I've had my Camillus 5733 Pilot Knife for two weeks now, and I have been using it for a number of around the house and woods chores. I purchased this as a general camp and utility knife, just something to have around when you need a sturdy fixed blade.
Upon taking it out of the box I was very surprised by the severe clip point shape, similar to a Spyderco Chinook blade. I had expected a straight clip from the pictures I had seen. The clip portion was also very sharp. The cutting edge was fairly dull, with a large burr. I understand that the MIL specs don't require removing the burr, so that's understandable.
A few things weren't quite right, primarily cosmetic. There were a couple loose threads on the sheath, which I fixed by putting a drop of super glue in all the holes. The stacked leather handle is coated with a sort of varnish or laquer, but the last inch is untreated. The only real flaw in the knife that bothered me is that there was almost no grind on the left side of the blade, resulting in a near-chisel grind. This took a lot of sharpening to even out, and it still isn't right yet.
The leather sheath is very nice, far better than I expected at this price. I cannot see how it could be improved. The included sharpening stone did a pretty good job on some other knives I tested it on; but I happened to have a great diamond stone which is the same size, so it now rides shotgun in the sheath.
A few days later I cut the upturned clip point off with a hacksaw and flattened the clip out; the blade now has a straight profile similar to the Becker C/U7. This feels much better, and is a more useful point.
The leather handle is secure and comfortable. My only concern is how it will react to water, I could see the leather softening or delaminating if it gets soaked. It has held up well so far, and doesn't seem to mind impacts and abrasion from fairly heavy use.
Though the Parkerizing finish is wearing farily quickly there is not even a hint of rust, despite my accidently failing to wipe it off fully after washing some sap off.
Cutting performance hasn't been impressive so far, as I just can't seem to get this knife sharp. It will cut wood and leather OK, but I'm a long way off from gliding through rope and paper. I attribute this to a variety of factors. I'm not used to sharpening carbon steel, this is a much thicker knife than any of my others, and I'm still not up to a really nice edge due to the grind issue. I'm hopefull that with a bit of wear and practice it will improve.
When I bought this I was looking for a good inexpensive fixed blade, and I made a great choice. I researched this buy a for a while, and I can't see how anything in (or substantially above) this price level can compete with the 5733. I don't think I'll require another fixed blade as long as this one is working, which I think will be a pretty long time.
BTW, is the Parkerized finish safe to use on food? I don't plan on trying it any time soon, but I'd like to know if it is safe to do so.
Upon taking it out of the box I was very surprised by the severe clip point shape, similar to a Spyderco Chinook blade. I had expected a straight clip from the pictures I had seen. The clip portion was also very sharp. The cutting edge was fairly dull, with a large burr. I understand that the MIL specs don't require removing the burr, so that's understandable.
A few things weren't quite right, primarily cosmetic. There were a couple loose threads on the sheath, which I fixed by putting a drop of super glue in all the holes. The stacked leather handle is coated with a sort of varnish or laquer, but the last inch is untreated. The only real flaw in the knife that bothered me is that there was almost no grind on the left side of the blade, resulting in a near-chisel grind. This took a lot of sharpening to even out, and it still isn't right yet.
The leather sheath is very nice, far better than I expected at this price. I cannot see how it could be improved. The included sharpening stone did a pretty good job on some other knives I tested it on; but I happened to have a great diamond stone which is the same size, so it now rides shotgun in the sheath.
A few days later I cut the upturned clip point off with a hacksaw and flattened the clip out; the blade now has a straight profile similar to the Becker C/U7. This feels much better, and is a more useful point.
The leather handle is secure and comfortable. My only concern is how it will react to water, I could see the leather softening or delaminating if it gets soaked. It has held up well so far, and doesn't seem to mind impacts and abrasion from fairly heavy use.
Though the Parkerizing finish is wearing farily quickly there is not even a hint of rust, despite my accidently failing to wipe it off fully after washing some sap off.
Cutting performance hasn't been impressive so far, as I just can't seem to get this knife sharp. It will cut wood and leather OK, but I'm a long way off from gliding through rope and paper. I attribute this to a variety of factors. I'm not used to sharpening carbon steel, this is a much thicker knife than any of my others, and I'm still not up to a really nice edge due to the grind issue. I'm hopefull that with a bit of wear and practice it will improve.
When I bought this I was looking for a good inexpensive fixed blade, and I made a great choice. I researched this buy a for a while, and I can't see how anything in (or substantially above) this price level can compete with the 5733. I don't think I'll require another fixed blade as long as this one is working, which I think will be a pretty long time.
BTW, is the Parkerized finish safe to use on food? I don't plan on trying it any time soon, but I'd like to know if it is safe to do so.