Camillus EZ-Open Pattern

[jerryd6818]

Picked up this four-line Camillus EZ-Open on eBay last night. The seller claimed there are no markings on it other than the tang stamp. I checked the 1945 Camillus catalog and didn't find it there. Does anyone know if this is a legitimate Camillus pattern and if so, what the pattern number is or maybe has the knife been apart?

With a few exceptions, it's like the Blade Forum's 2011 club knife.

-- Seller's Pictures --

[olderdogs1]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/120877295197?ss ... 1555.l2649

I have this one on Ebay for comparison.

Tom

[tjmurphy]

Never saw one with the cap lifter before. Stamp was used up to and including 1946 I think.

[olderdogs1]

There are several easy open Camillus knives on Ebay under completed listings with this opener configuration. Also the teardrop design. That would lead me to think that all is well with the knife.

Tom

[jerryd6818]

I'm with T.J. I'm not all that experienced but I've never seen this configuration other than the Blade Forum 2011 club knife.

Tom (od1) - I would assume the knife you have up for auction is a #33? What did you search on to come up with the ones that have the same configuration as mine? I tried "Camillus easy open", "camillus cap lifter" and "Camillus screwdriver" in my search parameters. No luck.

Again, I'm guessing but I would think the pattern for my knife would be a #3x putting it in the same class as the #33 EZ-Open. Doesn't the Coast Guard Camillus rope knife have a cap lifter/screwdriver blade for a secondary blade? No, I just looked and that's a can opener.

[RobesonsRme.com]

That's a Mumbly-Peg knife. Some were marked "Mumbly-Peg", some were not.
The knife is quite righteous, IMNSHO.
Charlie Noyes

[chetr1200c]

charlie thanks for that little tid-bit of info, i own a few of those cap lifter camillus easy opens. i tend to see them a lot. i don't need to add any more to my collection.
but as an avid easy open collector, i just bought an old ww2 robeson easy open from mark, aka, rattlesnake. it isn't even stamped anywhere as a robeson, it just has USA on the tang. but it is the exact match of two i have that are stamped robeson.

[jerryd6818]

Well sugar, so it is. I have a Mumbly Peg with the Mumbly Peg stamp only it has a clip blade instead of the spear blade and it's not an EZ-Open, it looks more like a #16. Charlie, the one I just bought is WWII. Do you know if they're all from the same era? I guess what I'm really asking is do all Mumbly Pegs have a cap lifter blade, how many different varieties did they make and what years were they made? I did a search on AAPK but the only thing I found was a few pictures of the knives and lot of reminiscing about playing Mumbly Peg.

[jerryd6818]

charlie thanks for that little tid-bit of info, i own a few of those cap lifter camillus easy opens. i tend to see them a lot. i don't need to add any more to my collection.
but as an avid easy open collector, i just bought an old ww2 robeson easy open from mark, aka, rattlesnake. it isn't even stamped anywhere as a robeson, it just has USA on the tang. but it is the exact match of two i have that are stamped robeson.

Chet, do you have any pictures of your EZ-Opens with the cap lifter that you can show us?

[chetr1200c]

jerry, so sorry..it must be my fading memory. i looked thru my camillus easy's and couldn't find any. i guess i know what my next purchase will be
i did dig up a few from syracuse though with the cap lifter. they had ties to camillus,, didn't they?

[jerryd6818]

they had ties to camillus,, didn't they?

This is the first one like this I've seen. That's why I asked if it's legit. (not that I've seen a ton of knives)

[RobesonsRme.com]

Syracuse was one of many tang stamps used by The Kastor Bros., owners of Camillus. Mumbly Peg was another.

Maybe I'm wrong about the EO being a Mumbly-Peg knife, but I think "Mumbly-Peg" whenever I see that blade combination.

Regardless of what it is or isn't, I think it's a righteous Camillus knife.

Chet, I have a "U.S.A." marked Robeson WWII jack. I bought it off Ebay in a multi-knife auction based solely on the bone, which was obviously Robeson.

Photo below.

Charlie Noyes

[jerryd6818]

Wow, Charlie! That's a nice one. It doesn't look like it's ever been in a pocket or seen a whet stone. What a find!

[chetr1200c]

charlie, thats the same easy open, only the one i have is not as minty as yours. in fact the pen blade has a semi circle notched into the center of it like someone touched it with a live wire.

jerry, the two syracuse easy's look identical to the camillus you have showing. only both have shoe company advertising shields. one is for peters shoe and the other shield has endicott johnson shoes. they also have the bail. one difference is that yours has the long pull, mine don't.
would you want to part with yours??

[jerryd6818]

I think I'll just hold onto it Chet but your post did send me to eBay for a little research. It appears Syracuse made several of the teardrop EZ-Open jacks with the cap lifter and a spear blade. Now I'm starting to wonder if this isn't a Syracuse with a Camillus blade stuck in it. The seller said the main blade has a little wobble to it so maybe this knife has been apart. Hmmm

[whitebuffalo58]

Could be that the cap lifter is a replacement, too. Might of had a pen blade originally.

WB

[jerryd6818]

Thanks WB. That's certainly a possibility. I seldom think out of the box.

[whitebuffalo58]

Box??!! There's a Box??!!! When did that happen??!!!

[jerryd6818]

Okay. The knife came in today's mail and I'm just as confused as ever. Blade wear on the main blade and the cap lifter don't match. The spear blade shows it's age. It looks like it's from WWII even though it's still pretty full. Cap lifter pretty much looks like NOS. I don't think it's a Mumbly Peg anymore. Those used a different frame. It's also not a #33, the frame on those are not tear drop/bullet end.

I don't know. I don't have a clue. If anyone comes up with and idea, let me know. In the meantime, here's my pictures of the knife.

[whitebuffalo58]

Looks like it's been well done, but sounds and looks like it's probably a rebuild. Tough call for me, would be to know which parts are original and which are the replacements. It has traits of several different brands. I don't remember Camillus ever having a teardrop E/O. Bail is located like a WWII era Imperial and the caplifter could be from just about anything.
I do like it though, pretty neat little ol' knife. Maybe a good user?

WB

[jerryd6818]

Eureka!! I think I've found it. It's exactly like a Syracuse which was a Kastor brand that was made from 1935 to 1940. Same frame. Same blade configuration. Same jigging on the black synthetic (composition) handles. That makes me think now that it's not a Frankenknife but a genuine Camillus, just prior to WWII or maybe during.

From what I've seen so far, Syracuse made a lot of these as advertising knives for shoe companies.

Check out this Syracuse and compare the two.

Crap! Now I have to see if I can find a Syracuse in decent condition that I can afford. Slippery slope indeed.

[Miller Bro's]

There is something else you are overlooking that tells you it is a Camillus product, that has not been mentioned yet

[whitebuffalo58]

Would it be the pressed on handles MB?

[chetr1200c]

jerry i do own, and i am sure of this, two syracuse easy opens with the cap lfters. strange thing is that they are two different cap lifter lenghts.

[jerryd6818]

There is something else you are overlooking that tells you it is a Camillus product, that has not been mentioned yet

WB is right. I noticed the pressed on handles but it's one of those things that goes through your mind but as you type, never makes it to your fingers. I'm sure that never happens to any of the rest of you.

Post 'em up Chet. Let us enjoy them too.