Les Stroud Interview Camillus Booth, Shot Show 2013

[enki_ck]

Les talking about SUrvivorman, his Camillis knives and new knives to come soon.


 !

[Gareth]

Interesting.  They seem to mention that the hunting knives are in collaboration with a Spanish knife maker, if I'm picking that up right then I'd lay a small bet that it's Cudeman (going by the look of the knives and the sheaths).  If I'm right then I'm happy to say that I have a couple of their knives and think they are excellent knives for the money.

[AimlessWanderer]

You may well be right, though I must say I've had some really nice products over the years from Andujar, Muella and Nieto too. All 400 series stainless, but I personally prefer that to the "go faster stripe" steels, and they've been well made and good working tools too

[Gareth]

You may well be right, though I must say I've had some really nice products over the years from Andujar, Muella and Nieto too. All 400 series stainless, but I personally prefer that to the "go faster stripe" steels, and they've been well made and good working tools too

You're right of course, it could reasonably be any of them.

[AimlessWanderer]

I'd still agree on Cudeman being hot favourite though 

[Landrew]

Everything about Les Stroud is the real deal. He is the original man versus the wild.  Nothing is staged, no film crew, no hotel bed every night, no helicoptering between scenes, what you see is true reality TV.  Whatever he says about Camillus knives is his real opinion, not a bought and paid-for endorsement deal.

[Wootz]

The machete blade for the north woods looks interesting. How much are these?

Edit: mmm..convex the blade, change the handle for a nice piece of hardwood, and a handmade leather scabbard to wrap it up. 

[dks]

Everything about Les Stroud is the real deal. He is the original man versus the wild.  Nothing is staged, no film crew, no hotel bed every night, no helicoptering between scenes, what you see is true reality TV.  Whatever he says about Camillus knives is his real opinion, not a bought and paid-for endorsement deal.

I think, maybe he is just a tiny bit influenced in his opinion by the money he got...  unless he is doing it for free?? 

I am still a bit suspicious of the New Camillus and New Schrade too as they really have nothing to do with the original US companies but hopefully they will soon be able to produce good tools and not just try to flog a name to people who do not know the original companies have dissapeared.

[redbaron]

did i see a les stroud multi tool?
and les didn't talk about it?

[Gareth]

Yeah, I thought I saw something under there, good screen capture redbaron.

[enki_ck]

did i see a les stroud multi tool?
and les didn't talk about it?

Great catch there. I missed it. Now I want to know more!

[redbaron]

I'm sad he didn't mention it, perhaps it's only a prototype?

[Landrew]

I'll be looking for that north-woods machete, and getting one as soon as it's available.


No celebrity endorser I know of would claim to be doing it only for the money, but it boils down to the level of trust and respect you feel that person has earned, whether you take them on their word about an endorsed product or not.  Les has earned it all the hard way, unlike some others who appeared to have taken every shortcut money could buy...

[django.cj]

As much as I like Les, I have no faith in the new Camillus. Like the new Schrade, once the NY plants closed, they're just junk IMO.

[Landrew]

As much as I like Les, I have no faith in the new Camillus. Like the new Schrade, once the NY plants closed, they're just junk IMO.

Maybe with Les's help, they are turning a corner.

[dks]

I really hope that he gets paid mainly for his contribution to the design rather than gor the endorsing, which as you said is usually where most of the money is paid for with celebrities in general.


As a sidenote I remember hearing that Camillus intended to bring all production back to the US, but that was a year ago??

[Landrew]

I really hope that he gets paid mainly for his contribution to the design rather than gor the endorsing, which as you said is usually where most of the money is paid for with celebrities in general.


As a sidenote I remember hearing that Camillus intended to bring all production back to the US, but that was a year ago??

When set out to promote a brand by wrapping it in the flag, you need to find a way to produce it domestically, full stop.

[django.cj]

As much as I like Les, I have no faith in the new Camillus. Like the new Schrade, once the NY plants closed, they're just junk IMO.

Maybe with Les's help, they are turning a corner.

I hope.  I cherish my old Camillus BSA knife.  I'd love to have that company back.

[Landrew]

I'll be looking for that north-woods machete, and getting one as soon as it's available.


No celebrity endorser I know of would claim to be doing it only for the money, but it boils down to the level of trust and respect you feel that person has earned, whether you take them on their word about an endorsed product or not.  Les has earned it all the hard way, unlike some others who appeared to have taken every shortcut money could buy...

If integrity means anything at all, then they couldn't have found a better spokesman.

[nuphoria]

The multitool, 3m40s



$29?? interesting.....

[enki_ck]

So:

Saw
File
Knife
Scissors
Dehooker
Phillips
Flathead
Tweezers

And SPRING LOADED pliers.



Looks promising. And the $29 is MSRP I think, maybe we'll see it at lower prices when it hits the stores.

[nuphoria]

It's certainly cheap - looks a little cheap too, but that doesn't mean it won't be worth it

[enki_ck]

It's certainly cheap - looks a little cheap too, but that doesn't mean it won't be worth it

Don't worry, the prices on this side of the ocean will surely be at least double the MSRP.

[AimlessWanderer]

The styling, multitool, sheath with firestarter and flashlight ... they all look like they're taking Gerber Head on with their BG range. I have absolutely no idea what a "dehooker" is is that a fishing hook remover tool? They've gone straight in with a cheapo multitool with fishscaler 

Initial impressions only - and I'll reserve full judgement till I've seen more - but I think I like the BG Strata configuration better. That saw looks tiny! The "signature" knives also don't strike me as being any more special than the BG designs (though lets hope they don't have the same manufacturing issues)

I'll be looking for that north-woods machete, and getting one as soon as it's available.


No celebrity endorser I know of would claim to be doing it only for the money, but it boils down to the level of trust and respect you feel that person has earned, whether you take them on their word about an endorsed product or not.  Les has earned it all the hard way, unlike some others who appeared to have taken every shortcut money could buy...

If integrity means anything at all, then they couldn't have found a better spokesman.

Oh, C'mon - Wake up ... it's marketing!!!

An ailing knife maker (or at least one that doesn't have a strong purchase on the market) has enlisted a well known and popular knife user and are paying him money by the van load to be an "ad campaign" for their gear. Les Stroud's popularity does not make the knife any better! Is he willingly going to put his name on a pile of junk - not knowing, of course he isn't ... but he's also openly admitted in another vid he's not a metals man. He knows how to make a good knife pay dividends in the field, he's a survival expert, but hasn't got the first clue about metallurgy and/or manufacturing knives to build a decent knife. If you believe otherwise, you are a PR guys dream customer. This is a very clever strategy by Camillus to try and carve off (pun intended) a slice of the market to boost sales - nothing more

The whole reason manufacturers pay celebrities great swathes of cash is because people will and do believe the con - and people will buy "Les's" knife - when Les hasn't got the foggiest idea about making them. You're playing right into their hands and proving that these silly little mind games that marketing people play really works very well indeed. The deciding factor should be, if it didn't have Beardy's name on it - would ya buy it then?

... Oh, and whether you buy Gerber's stuff because of who they drive a van load of cash to every month, or whether you avoid buying Gerbers stuff for the same reason ... you're still missing the point ... what is the tool like? So far I'm not seeing anything that tells me the cheap knives with the lime green are significantly better than the cheap knives with bright orange

If it had Postman Pat on the handle, the tools wouldn't work any better or any worse 

[Landrew]

It does matter.  If you don't have the time or money to test everything out yourself, it makes sense to trust the word of someone who isn't purely doing it for the cash.  That's integrity.

[nuphoria]

It does matter.  If you don't have the time or money to test everything out yourself, it makes sense to trust the word of someone who isn't purely doing it for the cash.  That's integrity.

I trust the word of many experienced tool owners on this forum - they aren't paid to tell me what's worth buying.

Very few of us have the time or money to test everything, that's one of the main reasons a lot of people come here in the first place.

[AimlessWanderer]

It does matter.  If you don't have the time or money to test everything out yourself, it makes sense to trust the word of someone who isn't purely doing it for the cash.  That's integrity.

  No, it's naive and gullible (did you know the word gullible isn't in the Oxford English Dictionary?) 

You think he's going to say "those two are OK but this one isn't as good as we hoped", or "they are a bit limited but we daren't put the price up to make them better as they won't sell enough units to give me my skip full of cash every month" or "Yeah it's a fishing tool - we cheaped out" 

He's in it for the cash 

It does matter.  If you don't have the time or money to test everything out yourself, it makes sense to trust the word of someone who isn't purely doing it for the cash.  That's integrity.

I trust the word of many experienced tool owners on this forum - they aren't paid to tell me what's worth buying.

Very few of us have the time or money to test everything, that's one of the main reasons a lot of people come here in the first place.

Absolutely, there are people here I would and do trust - not the guy who's being paid to put his name on it 

[AimlessWanderer]

Just a little something to substantiate what I'm saying ... what's that he says in the vid? We're the only folding knife on the market with a firsesteel in the handle? Tool Logic have done it for YEARS ... and they had a whistle and (pretty poor) flashlight on it too. Of course LMF have done it on fixed blades too in their collaboration with Mora(?). So he's either lying or he doesn't know any better. Take your choice on that one, my healthy scepticism remains intact either way 

Stroud has more applied knowledge in the field of survival that I will EVER possess, I'm not taking that away from the guy - but as regards the products, he's a very highly paid Poster Boy

[Wootz]

So:

Saw
File
Knife
Scissors
Dehooker
Phillips
Flathead
Tweezers

And SPRING LOADED pliers.



Looks promising. And the $29 is MSRP I think, maybe we'll see it at lower prices when it hits the stores.

Meh..inside opening tools..how "handy" is that? 

[Landrew]

It does matter.  If you don't have the time or money to test everything out yourself, it makes sense to trust the word of someone who isn't purely doing it for the cash.  That's integrity.

  No, it's naive and gullible (did you know the word gullible isn't in the Oxford English Dictionary?) 

You think he's going to say "those two are OK but this one isn't as good as we hoped", or "they are a bit limited but we daren't put the price up to make them better as they won't sell enough units to give me my skip full of cash every month" or "Yeah it's a fishing tool - we cheaped out" 

He's in it for the cash 

It does matter.  If you don't have the time or money to test everything out yourself, it makes sense to trust the word of someone who isn't purely doing it for the cash.  That's integrity.

I trust the word of many experienced tool owners on this forum - they aren't paid to tell me what's worth buying.

Very few of us have the time or money to test everything, that's one of the main reasons a lot of people come here in the first place.

Absolutely, there are people here I would and do trust - not the guy who's being paid to put his name on it 

Naive and gullible is believing someone who has only talked the talk, over someone who has walked the walk.