Les Stroud Interview Camillus Booth, Shot Show 2013

[AimlessWanderer]

Hey listen, you're obviously either unwilling or unable to see past the marketing and Celebrity branding thing ... and that's fine  You spend you're money where you think it's best spent, but I'll be judging the tool rather than the branding 

I do genuinely look forward to hearing some user reviews on this stuff to see what they're actually like.  It'll be solid hardworking tools, not corporate branding, marketing techniques and celebrity endorsements that'll make me buy Camillus though

[Landrew]

Hey listen, you're obviously either unwilling or unable to see past the marketing and Celebrity branding thing ... and that's fine  You spend you're money where you think it's best spent, but I'll be judging the tool rather than the branding 

I do genuinely look forward to hearing some user reviews on this stuff to see what they're actually like.  It'll be solid hardworking tools, not corporate branding, marketing techniques and celebrity endorsements that'll make me buy Camillus though

Thanks for the lecture, even though I'm probably older and more experienced than you.

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I take more stock in someone who has actually earned their reputation through hard work and honest effort.  Much less so, for someone from a privileged background, who can afford to take every shortcut money can buy.

[nuphoria]

Landrew, I'm talking about a bunch of guys I have got to know over a few years, met up with many and had plenty of time to judge if they have got a clue about this stuff or not. I have knowledge of their experience which is why I trust their opinions over a celebrity... that's my opinion, and I have a right to it.

As for this thread, if it gets personal, it gets locked so let's try and be civil shall we?

[AimlessWanderer]

Hey listen, you're obviously either unwilling or unable to see past the marketing and Celebrity branding thing ... and that's fine  You spend you're money where you think it's best spent, but I'll be judging the tool rather than the branding 

I do genuinely look forward to hearing some user reviews on this stuff to see what they're actually like.  It'll be solid hardworking tools, not corporate branding, marketing techniques and celebrity endorsements that'll make me buy Camillus though

Thanks for the lecture, even though I'm probably older and more experienced than you.

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I take more stock in someone who has actually earned their reputation through hard work and honest effort.  Much less so, for someone from a privileged background, who can afford to take every shortcut money can buy.

  I don't take stock in any celebrity endorsements  I'm far more willing to take the word of trusted friends here on the forum over some bloke pedalling his latest money making venture

BTW No lecture - just opinion and exchange of ideas  I've not changed your perspective and you've not changed mine - you'll buy "Les's" knife because he says it's good, and I'll wait for third party reviews 

[Landrew]

A celebrity endorsement would never take precedence over my own experience with a product, or over a preponderance of authentic and unfiltered user reviews, but dealing only with how one celebrity endorsement ranks over another,  I've made my case.

[nuphoria]

Marvellous.... let's move on then.

[Taxi Dad]

that's a shame I was enjoying Nurph cracking the whip 

[AimlessWanderer]

Marvellous.... let's move on then.

 

What's peoples thoughts on the blade profile on the machete? I'm far more used to the parang/khukri-esque style blades with the long sweeping belly, and to be honest I have no experience with that style blade. I can see it working well with a slim blade on grassy stuff, but with a thick blade on denser "north woods" materials it just seems to be a little odd.

The curve of a parang is supposedly always presenting and angle to the cut, and axes always have a convex curve. just wondered if there's any performance benefit to this style that I've missed 

[Wootz]

that's a shame I was enjoying Nurph cracking the whip 

 

Just how I like my coffee: sweet and strong.   

[nuphoria]

that's a shame I was enjoying Nurph cracking the whip 

 

Just how I like my coffee: sweet and strong.   

That's exactly how I just made my coffee.....

[Gareth]

Long and short of it is that Les Stroud might well have a great reputation (and I am a fan) but the modern Camillus brand does not.   So until these have had a good independent review I'll be reserving my judgement. 

That and the fact I think they are ugly as hell.

[enki_ck]

Long and short of it is that Les Stroud might well have a great reputation (and I am a fan) but the modern Camillus brand does not.   So until these have had a good independent review I'll be reserving my judgement. 

That and the fact I think they are ugly as hell.

+1 Especially the last part.

But it is nice to see a "new" manufacturer entering the multitool world, assuming that Camillus is making that multitool, not just selling a rebranded Ganzo or the like. Les has carried the the Supertool, Swisstool, Spirit and Charge (great taste for tools ) during the previous seasons and always emphasized the usefulness of a multi in the survival situation.  So hopefully this will be a good tool. Though as others have said, I'll wait on independent reviews.

[Taxi Dad]

+ 2 on the 'ugly' 
i like the 'new' Bear Grylls offering  that 'looks' well designed, but i would buy one without the BG logo if i had the choice.

[AimlessWanderer]

Oh, I don't know ... I think those Spanish ones look quite nice  The more I look at the lime green items though, the more confused I am as to the decisions. The machete shape, the blade shapes, the styling ... again like I said before I'll reserve full judgement when I've seen more pics and reports ... but it's not so much a "no" as a "why the smurf ... ?"

[Lynn LeFey]

"Scissors built in. You don't see that very often." The presenter in the MT video doesn't know the MT market very well.

When I freezeframe on the MT (at 4:11), I can see large gaps between the tool layers. This probably means thin stock with washers between the tools. There is also no visible tool lock, so these are almost certainly non-locking tools. That is one crazy short saw. It looks like about a standard 4" frame length (based on it being about as long as the speaker's palm is wide). All inside access tools. I have to say I'm not seeing much to excite me, but I'll let other folks get their hands on this thing and give some reviews before I completely write it off. This thing REALLY puts me in mind of the Husky tool sold at Home Depot. I'd have to get a close hands-on to say more definitively, but yeah... kinda disappointed at first glance.

The fixed blade knives look a little more promising. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no need for a fixed blade knife. I think the machete has some promise, and looks like the kind of blade that'd take a serious beating.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

Totally off topic, but will someone please tell Les to STOP DOING SCENE/ANGLE CHANGES IN HIS SHOW EVER FIVE BLOODY SECONDS?

 

I swear, I get motion sick watching his bloody show when he does that!  Sheesh!!! 

[Lynn LeFey]

I watched a lot of MTV when I was younger. I'm immune to blipverts.

[Landrew]

Totally off topic, but will someone please tell Les to STOP DOING SCENE/ANGLE CHANGES IN HIS SHOW EVER FIVE BLOODY SECONDS?

 

I swear, I get motion sick watching his bloody show when he does that!  Sheesh!!!

Not bad for a one-man film crew.

[Lynn LeFey]

Not bad for a one-man film crew.

I dunno... I thought his camerawork was pretty shoddy, while swiftly marching through the jungle at night being pursued by a jaguar. 

I don't know that I can actually say I ever noticed rapid camera cut problems, but like I said, and I'm pretty serious, I'm apparently immune to that.

[Landrew]

Not bad for a one-man film crew.

I dunno... I thought his camerawork was pretty shoddy, while swiftly marching through the jungle at night being pursued by a jaguar. 

I don't know that I can actually say I ever noticed rapid camera cut problems, but like I said, and I'm pretty serious, I'm apparently immune to that.

I'd give him credit for doing a whole TV show by himself, miles from civilization, probably weak from hunger and who knows what else...


Unlike some who sleep in a 5-star hotel the night before, and have the luxury of multiple takes, a crew, and multiple camera angles...

[Lynn LeFey]

You DID catch that the 'shoddy camerawork' thing above was a joke, right?

[Landrew]

Sorry, I'm emoticon- challenged I suppose.

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Tapatalk 2

[Grathr]

I think it is a little suspicious that Les "forgot" to promote the new multitool. From the video it did not look very impressive. If it turns out to be a bad tool, it will probably harm Les's credibility quite badly.

Personally I would be much more intersted in exsisting tools that Les, or Bear or any other survival expert, recomend without getting paid for it. That would give them a lot more integrity, but also thinner wallets.

[Landrew]

I think it is a little susoicious that Les "forgot" to promote the new multitool. From the video it did not look very impressive. If it turns out to be a bad tool, it will probably harm Les's credibility quite badly.

Personally I would be much more intersted in exsisting tools that Les, or Bear or any othe survival expert, recomend without getting paid for it. That would give them a lot more integrity, but also thinner wallets.

Here's hoping that Camillus is in transition from bad to good, with Les's help.

[AimlessWanderer]

I think it is a little susoicious that Les "forgot" to promote the new multitool. From the video it did not look very impressive. If it turns out to be a bad tool, it will probably harm Les's credibility quite badly.

Personally I would be much more intersted in exsisting tools that Les, or Bear or any othe survival expert, recomend without getting paid for it. That would give them a lot more integrity, but also thinner wallets.

100% with you on that one  If they were making endorsements from the goodness of their hearts (slim chance) without getting generous handouts (yeah right  ), THEN I'd listen to their reconsiderations ... and I'm not convinced any of them would be promoting the guys they're currently contracted to 

They'd probably all say just say "Mora" 

[Grathr]

There is a way that they could recomend products and get paid for it, with their integrity intact: If they for instance got paid by a big outdoor magazine or somehting like that to test products and review them. But then they would have to spend quite a lot of time on it. 

[Lynn LeFey]

I seem to recall a LOT of SAKs being pulled out by Les, and a couple plier based tools (I seem to recall him having a plier based tool in the desert island ep to pull something out of a fire).

I wouldn't even blame him for putting his name on an MT, but he should CARRY the thing for a while, get some process improvement feedback on it. And he should CERTAINLY do it before endorsing it as a new product. Just sayin'. Let's see if it's the MT (or knives) he pulls out in future seasons of Survivorman.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

If you ask me (never mind that no one has, (If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!  )) his show is the most entertaining when he's all strung out on beetle-nuts...   

[Sazabi]

The multitool looks like a dressed up generic-Chinese-multitool, unfortunately.  Really not promising. :/

[Lynn LeFey]

Yeah, I pulled up the HD version of that video and REALLY scrutinized the tool on the side shot. It looks like it has the same plier head assembly method as the Suspension (and the Husky MTs I have), where the head is held to the rest of the tool by a piece bolted on with 4 screws. Two of the screws are hidden (by the bright yellow plastic handle bits), so I can't tell if they're the dinky screws I suspect them to be. I hate to jump to conclusions, but what I'm seeing isn't exciting me.