected for something the government was only paying $1.00ea for. The blade was dull, infact the last 1/4" by the tip was blunt. The "CAN OPENER" doesn't work that well and all of the implements rub when closed. IMO it can't even be considered to be in the same class as the Vic or Wenger Soldiers. Those two are great users with top quality F and F.

It's a fun piece of history to have, especially since Camillus is gone, but I wouldn't reccommend it for actual use unless you don't have any other knives (doubtfull) I'm glad I wasn't shot down behind enemy lines with it.
 
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Well, I went ahead and purchased the knife. Found one on eBay for $21.18 plus $3.79 shipping. Thought that was a pretty good deal for a brand new 1993 model.

It was this article that sold me: http://www.donrearic.com/demoknife1.htm :D

Thanks again for everyone's help!
 
This is interesting...

The eBay seller had 10 of these knives available. His rating: 705 transactions & 99.9% positive feedback. :)

10 minutes after I purchased the knife, I got an email saying that the item has shipped! :eek: SHIPPED!! :eek:

I go back to the auction page and the knife is now listed at $39.99 free shipping. :eek: :confused:

My knife increased in value almost 100% in 10 minutes. :eek: :D
 
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