- Joined
- Feb 25, 2001
- Messages
- 6,675
Hi everybody. Ive had my Camillus 154CM EDC for a about a month and a half now, so I thought Id share my feelings after extended use. Ive purchases a ton of knives over the course of four months, in search of that perfect inexpensive folder. Some knives were pretty nice at first, but had little eccentricities that bothered me overt time. Other knives left me cold right out of the box. The Camillus EDC has actually grown on me over time. Only after a lot of carry do you really appreciate how much knowledge went into this design. There are just so many things that are right about this knife.
First, and most apparent, are the good looks. Darrel Ralph really showed his artistic eye on the EDC. Everybody who sees the EDC absolutely loves it. Im not talking knife nuts either. Members of my family love the looks. People at work love it. Everybody who sees it compliments the compelling looking design. This is a knife you can take out in public, without getting those This guy must be a mass murderer kind of glances. And as Ive done myself, skeleton wrapping adds a whole new dimension to the EDC, allowing you to customize the looks even further.
The shape of the blade is also quite impressive. Darrel must have really gone to work on this aspect, trying to fit every bit of edge he could into the handle. The overall size of the EDC is actually pretty small, but theres a whole lot of cutting edge in there!!!! The simple frame lock mechanism seems to lend itself to fitting lots of blade, but the blade shape itself is also a biggie. Theres so much recurve on this thing that the actual cutting edge is significantly larger than the length of the blade. The recurve also makes simple chores like box cutting a breeze. Im no bladesmith or anything, but I do a lot of cutting. The EDC can handle some pretty big chores!!! Even better, its great for small chores. I dont know about everybody else, but most of my cutting tasks are less than Herculean. I dont cut down trees with my folders, and seldom have to clean hippopotamus carcasses. Im just an average guy. Darrel didnt lose touch with the real world uses for a small folder, but added versatility to the mix.
Other aspects that impress me are little things like the lanyard hole. I can wrap a tail on my EDC without it getting in the way of my grip. I cant say that about any other small folder Ive purchased so far. Darrel made sure to keep the lanyard hole down and out of my way. Lanyard holes on many knives feel like an afterthought, without any consideration for whether the feature actually works well or not. Mr. Ralph did his homework and added in useful features. The pocket clip is also as good as it gets. I have to say that I like the EDCs pocket clip more than any other clip Ive used. Its got an amazing grip. It makes for a VERY secure grip on less than secure clothing. I also havent had the clip snag on anything yet, which speaks quite highly of the design. You get a very secure, very deep pocket carry on the EDC.
The shape of the handle is absolutely perfect. Im not a small folder lover by nature. My fingers are a little longer than most, which makes small knives a bit uncomfortable. The handles just arent big enough to handle the wrap of my fingers. I can use them, but my grip isnt sure enough for very heavy cutting. Darrel was smart and broke away from the standard straight handle design. He put a lot of rounding on the back of the handle, and a great finger groove on the front. This did wonders for my grip. I get a nice secure hold on the EDC, lending confidence on larger cutting chores. The handle feels almost custom molded for my hand.
Another thing I love about the EDC is.... how often I dont think about it! This is a light knife with very rounded edges. You can stick it in your pocket or in your waistband without any pinching, binding, or pulling your running shorts down around your ankles. My favorite kind of knife is the kind that I forget about until I need it. The EDC is just that. Between the weight, shape and pocket clip, you can forget about the EDC. Theres no Ouch that darned knife, or Where did I lose it again kind of stuff. You just trust that it will be there.
Camillus has also done a fine job on the EDC. I can imagine that a frame lock is pretty tough to mass-produce. Tolerances have to be pretty tight to lock up without blade play, Ive purchased three different versions of the EDC now, and it looks like Camillus gets better and better every time they make a run. The bend in the locking bar, as well as the overall smoothness of the lock is absolutely perfect on my latest EDC. It seems that Camillus has perfected their manufacturing process, and really gotten the frame lock design down to a science. The EDCs lock is strong, simple and smooth. Thats a great combination.
The choice of blade steel is also a great choice on the part of Camillus. The standard 420HC is a fine starting point thats very easy to sharpen. Or for a little bit more, the 154CM holds an edge quite well. Ive done a lot of cutting with my 154CM EDC, and the maintenance has been quite minimal. A few passes of the fine stone on a SharpMaker, and a quick blowing out of pocket fuzz, and your weekly touch-ups are done. Thats all of about 2 minutes a week for a good amount of use.
Ive also gotten great support from Camillus. I had one question about the EDC, which I emailed to Will Fennell. He placed a call into my house not ten minutes later. Will was a pleasure to talk to, and was happy to share his knowledge with me. Camillus really goes out of their way to support their product.
When they named it the EDC, they werent kidding. It just may be the perfect every day carry. The knife is cheap enough that you dont worry about ruining it. Its light enough to go with you, no matter how youre dressed. Its strong enough to give you peace of mind. Its cute enough to keep the naysayers at bay. Thats about all I can ask for in an EDC. Its one touch, yet functional knife.
First, and most apparent, are the good looks. Darrel Ralph really showed his artistic eye on the EDC. Everybody who sees the EDC absolutely loves it. Im not talking knife nuts either. Members of my family love the looks. People at work love it. Everybody who sees it compliments the compelling looking design. This is a knife you can take out in public, without getting those This guy must be a mass murderer kind of glances. And as Ive done myself, skeleton wrapping adds a whole new dimension to the EDC, allowing you to customize the looks even further.
The shape of the blade is also quite impressive. Darrel must have really gone to work on this aspect, trying to fit every bit of edge he could into the handle. The overall size of the EDC is actually pretty small, but theres a whole lot of cutting edge in there!!!! The simple frame lock mechanism seems to lend itself to fitting lots of blade, but the blade shape itself is also a biggie. Theres so much recurve on this thing that the actual cutting edge is significantly larger than the length of the blade. The recurve also makes simple chores like box cutting a breeze. Im no bladesmith or anything, but I do a lot of cutting. The EDC can handle some pretty big chores!!! Even better, its great for small chores. I dont know about everybody else, but most of my cutting tasks are less than Herculean. I dont cut down trees with my folders, and seldom have to clean hippopotamus carcasses. Im just an average guy. Darrel didnt lose touch with the real world uses for a small folder, but added versatility to the mix.
Other aspects that impress me are little things like the lanyard hole. I can wrap a tail on my EDC without it getting in the way of my grip. I cant say that about any other small folder Ive purchased so far. Darrel made sure to keep the lanyard hole down and out of my way. Lanyard holes on many knives feel like an afterthought, without any consideration for whether the feature actually works well or not. Mr. Ralph did his homework and added in useful features. The pocket clip is also as good as it gets. I have to say that I like the EDCs pocket clip more than any other clip Ive used. Its got an amazing grip. It makes for a VERY secure grip on less than secure clothing. I also havent had the clip snag on anything yet, which speaks quite highly of the design. You get a very secure, very deep pocket carry on the EDC.
The shape of the handle is absolutely perfect. Im not a small folder lover by nature. My fingers are a little longer than most, which makes small knives a bit uncomfortable. The handles just arent big enough to handle the wrap of my fingers. I can use them, but my grip isnt sure enough for very heavy cutting. Darrel was smart and broke away from the standard straight handle design. He put a lot of rounding on the back of the handle, and a great finger groove on the front. This did wonders for my grip. I get a nice secure hold on the EDC, lending confidence on larger cutting chores. The handle feels almost custom molded for my hand.
Another thing I love about the EDC is.... how often I dont think about it! This is a light knife with very rounded edges. You can stick it in your pocket or in your waistband without any pinching, binding, or pulling your running shorts down around your ankles. My favorite kind of knife is the kind that I forget about until I need it. The EDC is just that. Between the weight, shape and pocket clip, you can forget about the EDC. Theres no Ouch that darned knife, or Where did I lose it again kind of stuff. You just trust that it will be there.
Camillus has also done a fine job on the EDC. I can imagine that a frame lock is pretty tough to mass-produce. Tolerances have to be pretty tight to lock up without blade play, Ive purchased three different versions of the EDC now, and it looks like Camillus gets better and better every time they make a run. The bend in the locking bar, as well as the overall smoothness of the lock is absolutely perfect on my latest EDC. It seems that Camillus has perfected their manufacturing process, and really gotten the frame lock design down to a science. The EDCs lock is strong, simple and smooth. Thats a great combination.
The choice of blade steel is also a great choice on the part of Camillus. The standard 420HC is a fine starting point thats very easy to sharpen. Or for a little bit more, the 154CM holds an edge quite well. Ive done a lot of cutting with my 154CM EDC, and the maintenance has been quite minimal. A few passes of the fine stone on a SharpMaker, and a quick blowing out of pocket fuzz, and your weekly touch-ups are done. Thats all of about 2 minutes a week for a good amount of use.
Ive also gotten great support from Camillus. I had one question about the EDC, which I emailed to Will Fennell. He placed a call into my house not ten minutes later. Will was a pleasure to talk to, and was happy to share his knowledge with me. Camillus really goes out of their way to support their product.
When they named it the EDC, they werent kidding. It just may be the perfect every day carry. The knife is cheap enough that you dont worry about ruining it. Its light enough to go with you, no matter how youre dressed. Its strong enough to give you peace of mind. Its cute enough to keep the naysayers at bay. Thats about all I can ask for in an EDC. Its one touch, yet functional knife.
