Rising from the ashes- Camillus Cutlery

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Camillus Cutlery closed its doors in February of 2007. I've lamented this loss before, as the cutlery was a staple in my life, being less than 5 miles from where I was born and raised.  Unknown to me was that the Camillus name was auctioned off to a buyer in 2009 and the knives are being manufactured again, though they are no longer produced in the Town of Camillus located in Central New York. The new knives (link) retained little of what I remember from the original lineup- with the yellow-jacket and western knives retaining the only recognizable semblances of the company's former familiar line.

The new company, Acme United Corporation, did not purchase any of the original stock and assumes no responsibility for the older Camillus knives made prior to 2007. It is sad that the majority of knives I own, all covered by a lifetime warranty, cannot be sent anywhere for service- though I can walk through the town and sit on the stoop of the former factory where those knives were made by friends and members of my community.

I know little of the new knives- though they seem to operate in a similar price point to the Camillus knives I remember. I see the new company is selling off some old stock, and lists one of my former pocket knives (20 or so dollars factory direct) now on amazon for 110. The new knives seem to be in the 25-150 dollar range, which leaves me conflicted to say the least.

Camillus did outsource some production to China prior to closing, but if you paid over 50 bucks, you had a good chance that the knife you bought was made right here in the good ol' USA. The new website features this page (link) that has an image of the factory as it still stands to this day, vacant- a shell of a town's former production abilities. I do not know where the new knives are made, and am not sure if I will buy one. Time will tell.