Dissapointed with Camillus.

A

averageguy

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Ever since Will left, Camillus has provided little if any support on this forum.

I'm also irritated that the new micarta scales that were supposed to be readily available for Becker owners that wanted to upgrade are apparently not.

And finally, let me say that I am upset that the Companion hasn't been revamped to the same specs as the Crewman - thinner stock and edge geometry. A drop point so configured would no doubt be a big seller.
 
I consider Camillus to be an average-quality brand. Yes, I have some perfectly crafted, beautiful, razor-sharp knives from them, but it's not consistent.

-Bob
 
Don't get me wrong - I've always been very satisfied with my Camillus products. But their recent support of the fans here at Bladeforums has been seriously lacking.
 
averageguy said:
Don't get me wrong - I've always been very satisfied with my Camillus products. But their recent support of the fans here at Bladeforums has been seriously lacking.
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But why should they worry about the forum here? It's not like the whole lot of us are contributing much to their bottom line.
 
Oh, I don't know, I recently bought a Crewman based on what I learned here. I had never even heard of Becker before! Word of mouth advertising goes a long way.
 
"But why should they worry about the forum here? It's not like the whole lot of us are contributing much to their bottom line."

Yes exactly, I'm sure that's how they view it.

But these forums contributed much to Busse's success. And, it definitely contributed to Becker sales.
The new Extreme - it's only people like us that will buy these and other high end Camillus offerings.

That's right, they don't give a damn about a small but most loyal contingent of buyers here.
 
averageguy said:
"But why should they worry about the forum here? It's not like the whole lot of us are contributing much to their bottom line."

Yes exactly, I'm sure that's how they view it.

But these forums contributed much to Busse's success. And, it definitely contributed to Becker sales.
The new Extreme - it's only people like us that will buy these and other high end Camillus offerings.

That's right, they don't give a damn about a small but most loyal contingent of buyers here.
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You raise an excelent point.
 
Hang in there. They are not turning their backs on us. We need to be understanding and patient.

I want a set of BK77 handles for my Crewman as well. Call them and ask. I know they don't have them available right now but if they keep getting requests, they'll do something about it.

On the Companion, I like that knife but I think it's too heavy. I prefer the blade shape of the Crewman except for the thumb rest thing so I belt sanded it off and cold blued the top so now it's very comfortable to use and looks very similar to the Companion. I even made a better fittng sheath from leather...it's my favorite hard use fixed blade. I don't need anything more.

I think the Becker line is decent quality and a good value. The Bk-10 and BK-7 sell for about $45 at most on-line dealers, there's cheap for a knive of this performance.

Collecter
 
As far as support here on the forums, I can't comment. As to the Becker issue, you have to remember Camillus has A LOT of work to do. They make knives for several companies and they have a lot on their plate. I have that patience with them is usually well rewarded.
 
Just for the record, I miss Will. And I think that the BK-5 was the best of the lot. Now, back to your regularly scheduled thread.
 
what Mongo said.

that said, i have received excellent customer service through the forums with Camillus even after Will left. Will was exceptional with forum members and passionate about the Camillus line. it is too bad he isn't still with Camillus. CamillusColClub has been of service to owners too... i do believe he works for Camillus also.

the micarta handles will probably become reality, it's just that they have to fulfill current projects first. the retail price for the BK77 is very high... but who here ever pays retail... if the street price is around $250 -$275, i think that would a little overpriced, but it sounds like the BK77 will be a limited production deal... too bad... S30V in the BK7 style is sweet.
 
I agree that the $390 retail is high and even if the street price is 2/3 of that it's still high.

Consider another knife that is also available in S30V, the Ritter Griptilian, it sells for $105 vs $65 for the 440C model. Based on this comparison, the BK77 should be under $100.

I also agree that the guys who will most likely buy the BK77 are the enthusiasts like ourselves so they should caiter to us. Most military personal cannot afford expensive knives and non-knife nuts would just say "hell no" to that kind of price.

Collecter
 
Currently, I am not too happy with the Camillus Collectors Club. I haven't heard a word from them so far this year.
 
These forums seem more important to some manufacturers than others. Note the high 'factory guy' contributions over at the Buck forum. Hell, even CJ and Chuck make frequent visits and Joe Houser is the perfect forum moderator/factory representative. Is Buck seeing a value here in the forums that Camillus is not?

Tom Williams of Camillus is a very, very helpful guy and knows the products and history well. Rick of the Collector Club also seems like a very fine man. But I can imagine the problems faced by these worthies in making a daily visit to this forum and taking the time to research and answer the questions we ask. Like any American Manufacturer, faced with tough competition and economic times, they most likely do not have the time to do so. Unless the head kahuna at Camillus actually tells these guys to spend more time here (and then provides them with the time-- ie making it part of the job description) they are probably working hard at their principle task at the company.

I feel that any knife company lucky enough to have a forum here is cheating itself by not having someone stop in here daily, hawking the products, answering the questions. Afterall, Camillus is trying to sell $400 dollar knives now-- can you do that in the highly competitive world of knives without a bit of 'factory guy' participation? I also feel that the history of all of the few remaining American Knife companies is worth spending some time on. And, answering a first time visitor's questions about his grandpa's old Camillus could lead to future sales.

Perhaps I over-estimate the value of these forums; But it seems that many other firms represented here do not.

Phil
 
When they got away from the traditional jack knife patterns and genuine bone scales. You are better off investing your money into knives made by Case and by Queen, both are American made and both have stuck to traditional patterns and natural bone.

Dan

PS, I gave up on their collectors club.
 
Camillus may not do everything just the way you want, but they are an innovative company who have turned out a number of very nice knives for those of us who are way off the curve of normal knife users. A policy that lets us get input into new products and get excellent products as well.
I say kudos to Camillus and to those who work there. All things considered they've done quite well.
If I worked there, Schrade's folding would have me as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs :)
 
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