camilus pilot survial knife

I had the Camillus version. Was a good knife. Bought another after giving mine to a friend. Bought the Airborne sheath to fit it and used it very little, so sold it.
 
I like these a lot--and have used them (or other brands' versions, especially Ontario's) for several years. Well, okay--a couple of decades. They are what they are: they've got a beefiness that translates into strength, bulk, and weight; a number of their signature features (sharpish false edge, ground fuller, sawback, holes in guard, hammer on rear of handle, sharpening stone in pouch of sheath) can be gotten-by without--but I like the size, and the steel, and have used the saw and hammer parts that draw a lot of other folks' criticism.

For what it's worth, $30 plus tax seems just a bit steep to me. I figure that a knife is going to be a USED knife pretty soon after I get it, and so I have no problem buying used and paying less; on a knife like that, even pretty heavy dings don't really bother me. With a little bit of waiting, I can usually land one for $20 or so, sometimes including shipping, via eBay. Try using "advanced search" and using terms such as "Ontario Knife", "Camillus", "Air Force Knife", and "pilot knife".

Good luck!
 
Overall the Camillus PSK is an OK knife but I think there are others out there which are a better buy such as the Cold Steel Mini Bushman. It has a handle which I have found too thin (obviously a personal preference), A mostly useless sawback, a horribly uncomfortable full guard (again a personal preference), and a overly thick edge that couldn't cut warm butter. Although it does have some redeeming qualities such as a good (1095) steel, a sturdy blade (.188), a solid steel pommel, and a fine (although fragile) tip. I might try my hand at modifying the knife to make it more practical (hacking of the top of the full guard, reprofiling the edge etc.)
 
It's a decent user knife. $30 is ok for new but like Return of the JD said, you can get much better deals on ebay if you wait -- I got a similar ontario spec plus model for $15.

The steel is good and will take a keen edge. The carbon steel will be give you lots of sparks on your firestarter if need be ( I normally use a hacksaw but like having the option). On the whole a robust knife. However, it will rust so make sure you dry it scrupulously and oil it after use.

You may want to note the the thickness of the blade and the slightly hollow ground profile means that the blade will wedge sometimes if you do extensive slicing with it -- e.g. cutting up pumpkin. If you have the time and energy, taking a file/angle grinder to it and reprofiling the edge into a flat ground one which extends slightly higher up the blade (say approximately 3/4 instead of 1/2) will drastically change the way that knife cuts. That change in blade profile will turn it from a mediocre into an excellent slicer and eliminate a lot of the wedging problems. I never had much use for the sawback so filed that off too -- it's ok if you are making notches but not for prolonged sawing in wood. Apparently, it was made to cut through aircraft metal.

Hope this helps.
 
They are ok but like others have said there are better knives out there. When I got mine from Camillus it had a curve to the entire tang of the knife, indicating to me that they sell their "seconds" for full price. It has been a good knife for what it is but I probably wouldnt buy another one. I would for sure go with a CS Bushman or True Flight Thrower.
 
My best friend has one and the grinds are wierd.One side is convex-like and the other is hollow.I did some reprofiling for him and now he never parts with it as a bush knife/hiking knife.
 
Dannyboy Leather said:
As a military pilot, I carried (wore on my survival vest) the Camillus Pilots Survival Knife through Vietnam, and continued to carry it as part of my flight issue when I returned to the states. The only time I really desired to use it was when I had to ditch a military aircraft in the high Cascade Mountain Range in Washington state. About three inches of the blade tip literally broke off when I accidently let it come in contact with a small unseen stone. Fortunately, I had my Buck 110 in my flight bag which was basically the only knife I really used...the only knife I really trusted at the time.

The newer Pilot Survival Knife can only be better than the ones we were issued in the early 70's.
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What is the new Pilot Survival Knife? As for the old stnadby AFSK, I carried one too in the 70's and 80's and never used it. I also carried a small Schrade folder and an SAK in that knife pocket. Those are the knives I used.
 
Just like most military knives,if you do the work and set a nice edge on it it will serve you well. My 1st fixed blade was a Camillus AFS. Still have it and although I truly put it through hell, It still is a strong knife with lots left to give. Not perfect but far from the worst choice one could make when choosing a knife.
 
Like others have said I would opt for something else - Cold Steel Bushman or Mini-Bushman, Ka-Bar Short Bowie, or a Mora. Ragnar has a lot of good options:

http://ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html

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The Camillus Pilot Survival Knife has always struck me as an unsuccessful attempt to transform a soldier's knife into a survival tool.
 
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The Pilot's survival knife does open up sheet metal really well. It has enough sheer strength to pierce, cut, and pry through wreckage. This was one of its original requirements, getting pilots out of downed aircraft. You may or may nor need to do that depending upon your lifestyle.

Testing the knife in the steel can pictured above I found it easier to cut the steel by repeatedly punching the point through the steel and letting it cut in both directions as it went in (Circular hole). Just link up the thin diamond shaped holes and you can open anything in time. The saw cut the steel but I found it awkward (Straight cuts in can). You can also baton the knife through the metal if you have room to swing a baton.

Interior of can, you can see that the saw left curls of cut metal. The saw cuts the steel at the sharp corners of the teeth and pushes the metal into a curl.
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For survival tasks such as opening green coconuts it was by far the worst at the task that I tested. The thick blade binds up very hard in the husk, but the point is a passable drill for making holes.

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For wilderness use I drastically reprofiled the blade and it became a much better cutter. Still, in terms of cutting ability the Mora SWAK was a far better knife, for everything other than cutting steel and prying wreckage. Remember why the PILOT's survival knife is what it is and if you need something like that then pick one up. Mac
 
There are probably a gazillion knives out there that perform better in the field than the PSK. Also, there are probably a gazillion knives out there that perform more poorly than the PSK. It was designed with a specific application: A pilot's survival knife. Odds are that pilots wouldn't be carrying another blade, so they designed something that would handle a variety of tasks.

It is what it is. Some folks like it, some don't. Although I do not own one, I'd like to get one someday and play around with it. Would I stake my life on one? Well, if that was the only knife I had, similar to a downed pilot's situation, then what choice would I have but to depend on it?

My first 'real' survival/camp/play-in-the-woods knife was a Buck 188, or M9 bayonet. Boy, back in the day I thought that was the ultimate knife - until I really got out there and REALLY used it a lot. Conclusion: Definitely not the greatest knife for fieldcraft.

Live and learn. If you don't have a sturdy knife, the PSK isn't a terrible starting point. Sure, you could get a Mora Clipper and a Mora 223 for the same price as that PSK, but the one questions also comes into play: How bad do you want it?

Whether or not you get the PSK, be careful and have fun!
 
In about 1966, I bought a Camillus PSK out of an ad in "Boy's Life" magazine for $6.00. It was the 5" model that had recently been shortened from the original 6" first version (no date stamp on the pommel). I used it often and carried it from 1976 till 1987 while on active duty Army. When my two sons were in Boy Scouts, I bought each of them the "issue" knife (Camillus also) from the Clothing Sales Store on post. It didn't seem to be as hardy and robust as my earlier version. I think the blade stock got very slightly thinner. I certainly like my older version better. ...but at $18 it was a great buy. I think every knife collector should have one but it would be best kept for emergencies, not as a primary field knife. I like my Randall much better for that.
 
Good knife I have it, ordered it from a surplus store, and they sent me another one about 2 weeks later for free. Don't ask why, I ordered about 4 knives, they sent me my order twice. :)
 
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