Henry Rifle Forums

I was perusing Ebay recently, looking for a different brand of knife, when I saw these two Craftsman brand knives. The seller stated they were Camillus made in the USA just before Camillus went out of business. He stated these were sold in the auction after the closing. They looked pretty neat and were around twenty dollars each with free delivery. I was looking for a vintage fixed blade that would be utilitarian around the homestead here. These looked like likely prospects. I had always seen Craftsman knives in Sears, but passed them by without much of a second look. I had my Buck made Camillus knives and Buck other knives and was happy. I didn't even give a second thought when they were on clearance before the Sears around me all closed. I found a Sears knife at my father's house when going through my parents things before the sale. I put it in my collection. That was the only Sears knife I had up until now. I got two and put one in the collection. Neither arrived with a very good edge. They had been sharpened, but not marked yet. The sheath and handle state Craftsman. I have no idea what they would have retailed for, but I think they will be pretty utilitarian around here and made in USA and in NY State too. I tried one in a Buck Vanguard sheath that I picked up on a clearance sale on line a while ago. It will likely fill the bill.

That's a good looking knife. I like the handle and the length and shape of the blade.
That thing just screams utility.
Looks like it would clean up easily too, another plus!
Strange that the blade isn't marked at all for what steel was used, or with a manufacturer logo.

Looks like some early crkt or frost cutlery blades

rickhem wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 01, 2024 12:47 pm

That's a good looking knife. I like the handle and the length and shape of the blade.
That thing just screams utility.
Looks like it would clean up easily too, another plus!
Strange that the blade isn't marked at all for what steel was used, or with a manufacturer logo.

rickhem,

I'm not surprised about the lack of a tang stamp. When the Camillus factory went under, everything was auctioned off. These knives came out of that auction. If I have time, I might research these to see if I can learn the steel composition.

daytime dave wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 01, 2024 12:04 pm

...

That is a really nice find!

I like working knives, and I like collectable knives. I have a few knives. Good find my friend.

daytime dave wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:41 pm

rickhem wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 01, 2024 12:47 pm

That's a good looking knife. I like the handle and the length and shape of the blade.
That thing just screams utility.
Looks like it would clean up easily too, another plus!
Strange that the blade isn't marked at all for what steel was used, or with a manufacturer logo.

rickhem,

I'm not surprised about the lack of a tang stamp. When the Camillus factory went under, everything was auctioned off. These knives came out of that auction. If I have time, I might research these to see if I can learn the steel composition.

The fact that you have two of them is kinda cool. You can put one into use, and learn from that one. Is the steel real hard and does the edge last for a long time, or a little softer and require more frequent sharpening? Stuff like that. Either way, you'll know how to treat the other one if/when you put that one into the rotation.
Another little perk, is that if you have a grandson/granddaughter, nephew/niece, or someone special that sees you wearing that blade a lot, you can gift a duplicate to them. Having the exact same knife would be a meaningful thing in those circumstances.

rickhem wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 02, 2024 6:24 am

daytime dave wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:41 pm

rickhem wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 01, 2024 12:47 pm

That's a good looking knife. I like the handle and the length and shape of the blade.
That thing just screams utility.
Looks like it would clean up easily too, another plus!
Strange that the blade isn't marked at all for what steel was used, or with a manufacturer logo.

rickhem,

I'm not surprised about the lack of a tang stamp. When the Camillus factory went under, everything was auctioned off. These knives came out of that auction. If I have time, I might research these to see if I can learn the steel composition.

The fact that you have two of them is kinda cool. You can put one into use, and learn from that one. Is the steel real hard and does the edge last for a long time, or a little softer and require more frequent sharpening? Stuff like that. Either way, you'll know how to treat the other one if/when you put that one into the rotation.
Another little perk, is that if you have a grandson/granddaughter, nephew/niece, or someone special that sees you wearing that blade a lot, you can gift a duplicate to them. Having the exact same knife would be a meaningful thing in those circumstances.

I like the way you think.

I think I found some answers as to what their heritage is. Camillus purchased Western knife in the 90's. These Craftsman look like the Western drop point hunter that Camillus offered in the mid 2000, right before they went under. I can't say if Sears ever sold them, or they were something they were going to. Craftsman knives are more niche than my internet research allows.