One of My Favorites the US Knife

[IA Woodsman]

My EDC and a knife that I have carried for a very long time. If any of you read The Backwoodsman, there was a great article on this knife. Here is a pic and a link to a vid I did on this little jem.

http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad31/IAWoodsman/usknife.jpg?t=1265734119

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW6eA4sqXoI

[klkak]

Yea, I have one of those. Was issued it in 1982 and carried it until 1994. It's still in good shape. Because I used it while rigging airdrops and cutting allot of line, I put a serrated edge at the base of the blade.

[Rick]

To bad they went out of business. Nice knife.

[crashdive123]

I was issued several of those over the years, along with the black scaled pocket knife and the one with the folding marlin spike. I always carried them, but never really appreciated them as much as I do now. I might have a few in storage. Looks like a project for the future.

[Old GI]

Isn't that a demo knife?

[Rick]

I think it's a Camillus. Just sayin'.....

[IA Woodsman]

Isn't that a demo knife?

I have heard them called a Demo Knife before.

[rebel]

I never had one but, I've thought they would be alright.

[Old GI]

The demo knives were treated to not conduct static electricity for obvious reasons. Supposedly, if you sharpen the blade, it can't be used for demo anymore.

[glockcop]

The demo knives were treated to not conduct static electricity for obvious reasons. Supposedly, if you sharpen the blade, it can't be used for demo anymore.

Yes, that knife was commonly but inaccurately dubbed the "demo" knife. It was never intended for demolition/explosives work. It also carries the "old wives tale" about "electrical nonconductivity". That is false. They were made with common cutlery steel and was intended only as a utility type knife. If you work on "hot" wires with this utility knife, you will fry yourself. They do indeed conduct electricity. That rumor about this basic utility knife has persisted for years. Best.

[Pal334]

I always had one attached to my gear and tried to get a new one issued for each deployment. You can never have too many of them :)

[OhioGrizzLapp]

We could get the US K-Mil Utility knives as often as we wanted them. Somewhere here in the shop I have a shoe box full of the ones I was issued. You prob would NOT want to use this knife as a demo tool as it would spark and was magnetic. They were truly handy gadgets though, especially when you did not want to use your P-38 opener on the C-Rat cans, they also opened GI Issued beer cans well too.....or so I have been told :)

The knife below was the orig demo knife as issued to UDT in 1982. It is non mag, non sparking although it is conductive and very soft, made of beryllium. I do not have the sheath anymore, but it was able to be mounted in a few dif ways..Horz, Vert, upside down on your duty suspenders. I carried mine upside down. The US Navy stopped using them in 1988 and went with a multi-tool type demo tool, it was a combo of a early Letherman and a very early Gerber combined together. I liked the multi-tool much better than the e3 demo knife.

What I liked: It was easy to use one handed and if accidently dropped & not tethered, it did not make a sound when it hit bottom when under water. The spike was perfect size for US Navy Mk 5-2 detonators and there was a notch at the back of the blade and in the center of the handle to charge MK-80 fuse ignitors (sometimes hard to pull the ring with neo gloves on under water)

What I did not like: It dulled very easily and the spike was easily bent. When the coating was scratched, in a week or so, there was a white powder like corrosion that I always had to use Never-Dull to take off. We were issued 2 a year.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm228/ohiohikingstick/e3demo.jpg

[Bombgod1]

It was mentioned that this is sometimes called a Demo Knife, that might be because that came as part of the US Army Demolitions Kit issued to Combat Engineers and EOD Folks. Normally made by Camilus but also made by Ontario Knife Company, I believe. A good knife for it's particular mission as a multi-use pocket knife.

[Rick]

Ontario still makes the knife. Scrade also makes a version. Both companies call it the Camp Knife.

[canid]

I had one when I was a kid and I certainly valued it. Sadly, it fell out of my pocket in a parking lot and by the time I remembered it the plow had come along.

[alrany187]

Isn't that a demo knife?

Thank you, Old GI. That's what I always referred to them as. Regardless, they are indeed a sweet blade to have.

[crashdive123]

Hey there alrany187. If you want real sweetness, you should check out our Introduction section and tell us a bit about yourself. Thanks.

[finallyME]

I have been looking at that knife for a present for my 8 yr old. I want to get him a pocket knife for when he turns 9. At first I wanted to give him the old boy scout knife. My dad has one from when he was a scout. Sadly, the new ones are stainless china steel, not the old high carbon. So, any recommendations as to were I can get one?

[crashdive123]

I have been looking at that knife for a present for my 8 yr old. I want to get him a pocket knife for when he turns 9. At first I wanted to give him the old boy scout knife. My dad has one from when he was a scout. Sadly, the new ones are stainless china steel, not the old high carbon. So, any recommendations as to were I can get one?

Ebay has quite a few listed. I typed in "folding military knife".

[finallyME]

Ebay has quite a few listed. I typed in "folding military knife".

Thanks I'll look. I found it on the ontario knife page under "camp knife". Those are selling around $50. I did find some on ebay for $10-15.