Mil-K, Utility Knives

[CampbellAr2]

Recently got interested in these after chasing some examples from Queen, in addition to the Camillus that I carried when I was still on active duty.

Looking for examples from Western , Imperial, and perhaps Case...WWII through Vietnam timeframe

Short and sweet,
I am extremely frustrated with the ebay side of the world. While I understand broken back springs are common on these Mil-K knives, the last 2 knives I brought (and am now trying to return) have had them without any mention of the problem in the listing.....

If you need a laugh, The attached pic is what I was sent on this last one is my last example - Nice little something for me to discover when I opened the package.

Thanks!

[eveled]

Yep. EBay is difficult for sure.

Military pocket knives are fun to collect.

[Gunsil]

Nice stash, Eveled!! Here's one of my two unused WW2 Kingston USMC knives and my really rare 1949 Camillus, the first year Camillus made them. Last pic is the back of the 1949 Camillus showing the brass liners which the Kingston and Stevenson WW2 USMC and the 1948 Ulster Mil-Ks all have.

[CampbellAr2]

Nice pics!

As I recall, pics of eveled's collection from an earlier Queen discussion started my curiosity on these models

Got 1 more knife enroute which should be a Kingston with the brass bolsters...hope it is intatct

[eveled]

Very nice knives Gunsil! The Camillus is a Holy Grail knife for sure.

Glad I could inspire someone to collect these, they are fun, usually not too expensive and just a great overall rugged knife. Good luck on your quest CampbellAr2. I’m not an expert by any means but feel free to ask any questions that pop up.

[Doc B]

Dang, I hate it when that happens

[eveled]

There are other knives with the same stainless handles (especially from the Kingston era) and other scout type knives that were issued. Somewhat of a rabbit hole, but a fun one.

[Gunsil]

I believe the Kingston and Stevenson USMC knives were not made with stainless steel handle scales. They used monel handle scales instead of stainless and the blades were carbon steel rather than the stainless of the later versions.

[eveled]

I’ve heard that, but for the life of me I can’t tell them apart! Those old ones with the steel blades seem a lot better made and rarely have the broken springs that seem to plague the Camillus ones.

The older ones have a stud on the can opener I was told that was to held disassemble an m1 Garand?. It was deleted when they realized it was no longer needed.

That was the point I believe quality started to drop at Camillus. Even so the crappiest US made Camillus is light years ahead of any of the off shore ones avaikable now. Current Camillus, Scheffield, Marbles, Colonial all pathetic.

I wish a good US knife company would pick up the model and do it right. Case Buck KA-BAR please !

[eveled]

These are tough ones to find. Not mine not my pictures. If it’s someone here I hope you don’t mind!

0F724D2F-F864-4646-A994-846674A3EBF0.jpeg (53.4 KiB) Viewed 5097 times

5757475F-CED8-4BDB-A56C-4B920327956A.jpeg (43.62 KiB) Viewed 5097 times

Or maybe they are common but the etches wore off? Too bad they didn’t do a handle stamp for the Scouts.

I always heard the ones with blank handles were for Canadian contracts, but there seem to be a lot of them around.

[Ripster]

Hey guys ,just read this post and wasn’t aware of the trouble with Camillus back springs breaking. Is this 1983 Camillus one that is prone to breaking? Thanks for sharing, interesting and good to know .

[eveled]

I don’t know that they really have a problem, just that there were so many made that we see more with broken springs. If it’s not broken now I wouldn’t worry about it.

These were under $10 new, and totally outshine Swiss Army Knives IMHO.

[Ripster]

I don’t know that they really have a problem, just that there were so many made that we see more with broken springs. If it’s not broken now I wouldn’t worry about it.

These were under $10 new, and totally outshine Swiss Army Knives IMHO.

Thank you E , and yes sturdy knife for the price . Have a good one, be safe .

[Nephilim]

Hey guys ,just read this post and wasn’t aware of the trouble with Camillus back springs breaking. Is this 1983 Camillus one that is prone to breaking? Thanks for sharing, interesting and good to know .

I don't know if some years of production are more prone to breakage than others, but yes, the back springs of Camillus military knives seem to have issues. I don't know if this has more to do with long term durability or some other factor related to the tempering of those springs. The best way to avoid that is to only open one tool in one layer at a time. Opening two will flex the spring from both ends at once.

[ScoutKnives]

Knives are both mine , I don’t mind you posting them

These are tough ones to find. Not mine not my pictures. If it’s someone here I hope you don’t mind!

0F724D2F-F864-4646-A994-846674A3EBF0.jpeg5757475F-CED8-4BDB-A56C-4B920327956A.jpeg

Or maybe they are common but the etches wore off? Too bad they didn’t do a handle stamp for the Scouts.

I always heard the ones with blank handles were for Canadian contracts, but there seem to be a lot of them around.

[eveled]

Thanks! They are awesome!

I remember being blown away when I saw them the first time. Even with obsession with these knives, I never knew they existed.

Too bad they went with the etch and not a special handle stamp.

[New_Windsor_NY]

Today I add this pocket knife to my "general" CAMILLUS pocket knife collection. It is ONE of my HOLY GRAIL pocket knives. It is a 1949 CAMILLUS, single blade, 3 tool, brass liners, pocket knife. It is in EXCELLENT condition and didn't require any cleaning. I took some pictures and here it is.

[Ripster]

Today I add this pocket knife to my "general" CAMILLUS pocket knife collection. It is ONE of my HOLY GRAIL pocket knives. It is a 1949 CAMILLUS, single blade, 3 tool, brass liners, pocket knife. It is in EXCELLENT condition and didn't require any cleaning. I took some pictures and here it is.

Wow Skip, not to many of those around!! And what great shape. Very very nice. Thanks for sharing, what a grail ,how long of a journey to get this one?

[New_Windsor_NY]

Wow.....

Thank you JP. It took me approximately 1 year and 10 months to find AND acquire a 1949 CAMILLUS.
I found one last August, but somehow it came off my watch list and I lost it. Water under the bridge now.

[Ripster]

Skip ,So a year and 10 months, way to go, it’s very rewarding to achieve something like this, the feeling when you hold it in your hand and slid it in your pocket. Nicely done Sir. Have a great day, and be safe out there .

[Doc B]

[New_Windsor_NY]

Skip.....

Thank you JP. Stay safe yourself.

Thank you Doc B.

[New_Windsor_NY]

Today I add this pocket knife to my "general" CAMILLUS pocket knife collection. It is a 1959 CAMILLUS, single blade, 3 tool pocket knife. A nice companion for the 1949 that I posted here previously, this page. It is in EXCELLENT condition and didn't require any cleaning. I took some pictures and here it is.

[eveled]

Wow! Another great snag. Great way to end a crappy year. Thanks for sharing. Congrats.

[New_Windsor_NY]

Wow.....

Thank you.