- Joined
- Feb 25, 2001
- Messages
- 6,675
Ive been thinking lately about my knife tastes, and how theyve evolved over the last year or so. Some knives have produced very strong reactions from me. Ive downright disliked certain models, while others have produced brief yet strong infatuations. Looking back now, there are actually very few knives that Ive developed a long lasting relationship with. The Camillus EDC is one of those few knives that has become a trusted companion. So with almost a year of constant carry now, I thought Id get into the details of the design, showing forth some of the EDCs great features.
The first and most noticeable design element of the EDC is its physical appearance. The looks are simply drop-dead gorgeous for such an inexpensive knife. Success seems to have come through a rather minimalist approach, paying strong attention to a very few basic key elements, while completely eliminating others entirely. The EDC has no traditional handle scales. This lack of scaling has actually produced a very clean, simple and appealing design. While many designers have used this same approach, few have managed to produce a knife that doesnt come off as looking overly tactical. Darrel Ralph, the genius behind the EDCs design, has developed a knife that actually comes off as looking somewhat like a gents knife, while still maintaining a sturdy appearance. How did Darrel do this? Youve got me, but Ill make a guess. Writing a knife review just wouldnt be any fun without making a few uninformed guesses now, would it? Ill bet that this knifes wonderful aesthetics are a two-part deal. The first is Darrels ultra-ergonomic handle shape. The curvature has a beautiful organic appearance, which starkly contrasts with the knifes decidedly non-organic choice of materials. This outright contradiction in design philosophy creates an excitement for those of us viewing the EDC, urging us to examine the knife more closely. The second part is the wonderful use of handle cutouts. The shape and symmetry of these cutouts are extraordinary; much nicer in my opinion than the ordinary round holes used on many knives. The fact that the pocket clips cutouts perfectly match the handles cutouts is just icing on the cake. The overall feeling you get from this knife is excitement, with an underlying attitude of strength and confidence.
Opening the EDC reveals a very stylistic blade, which has the uncommon advantage of actually adding to the knifes appearance. The shape is rather unique when compared to most knives, with flowing curves that loosely mimic the shape of the handle. Dont be fooled though. This blade isnt made for just smiling at. Its meant for doing some serious cutting. The rather exaggerated recurve helps the EDC to take on larger cutting jobs than you would normally tackle with a knife of this size. The recurve and flat grind provide extraordinary strength and cutting power, besting many of my larger knives. The only drawback I can see to the EDCs blade shape is its lack of tip. Many people prefer a blade with a pointy tip for fine detail cutting. The EDC chooses not to excel in this area, trading ultimate precision for raw cutting power. My guess is that the trade-off is a smart choice for the average person, who is more likely to be cutting cardboard, plastic blister packs and twine. If youre depending on a small knife to do everything you need, sheer cutting power is probably the most important consideration. Camillus even went as far as to use include some very utilitarian blade finishes on the various EDC models, staying far away from bead blasting. Ive had many bead blasted blades in the past, and they tend to be a magnet for rust. Not a single EDC in my collection has exhibited even the smallest amount of rust so far. This is a very welcome detail in the otherwise bead blasted wasteland of small folders.
I also have to say that Ive grown to love frame locks. Is this because Ive had problems with liner locks folding up on me? Nope. I have a bunch of liner locks, and all have held up well. But at the same time, the frame lock yields a certain amount of confidence and security; especially on the Camillus EDC. The ergonomic shape almost commands you to get a good grip on this knife. And with such a good grip, I really cant imagine this lock ever busting loose on me. I could probably make the EDC frame lock fail if I wanted to. I could probably make any lock fail if I put my small mind to it. But when doing any of my everyday cutting tasks, the EDCs frame lock is more than ample for covering up my mistakes in cutting technique. The frame lock is just a simple, intelligent, and solid design, just like every other aspect of the EDC. The frame lock is a natural choice for this knife, fitting perfectly into the overall picture. Some have commented that other similar sized folders have a larger lock bar, and this is true. The question is whether the EDC actually needs anything more than what Camillus put into the knife. In my humble opinion, the lock bar of the EDC is a perfect choice of materials, thickness and fit. Only maniacs, who also happen to be total klutzes, could cause an EDCs lock to fail by accident during use. And if such people are actually allowed to play with knives, then Darwins theory should probably be allowed to run its coarse. Lets just say Im confident that my great stupidity will never exceed the EDCs ability to cover my butt.
The evolution of the EDC is also an interesting topic. If you look closely at EDC magazine advertisements, youll see what I mean. My first sight of the EDC was through a full-page ad on the back cover of a knife magazine, and it looks like a prototype must have been used for the photography. There a subtle differences between this picture and the final product. The most striking change was in the way the knife screwed together. The knife pivot looks like it originally had a very small set of screws, the same size as the screws used in the pocket clip. Thank god that Camillus decided to go with a larger screw!!! I surely would have stripped out a small pivot screw by now. The EDCs actual pivot screw is excellent, and has never stripped in all the times Ive taken the knife apart. The other screws mean little to me, as the very open design of the EDC allows for simple cleaning without having to completely disassemble the knife. A small indentation has also been added to the handle, in the neighborhood of the blade pivot. Im working from memory on this one, but it looked like a mere cosmetic change. I dont believe that it altered the thumb serrations, but I could be wrong.
The EDC also comes with a dizzying array of possible blade materials. The 420HC version started it all off, giving those of us with smaller wallets a chance to get in on the fun. I always liked the 420HC version. It was a perfectly serviceable steel, and had great rust resistance. I liked it enough to get one for myself, as well my father-in-law. He has put the 420HC version well through its paces over the last year, cutting rubber gaskets out of lawn mowers and outboard motors. I was never fond of the partially serrated model though, as the blade length made separate use of the plain edged area to be almost impossible. The 154CM EDC has been my mainstay over the last year, as has done quite well. 154CM holds a nice edge on the small folder, and sharpens up easily. Its a great working mans steel providing just enough toughness for a folding knife of this caliber. The 125th Anniversary Edition EDC upped the ante one more time, combining a gorgeous black handle and 154CM blade with gold screws. This knife was truly a beauty to behold, and is still available today. The Anniversary Edition EDC is by far the best looking of the bunch, adding a class all its own to the design. The EDC has also been released with a D2 blade steel through A.G. Russell. I have yet to acquire the D2 EDC, but its high on my list. Ive used D2 in the past, and would consider it to be an overall upgrade from 154CM. My latest EDC acquisition has a Talonite blade, which I am very impressed with. Talonite is very easy to sharpen, holds a good edge, and is utterly corrosion resistant. The Talonite EDC is easily the most expensive of the series, but you pay for performance under extreme circumstances.
One thing that I have noticed about the various iterations of the EDC over the last year is the fit and finish of the knives. Each successive generation of EDC seems to usher in a new quality standard for the knife. The lockup and smoothness of opening seems to get better and better as Camillus refines their process. Its good to know that Camillus is working toward better QC, where others might be content to rest on their laurels.
Are there other features that I havent yet mentioned? There sure are. They may not seem like much, but you can bet that ambidextrous thumb studs are a godsend to the southpaws of the world, although the pocket clip is not reversible. The pocket clip does hold as well as any Ive yet used, and doesnt have a nasty hunger for blue jean material. The clip also seats the knife deeply within your pocket. The thumb serrations are nice and grippy, but wont grind your hard-earned calluses off. The ball detent of my wifes 154CM EDC was a little too strong for her get the knife opened easily, but she has no problem with my Talonite EDC. Im not sure whether I got a magic one, there has been some reworking of the ball detent, or if Talonite just makes the detent a little smoother. Either way, youll never have an EDC open in your pocket by accident. Safety comes before convenience.
The EDC is also quite light in weight, partially due to the skeletonizing of the handles. I really hate wearing heavy knives when Ive got something lighter than blue jeans on. Heavy knives tend to bounce around mercilessly in my sweats and shorts. The EDC rides weightlessly, whether Ive got my swimming trunks on or a pair of kakis. This knife even has one of those slim profiles, which makes for great IWB carry. No matter what I wearing, the EDC finds a nice comfortable spot with me.
Okay. Lets talk modifications. Do I alter my EDC in any way from its factory freshness? Yep. I dont actually grind or replace parts, but add a 3mm accessory parachord grip. 3mm chord is actually a hair too thick, so I usually pull the center core out of the chord before using it. I remove the pocket clip and wrap the cord through the skeletonized slats, ending the whole affair with a nice hangmans knot. The cord does get in the way of the pocket clip, so I place tiny metal washers underneath the clip, and put the screws back in. The washers stand the pocket clip just far enough from the chord to bring the clip back to full usefulness. I have not had any problem with the screws being too short for this operation, and have seen no issues with the lessened number of used screw threads causing the clip to come loose. It all seems like a pretty solid modification. The parachord enhances the grip ever so slightly, and looks darned good to boot.
Well, my mouth is getting tired of talking. And if youre not convinced of the EDC by now, youre never gonna be. Ill end this by saying that the Camillus EDC is exactly what it was meant to be. Its a knife that was meant to be carried everywhere you go and every day, and to do everything that the average man needs done in the realm of cutting. Camillus could have made the EDC larger for even increased utility, but opted to make sure that the knife could be carried, even where larger folders might not be a valid option. The EveryDay Carry is portable, solid, good looking, and cuts like crazy. And if thats not good enough for you, then go have Darrel Ralph make one with the custom options youd like. Im sure hed more than appreciate your patronage, and everybody loves the guy like crazy. I know that Ill be giving him a ring when my credit card clears.
Big thanks go out to Will Fennell. Hes answered 8 billion EDC questions for me in the past, yet more Talonite questions, 154CM questions, as well as the answers to the mysteries of life. You cant beat Camillus when it comes to customer service, and they sure make a heck of a good knife.
The first and most noticeable design element of the EDC is its physical appearance. The looks are simply drop-dead gorgeous for such an inexpensive knife. Success seems to have come through a rather minimalist approach, paying strong attention to a very few basic key elements, while completely eliminating others entirely. The EDC has no traditional handle scales. This lack of scaling has actually produced a very clean, simple and appealing design. While many designers have used this same approach, few have managed to produce a knife that doesnt come off as looking overly tactical. Darrel Ralph, the genius behind the EDCs design, has developed a knife that actually comes off as looking somewhat like a gents knife, while still maintaining a sturdy appearance. How did Darrel do this? Youve got me, but Ill make a guess. Writing a knife review just wouldnt be any fun without making a few uninformed guesses now, would it? Ill bet that this knifes wonderful aesthetics are a two-part deal. The first is Darrels ultra-ergonomic handle shape. The curvature has a beautiful organic appearance, which starkly contrasts with the knifes decidedly non-organic choice of materials. This outright contradiction in design philosophy creates an excitement for those of us viewing the EDC, urging us to examine the knife more closely. The second part is the wonderful use of handle cutouts. The shape and symmetry of these cutouts are extraordinary; much nicer in my opinion than the ordinary round holes used on many knives. The fact that the pocket clips cutouts perfectly match the handles cutouts is just icing on the cake. The overall feeling you get from this knife is excitement, with an underlying attitude of strength and confidence.
Opening the EDC reveals a very stylistic blade, which has the uncommon advantage of actually adding to the knifes appearance. The shape is rather unique when compared to most knives, with flowing curves that loosely mimic the shape of the handle. Dont be fooled though. This blade isnt made for just smiling at. Its meant for doing some serious cutting. The rather exaggerated recurve helps the EDC to take on larger cutting jobs than you would normally tackle with a knife of this size. The recurve and flat grind provide extraordinary strength and cutting power, besting many of my larger knives. The only drawback I can see to the EDCs blade shape is its lack of tip. Many people prefer a blade with a pointy tip for fine detail cutting. The EDC chooses not to excel in this area, trading ultimate precision for raw cutting power. My guess is that the trade-off is a smart choice for the average person, who is more likely to be cutting cardboard, plastic blister packs and twine. If youre depending on a small knife to do everything you need, sheer cutting power is probably the most important consideration. Camillus even went as far as to use include some very utilitarian blade finishes on the various EDC models, staying far away from bead blasting. Ive had many bead blasted blades in the past, and they tend to be a magnet for rust. Not a single EDC in my collection has exhibited even the smallest amount of rust so far. This is a very welcome detail in the otherwise bead blasted wasteland of small folders.
I also have to say that Ive grown to love frame locks. Is this because Ive had problems with liner locks folding up on me? Nope. I have a bunch of liner locks, and all have held up well. But at the same time, the frame lock yields a certain amount of confidence and security; especially on the Camillus EDC. The ergonomic shape almost commands you to get a good grip on this knife. And with such a good grip, I really cant imagine this lock ever busting loose on me. I could probably make the EDC frame lock fail if I wanted to. I could probably make any lock fail if I put my small mind to it. But when doing any of my everyday cutting tasks, the EDCs frame lock is more than ample for covering up my mistakes in cutting technique. The frame lock is just a simple, intelligent, and solid design, just like every other aspect of the EDC. The frame lock is a natural choice for this knife, fitting perfectly into the overall picture. Some have commented that other similar sized folders have a larger lock bar, and this is true. The question is whether the EDC actually needs anything more than what Camillus put into the knife. In my humble opinion, the lock bar of the EDC is a perfect choice of materials, thickness and fit. Only maniacs, who also happen to be total klutzes, could cause an EDCs lock to fail by accident during use. And if such people are actually allowed to play with knives, then Darwins theory should probably be allowed to run its coarse. Lets just say Im confident that my great stupidity will never exceed the EDCs ability to cover my butt.
The evolution of the EDC is also an interesting topic. If you look closely at EDC magazine advertisements, youll see what I mean. My first sight of the EDC was through a full-page ad on the back cover of a knife magazine, and it looks like a prototype must have been used for the photography. There a subtle differences between this picture and the final product. The most striking change was in the way the knife screwed together. The knife pivot looks like it originally had a very small set of screws, the same size as the screws used in the pocket clip. Thank god that Camillus decided to go with a larger screw!!! I surely would have stripped out a small pivot screw by now. The EDCs actual pivot screw is excellent, and has never stripped in all the times Ive taken the knife apart. The other screws mean little to me, as the very open design of the EDC allows for simple cleaning without having to completely disassemble the knife. A small indentation has also been added to the handle, in the neighborhood of the blade pivot. Im working from memory on this one, but it looked like a mere cosmetic change. I dont believe that it altered the thumb serrations, but I could be wrong.
The EDC also comes with a dizzying array of possible blade materials. The 420HC version started it all off, giving those of us with smaller wallets a chance to get in on the fun. I always liked the 420HC version. It was a perfectly serviceable steel, and had great rust resistance. I liked it enough to get one for myself, as well my father-in-law. He has put the 420HC version well through its paces over the last year, cutting rubber gaskets out of lawn mowers and outboard motors. I was never fond of the partially serrated model though, as the blade length made separate use of the plain edged area to be almost impossible. The 154CM EDC has been my mainstay over the last year, as has done quite well. 154CM holds a nice edge on the small folder, and sharpens up easily. Its a great working mans steel providing just enough toughness for a folding knife of this caliber. The 125th Anniversary Edition EDC upped the ante one more time, combining a gorgeous black handle and 154CM blade with gold screws. This knife was truly a beauty to behold, and is still available today. The Anniversary Edition EDC is by far the best looking of the bunch, adding a class all its own to the design. The EDC has also been released with a D2 blade steel through A.G. Russell. I have yet to acquire the D2 EDC, but its high on my list. Ive used D2 in the past, and would consider it to be an overall upgrade from 154CM. My latest EDC acquisition has a Talonite blade, which I am very impressed with. Talonite is very easy to sharpen, holds a good edge, and is utterly corrosion resistant. The Talonite EDC is easily the most expensive of the series, but you pay for performance under extreme circumstances.
One thing that I have noticed about the various iterations of the EDC over the last year is the fit and finish of the knives. Each successive generation of EDC seems to usher in a new quality standard for the knife. The lockup and smoothness of opening seems to get better and better as Camillus refines their process. Its good to know that Camillus is working toward better QC, where others might be content to rest on their laurels.
Are there other features that I havent yet mentioned? There sure are. They may not seem like much, but you can bet that ambidextrous thumb studs are a godsend to the southpaws of the world, although the pocket clip is not reversible. The pocket clip does hold as well as any Ive yet used, and doesnt have a nasty hunger for blue jean material. The clip also seats the knife deeply within your pocket. The thumb serrations are nice and grippy, but wont grind your hard-earned calluses off. The ball detent of my wifes 154CM EDC was a little too strong for her get the knife opened easily, but she has no problem with my Talonite EDC. Im not sure whether I got a magic one, there has been some reworking of the ball detent, or if Talonite just makes the detent a little smoother. Either way, youll never have an EDC open in your pocket by accident. Safety comes before convenience.
The EDC is also quite light in weight, partially due to the skeletonizing of the handles. I really hate wearing heavy knives when Ive got something lighter than blue jeans on. Heavy knives tend to bounce around mercilessly in my sweats and shorts. The EDC rides weightlessly, whether Ive got my swimming trunks on or a pair of kakis. This knife even has one of those slim profiles, which makes for great IWB carry. No matter what I wearing, the EDC finds a nice comfortable spot with me.
Okay. Lets talk modifications. Do I alter my EDC in any way from its factory freshness? Yep. I dont actually grind or replace parts, but add a 3mm accessory parachord grip. 3mm chord is actually a hair too thick, so I usually pull the center core out of the chord before using it. I remove the pocket clip and wrap the cord through the skeletonized slats, ending the whole affair with a nice hangmans knot. The cord does get in the way of the pocket clip, so I place tiny metal washers underneath the clip, and put the screws back in. The washers stand the pocket clip just far enough from the chord to bring the clip back to full usefulness. I have not had any problem with the screws being too short for this operation, and have seen no issues with the lessened number of used screw threads causing the clip to come loose. It all seems like a pretty solid modification. The parachord enhances the grip ever so slightly, and looks darned good to boot.
Well, my mouth is getting tired of talking. And if youre not convinced of the EDC by now, youre never gonna be. Ill end this by saying that the Camillus EDC is exactly what it was meant to be. Its a knife that was meant to be carried everywhere you go and every day, and to do everything that the average man needs done in the realm of cutting. Camillus could have made the EDC larger for even increased utility, but opted to make sure that the knife could be carried, even where larger folders might not be a valid option. The EveryDay Carry is portable, solid, good looking, and cuts like crazy. And if thats not good enough for you, then go have Darrel Ralph make one with the custom options youd like. Im sure hed more than appreciate your patronage, and everybody loves the guy like crazy. I know that Ill be giving him a ring when my credit card clears.
Big thanks go out to Will Fennell. Hes answered 8 billion EDC questions for me in the past, yet more Talonite questions, 154CM questions, as well as the answers to the mysteries of life. You cant beat Camillus when it comes to customer service, and they sure make a heck of a good knife.
Only 1 nitpicky thing I would change is I would like to see the thumb stud about 1/8 back farther towards the pivit. Would this make it harder to open? Maybe, I don't know but wouldn't think by very much.
