My Maxx seems rather pale

bquinlan

bquinlan

Joined
Jan 5, 2001
Messages
2,726
I got my new Camillus Maxx today! It is everything I had hoped it would be and more, except in one respect. The anodizing on mine came out a very pale blue instead of the bold royal blue I had expected. Here is a picture that Will Fennell posted of a production Maxx:
attachment.php


And here is a picture of the one I just received:
maxx_5.5.jpg
Actually, this is now an updated picture of my knife after Windex treatment. There is still quite a difference, but the color is much better.

I realize that some variation is inevitable, but those are just two different colors.

I would like to hear from those who have seen a production Maxx. Did it look like Will's or like mine?

Would Camillus be willing to swap out mine for a darker one?

Would anyone who got a darker blue be interested in trading with me?

Other than that I love the knife! It is a superb design rendered in top-quality materials with an attention to detail that looks and feels like custom. I would probably have been perfectly happy if I hadn't been expecting a different color. :eek:

Sorry to gripe. The Maxx is an awesome knife.

--Bob Q
 
While this might be better left for Will or Darrell, I had heard that wiping the handle with Windex will bring out the color more. I haven't done it myself but it seems that I had heard that. FYI, none of the ones I had had a deep blue color either.
 
I appreciate both the information and the advice. I will try some Windex and see if that brings out the color a bit more strongly.

Thanks!

--Bob Q
 
Of course there is going to be variations,as all the handles are different,no matter how slight,and the anodizing is done by hand,by the MAN himself.
Not to mention that there is always a difference in protos and production runs.
FWIW.
 
Well, I was skeptical until I used Windex myself just now - it's a big differance in the color. While it's not anywhere near as dark blue as what's in the picture, the windex really brought out the blue in the handle.

Update - while still wet with windex, the blue is as seen in the pic. When drying, it lightens up.

Still one bad ass knife
 
Thank you, Darrell, thank you, Will, thank, you, Spark!

Yes, it's blue-gray, not bright royal blue. Yes, it is a monster! You won't understand until you see it in your own hand, massive, beautiful, powerful.

I opened the box, I opened the zippered pouch, I flipped the blade open and locked, and walked around the room laughing!

I've got hundreds of knives. My EDC is one of my Sebenzas. I really, really like knives, but I've gotten very hard to impress.

This knife sets a new standard.

Edit, later: just came back from a walk through the woods, Maxx in my pocket -- not easy, it's too big for some pockets :D

Bob Q, don't trade your Maxx away too soon. I don't know if it was the heat or the sweat, but the handle darkened considerably, much more blue, and very dark at the butt, where the color was slightly purple originally anyway.

The intense blue color didn't last after I put the knife down for a while, but it's still darker than it had been. When I first got it, it was the same blue-gray as yours.
 
Hey guys,
Oil from your hands and stuff will change the way anodizing looks. Cleaning with Windex, and drying it off will bring it back to its original color.
 
I find the handle very comfortable, a very stable grip, no shifting. It's easy to change from hammer to reverse grip, too.

I've noticed that a lot of knives have sharp edges to the handles, whether metal or plastic, and the back of the blade. All it takes is buffing with a ceramic rod to reduce this "wire edge" that comes from cutting the material very precisely.

On the Maxx, all the edges are buffed, softened. There is no harsh edge anywhere, however square the edges look. The only rough surfaces I found were inside the curve of the flippers, where that roughness is an advantage in providing grip.
 
Well, if that's the case, I better get off my ass and buy one. I carry the REKAT Sifu so the size is not an issue....rather, its an asset. I still rather have G-10 or paper or cloth micarta handles.
 
Here's what mine wound up looking like after it dried
 
Thanks to everyone who provided information and advice on this! I tried the Windex experiment and was amazed at how much difference it made. It still isn't that deep royal blue I had hoped for, but it is a lot more than the barely-visible tint it started out with. :)

Now that I'm seeing more color, and now that I'm no longer preoccupied with whether someone else's came out better ;), I can get on with being happy about my amazing new knife. Sorry to have over-reacted.

As I hope I said clearly in my original post, the Maxx is outstanding and I am very pleased with mine.

--Bob Q
 
bquinlan,

I actually prefer your original color.

"Now that I'm seeing more color, and now that I'm no longer preoccupied with whether someone else's came out better , I can get on with being happy about my amazing new knife. Sorry to have over-reacted."

No need to be sorry. I'm the same way. We just pay attention to detail and want satisfaction or at least an explanation on why we have a something different.

Two questions for the audience:

(1) For you chemist, is it the ammonia reacting with the Ti that enhances the chromatic effect?

(2) For a Camillus person or someone in the know (Spark?), is there a spear point version being planned? I find that blade style more useful, but no one can fault a clip point.
 
No comment - I asked Will already and can't say anything more.
 
First,
Bquinlan,
Glad that everything is OK. I understand the questions you had, but I think that between some variance in anodizing, and some excellent photography, we ended up with a "REALLY" blue knife in my pic. When I wipe the knife that was in my pic with windex, the really dark blue that is on hte back of the handle goes away, but the light blue that is on the front of the frames gets "brighter".

Miss. Rifleman,
Its my understanding that the windexacts mainly as a mild degreaser. The oils from your hand can change the way the light reflects off the anodized surface of the Ti. Usually it[oils] make it "dingy" looking and dull. The windex brightens it up.

As far as other blade styles for the CUDA MAXX goes, we started with Darrel's orignial blade design for the knife, the clip point bowie. The knife was originally concieved as a folding coffin handle bowie. We MAY look at other blade styles in the future, but frankly, we just started shipping this one, and can't keep up with demand now. Let's see what the future brings. I can say that there is NO plans for any other blade anytime soon[next few months].

Thanks for the interest folks, and bquinlan, thanks for being a customer!
 
...........that's "Carolina Blue"!!:D :D The finest blue around.
I had actually anticipated the darker blue myself, but was PLEASANTLY surprised with the Carolina Blue that I got. Guess it's just something us true blue Carolina fans can expierence.

GO HEELS!!!!!!!:D :D :D

Oh yeah, Camillus got it right on the head with the MAXX. It's an AWESOME knife!
 
...................can of whup-butt on you MSU fans;) I am sure that the color is Carolina Blue. After all it is the color of the sky and we ALL know that the sky is Carolina blue because God is a Tarheel!:D ;) :eek:

JUST YOU WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR! Man between you and Dexter.........well I just don't know what to think.;) :D
 
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