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CAMILLUS SHUTDOWN
Less than 3 months after ***United Cutlery had filed for bankruptcy in the United States, another one of America's traditional cutlery icons closes it's doors forever. Camillus Cutlery officially went out of business on 28th February 2007.
Camillus have been in trouble for more than the last five years - effectively living on borrowed time. Camillus provided a range of traditional cutlery and modern design knives and a number of factors have been cited for the company's eventual failure. Just like Schrade a few years ago, the main factor has been increased competition from cheaper goods manufactured in the Far East, coupled with Camillus's determination to retain a manufacturing base in New York state.
It has been reported that freelance knife designers Darrel Ralph and Ethan Becker (both contracted by Camillus), have sued Camillus for non-payment of royalties owed for their respective ROBO assisted knife models and the Becker Knife and Tool custom range. Camillus also borrowed $125,000 from design engineer Phil Gibbs which has not been repaid.
COMPANY HISTORY
One of the oldest established American cutlery manufacturers, Camillus was started in 1873 by German immigrant Adolph Kastor. Originally named Bodenheim, Meyer & Co, the first Camillus products were cow chains and imported German knives, but Camillus were producing their own stateside manufactured cutlery by 1902. Just eight years later Camillus employed about 200 people and produced just under a million knives per year. During World War 2 Camillus shipped 15 million knives to the Allied Forces, and in 1947 began production of knives for the Boy Scouts of America - which continued until the company's collapse in February 2007.
WHAT WENT WRONG FOR CAMILLUS
Camillus was offered financial assistance over the years that preceeded it's closure, both by the US government, and by the New York state, prompted initially by a financial deficit in the company's pension fund. Capital grants, training grants, and a $200,000 machinery and equipment grant were all offerred but never taken up. The mayor of Camillus even tried to assist personally without success.
In 2003, Kevin Pipes, an independent cutlery dealer bought out Camillus Cutlery's share of his business for $12 million, in the hope that the money could be reinvested into the Camillus marque but the money soon disappeared without trace.
The final nail in Camillus' coffin came in 2006 when, threatened with the possibility of job, pay and benefit cuts, staff voted to take strike action against Camillus. The strike rolled on for 6 painful months until November 2006 when the employees finally gave in and accepted their new conditions. Without a salary, many employees had no choice but to seek employment elsewhere or move out of the area, so many never returned to the Camillus factory.
THE CUTLERY TREND
As always, this is never good news - not least for the company and the people that it employed, but for all of us. One less manufacturer means one less choice for the customer, and when a company goes down with such an expansive model line, the effects of the restriction on consumer choice is more compounded.
The apparent gradual decline of the American cutlery industry is very troubling to everyone - whether you have an interest in cutlery or not - and the effects go far beyond consumer choice and cause societal changes globally. Those that believe knives to be nothing more than offensive weapons that should be erradicated from the US have nothing to smile about today. Both Schrade (who went out of business a few years ago), and Camillus, both cite cheap Far Eastern imports as their primary reason for closure. Traditionally, American knives have always been rather expensive beautifully made items which previously limited their appeal to serious collectors prepared to pay the price for such a fine piece of workmanship. You should expect to pay high for an American handmade Bowie knife, and typically you don't have much choice of where you can buy from, they are rare and often unique beauties indeed.
However, today you can buy a cheap Far Eastern Bowie-style knife for less than $20. Poorly manufactured by machines in their hundreds of thousands, you can choose to make your purchase from many sites on the Internet, from military surplus stores - I have even seen them for sale in my local Cash Converters shop window in our local city centre. If anything, the loss of another great name in the quality cutlery world will only serve to increase global crime involving the misuse of knives in developed countries such as ours.
***United Cutlery Bankruptcy is a Fact and Ownership Has Since Changed Hands
United Cutlery Bankruptcy is a Fact and Ownership Has Since Changed Hands United Cutlery Bankruptcy is a fact, due to which the company, which once made the officially licensed swords from the Lord of the Rings have since discontinued them from further production and sale. This has led to just a few of these items being up for sale and the ‘new’ United Cutlery will now be distributing Kit Rae Fantasy Art Weapons. Under its new ownership, the Kit Rae Fantasy Art Brand products, hitherto in short supply, will now give the public greater choice.
Bought Out by Cline Kadel
After the United Cutlery bankruptcy, from January 11, the company changed hands and was purchased by Clint Kadel who has been in the knife business from 1989 onwards and who also owns the large cutlery retail company that has its headquarters in Moultrie, Georgia. This means that United’s offices as well as warehouse facility are now going to operate from Thomasville, Georgia.
In addition, Kit has an exclusive agreement with United Cutlery to bring out his own unique fantasy weapons and he is keen to bring out many new designs along with United Cutlery following its Bankruptcy and new formation. There are also other fantasy related products such as the Kit Rae brand that the new company will be selling.
Due to United Cutlery’s bankruptcy, all of its products are now in short supply and these include Kit Rae Adrasil. There is, however limited numbers of items in stock from the Lord of the Rings, Kit Rae as well as Gil Hibben series that are being sold. Its LOTR series are sold out and are not scheduled to be reproduced or be manufactured anymore, and any store that is selling these products will offer buyer’s a last chance to purchase the originally licensed products from the Lord of the Rings movie.
After United Cutlery filed for Bankruptcy in December 2006, the company was liquidated and products designed by Gil Hibben for United Cutlery were discontinued from manufacture, and these items are not covered under warranty due to the fact that the company has gone out of business. Even though Gel Hibben and Hibben Knives were the licensed designers for United Cutlery, they are, following the United Cutlery bankruptcy, not responsible for the manufacture as well as marketing of these items, and Gel Hibben and Hibben Knives will not be able to provide or support these products which were being manufactured by United Cutlery.
Following the United Cutlery bankruptcy, however, the new company does intend, under its new ownership intend to continue the United Cutlery line with another manufacturer. For the moment, it is unclear whether the Gel Hibben designed products will be included anymore or not. It is thus a question of wait and sees.
WHERE ARE COLONIAL KNIVES MADE TODAY - CHINA!
In 1998 Colonial Knife™ closed it doors and faded into the history books as one of the last great AMERICAN pocket knife manufacturing firms. The knives produced by Colonial are sought after by collectors with many selling for hundreds of dollars each. In 2001 Colonial Knife became a division of CCI, Inc. and the traditional knives manufactured by Colonial Knife were back into production by Colonial Cutlery International, Inc. ™(CCI,Inc.) and are currently available. These are Made in China.
Guide created: 09/22/07 (updated 11/02/09)
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