Les Stroud/Camillus "SK Desert" Folder

[BCCL]

I received the Camillus/Les Stroud SK Desert Folder today, some initial thoughts on it are good and bad.





Knife itself is OK, 440A liner lock with a very good no slip handle. Blade has some kind of "titanium non-stick" coating (more on that later) and came shaving sharp. Handle is good, very comfortable.



The liner lock is good, no play at all. Has nylon bushings, and at first was slow to open, but 1 drop of oil and it opens very easily now. The blade finish is very rough at this point, cosmetic though, doesn't seem to interfere with anything.





A small emergency firesteel locks into the handle, seems secure and would have been a nice idea if it worked..........





Here is the "bad" on this knife. The "titanium non-stick" coating on the blade, makes it (as least on mine) totally worthless to try to get any sparks from the firesteel. After nearly 30 minutes of scraping, I never got a single spark, and as you can see the blade coating barely has a mark on it. I did manage to get 2 sparks by scraping the firesteel with the pocket clip about 20 times, but none using the notch on the blade that is supposed to be used.

It's a $25.00 knife, so I wasn't expecting perfection, and the knife itself is OK, but the firesteel part just doesn't seem to work with whatever that blade coating it.

 

[Mikee Loxxer]

Why would they put a coating on a stainless survival knife? Especially when they pair it with a ferrocerium rod? Usually they do that to prevent rust, reduce glare in the case of a military knife. But this is a stainless knife with outdoors/survival as the intended use. Am I correct in stating that the same coating is on the clip? It looks like that coating has cracked from the clip flexing when used.

 

[BCCL]

It looks like that coating has cracked from the clip flexing when used.

Nope, the marks on the clip are from me trying to get sparks from the firesteel, using the pocket clip as a striker. If you look right above those marks, you see some scuffing on the rubber handle where the firesteel was hitting it. Was able to get sparks twice from the pocket clip.

Still have not gotten the blade notch to strike any like it's supposed to.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Carry it and use the snot out of it.

 

[hso]

I handled them and I was embarrassed for Les Stroud.

Take a chainsaw file to the notch and you'll remove the coating, but the steel still won't want to spark. You're better off with a piece of hacksaw hanging from the lanyard to use with the ferrocerium rod.

Let Acme United know what a mistake they've made and let Les Stroud know as well.

 

[BCCL]

hso is right, I removed the blade coating this evening around the notch and it still won't strike a spark.

Ive probably used up 20% of the firesteel scraping away and got nothing, but the firesteel works fine with the scraper from my Light My Fire rod.



hso, I have had some contact today with Camillus over it and they basically said "we find it works under normal use"

 

[rcmodel]

What the heck is the funky looking stuff on the blade tang in this photo??

If it's finish or coating buildup, That right there just don't look right to me next to the liner lock surface!

If its flaws in the blade steel under the coating, It just ain't right, period.





rc

 

[BCCL]

rcmodel, first hand it looks like it's just build up of the coating on the blade steel, the bottom where the liner lock actually meets the blade is not coated and there aren't any cracks in the steel. Does look horrible though.

 

[JShirley]

I can't see any of these pics, but as Mikee said, there's no point coating a 440A blade. That's a pure gimmick. The only good reason to use 440A is extreme rust resistance.

John

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Honestly, if I was Les Stroud I'd be embarrassed to have my name on that knife. It looks shoddy.

The reason the notch on the blade won't strike any sparks from the ferro rod is that the edges aren't acute enough. Stainless steel blades will work just fine with a ferro rod as long as the edge is sharp enough. E.g., the best tool I've found for striking sparks from a ferro rod is the awl/reamer blade on a Victorinox Pioneer.

 

[BCCL]

the best tool I've found for striking sparks from a ferro rod is the awl/reamer blade on a Victorinox Pioneer.

Ain't it though, I use my Farmer model and it works as good, or better than the strikers that come with them!

 

[Yo Mama]

Not you to Les! Can't we get a real knife from these guys?

 

[TimboKhan]

Can't we get a real knife from these guys

Buy a 15 dollar Mora and you have a Cody Lundin signature knife.

 

[BCCL]

Or for $27.00 one with his name on it!

 

[Yo Mama]

Buy a 15 dollar Mora and you have a Cody Lundin signature knife.

Yup. Best 15 dollars spent!

Or for $27.00 one with his name on it!

Didn't know this one was around. Well at least Cody didn't change the knife.

 

[jbkebert]

The models from Gerber bearing Mr. Stroud's name are real peices of crap as well. I bought one for my oldest son for Easter. I had a gift certificate to Dicks sporting goods so the knife only cost me $6 bucks. Doesn't even come close to being worth $6

 

[wheelgunslinger]

I handled them and I was embarrassed for Les Stroud.

Same here. But, I'd say that from a marketing point of view, the population that will buy a knife because Stroud's autograph is on it are the same people who will never know how much it sucks because they'll die on their individual sofas beside a pallet of zombie piercing ammo or MRE's.
Not trying to be mean, but this is a novelty item.

 

[alaskanativeson]

The show Les had (don't remember the name of it - Survivorman?) didn't stay on the air as long, so he didn't resort to the pee-drinking sensationalism that Bear Grylls did, but I believe both guys have superb legitimate outdoor skills (Les showed it by going out all alone for his shows, and Grylls has a long list of respectable outdoors achievements.) I don't have a problem with guys like this endorsing products that they would use, but to sell out just to make money by putting their name on crap quality stuff is silly and damages their reputations. Camillus CAN make some good quality stuff, so can Gerber (at least both companies have at some point in the past) so why not stipulate where their names can and can't be used? I'm an overweight Social Studies and Special Education teacher and I'd be embarrassed to have either the knife above or any of the Gerber Bear Grylls knives sold with my name attached to it.

 

[hso]

The current Camillus has not real relationship to the Camillus of years past. What Camillus used to do has no relation to what the current Camillus may or may not do.

I have handled some quality Camillus (version 2) that I think the folks at the original Camillus wouldn't have had any problem with, BUT I've also handled Camillus V2 knives that they'd have never made or put out.