Camillus Chameleon

The Camillus Cutlery Company is one of the oldest knife manufacturers in the USA. Its history began in 1876 with Adolph Kastor, a young immigrant from Germany who came to New York in 1870. He came from an old knife-making family and wanted to continue making knives in his new homeland. His uncle was a co-founder of the Bodenheim, Meyer & Company hardware store, where Adolph was able to get his start. In 1876, however, he went bankrupt. In the fall of that year, Adolph fulfilled his great dream and started his own business, Adolph Kastor & Bros. His business prospered until 1897, when a new law came into force to protect domestic industry from imports. Kastor therefore decided to start making knives himself. He teamed up with Charles Sherwood, the owner of a small knife factory. Kastor bought his factory in 1902 and modernized it. In the years that followed, the business began to grow significantly and soon Kastor became the largest employer in the small town. In 1903 and 1906, the Clover and Sword Band brands were produced. Production continued to increase and Camillus purchased steam hammers and steel presses. During World War I, the company switched to the production of military knives. More than 471,000 knives were shipped to the front. The 1920s were a successful period for the company. Century. The then new product, stainless steel, was quickly introduced into production. Camillus produced knives for several trading companies, which resold the knives under their own brand.
After the outbreak of the Second World War, Camillus again concentrated on military knives, producing more than 15 million knives for the Allied forces between 1942 and 1945. After the war, the company returned to civilian production of Camillus and Camco knives. Under the latter brand, traditional pocket knives and penknives were sold.
Camillus was a brand of knives aimed at American youth. These knives included special editions of The Lone Ranger, Dick Tracy Knife, Davey Crockett and Daniel Boone. Today, Camillus produces an impressive line of types with the Camillus, Western, Becker Knife & Tool and Cuda brands.