Camillus

[BChou-E29]

Pardon my ignorance but I've been doing research on an EDC knife and so far I've heard a lot of good things about Spyderco, Kershaw, Benchmade, and such but nothing much about a once respected name in cutlery...Camillus. Why?

 

[mdauben]

Pardon my ignorance but I've been doing research on an EDC knife and so far I've heard a lot of good things about Spyderco, Kershaw, Benchmade, and such but nothing much about a once respected name in cutlery...Camillus. Why?

Probably becuase the real Camillus Cutlery Co. went out of buisness in 2007 and all that's left is a name that is used by Acme United Corporation to market primarily Chinese made knives.

There is some discussion of the old, american made Camillus knives in the Traditional Folders and Fixed Blades section of the forum.

 

[knarfeng]

Because they are out of business as of 2007.

There is a Camillus collectors forum here:
BladeForums.com > Manufacturer's Forums > Collector's forums > Camillus Collector's Forum
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=695

 

[knarfeng]

Beat me by 30 seconds.

 

[BChou-E29]

Huh, I see. I knew Camillus closed its doors in 2006 (or 2007, I'm not certain) but I wasn't aware their name was still being used. Thanks for enlightening me.

 

[Codger_64]

SOme of my favorite Camillus collectables:

An envelope mailed to me on the last day they were open...

A mother of pearl handled exposition knife made by Adolph Kastor's factory in Ohligs-Solingen Germany around the turn of the century:

A copy of an original Camillus stock certificate:

A Dunlap (Sears brand) utility-scout knife c.1938-39

A Kent (F.W. Woolworth brand) "Krome-Plate Sportsman" hunting knife pre-WWII:

An A.W. Wadsworth & Sons, Germany c.1915 "Fishing Knife", copy of the Marbles design:

There are a lot of original Camillus Cutlery Company knives still out there if that is what you really want. You just have to recognize them. They made knives for many other cutlery companies such as Schrade, Buck and others, as well as dozens of their own brandings and those of merchants like Sears, etc.

Here is one of my favorite Sears Camillus knives, a bone handled limited edition "bullet knife" pattern 100th anniversary issue, #95113: