From the upcoming January 2024 issue of KNIFE Magazine…
GSM Outdoors is a Texas-based conglomerate which is quickly becoming a major player in the knife industry. The past several years have seen them acquire the likes of Cold Steel Knives and SOG, and they have now added one of the oldest names in American cutlery to their list of brands, Camillus Cutlery. This November they purchased the company from ACME United, who had been importing knives under the Camillus brand after acquiring the name after the original company closed its doors in 2007.
Camillus was founded in 1876 when Adolph Kastor began importing and selling German-made pocketknives. The company began to manufacture knives domestically when the 1897 Dingley Tarrif made the import model impractical, eventually settling in Camillus, New York.
“Camillus is no stranger to innovation, reliability and high-quality manufacturing,” said Zach Henderson, chief sales officer, GSM Outdoors. “This acquisition adds another pillar to our already premier lineup of cutlery brands. We are thrilled to be the stewards of the next chapter in Camillus’ rich history and adding them to the GSM family.”
This is the second legacy knife company to be purchased in the past several months,. Knife wholesaler Blue Ridge Knives recently acquired Ontario Knife Company, see the September 2023 issue of KNIFE for more on that transaction.
GSM Outdoors can be found on the web at www.gsmoutdoors.com or you can direct questions to info@gsmorg.com.
I do not know how this one flew under everyone’s radar. Mark and I missed this news, which is almost a month old. Blade hasn’t covered it either. I found out from David Andersen in a small text group we are a part of, who shared it with “How did everyone miss this?”.
Read more here…
GSM Outdoors Expands Brand Stable with Camillus, Cuda Acquisitions