The Camillus Era

April 23rd, 2005

While the Hobbit Hole was happily shipping out the last of the CRKT folding knives, and the new Ka-Bar, fortune smiled on our efforts again. As usual, it started out small, and continued to expand until it changed the entire “product line” of our knives.

The small beginning was a closeout by an online dealer of the Camillus CQB “Black Ops” sheath knife. Until then, we only gave away small folding knives. They were “priced right”, and could fit in anyone’s pocket. But even in this age of military high tech, a good steel blade provides an extra measure of comfort for an infantryman over and above his rifle and body armor. As usual, the government tends to overlook this simple, non-tech item.

Up until then, sheath knives were out of the question for the Hobbit Hole because high quality doesn’t come cheap, especially for a knife which might be used to defend your life.

The Camillus CQB3 “street price” was $90, which is about the price range that really good combat knives start. The dealer was closing them out for $30! As has now become my habit, I ordered three, right on the spot. This is what we got for $30, about $5 more than what we were paying for our folding knives, when engraving was included:

To put it mildly, I was stuned by the quality. I’m no fan of knife fights, but it was a knife I would unhesitatingly trust my life with. The six-inch blade was superb tool steel, and took a fantastically sharp edge. There was even a small pouch on the sheath where a Hobbit Hole folding knife could be stored. The knife had everything going for it, except quantity. Being discontinued, supplies were limited, and the dealer balked at selling more than six more. Other Hobbit Hole members also bought some, and mailed them to me. This way, we eventually had over a dozen.

The only drawback I saw on the knife itself was the rather smooth and slick micarta handles. Digging around in my tool box, I found a square needle file that matched the notches in the steel tang perfectly. With that, I was able to file grooves in the thumb area of the handle that improved the feeling of a secure grip.

After a quick trip for laser engraving of our Hobbit Hole mark, the knives were ready to ship out to Infantry and other trigger-pullers who appreciate a fine piece of steel. The first knife went to the son of a freeper on Free Republic.

I expected an enthusiastic response, but the actual results exceeded my wildest dreams. The recipient of the first knife emailed back that his platoon sergeant had seen it, and was “blown away” by the practicality and quality of it. The next knives were also seen by other troops, and soon requests came flooding in for Soldiers and Marines eager for a Camillus of their own. The Hobbit Hole pocket knife started out slowly, but the fighting knife literally exploded on the scene, and threatened to deplete our meager stock of knives. It could only be classified as an instant mega-hit. Future installments of “The Camillus Saga” will show how the Hobbit Hole knife project was pushed into new directions, and picked up even more speed.

Entry Filed under: Hobbit Hole Knives