Camillus vs CAMCO

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Owd Wullie
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Camillus vs CAMCO

Post by Owd Wullie »

I was digging around through the many piles of stuff looking for one lost knife and found another that I had totally forgotten about having. It is "toothpick styled fish knife with the de-scaler and a long slender blade Marked CAMCO USA. It has fake jigged bone black handles that are warped from getting too hot in a tackle box at some point in its' life. It has definitely seen better days.

I read on ebay that CAMCO is Camillus' inexpensive import brand that they tried to help keep the company going. This knife I'm pretty sure has been in my grand dad's old tackle box since the 50's.

WHADUPWIDDAT? Was CAMCO a Camillus byname? I've got no plans for that old thing other than to keep it in the museum of family junk/treasures and was just curious.

As for Camillus, This big honkin Moore-Maker trapper I've got is a HELL for STOUT knife. I swore off Camillus in 'Nam because of their two bit TL-29 finger slicing excuse for a liner locked screw driver that I over stressed on hot afternoon in the Tonkin Gulf. I probably would not have bought this thing if I had known ahead of time that Camillus made it. I'm glad now that I did buy it. I see lots of Camillus knives on ebay for not much $$. Are those knives the same quality as this Moore-Maker? I did have to file the outside liner on that Moor-Maker to stop it from rubbing the blade, but other than that, the knife is well built and fitted.

Thanks in advance,
Willie
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Re: Camillus vs CAMCO

Post by Paladin »

According to Goins, CAMCO was a 1948 stamping. I suspect it was used on their inexpensive lines of knives but I never heard that it was made anywhere but the USA.
Maybe someone will come along with more exact information.

Ray
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orvet
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Re: Camillus vs CAMCO

Post by orvet »

Camco was the lower priced knife line put out by Camillus.
The seller on eBay was, I think, referring to a line of Chinese knives marked Camco Workhorse.
As I understand it, those were ordered as a last ditch effort to generate revenue for the company but they had not landed in the US before Camillus closed.

The Camco brand goes back at least 50 years as I have copies of catalogs from the 1950s. I think the line goes back into the 1930s, perhaps the 1920s.

Camillus made the Moore Maker line as well as many others. Camillus was called the knife maker’s knife maker, as they made more knives for other companies than any other knife manufacturer in US history.

I personally have sat at a table of collectors and passed around an old, well-made Camillus and had collectors say, "Oh, too bad it's a Camillus." And then two knives later (knives were being passed around the table) they were oohing & awing over a Case that was made by Camillus.
It was all I could do to keep a straight face.

I have several blades from the now closed Camillus factory.
They include blades stamped:
Case
Remington
Schrade
Boker
Moore Maker
& many others.

I had a Camillus TL-29 issued to me in the Marine Corps that I carried through Vietnam & managed to hang on to it when I was medevaced. Still have it. It was such good quality it made me a believer & collector of Camillus. I think you must have got a bad one….it does happen.

I will send Tom Williams (CAMCO) a link to this thread and see what he can tell us about Camco knives.

In my opinion, Camillus is one of the least respected of the major traditional US knife makers. Ironically they made knives for literally everyone, even the high dollar brands.

Dale
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Owd Wullie
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Re: Camillus vs CAMCO

Post by Owd Wullie »

Thanks guys! ::tu::

Check your E-mail Dale.

Willie
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Re: Camillus vs CAMCO

Post by orvet »

Got it Wullie!
Thanks!
I'll be givin' y'all a call.

Dale
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Owd Wullie
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Re: Camillus vs CAMCO

Post by Owd Wullie »

Answered ya back. :D

Here's a pic of that old CAMCO and a partial pic of my NEW, FASTER THAN LIGHT/GLOW IN THE DARK/SOOPER DOOPER Victorinox RESCUE DEEVICE. :roll: ANd a neat little I*XL I gathered of the bay a couple weeks back.
Image

This here is my new pocket knife. I was gonna carry a sweet little INDIAN HEAD I got form Mr Muskrat Man, but this one just feels better. ::nod::
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Re: Camillus vs CAMCO

Post by Gunsmoke47 »

Hey Dale, you learn something new everyday! I thought the Case Classics (by Queen) were the only knives outsourced by Case. What years did Camillius make them and was it a sfo type of thing? I agrre that Camillus was way under appreciated. Smoke
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Re: Camillus vs CAMCO

Post by upnorth »

Some of the Barlows with XX stamped on the bolsters were made by Camillus, and the scout/utility knives off and on.
Some told me Case never made a can opener - I wonder if that's true??
Utopia!! A chicken in every pot!! And a Barlow in every pocket!!!


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Re: Camillus vs CAMCO

Post by orvet »

I don't know the full extent of what Camillus made for Case.
In the future I hope to be able to go through all the surviving Camillus S-cads and see just what Camillus made and for whom.

I do have a new blade from Camillus that appears to fit a Case TL-29 or perhaps a scout knife.
Not sure what year it was made.
I imagine that Camillus made more TL-29 under more brand names than any other manufacturer.
I know they made some of the Schrade TLs, Case, Craftsman, M. Klein & Sons, Proto and who knows how many other brands. This is a good question for Tom Williams.

I have surgery on Wednesday & won't be out in the shop much with my hand all bandaged. Maybe I can copy some of the Camillus S-cards I have from Tom. That would be a start.

Dale
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Re: Camillus vs CAMCO

Post by Ringmaster »

Oh, my !

What's goin' on with the hand, Dale ? What're they gonna do - what's the recovery time ? I hope you've got a one-arm blade, in your pocketknife !

Take Care,
JR
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Re: Camillus vs CAMCO

Post by orvet »

:lol: :lol: :lol:
I have LOTS of one-hand openers & assisted-openers! :mrgreen:

They are going into my left thumb joint and scraping out a bunch of arthritis.
Toward the end of the year they have to do 2 trigger finger releases on my right hand.
That is the one I am dreading as I am right handed. ::dang:: ::dang::

Thanks for your concern,
Dale
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Re: Camillus vs CAMCO

Post by Gunsmoke47 »

Heal quick and total dale. ::tu:: Kelley
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carvin don
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Re: Camillus vs CAMCO

Post by carvin don »

Gunsmoke47 wrote:Heal quick and total dale. ::tu:: Kelley
What Kelley said ::tu::
Don
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