Camillus Tyrant - 3" fixed blade

[CanadaKnifeGuy]

I saw this little fixed blade on sale for $40 CAD = $29USD!

A 3" blade and 7.25" overall made of D2 with G10 scales AND a leather belt sheath with an included little diamond sharpener button for in-field touch-ups.

On top of that, it's designed by G&G Hawk that has used this deep-choil and canted blade design on some $150-$200 knives, so I couldn't pass it up.

Truthfully, the sheath is worth the $ alone EASILY and fits a bk-14 amazingly and I'm sure it would fit many other small fixed blades.

I was intrigued by a more stainless fixed blade for anticipated rainy hikes / adventures, to compliment my small Becker's, but forking over for a white River backpacker or a Spyderco Street Beat or Bradford Guardian wasn't super justifiable, considering it won't get much use.

The design is amazingly ergonomic and works with my small hands well, but I expect that a medium to large hand will fit like a glove!! You really feel locked into it, in the hand.

Amazing retention with that choil and the angle of the cant makes draw cuts much more effective and allows for stabbing / detailed tip-work with less strain / flexing of the wrist.

It's an odd / unconventional knife... And I presume that's why it doesn't sell well and is often discounted and why there's so few reviews.... But man... This is a damn intriguing knife in the hand!!

There's a unique lanyard setup, but I'm not too bothered with it... But it is well designed and for guys like me that don't really like them, it stays out of the way as much as possible.

It's made in China and it uses a hollow-grind.... But man... What a great slicer and an amazing spec sheet. D2, G-10, leather sheath with diamond sharpener and a notable designer!? Came super sharp too. It feels like it's easily worth 3-4x as much.

 

[dirc]

did you find that at cdn tire or a chain store? ... would be interesting as they don't have any other d2 fixed blades, at all, ; )

 

[CanadaKnifeGuy]

Cdn tire.

Most of the stuff they carry tends to be crap... But they have some Buck knives, Swiss Army Victorinox and Leathermans, which are not expensive, but are proven performers.

This D2, coated, full-tang blade seems like a real amazing piece.

 

[BladeScout]

Congrats on your new knife.
Camillus is not the Camillus of old but as long as you are happy with the knife.
Id have bought the Street Beat you mentioned even if it was more expensive. It would work well for your hiking. The SB has enough belly to for example cut/slice food and would do fine for a multitude of other tasks along a hike. I dont know which version you saw but there is a cheaper lightweight version of the SB.

 

[CanadaKnifeGuy]

Congrats on your new knife.
Camillus is not the Camillus of old but as long as you are happy with the knife.
Id have bought the Street Beat you mentioned even if it was more expensive. It would work well for your hiking. The SB has enough belly to for example cut/slice food and would do fine for a multitude of other tasks along a hike. I dont know which version you saw but there is a cheaper lightweight version of the SB.

Obviously it's not the Camillus of old, that went bankrupt and was purchased by someone else.

My only experience with the old company, was a poorly / asymmetrically ground bk-11 - but to be fair... I'm guessing it was a "seconds" knife.

My point was that on its own merits, this knife is pretty spectacular... Especially considering the price.

The only thing that could change my mind is if the HT is off... But I won't be able to tell that until I beat on it and also have to resharpen it.

Until then, great first impression and high build quality!

 

[Petunia D. Feeble]

...fits a bk-14 amazingly...

The design is amazingly ergonomic...

Amazing retention...

...amazing spec sheet...

It's an odd / unconventional knife... And I presume that's why it doesn't sell well and is often discounted and why there's so few reviews.... But man... This is a damn intriguing knife in the hand!!

No, I suspect the big "Camillus" written on the blade is why there's so few reviews. They've so damaged the brand that we just assume it sucks and move along.

I'm glad you're happy with it. I'm not sure it's a huge bargain so much as an exaexam of accurate pricing. The prices of small fixed blades with that sort of construction always baffled me. Why the hell would a mass produced 3" fixed blade in bargain bin steel with g10 slabs be $150 when there are d2 folders on bearings with carbon fiber scales for 1/3rd that price?

Nice find. Hopefully it holds up to use.

 

[CanadaKnifeGuy]

Oh - carbon fibre scales don't impress me at all - unless there's a moulded honeycomb structure underneath.

A layer of CF with a polished epoxy /resin on top is just for the look and has poor grip, generally.

It's an impressive material, when done right and the right application, because of its strength to weight... But even in most consumer products, CF is just the same as fibreglass, as there's so much resin used and sometimes they even mix FG and CF with a veneer layer of the criss-crossed black & grey stuff.

From a user / utilitarian standpoint, I'd much rather have a G10 or FRN handle with some texture.

For a gentleman's folder.... Wood works for me!