Multitool.org Forum
Tool Talk => Edged Tools => Topic started by: SteveC on January 15, 2019, 11:47:48 PM
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This is both cool to watch and a bit sad as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwmeJD5urcw
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Well... I intended to watch the first minute or so and bookmark it, but ended up watching the whole lot. Outstanding, what an excellent story, if not a bit sadly predictable. Thanks for that Steve I really enjoyed and appreciated that. :salute:
Funnily enough, I saw a nice Camillus knife on titbay earlier today, if I can find it again I'll send you the link... no doubt you've got ten already though. :cheers:
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Camillus had a good long history. I for one hated to see it go. There are seven Camillus knives within my reach at the moment. :)
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Camillus had a good long history. I for one hated to see it go. There are seven Camillus knives within my reach at the moment. :)
Go get em D ! ;)
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I watched the video.This is a sad tale of another cutlery company that has closed its doors.
I then referenced the location of Camillus Cutlery in Camillus,New York.I realized that I had passed that city many times when I was a young kid on our way to visit relatives who lived in Oswego,New York.
So close yet so far.LOL
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I watched the video.This is a sad tale of another cutlery company that has closed its doors.
I then referenced the location of Camillus Cutlery in Camillus,New York.I realized that I had passed that city many times when I was a young kid on our way to visit relatives who lived in Oswego,New York.
So close yet so far.LOL
:facepalm:
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Camillus had a good long history. I for one hated to see it go. There are seven Camillus knives within my reach at the moment. :)
Go get em D ! ;)
+1 :pok:
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This is both cool to watch and a bit sad as well.
Thanks for sharing Steve! :like: :tu: :tu:
I agree that it is both cool and sad. :cheers:
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Thank you Steve for sharing this. I was unaware of this company on the manufacturing side. I am aware of the Brand and the Pilots knife was one I had. I'll have to get another if not for anything but the history of the company.
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This is good read on the history of the company
http://www.collectors-of-camillus.us/History/Camillus%20History.pdf
and cool website
http://www.collectors-of-camillus.us/
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Thanks Steve!
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I've seen this before and would agree that it is indeed a very sad story. I have many Camillus knives as well as their many offshoots(which number about a hundred)made around the world. Used to go by the town(but sadly never stopped)on my way east to Massachusetts from Michigan.My relatives lived in Jamestown and virtually all the major knife manufacturers were located right off route 17(which I believe is now Interstate 86).
One of my favorite knives is a 3 line Camillus easy open jack with ebony handles that I bought in an antique shop in Ashtabula Ohio. It pre-dates WWI and was never sharpened. I opted to leave it as found and wondered what stories it might tell if it had the ability to talk.
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Ray that is a great EO Jack you got there!
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:iagree:. I wish they could talk!
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Nice old knife Ray !
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:iagree:. I wish they could talk!
Well... depending on how discreet they can be.
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This is good read on the history of the company
http://www.collectors-of-camillus.us/History/Camillus%20History.pdf
and cool website
http://www.collectors-of-camillus.us/
Thanks again.
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Here is the website that I meant to post
http://www.collectors-of-camillus.us/
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The more I read the more its a bummer they didn't make it to today. Shame the building burned too. I did like how the one guy continues on making knives. Kinda funny how knives are still being sent to the old factory for warranty work.
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The more I read the more its a bummer they didn't make it to today. Shame the building burned too. I did like how the one guy continues on making knives. Kinda funny how knives are still being sent to the old factory for warranty work.
My guess is outside of hard core knife people very few folks who are still carrying a Camillus knife know the Company finally went under in 07.
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I actually have the orange paratrooper switch blade knife. I thought I had moved it on. Neat knife btw.
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My 'first knife' was an 'official' Cub Scout [late-50's issue] with blue scales, and a Wolf Den emblem on it. It was either a four-blade: Camillus, or Imperial make. Looked similar to the 1970's one below. I remember the 'press lock' tabs on it. You had to earn your "Totin' Chip" card in order to carry-it. :D
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTgBTaPncfbRkmpPdoPe_MrnmMMIFXvy42Tatdg0MpRfQjXHQtPnQ)
(https://i.etsystatic.com/17161895/r/il/9a689c/1795900593/il_570xN.1795900593_4ro9.jpg)
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The more I read the more its a bummer they didn't make it to today. Shame the building burned too. I did like how the one guy continues on making knives. Kinda funny how knives are still being sent to the old factory for warranty work.
My guess is outside of hard core knife people very few folks who are still carrying a Camillus knife know the Company finally went under in 07.
I didn't start looking online for knives until 2009 or there about. I found out Camillus was out of business by asking the local CoOp why they didn't have Camillus any more. Kind of the same with Schrade/Old Timer. Before that I knew Camillus was getting hard to find but didn't realize they were close to closing their doors.
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I have a few. The good ones are really good, even at 60 years old. The bad, well, if all their products were perfect then they would have still been in business.
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It's hard, if not impossible to look back at a company 20 plus years after their doors closed and judge their products. Their stock has been sold out, the New Old Stock you see on ebay may well be a retailer's left overs, snatched up during a going out of business sale. You never know what's happened to a used knife even if it looks virtually unused. I read all the time about someone complaining about or sending a knife back because the spring was .003 high or low at half stop. Or it was a tiny bit off center. Those are standards that never existed before. Really what difference does it make if a spring is a tiny bit high at half stop, you don't use a blade at half stop. Knife knuts are becoming a very picky lot.
You have to look back to 1980 to understand why companies went under. Labor costs were on the rise and the modern knife was born, Spyderco, Benchmade etc. were coming out with modern knives with new steels at a low price. Cheap Japanese imports and clones were flooding the market.
The old companies didn't have engineers they had craftsmen that were unable to adapt to the newer designs. There were attempts at modern designs but they failed to understand the new market. Labor costs were rising yet the unions fought to stop new modern manufacturing techniques that would have lowered cost and improved quality. Because it would have meant a temporary loss of employees (aka union dues). Those old family owned companies were also suffering from bad management, that was unwilling or unable to make the needed changes.
Buck streamlined and branched out to modern knives. Case streamlined production and survived, by turning 80% of their production to candy colored novelty knives and collectibles. Now the flood of cheap RR's is forcing has Case to experiment with a line of Chinese made moderns.
In short times changed and the old companies didn't.
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I have a few. The good ones are really good, even at 60 years old. The bad, well, if all their products were perfect then they would have still been in business.
Kind of a simplistic view and not at all true.
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My view.
I live in a free country.
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It's sad to see the factories close. To see what they once we're and now what's left. Car factories in Detroit. The steel and railroads of my own home state left to rot and fall apart. I'd love to be able to re open the old plants and start making old timers and camillus in the states again
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Dean51 :salute:
@Spartan. It would be great to have bought up all the Camillus stuff and relaunch them. Its unfortunate how fickle the knife community is. Its darned if you do and darned if you don't. GEC might have it right? Case is slugging it out it seems and good for them.
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Dean51 :salute:
@Spartan. It would be great to have bought up all the Camillus stuff and relaunch them. Its unfortunate how fickle the knife community is. Its darned if you do and darned if you don't. GEC might have it right? Case is slugging it out it seems and good for them.
I hear that aloha! I didn't know that case was bringing in Chinese knives for their lineup. Does anyone know which ones they are?
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I think pretty much every cutlery manufacturer still extant in the US has imported lines and or parts. Gerber and SOG, I think are largely imported. Utica, at least what I find in stores here, has a lot of imported lines. Bear and Sons has the Bear Edge line, which is imported. Case has Tec-X. Even Camillus and Schrade, as the original companies, had multiple imported lines.
But, personally, I am not really impressed by what Taylor Brands (now owned by Smith and Wesson, I think) and Acme are doing with the Camillus and Schrade names. The quality seems to scream "bargain bin special" and they all use mediocre steel. Yet, my Rough Riders are half the cost of a Chinese Schrade or Camillus, but 100X better. And it doesn't help that Taylor are taking over the mom and pop hardware store cutlery displays. Our Farm Bureau replaced Case (they were a silver level dealer) with Taylor Schrade. At the very least, they could allow Bear and Sons, Utica, or even GEC to produce some knives in the USA. There were some GEC Schrades, I might add, in 2005-6 based on the Oregon Trapper; done as a special edition. Now, an Oregon Trapper, in Old Timer trim with sawcut bone would look awesome!
In terms of modern designs, I love my Schrade Tough Tool, Cliphangers, and am trading at present for a Lake and Walker. Camillus had great stainless steel, and a ton of modern designs. The LEV-R-LOK was especially cool, and I find the Sierra to be a great workhorse.
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I still use a Camillus lockback when I go camping. Definitely one of my favorites,
I think it's unfortunate that Camillus fell apart. There are posts in other forums that talk about how they were inconsistent and disorganized in their production,
The Demo knife is an American Classic, which was re-vitalized for a short time recently, and its a shame it hasn't lasted. If the Demo is anything like the Camillus Scout (which I also have, but don't use), the backspring is made of the same hard metal as everything else - making it extremely stiff, hard to open, and prone to breaking. Knowing a reasonable stiffness for a backspring should be very basic for a manufacturer - when there are so few components, they all need to be on point.
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Case knives and China - I haven’t that...last I heard is Case is USA period. :popcorn:
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My recently found Camillus Demo knife opens perfectly!
It's not giving me a feeling of being too strong whatsoever :shrug:
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It's sad the quality being pushed aside for cheap knives. I've seen a lot of cheap knives on display and fewer quality knives on the shelves
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Case knives and China - I haven’t that...last I heard is Case is USA period. :popcorn:
Thankfully the trads are still American Ray, it's just the tech x series of economy linerlocks
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Thankfully the trads are still American Ray, it's just the tech x series of economy linerlocks
Thanks for the information :hatsoff:
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Thanks for the information :hatsoff:
Anytime, it's getting pretty confusing these days :ahhh
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Thought I would post up some of the Camillus knives I have accumulated over the years.
#1 A 2 blade with celluloid handles and tip bolsters.
#2 A 2 blade ebony handles with a 3line stamp and arched stamp on secondary blade.
#3 A 3 blade with celluloid handles and an unusual manicure secondary blade.
#4 A 2 blade coffin pattern with swirl celluloid handles.
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:like:
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Page two
#1A George Washington commemorative knife issued on the 200th anniversary of his birth(1932).
#2 A similar knife without the signature on the handle.
#3 A military issue utility knife from World War 2
#4 A 3 blade with unusual snakeskin pattern celluloid handles.
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OOPS! Double posted the George Washington knife;here is the unmarked version.
#2 A 3 line 4 blade senator pattern;probably pre-WWI
#3 A so-called,"Red Cross" knife issued by them to soldiers during WWI
#4 A US Coast Guard approved rope knife issued during WWII
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Page three
#1 A #1 pruning knife with synthetic handles.Advertising on the blade is for Channellock tools.
#2 A #1 with wood handles and lanyard hole.
#3 A # 21 Peanut pattern.
#4 A #23 advertising the Orr Felt & Blanket co.
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Page four
#1 A #23 without advertising but having a shield.
#2 A #35 trapper with outgassed celluloid handles before repairing.
#3 the same #35 with new wood handles installed and cleaned up.
#4 A #42 with celluloid handles and tip bolsters.
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Page five
#1 A #64 harness jack with spiral punch blade.
#2 A #69 stockman
#3 a #72 whittler.
#4 A #86 reject that somehow made it out of the factory.Nothing is right on this knife!
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Page six:
#1A #89 stockman with synthetic stag handles.
#2 Camillus & Syracuse bar knives. Syracuse was one of Camillus's many secondary brands.
#3 A fixed blade bar knife with serrated blade;olive fork point;guard is a combination cap lifter and can opener.
#4 A TL-29 electrician's knife(military issue) with wood handles
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Page seven:
#1 An electrician's knife with synthetic handles.
#2 A Camillus paring knife.
#3 an S-702 Yachtsman's knife.
#4 A gentleman's lobster pen knife.
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Page eight:
EDIT: The pic of the electrician's knife in the preceding post has wood handles;not synthetic.
#1 Camillus Tip Top barlow pattern
#2 Fisherman' Luck fishing knife.
#3 Camp knife;a knock off of the official Boy Scout knife.
#4 A military Telephone Linesman's kit with pliers and a TL-29 electrician's knife.
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Last one is a solo:
A most unusual handle material on this Sword Brand Camillus sleeveboard jack:Celluloid with bits of mother of pearl and abalone floating within.
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Sweet collection of Camillus knives Ray !
Does that Cattle knife with the Snakeskin covers have a model # on the main blade ? It looks like a #70 with different covers.
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Sweet collection of Camillus knives Ray !
Does that Cattle knife with the Snakeskin covers have a model # on the main blade ? It looks like a #70 with different covers.
Thanks for the kind words Steve.No;it does not have a number on it.I think it may have had the master blade re-profiled from a spear to a clip point.It is a 4 line.Here is another pic.
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Very cool knife ! :like:
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Some WW2 / Vietnam examples.
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:like: :tu:
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Thanks :salute:
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A couple of four line Jacks
(https://i.imgur.com/UYRheQh.jpg)
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:like:
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US Army Air Corp Utility and a #11 Barlow
(https://i.imgur.com/9PHnBWh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xxxyoi9.jpg)
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I'll play. Camillus #64
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:like: :tu:
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:salute:. Once the flea markets open I'll keep a sharper eye out.
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(https://i.imgur.com/ZJd0QZh.jpg)
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Not exactly a memory, but a cool new concept. https://www.camillusknives.com/camillus-pocket-block-6-25-folding-knife-slate-blue.html
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I am beginning to understand why GEC or should I say how GEC has grown to be what they are today. I don't own one yet but from all I read and all I've seen they are carrying on a wonderful tradition of knife making. They seem to be very focused on quality. I watched a 3 part series on how they go about making a knife and it was pretty darn good.
As for Camillus, I have one and its a good knife. It really is a shame when what I would tend to believe is a blue collar company loose its "direction" or whatever the sum of what happened happened. Maybe I'm being overly nostalgic this morning.
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I am beginning to understand why GEC or should I say how GEC has grown to be what they are today. I don't own one yet but from all I read and all I've seen they are carrying on a wonderful tradition of knife making. They seem to be very focused on quality. I watched a 3 part series on how they go about making a knife and it was pretty darn good.
As for Camillus, I have one and its a good knife. It really is a shame when what I would tend to believe is a blue collar company loose its "direction" or whatever the sum of what happened happened. Maybe I'm being overly nostalgic this morning.
I tend to agree... Camillus made some good knives, and I sometimes consider getting one of their new ones (though it's not the same company at all). There are reports of their old factory being disorganized, with various parts all over the place... Some made for Remington... Sounds like there was a problem with their executive leadership.
I have a Camillus scout knife and one of their lockback knives that's made with random parts. On the lockback, the liners and backspring are clearly made for a two bladed knife, but it only has one blade... And the tang stamp begins with R. It's obviously been made with random parts.
Still my favorite heavy duty camp knife though... Sorry Victorinox.
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I carry my 64 a lot. Its very well done and I have no complaints as to quality. I have no clue how it was treated by previous owner/s but its a survivor.
Having recently been interested in getting a GEC it no fault of theirs some choose to buy solely for collecting. What I'm saying is I believe whole heartedly they are making knives to be used. The level of care they put into their knives suggest this to me. When a maker ( IMO ) takes the time to get everything right they do so for the end user. They want this knife to be put to work.
I've been reading a bit about Camillus and it continues to sadden me they couldn't survive. It may just be it was their time to go. Hats off to companies like Opinel and Victorinox for what they've been able to accomplish.
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https://www.rockusacutlery.com/
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:like: :tu:
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:iagree:
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I will be forever grateful to the Rockwell Brothers of Rock USA Cutlery for restoring my original 1968 Camillus Cub Scout knife. I can now EDC it at age 62 the same knife my Dad and used to make my car for the Pinewood Derby 53 years ago.
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That's really cool Bryan ! :like:
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:salute: Thats awesome.
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Interesting video. Such a shame that so many of the good traditional US Knife companies have closed.
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Steve linked this thread in another so I had to come here and take a look again.
Camillus :salute:. Gone but not forgotten. I have a few more Camillus since I've been back to this thread. I enjoy this companies knives very much.
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Watched the video for the fourth time.
Camillus Cutlery was about the people that made the product!
A fact I knew, but did not understand until hearing again, was the end began after they lost the Buck production, because Buck changed and adapted to the changing market.
I do own a few, 67, 66, 72, and half Congress. Ask really good knifes. I would luv to locate my Cub Scout knife! My guess is my youngest brother has, if he did take care of it.
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How'd I know I'd find you here?
Was this your knife?
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Just going to post this here for future reference :tu:
(https://forum.multitool.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=68477.0;attach=553090;fs=114168)