Camillus Marlin Spike Folding Knife

For the price, I think the fit and finish of this knife is outstanding. I was given a similar sized Benchmade folder as a gift some years ago, which if I'm not mistaken cost around 4-5 times what this knife does. Time will tell whether it holds up as well in the long run, but out of the box the quality of this knife is very comparable to the Benchmade. To my mind, this is a bit of a niche knife; it's pretty small so if you are looking for a "pig skinner" or a deck knife for a professional mariner I think this will feel like more of a toy. But as a handsome "gentleman's knife" that you can comfortably carry in your pocket for 1001 daily uses at work, the house, in the garage, in the garden, and so forth it really excels. Even though it does not have a pocket clip, the little spike does a pretty good job of doubling as one; you just open up the spike a bit and slide the handle down into the pocket with the spike on the outside of the pocket. When pressed closed, the spike does a very good job of keeping the knife snugly in place. I suspect some folks might not like the idea of the spike catching on something and pulling open, but in my use it hasn't been an issue and I suspect anyone doing activities which would catch the end of the spike would also tend to get caught up on a belt clip outside of the pocket as well. The marlin spike, in particular, feels really small compared to any other folding marlin spike knife I've ever used (a Myerchin, a generic stainless "sailor's tool" knife picked up in a gift shop once upon a time, and a Camillus 7.5" recently purchased (see more below on the last one)). However the tip of the spike is nicely rounded and a perfect combination of just small enough but just big enough to be really useful for a lot of tasks other than the splicing of line or untying of knots in larger line. Think prying, poking, orange skinning, or any myriad of other tasks which would be bad for the blade or potentially bad for you if attempting to use a knife to accomplish. I got the 6.5" at the same time as the "Camillus Ti Marlin Spike Pocket Knife, Bamboo Handle, 7.5" (18589)", so a quick comparison between those two: - The fit and finish of the 6.5" is much better than the 7.5", imo. - Though surprisingly almost identical in blade length, the spike of the 6.5" feels significantly smaller than that of the 7.5" than I would have expected from just comparing the length of them. The 7.5" has a needle sharp spike, which might be handy in some situations (self defense...?) but is certainly not preferable when it comes to line handling tasks. That said, the diameter of the 7.5" lends itself more to untying knots in anything larger than parachute cord, so if that is your primary need then I'd say get the 7.5" and file down its tip to a more rounded profile. - Size-wise, the 6.5" just feels a lot smaller than the 7.5" even though the blades are practically the same length and the spike of the 7.5" only slightly longer. A lot of that perceived size difference is in the width and length of the handle section. Again that could be a good thing for gripping if you are using the knife as a deck hand on a boat, but for daily carry and general light uses I much prefer the 6.5". - Both knives are very sharp out of the package though I haven't done any significant cutting with them to be able to judge the edge holding. Conventional wisdom seems to be that the VG-10 of the 6.5" should be a superior steel to the AUS-8 of the 7.5", but I can't speak to the real world application of that. I bought one of these as a gift for a family member who is a somewhat compulsive buyer of pocket knives, most of them costing MUCH more than this one, and he was very impressed with everything about it. UPDATE MAY 2021: Just a note about longevity; the blade action still remains smooth as butter, but the spike has developed a decidedly un-smooth grittiness when opening and closing. That said, the spike still locks firmly in place and I remain a big fan of its size as a great compromise to keep the knife compact but still useful. The most disappointing thing about the gritty spike action is that I had taken to using the spike as a pocket clip since I didn't like having the knife sliding around in the bottom of my pocket when walking, and especially didn't like when it turned sideways and pressed into my leg when sitting down. Now that the spike doesn't close smoothly it doesn't have any "clamping force" when it shuts, so though it does still serve to hold the knife in place at the top of the pocket it is loose enough that it invariably falls out when taking off my pants at the end of the day. Still, this isn't a huge hit on the knife overall. For what it costs and its other features I still rate it as an exceptional value.

I rarely write reviews but this item has impressed me so much that I believe it deserves some of my time. The construction of the knife itself is superb. I've never seen anything this well constructed plus the inclusion of premium knife steel in this price range. I collect knives, and hand sharpen them, I have over 20 currently, but have had many others in the past. The knife is solid as a rock, there is no play in the blade or marlin spike. The knurling on the grip is perfect and it is lined with thick metal similar to a Buck or Spyderco knife. The blade and marlin spike open and close with buttery smoothness with the perfect amount resistance. When the blade and marlin spike lock in the open position, they lock securely with a click and once again there is absolutely zero play as if the blade & spike are now welded in place. The factory sharpening on the blade is razor-sharp enough to cut hair and slice paper like butter. I believe this is due to the fact that the blade is made out of VG-10 (it has a stamp on the metal) which allows it to achieve high levels of sharpness. I can't wait to sharpen it on my Waterstones. Lastly I must admit it is a handsome blade , and taking into consideration its quality of blade metal and its construction I believe it could be sold at a price rivaling Spyderco. I will definitely be buying a few more considering its affordable price as gifts.

This is a great knife to have with you while sailing. It cuts and pokes. Most importantly, it locks so that it doesn't fold shut while your fingers are in the way. I'm still trying to figure out the best way of carrying this around with me. I prioritize having rapid access to my knives. I normally have pocket knives with a sturdy clip on them which allows me to clip it to a pocket, waistband, or boot. You can't do that here. The Camillus marlin spike doesn't have a pocket clip, so I either had to accept defeat and let the knife slip down to the abyss of my very full pockets, or come up with another solution. The obvious is to use the attached lanyard ring. I can see a lanyard working one of two ways - wear it around your neck like a wannabe pirate or leave a lanyard dangling out of your pocket, ready to grab by hand or ready to snag on whatever objects you brush against in the tight quarters of a sailboat. I declined this approach and opted to put my tiny and tough Metolius Mini carabiner to work. The lanyard loop has a nice flare to it but it still ends up being too narrow for the Metolius to connect directly to it. I found that a small locking chain link or "quick link" ended up being the perfect thing to slip through the lanyard loop. I can then connect to the quick link with the carabiner and attach the whole thing to my pocket or waist. It's definitely a compromise and I'd rather just have the pocket clip. But overall my satisfaction with this particular knife/spike combo makes it worth the inconvenience. Would buy again.

Por el precio pagado, genial.

Très bon traitement du vg10 le spike je m’en suis peu servis mais il a toujours marcher ( sur des noeud de manière de cuir bien serré et sécher )… j’avais un peu peur d’une enieme sous marque Chinoise qui a racheter une marque américaine mais c’était un à priori . Pour le prix il est très bon

Das Ding ist eigentlich so gut, dass ich bei YouTube einen Film machen würde. Schmal und kurz genug für ein EDC. Die Klinge (Sheepfoot, sehr leicht bauchig) gefällt mir sehr gut. Der Marlspieker ist Klasse geformt, stabil und spitz und verriegelt absolut sicher und ist über einen hebelmechanismus, der als Öse geformt ist, zu entriegeln. An die Öse kann man ein lanyard anbringen. Damit wäre das Messer zügig aus der kleinen Tasche bei der Jeans ect. Zu ziehen. Einen Poketclip hat das Messer nicht. Den vermisse ich aber auch nicht. Es ist einfach „richtig“ ohne Clip. Die Klinge aus VG10 hat einen beidseitigen Daumenpin und lässt sich einhändig öffnen, wenngleich nicht butterweich sondern eher ein bischen widerwillig. Trotzdem, auf Grund der modifizierten Sheepfood Klinge, der Größe und des Marlspiekers 5 Sterne.

No corta nada . Bonito diseño

Kompakt, flach, leicht und trotzdem robust genug. VG-10 ist gute bis obere Mittelklasse und bei Messern für 30€ sonst eher nicht zu finden. Die Beschichtung hätten sie sich für mich sparen können, ich schneide aber auch keine Seile, vielleicht hilft sie hier besonders gut. Das Messer kam anständig scharf aus der Box, trägt in der Hosentasche nicht auf und bietet mit dem Marlspieker ein besonderes Werkzeug, das im Alltag tatsächlich sehr nützlich sein kann. Der Daumenpin hätte etwas dicker ausfallen können, geht aber so auch in Ordnung. Das Messer ist dafür gedacht auf dem Segelboot an einer Kette / Schnur befestigt am Mann (Frau) zu hängen, so fehlt leider ein Clip für die Tasche. Kritik gibt es sonst keine und gerade im Vergleich mit den anderen meist sehr billig produzierten Messern mit Marlspieker ein echter (Geheim) Tipp. Würde es wieder kaufen